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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Asian Men Deliberately Excluded from Star Wars?
ow that the fifth installment of the Star Wars saga has hit theatres, it's official: Asian men have no place in George Lucas's vision of the future. An Asian female Jedi was glimpsed in the most recent installment, but not one single Asian male has been spotted in any of the five movies.
The absence is all the more remarkable given that Star Wars borrows its themes and fight scenes so obviously from samurai and kung-fu flicks. On a purely demographic level, it's difficult to imagine a distant future in which Asians will not be the preponderance of humanity. Even on a mundane economic level, Asians account for at least a third of today's global box office and video revenues.
The utter absence of Asian men in the latest installment is even more glaring in light of the promises Lucas made in response to Asian protests over the omission of Asian actors coupled with suspicious attachment of Asian cultural traits to unsavory alien grotesqueries in The Phantom Menace. Lucas had even hinted that images of Bruce Lee would be used in the installment now known as The Clone Wars.
In The Phantom Menace Lucas used Asian martial artists both to choreograph and perform the kendo-inspired light-saber sequences. But as if wishing to take back the decision, in The Clone Wars Lucas's PR machine made a point of showing that the fight sequences were choreographed by a white man and performed by the actors themselves. That explains why they were so leaden and lackluster, but raises the question why?
Could it be that George Lucas wants to avoid calling attention to his large debt to Asian action films?
Is Lucas afraid that including an Asian man will invite critical focus on the new movie's sub-par swordfight sequences?
Is Lucus slyly inviting viewers to see wizened little Master Yoda as a winking representation of Asian men?
Despite his avowed interest in Chinese and Japanese martial arts, culture, literature and films, is Lucas a closet racist after all?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:56 AM)
Uh, Jango and Boba Fett, not to mention all of Jango's clones are API men--they're Maori people from New Zealand, who are considered Asia-Pacific Islanders. I wouldn't call that exclusion by any means.
As for Yoda, if you look at his face, you can tell it was inspired by Albert Einstein. Even Lucas said so when Empire Strikes Back was released.
Star Wars Fan
Monday, May 20, 2002 at 06:38:47 (PDT)
I don't think any of the Lucas film stars Asians. I mean the only film with his credit that is asian was Kagemusha, and that was because of his hand in international distribution of the film.
I guess in a galaxy far far away there are no asians. There are Blacks and Jews, but no asians.
Well I guess he has one more installment to make it up.
AC Dropout
Monday, May 20, 2002 at 05:57:34 (PDT)
Interesting article....
A lot of Black people were voicing the same concern with the original trilogy when there were no people of color to be seen...(and supposedly, Han Solo was to be Black, Princess Leia was to be Asian (Japanese), and Obi-Wan (Japanese)...however, Lucas quickly threw that concept away)...
According to his "Skywalking" book: He didn't want to make "Look Whose Coming to Dinner" at that moment...
(However, we did get Lando Calarissian--even if his character didn't do much)...
BM from the Bay Area...
Monday, May 20, 2002 at 04:09:54 (PDT)
One thing to note is that the Star Wars movies are set "A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away," so they have never claimed to represent a possible future for Earth. That said, I agree that there is an obvious lack of Asian actors in good, positive roles in them.
Besides the martial arts, one other thing in Phantom Menace that I noticed owes a debt to Asians are Queen Amidala's fashions & makeup. They seem to borrow a lot from those of the ladies of the Chinese Imperial Court, at least as far as I could tell from watching "The Last Emperor". :)
Troubadour
Monday, May 20, 2002 at 01:19:14 (PDT)
Actually,
Return of the Jedi had 1 asian guy, unfortunately he dies after his 3 seconds of fame. You see him get barbequed in the final space battle.
Boy, we're either tall green and ugly idiots or short green and bald kungfu masters.
Thanks George. I'll be sure to pirate AOTC the first chance I get.
huu76
Monday, May 20, 2002 at 00:14:51 (PDT)
Many (including Asians) do not realize a direct copying of martial arts/kung fu from the action scenes from Star Wars. Unless given a direct comment on the imitation, most think they are just improvement to action scenes present in many American movies even prior to the "Asian action" influences.
This demonstrates "the more you use other people's stuff, the more it becomes yours". Whether you argue that the movie is asian influenced or simply an usurpation of unique asian styles is entirely up to you.
Anyway, since George Lucas already does this (just like whites cashing in on black invented rap), there is no reason why we shouldn't take what's good from western culture and make it ours. And of course, the more it's done, the less it will appear as copy/imitations.
CBH
Sunday, May 19, 2002 at 23:56:33 (PDT)
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