Simon Pegg has weighed in on the state of the Star Wars fandom at the moment, labelling fans of the franchise as the “hardest to please” and things have never been “more toxic”.
As someone who has appeared in Star Trek, Star Wars, and Doctor Who, Simon Pegg is no stranger to working on projects that have a large dedicated fanbase.
Those mega fandoms can cause problems though. During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s “Jim and Sam” radio show, Pegg gave his thoughts on which franchise has the most problematic fanbase.
Pegg wasted no time and was quick to pick Star Wars. He justified his choice by recounting how he himself has contributed to this toxicity in the past.
“As someone who kind of was, you know, kicked off about the prequels when they came out, the ‘Star Wars’ fan base really seems to be the most kind of toxic at the moment,” he explained.
Previously, Pegg had been vocal about his dissatisfaction at the prequel’s inclusion of Jar Jar Binks: a character who is now notorious in pop culture for being universally disliked. Pegg has since expressed how he feels “ashamed” at his criticism of the character and has further added to this in this recent radio show interview.
“I’ve apologized for the things I said about, you know, Jar Jar Binks,” began Pegg. “Because, of course, there was a f**king actor involved. He was getting a lot of flack. And because it got a lot of hate, he suffered, you know, and I feel terrible about being part of that.”
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The actor and writer adding that he knows his comments are likely to be viewed “controversial”.
The harmful nature of the Star Wars fan base has been the cause of much negativity in recent years. In the most recent film Trilogy, Actor Kelly Marie Tran was forced to delete her social media after receiving death threats following her role in The Last Jedi.
More recently, Kenobi star Moses Ingram was subjected to racist comments after she was announced to be playing Riva in the new series.
In response, the official Star Wars social media accounts clapped back against the racist fans: “If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor also added to the response with his own statement.
“It just sickened me to my stomach to hear that this has been happening,” he began. “We stand with Moses, we love Moses, and if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no ‘Star Wars fan in my mind.”