Solo: A Star Wars Story

Fine, create "new" gay characters. But don't ruin our iconic characters we've loved since our childhood--like Lando and Sulu--by retroactively making them gay.

Wait, Grant - how does making a character gay "ruin" the character? Does it make the character less funny, or less brave, or whatever it was that drew you to the character within the story? Does finding out that an actor whose work you've enjoyed is gay "ruin" that actor thereafter for you?

And just to be clear - when we're talking about "gay" in the context of Kasdan's pronouncement - he actually states that (in his view) the character was pansexual (basically bi-sexual, attracted to both men and women). So that's still consistent with the aspect of the character as a "ladies man" from ESB (as well as his characterization in ROTJ, where the ladies man aspect disappeared entirely). Do I think Kasdan's pronouncement was necessary? No, not unless and until Lando's pansexual nature is actually reflected somewhere within a story. But let's not inadvertently give the impression that Kasdan's pronouncement was that Lando was "gay" in the sense of liking men exclusively - which, I agree, would've been a major post-retooling of the character from what we've seen before..

M
 
I'd be saying the same thing if they were trying to cram a religious statement into this. There is no need for this. I just want to be entertained and not preached to.
 
I woke up to WTF? And.... I’m done.

”revealed” would mean that the character was originally written and portrayed that way.

this is force fed crammed in agenda driven stuff.

I don’t want ANY sex in Star Wars.

I have several close gay friends, my girlfriend is bi... I have been to a gay bar in the last few months.... but THIS? This Is just the end for me. They are simply using the star wars name to get butts in seats. This generations youth... and I mean anyone under 25... is FUBAR.

People say they can’t destroy the old films with new stories... and to that I say... I’m really not soo sure about that. And it breaks my heart.

I woke up wondering why it even matters.




It's fun watching fanboys spiral out of control when some new aspect that they dont associate with is revealed about any character.


What's next?

#notmylando #cloudcityprobablyhadametoomovementalsobutwithdroids
#nowypuknowwhatprobedroidsarereallyusedfor.
 
Fellas, writers aim to understand their characters beyond what's on the screen. They need to be more inside a character's head and understand more of where he or she has been than what we're presented with. Suggesting outside of the film that a tremendously flamboyant character might be bisexual in the writer's mind is not cramming a social agenda into anything, and is certainly less "retroactively" changing the character than making this film to begin with.

This is the process, especially in crafting a prequel to something. See what's established. See what you can build with or build on. Learn the parameters and limitations you have to work within, what's out of bounds and what might be compelling or interesting. Actors and writers have to make decisions about who a character is to put it on screen in a robust, nuanced way - it doesn't mean that every bit of that is explicit in the text, nor that the unspoken ideas can't or won't be contradicted by a story decision down the road. The writing staff of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are as good as they get, and that writing room is constantly mining the show's history for bits they can "retroactively" expand on, or finding opportunities to insert a moment or new idea into a period - or even a scene - which we thought we'd already understood through another lens. That's the job, guys. It's one thing to admit you don't like the decisions, but ridiculous to insist they shouldn't do that work if this movie's being made and these characters are going to be explored and trotted out ad nauseam by LFL.
 
I don’t want ANY sex in Star Wars.

Did anyone suggest that there will be gay - or "ANY" sex scenes in this film? Sexuality isn't sex, but heterosexuality is allllll over Star Wars already, OT included. We had awkwardly incestual story beats in there before George was done with the first three. Lando's always been super suggestive in ESB. We have hypersexualized slaves in Jabba's palace... But a writer considering Lando to be a bit flexible as he writes him in an ill-advised Han Solo spinoff is the line we can't cross? I don't get it.
 
I woke up to WTF? And.... I’m done.

”revealed” would mean that the character was originally written and portrayed that way.

I’m guessing you also swore off Star Wars after ESB, where it was “revealed’ that Vader was Luke’s father? Because Vader in ANH surely wasn’t “originally written and portrayed that way”.

I don’t want ANY sex in Star Wars.

This I get in theory. Getting deep into a character’s sexuality hasn’t traditionally been part of SW, and I don’t see a need for it to become part of it going forward. But then you say:

People say they can’t destroy the old films with new stories... and to that I say... I’m really not soo sure about that. And it breaks my heart.

I’ll take you at your word that you’re not homophobic (and I say that in all sincerity). But when you say that you want no sex in Star Wars – but then say that revealing a character as gay “destroys the old films” – aren’t you really just saying that “no sex in Star Wars” just means you proceed under the assumption that everyone in the films was hetero (whether sex is referenced or not), and having someone tell you that might not be the case “changes” the stories for you? In effect, it sounds like “I don’t want ANY sex in Star Wars” just means “in my SW, everybody was straight.”

M
 
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It’s not WHAT they are changing about the characters... it’s WHY and how they are doing what they are doing that bothers me. There is a pattern here that I personally feel that I see. It’s like when coke or Pepsi pops up TOO MUCH in a movie and you feel like you are being force fed a commercial...

thats great if I’m wrong and you can enjoy it. I feel like I took the pill that takes you out of the matrix... again that’s my personal opinion.
 
Man, this thread is really useful. All of the bigoted, thoughtless people on the forum are outing themselves.


If your statement included moi - How is one bigoted or thoughtless by voicing an opinion or view that wasn’t meant as such , but rather made due to a growing sense of frustration and bewilderment at motives adopted by the people responsible for these ‘ New ‘ Star Wars films , and how they feel they’ve the right to ‘ dramatically change ‘ characters who’ve meant so much to so many , for so long !?
The character assassination of Luke Skywalker case in point .
Lando Calrissian is ‘ pansexual ‘ ? . If he’d been originally written as such then - no problem at all , but for this revisionist alteration being introduced now is just so much BS , and as someone else mentioned it’s seemingly another money grabbing attempt by LF & Disney to get more butts in seats .
Yeah , I understand that’s the name of the game for them $$$ ... but it doesn’t make it right .

Ged
 
There is nothing political about representation - that is just holding up a mirror to all and letting everyone's images reflect back instead of just the privileged fews faces.
At least 1 in 20 people are gay so I imagine we need quite a few new gay characters.

Totally Agree ... ‘ New characters ‘ being the operative words . But can we please leave the well loved ( surviving ) characters alone , and as they were originally written !?

Ged
 
Totally Agree ... ‘ New characters ‘ being the operative words . But can we please leave the well loved ( surviving ) characters alone , and as they were originally written !?

Ged

About 7 films and almost 4 decades too late for that request, isn't it? Until we were able to tack "feminism" or "sexual orientation" onto it, the main hitch in Star Wars fandom has always been its revisionist nature from film to film and release to release. Characters, effects, history, canon, EU/Legends, "inconsistency" is about the only consistent thing in the franchise.

EDIT: This isn't to say, of course, that the point even stands in this instance. If something doesn't contradict what's established, it's not technically "revisionist." This is why Vader as papa Skywalker works, and why Leia's "real mother" memories don't. I never heard Lando say "totally straight over here!" - just saw him wearing lots of fancy capes. If ESB had come out 30 years later when the idea was more accepted, I'd probably have assumed he wasn't totally hetero as written and played.
 
About 7 films and almost 4 decades too late for that request, isn't it? Until we were able to tack "feminism" or "sexual orientation" onto it, the main hitch in Star Wars fandom has always been its revisionist nature from film to film and release to release. Characters, effects, history, canon, EU/Legends, "inconsistency" is about the only consistent thing in the franchise.

This. I just don’t get all of the furor over adding something to a character that allegedly wasn’t how the character “was originally written and portrayed” (and I’m not pointing at OldKen here, as he’s explained his rationale that it’s the reason behind the change, not the substance of the change itself, that bothers him):

SW: pretty simple tale with clear archetypal characters. Boy meets wise fatherly mentor figure, falls in love with princess, fights a dastardly villain who is the epitome of evil Wonderful stuff – but very clear-cut, with no ambiguity in how the characters are written or portrayed.

ESB – the bad guy is not only a bit conflicted, but is also the boy’s father.

ROTJ – the princess turns out to be his sister (whoops). The wise fatherly mentor figure turns out to have feet of clay and also lies to serve his own goals. The bad guy isn’t so bad after all.

And those are just the big “reveals” I can think of in the OT off the top of my head . . .
 
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I don't recall the Internet all upside down when it was revealed Leia was Luke's brother and they had been romantically involved....

;)

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
I don't actually believe this . It can't be happening. Its not true.

Purely from a business point of view this is any inconcievably bad choice to have made. They have just reduced the potential Box Office of a Lando movie by possibly hundreds of millions,even if they get the go ahead to make it.

The success of Marvels "Black Panther" is due in no small part to the huge popularity of the way the characters are written. That very public support for this film to have been a black superhero movie has translated into a massive profit and goodwill as well as being well recieved by fans and critics alike . I doubt very much if it would have been half as successful if suddenly the new KIng of Wakanda announced he wanted to roger Captain America.

Lando was always held in high regard by similar fans and friends of mine because he represented a very strong role model for them within SW and sci fi universe . With a stroke of the pen Lucasfilm have probably destroyed much of the admiration and pride they had in his character.

Its all very well to try and promote tolerance and acceptance but this isn't the way to do it. Its going to upset alot of people.And you cannot call them biggots or haters when you take a character and dramatically alter a quality about them that they have been admired for four decades. Who would be stupid enough to do that and not expect a backlash?

I can't understand how anybody in charge of a franchise that directly depends on the powerful popularity of their characters with the general public and fandom to see the movies they are in think this is going to translate into a strong cinema performance.

I admire many of the films Kathleen Kennedy has produced and influenced , but it seems to me she truely doesn't understand the need for strong and popular male role models AS WELL as female ones. Or shes going outright to destroy them because shes incapable of controlling her own bias.
This however, is likely going to cost her, depending on just how accurate this rumour is. Its almost trolling.

Peter "Starlord" Quill can **** aliens and nobody will blink an eye. But hes a new guy. SW fandom is generations old and less forgiving of people treating them like idiots. How does this please anybody?

But I guess in terms of SW mythology it does explain Landos fondness for capes and why he wore Hans clothes at the end of TESB.

God help us.
 
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Lando was always held in high regard by similar fans and friends of mine because he represented a very strong role model for them within SW and sci fi universe . With a stroke of the pen Lucasfilm have probably destroyed much of the admiration and pride they had in his character.

Its all very well to try and prompt tolerance and acceptance but this isn't the way to do it. Its going to upset alot of people.And you cannot call them biggots or haters when you take a character and dramatically alter a quality about them that they have been admired for four decades. Who would be stupid enough to do that and not expect a backlash?
........

I admire many of the films Kathleen Kennedy has produced and influenced , but it seems to me she truely doesn't understand the need for strong and popular male role models AS WELLl as female ones. .

.

Are you seriously saying that a gay or bisexual man cannot be "a very strong role model" or, more specifically,, a "strong and popular male role model"? Or that a character's perceived heterosexuality is "a quality about them that they have been admired for four decades"?

M
 
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