It’s been a few days since the cast announcement has been out there and since our responses have circulated through the interwebs. In that time, it’s become somewhat obvious that there’s some clarification I need to make because there’s a lot of motives being given to us and accusations that we’re taking positions that we’re not actually taking. So here goes.

First: At no point have we taken issue with the quality of the roles for minority and female characters in this film. The issue, the ONLY issue, we and just about everyone else who has spoken on this subject have taken to task is the quantity of minority and female characters. The breakdowns aren’t okay. At best (assuming that additional casting rumor of a female actor of color is true and hasn’t been written out), the breakdown for the main cast looks like this:

• 2/8 of the new cast are female
• 3/8 of the new cast are non-white
• 3/14 of the entire main cast are female
• 3/14 of the entire main cast are non-white

Those ratios aren’t good, and that’s what we and others have been talking about. We haven’t taken issue with the quality of the roles or the story; we’ve taken issue only with the ratios. It’s pretty disingenuous to accuse us of casting wholesale judgment on a story we haven’t seen yet when that’s not the argument we’re making. Did some good things happen with this cast? Yes, we’re not denying that. What we’re saying is that after 37 years, there should be more progress by now.

Second: We’d be thrilled if Ridley and Boyega were THE central stars of the films. We’ve applauded Lucasfilm for casting them (that praise seems to go unnoticed for some reason). However, prominent roles for one of the few ethnic actors in the main cast and one of the few women in the main cast doesn’t fix the disparity mentioned above. It doesn’t make up for it, either. I’d encourage you not to tell those asking for better representation numbers that they should “be happy with what you get.” Quality matters, yes, but so does quantity. That’s a key to remember: this criticism will be there until the representation numbers hit parity.

We can be happy and thrilled that actors like Ridley and Boyega get main roles (and I do hope this is true, but it’s not a certainty yet) while simultaneously we can be disappointed and critical at the disparity of women and minorities in the cast.

Third: We also acknowledge that the ratio can be patched up somewhat with the secondary characters. That said, if the disparity is fixed in that manner, it’s kind of a hollow victory. If there are more women and minorities as background and secondary characters with a handful of lines we will be excited and happy to see them. That said, their presence would be limited to that of non-main cast roles. It’s something to be certain, but it still leaves a whole lot to be desired.

Once again, we can (and will) be happy about this development if it happens, but we’ll point out that there’s still room for improvement. We’re consistent like that.

Fourth: At no point have we or the vast majority of people who have taken to the blogosphere to discuss this filled with angry bloodlust. Here at Tosche Station, we’ve been remarkably even keeled in our writing. So has Amy Ratcliffe. So has Dunc. So has Bonnie Burton. So has Bryan Young. It’s not fair and it’s rather disingenuous to characterize what we and others have written as being full of anger and promoting hate within fandom. If anything has gotten myself and others frustrated over the last few days, it’s much less the casting announcement and much more the words that are being put in our mouths and motives being given to us.

So let’s make this very clear.

• The issue we’re taking up is that the ratio of women to men and minorities to non-ethnic actors needs improvement.
• We’ll be thrilled if Boyega and Ridley have key roles, but that doesn’t address the disparity in the main cast nor does it make up for it.
• We’ll be happy if more women and minorities are added as secondary characters, but concede that’s somewhat of a hollow victory.
• We’re not filled with angry bloodlust and we’re not trying to promote hate in fandom. We’re trying to bring attention to disparity in representation.
• Finally, contrary to popular belief, we are excited about new Star Wars.

Are we on the same page now?

It’s possible to have conflicting feelings about things.

I’m excited that we finally, FINALLY, have casting news to talk about. The Big Three being in Episode VII was perhaps the worst kept secret in cinematic history, but despite that I’m still thrilled that we’re going to see Luke, Han, and Leia on the big screen again. I’m ecstatic that a few minority actors have been cast for the films. I’m excited that shooting is underway and we’re a few big steps closer to seeing Star Wars return to theaters.

Simultaneously, I’m rather disappointed that only one woman was added to the ranks at this juncture, and I’m not the only one.

It’s perfectly okay to be happy and nothing but happy about today’s news. This is big, exciting news. What’s not okay is the overly aggressive sentiment making its way through social media and the blogosphere that the only appropriate reaction now is excitement and happiness. Shouting down and belittling those who express concern or disappointment over the low number of women and people of color in this cast is not an okay thing to do.

(Responding with a patronizing “what’s important is telling a good story” is also not okay, just for the record)

That concern and disappointment is valid. Like it or not, Star Wars is a franchise that’s got a pretty mixed record when it comes to minority and female characters. It did okay in the Expanded Universe realm, but, well. You remember last week’s news. Its record (and its director’s record) from the film front leaves a lot more to be desired.  Because of this, fans are going to be rightly skeptical and disappointed when a disproportionately white, male cast is announced because Star Wars hasn’t quite earned the benefit of the doubt.

Even if Daisy Ridley and John Boyega have very prominent roles, right now it still appears that there is a big representation gap in this film and franchise. If we’re being honest, the minority representation right now is lacking. Even if another female main character is added, the representation of women is lacking. This casting announcement looks like a continuation of the lack of diversity this franchise has, unfortunately, been known for since 1977. That’s more than enough to justify the concern and disappointment that many are feeling.

Remember, you’re entitled to be happy and excited about this news. I don’t blame you! There’s a lot to be excited about and I share the overwhelming bulk of that excitement. Let me say that again, I’m very excited about this. However, you don’t get to belittle other fans that have valid concerns and feelings about this news. You don’t get to tell them how to feel. You don’t get to tell them what’s appropriate to feel. You don’t get to call their fandom into question for not responding to this news exactly how you did. You don’t get to invalidate their experiences just because they don’t match your own.

Your feelings are valid. And so are theirs.