“I find ‘Star Trek’ fans much more inclusive”
simon pegg has stated on SiriusXM’s ‘Jim and Sam’ podcast that “‘Star Wars’ fans are the most toxic of the moment“, and has compared them to the ‘Star Trek’ fandom, fueling the historic rivalry.
Pegg is one of the most “geeky” actors of the 21st century. The artist has appeared in the two galactic franchises with the largest number of fans around the world, ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Star Trek’‘, as well as in the fantastic series par excellence ‘Doctor Who‘. He is also the protagonist of ‘the cornetto trilogy‘ directed by Edgar Wright and we can’t forget his role in some of the best episodes of ‘TheBoys‘, the comic series of the moment. So we can take it for granted that Pegg has the authority to speak on the fans of these mega-popular franchises..
Speaking with Jim Norton and Sam Roberts on their podcast, Pegg was asked what was the most toxic fan community he had ever facedand the actor did not hesitate to point to one in particular.
“I’ll be honest, and I say this as someone who resented the prequels when they came out. Star Wars fans seem to be the most toxic right now. I’m probably being too controversial by saying this.”
Pegg clarified that he feels very embarrassed by all the criticism he poured on the franchise at the time, especially Jar Jar Binks. His hatred towards the character and towards the George Lucas prequel trilogy even became a recurring joke of his character in the cult series ‘Spaced‘.
“Of course I already apologized for the things I said about Jar Jar Binks. Because, fuck, there was a fucking actor involved. He was getting a lot of flak and… he was a human being. And because he got so much hate, he suffered, you know, and I feel terrible to be a part of that,” Pegg said. “My character in ‘Spaced’ was raving about how little he liked the prequels, but I was actually projecting my own opinion through it“.
In counterpart, the actor defended the fans of ‘Star Trek’ considering them much more inclusive and understanding.
“Diversity has been on the show since 1966. You can’t say, ‘Oh, all of a sudden they’re going woke.’ No. ‘Star Trek’ was from the beginning… It’s tremendously progressive. In ‘Star Wars,’ Suddenly There’s A Little More Diversity And Everyone Goes Crazy. And it’s very sad.”
Pegg recalls that ‘Star Trek’ began its television career with a Japanese crewman and a black woman in a position of powersomething that was almost more science fiction in the 60s than having a Vulcan as a member of the crew.
Jar Jar Binks actor, Ahmed Best, recently declared that he came to have suicidal thoughts because of all the hate he received. Other ‘Star Wars’ actors have been victims of online harassment due to toxic fans in recent years. Kelly Marie Tran had to leave social media after the release of ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ because the hate was unbearable. John Boyega has been outspoken about the racism he experienced for being a black lead in a ‘Star Wars’ movie, and Moses Ingram He just dealt with racist ‘Star Wars’ fans due to his role in the ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ series.
Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, Ewan McGregor, had to come to the fore: “It turned my stomach to hear that this has been happening. We support Moses, we love Moses, and if you’re sending him bullying messages, in my opinion, you’re not a true fan of ‘Star Wars’“.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
