Published on January 4, 2024, 4:46 am

Celebrated commentator, Ben Shapiro, recently expressed his dissatisfaction over the new direction taken by Disney’s Star Wars franchise. As a fervent supporter of the original and the prequel series of Star Wars, he criticized the latest development under Kathleen Kennedy, decrying it as another addition to Disney’s “woke universe of nonsense”.

Shapiro commended some initiatives by Disney, such as those undertaken by Dave Filoni, executive producer of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. However, he disapproved strongly of Kennedy’s stewardship of the reputable series. Shapiro asserts that Kennedy has ultimately brought about its downfall.

With the announcement that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will be taking charge of the next Star Wars movie, Shapiro quested this new leadership. Obaid-Chinoy is generally notable for her nonfiction documentaries about feminism in Pakistan that have won Oscars. However, they bear little relevance to Star Wars in his perspective.

The decision to appoint Obaid-Chinoy occurred despite her directing credits on Miss Marvel’s 2022 series from Disney which evidently failed to garner significant attention or interest from audiences. According to Shapiro, Rey—whose storyline will take center stage in the upcoming film—has generated little interest among viewers.

He conveyed dissatisfaction with changes made to well-loved characters throughout recent installments of the franchise like Poe Dameron and Finn who lost viewers’ interest due to lousy narratives. He also bemoaned how staple characters – Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa were killed off thoughtlessly along with additions of unenjoyable new characters like Rose Tico from ‘The Rise of Skywalker’.

Shapiro backed Dave Filoni for a more central role within the franchise citing his commitment and understanding towards it against Kathleen Kennedy’s opting for a more feminist narrative through Obaid-Chinoy who had previously chaired at World Economic Forum in 2017.

Obaid-Chinoy hoping to shape something special in the Star Wars universe was downplayed by Shapiro who reminded about Kennedy already playing a key role within the franchise. He held that Disney’s pursuit of gender equality is jeopardizing quality storytelling and filmmaking.

“Equity, equity, equity. We need a woman directing. How about you just make a good Star Wars film?” He said, denouncing Disney’s decision to hand over such an influential intellectual property as Star Wars to someone without proven qualifications in the domain. They were catering to stakeholder capitalism ideologies at the expense of artistry.

As one final comment, Shapiro sarcastically applauded Kathleen Kennedy for her contribution to the current state of the legendary sci-fi franchise. His sentiments echo those expressed by numerous dedicated fans of the original series who continue their search for real news surrounding future developments in this long-loved universe.