Star Wars has always been political, from the first movies about the importance of rebellion against oppression, to the anti-fascist sentiment that made Andor one of the best political thrillers of 2022. However, some fans have pushed back against this clear mission statement, objecting to progressive developments like a Black lead being cast or an actor being fired for spreading hate speech.
A possible casting decision has riled up these sorts of fans even more, and sparked some suspicious “leaks” that highlight how pernicious the Star Wars rumor mill can be.
On June 21, an eagle-eyed fan noticed that YouTuber and actress Abigail Thorn, best known for her channel PhilosophyTube, had a new credit on her agency’s website. She was briefly listed as playing “Ensign Eurus” in The Acolyte, Leslye Headland’s upcoming Star Wars series set in the last days of the High Republic, centuries before the events of the prequel trilogy.
While Thorn’s casting remains unconfirmed by Lucasfilm, there’s precedent for a rumor like this. In 2020, Boba Fett actor Temuera Morrison had The Mandalorian Season 2 listed on his agency’s CV. While the credit was quickly deleted, Morrison would go on to not only appear in The Mandalorian but also star in his own spinoff, which makes this news look legit.
Thorn is a transgender woman. As this leak spread, some fans lauded Star Wars’ decision to cast the franchise’s first openly transgender actor, but trolls emerged to complain about Star Wars spreading so-called “vile, destructive gender ideology.”
Two days later, another “leak” made its way through the fandom. Multiple sites reported a rumor that The Acolyte had been canceled altogether, citing notorious Star Wars rumormonger Dicktor von Doomcock. The masked YouTuber claimed to be in contact with screenwriter Kamran Pasha, who in turn supposedly had an anonymous source who claimed showrunner Leslye Headland was fired and The Acolyte put in “soft cancellation.”
That’s obviously a very sketchy rumor. And as his name might imply, Doomcock is known for making up controversial rumors to gain views, like when he claimed there was “no plan” for a Captain Marvel 2. (The Marvels hits theaters November 10, 2023.) From constantly complaining about Rey’s role in Star Wars to objecting to The Acolyte hiring a female showrunner, the YouTuber has long let his toxic, misogynistic views blind him from reality.
Doomcock does preface his news as a rumor, but Pasha claims it’s true, which is odd considering The Acolyte finished filming weeks ago. Footage of it was even shown at this year’s Star Wars Celebration. If there were any legitimate trouble with the production, it would have been revealed by now. The timing of this “rumor” is too coincidental to ignore — it appears to be nothing more than an attempt to smear Thorn, and Star Wars for casting her.
Star Wars is for everyone, and invented rumors looking to spread bigotry can’t change that. If a trans actor being in a TV show is too difficult for some YouTubers to handle, they can sit the show out and watch the franchise move on without them.
