John Boyega Calls Out ‘Star Wars' For Its Overwhelming Whiteness

Forbes

05-04-2025

John Boyega as Finn from The Force Awakens
In a new Apple TV documentary, actor John Boyega had some harsh words for the Star Wars universe. The call-out is as much directed at the creators of the franchise and its fans. In the docuseries Number One on the Call Sheet: Black Leading Men in Hollywood, Boyega said:
Boyega added:
This may be true for some fans, but I think Boyega was more on-point in 2020 when he told GQ Magazine, 'What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It's not good. I'll say it straight up.'
The fundamental problem most Star Wars fans had with Boyega's character, disillusioned Stormtrooper, Finn, in the Disney sequel trilogy, was that he really didn't have much to do. Marketing made it look like he'd be a really important character and then he just wasn't. One of my biggest problems with the sequels is how flimsy the core 'friend group' was compared to the original trilogy. Finn, Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) were never given the opportunity to really gel the same way that Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) were. They were separated from one another for the vast majority of the three films rather than given the kinds of great adventures and bonding moments that the original trilogy gave its core trio, and that led to much less compelling camaraderie and characters.
Finn should have been given more to do and a more important role in the story that kept him nearer to the central conflict. He should have had Force powers at the very least, which is what the teasers certainly indicated. Instead, he was tossed aside in the second film, given a new buddy to hang out with rather than Rey or Poe, and basically made irrelevant to the plot. The same can be said for Poe Dameron, whose character never really developed in any direction throughout the trilogy. We never got the tension between these characters that was so palpable between Han and Leia, or Han and Luke, etc. though I suppose we never got the awkward 'Hey, I'm actually your sister, how about that kiss we shared?' moment either.
The good news is that some new Star Wars content has been able to create more diversity in a way that feels organic and not like pandering at all. Namely, Andor, which is the most diverse Star Wars offering to-date, even more so than The Acolyte, which was roundly criticized for prioritizing messaging over storytelling. Andor is brilliant and effortlessly diverse, with people of color, queer characters and some of the best female heroes and villains in Star Wars we've seen. It's a great example of how you can incorporate diversity while still focusing on telling a great story.
Whether or not Star Wars is too white, John Boyega and Finn certainly deserved better. Everyone deserved better than what we got with the Star Wars sequel trilogy. The Force Awakens had real potential to kick off a brilliant new era in Star Wars, but it was squandered thanks to poor management and the total lack of a coherent overarching story between that film, The Last Jedi and The Rise Of Skywalker. Just another cinematic tragedy in a galaxy far, far away.