Simon Pegg has said Star Wars fans are 'the most kind of toxic' of all the fanbases right now.
If there's anyone who knows what they're talking about on this it's Simon Pegg, who like many fans who had grown up on the movie magic of the original trilogy found much to dislike about the prequels.
Back in the days when the Star Wars prequels were hitting cinemas, Pegg was one of their most vocal and high profile critics.
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He channelled his dislike for the prequels into his TV series Spaced, with plenty of jokes in the show aimed squarely at his disappointment with The Phantom Menace.
Pegg has since said he felt 'ashamed' that he contributed to the backlash against Jar-Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best, who had considered ending his own life due to all of the abuse he was getting.
Speaking on Sirius XM's Jim and Sam radio show, the actor admitted he used to be a toxic fan and thought that the Star Wars fandom was the most toxic one out there.
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He said: "To be honest - and as someone who kind of was, you know, kicked off about the prequels when they came out, the 'Star Wars' fanbase really seems to be the most kind of toxic at the moment."
Sadly it's not hard to see why, as the sequel trilogy which Pegg played a small role in attracted its own backlash from toxic fans with huge amounts of hatred targeted at the actors for having the temerity to do their jobs.
Kelly Marie-Tran quit social media to avoid the bullying from toxic fans for daring to play her part of Rose Tico in the Star Wars universe, while John Boyega explained that he'd been on the receiving end of racist abuse for his role as Finn in the films.
The toxic fandom doesn't look to be going away anytime soon either, as during the release of the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+ actor Moses Ingram revealed she was receiving a torrent of racist abuse from Star Wars fans.
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Kenobi star Ewan McGregor addressed the the fans flinging racist abuse at Ingram, telling the abusers they were 'no Star Wars fan in my mind'.
Pegg did give an example of a fandom that Star Wars fans could do with emulating, with the actor suggesting they should strive to be more like the 'very inclusive' Star Trek fandom.
He plays Scotty in the rebooted series of Star Trek movies and suggested that their being 'woke from the beginning' has meant less toxic backlash to women and people of colour receiving major roles in the franchise.
At this point, anything that will help rehabilitate the most toxic elements of the Star Wars fandom is worth trying.
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If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact Stop Hate UK by visiting their website www.stophateuk.org
Topics: Star Wars, Film and TV