carrie fisher as princess leia in star wars

Stop Talking About Star Wars, Ted Cruz and the Trump Fan Posse

Recommended Videos

Republican Senator Ted Cruz decided to open Twitter and say something, which is always a bad idea (especially for him), and this time he rallied behind former Lucasfilm employee Gina Carano. It’s not surprising that all these right-wing toolbags are cheering her on and rallying behind her. She was fired for comparing being a Trump supporter to being Jewish during the Holocaust, mocking the inclusion of pronouns in Twitter bios, supporting the insurrection, being an anti-masker, and any other number of things that she was doing on her social media.

The official statement released by Deadline had Disney saying “Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.” So, you know, all those things listed above and more.

Today though, seeing all the gross Trump-supporting Republicans rallying behind her was honestly laughable, until they started to champion her as the number one character in Star Wars. Now, I don’t want to get into a tit for tat about the female characters of the franchise. I love them all, and I did love Carano’s Cara Dune very much prior to all of this mess. But stating that she is the “star” of The Mandalorian or, as Cruz states, “instrumental in making Star Wars fun again” is frankly absurd.

We all flocked to The Mandalorian for different reasons. I was there because I love Star Wars as a whole and loved the idea of fully armored Pedro Pascal on my screen every week. But then Grogu showed up and stole all our hearts and if you’re going to say that anyone was instrumental in making Star Wars fun again, it’s him.

Anyway, I’m getting into semantics. The point is: These Trump fans are upset because Gina Carano got fired for her harmful viewpoints, and it is setting a precedent that you cannot just openly be a bigot and not expect consequences. And then, there was Ted:

Ted, take a seat.

I love the women of Star Wars and have for as long as I can remember. Your point that she’s not a princess? Bad. Princess Leia was the most badass of the original trio and proved over and over again that a princess was not just some damsel in distress. She saved the boys and was a high ranking general. So kindly cut that out.

Second, who is a victim? Who is the emotionally tortured Jedi? Have you watched Star Wars? Or do you just hear things online and say “Oh this is Star Wars”? Is the Jedi Rey? Because lol, incorrect. Is the victim Padmé? Or is it Leia? Or is it Jyn? Actually, who cares? NONE OF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE.

I just want someone to explain this logic to me? But then I have to remember it’s Ted Cruz and he’s talking out of his ass so there is no logic. He just hears buzzwords like Star Wars and runs with it.

Jack Posobiec hopped on the train, too, thinking that everyone was going to cancel their Disney+ subscriptions because of Gina Carano and throwing a tantrum online last night crying because she was no longer employed by Disney.

So why is this so frustrating? Because they’re rallying behind Gina Carano when they clearly do not care about this franchise, its characters, or Disney. They care about feeling “silenced” by people when choosing to fire someone who reflects poorly on your business is the very kind of personal freedom they love to champion. It’s the same story over and over again. Trump fans want to cry about “cancel culture” or this nonsense notion that they’re being silenced because they’re told they cannot be bigots.

If we want to get nerdy about it, they’re all stormtroopers who can’t even walk without smashing into a wall. And frankly, I’m tired of having to fight right-wing idiots about Star Wars. If you can’t watch this series and realize that Trump and his beliefs (and frankly those of the Republican party) are more in line with the Empire and Palpatine/Vader, then that’s on you.

You’re not the rebels, you never will be, and I would very much like it if we could stop Ted Cruz from tweeting about pop culture (or just tweeting in general) ever again.

(image: Lucasfilm)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

 —The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.