But this article was a whine fest about Star Wars, which I submit, that the author has his panties in a wad over because there were "white" heroes in the story.
Ah, now I see! (John Wayne movies had white heroes, too ;-).
In addition to action, the science fiction genre in movies and television (and associated books) has produced a lot of thoughtful exploration of many themes. Even the current fad of comic-book based movies raises important questions that can generate interesting discussion.
Perhaps this article was generated because today is Star Wars Day. One has to agree that Star Wars is not the most sophisticated exemplar of the genre; aside from the visuals, the various movies stand or fall as “Westerns,” without much more to be said.
Lando was black. Chewbacca a thing. Droids don’t have a race. Lots of weird aliens in the alliance.
Don’t know what this guy was watching.
What color was Chewbacca?
Regarding the “white heroes”, at the time I don’t think the audiences would be drawn in by non white heroes.
Today? No problem with men and women of color. The number of headlining African American actors and actresses would be widely accepted: Jamie Foxx, Denzel, and Samuel l Jackson come to mind.
We HAVE grown in our acceptance of a good story and good filmmaking. Think of the biggest summer hits in the past ten or twenty years. Lots of actors of color carrying movies.