As part of what’s becoming his soft launch into being a pop culture pundit, Rise of Skywalker actor John Boyega has weighed in on the time-honored rivalry between Star Wars and Star Trek. Though he starred in the former’s sequel trilogy, Boyega says he understands the appeal of the latter, echoing the typical refrain of most Trek fans: the importance of balancing talking and action.
Speaking at Dragon Con (thanks, Popverse), Boyega made no qualms over the fact that he, like most normal people, double-dips in loving both series. While a fandom layperson might assume Boyega would prefer Star Warswhat with his breakout role as Finn, Boyega says he’s actually more attuned to Star Trek because it tends to address its issues rather than brandishing a lightsaber and getting active.
“In Star Trekthey give you time to have discussions. I think there’s something Star Wars can learn from that actually,” Boyega said. “In terms of me appearing in [Star Trek]I’ve got to stay on team. I’m a lightsaber guy.”
This is the latest in a string of Boyega observations about the direction of Star Wars and what he would’ve done differently if he were in charge. So far, he’s discussed the whole “Reylo” situation, the handling of Luke’s last stand, and not making new characters OP (read: overpowered)—the type of garden variety takes that lend themselves well to hours-long YouTube retrospectives. But he’s also hit the mark on having fans reckon with the toxic facets of the fandom.
Key among his post-Rise of Skywalker takes was how shitty it is for certain fans to treat Black actors in Star Wars as some “woke” demerit to the spirit of the franchise when alien creatures like Babu Frik exist. That same kind of toxic fandom rhetoric is what saw The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg endure racist backlash from a certain subset of viewers.
Deplorable treatment of Star Wars actors of color also reared its ugly head when Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram became the target of fandom trolls. This led Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, Ewan McGregor, to stand in support of Ingram—a tendency many actors have, stepping in when Disney sits on its hands in situations like this with its shows and movies. Guess not everyone can be Gina Carano.
A personal message from Ewan McGregor. pic.twitter.com/rJSDmj663K
— Star Wars (@starwars) June 1, 2022
Both fandoms certainly have their fair share of dirty laundry that would call into question whether the intergalactic grass is greener on the other side. But an argument could be made that a show more predicated on talking things out and centering diversity into its very framework lends itself to having a fandom that doesn’t get pointedly weird about seeing people with different skin tones as important players in its stories.
But that’s a discussion for another day. Likely after the heat death of the universe, when Star Trek and Star Wars fans no longer fan the flames of which of their series is better.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
