Not sure if this should be under the JCC label, but anyways, here goes. Discussion about diversity in multiple layers has been going on in the Star Wars community for a pretty long time, which I consider a good thing. I'm glad that our fellow POC, LGBT and non-male fans have a voice and are using it to gain more representation in Star Wars as I do believe representation matters. As someone on the spectrum however it bothers me that there is no such voice for autistic, or put it more broadly neurodiverse, people. Now there has been speculation about several characters who might've been autistic like C3PO (which would be a bit of a problem on its own), Anakin Skywalker, Ben Solo and Galen Marek. Though as far as I'm aware off there has never been a character who has been confirmed to be on the spectrum, either in universe of through Word of God so, I thought it might be an idea to have a conversation about this here on this forum. To get it going here are a couple questions to answer: Should there be more neurodiverse characters? Should neurodiversity or the different disorders be a thing in-universe? How do you think neurodiversity should be represented?
This is a great topic!! Thanks for bringing it up, @bigtukker! Yes, I definitely think there should be neurodiversity in Star Wars. Judging by the way things seem to develop, I also think it's bound to happen. Little by little, LFL are expanding their diversity overall, both in front of the camera and behind it. They should've done more already, if you ask me, but they do seem to be heading in the right direction. As for how neurodiversity should be represented, I'd say they should explore all possibilities. Provided they treat every character as an actual person worthy of respect. Anything that lets neurodiverse people feel seen, included and empowered by the world of Star Wars.
I'm terribly sorry for the double post, but I wanted to clarify that I don't mean everyone has to be a good guy or sympathized with, just that they should be portrayed with as much dignity as you'd expect for any other person in the same position. I have more thoughts on this, but I'll get to those in a later post.
This is a good topic for discussion. Some of my musings as someone on the someone on the spectrum would be: 1. I wouldn't want to discourage any fan of any piece of fiction whether Star Wars or something else from creating a head canon or personal interpretation of a character as having a particular identity whether that is on the spectrum or something else (such as a racial identity) especially when that interpretation isn't explicitly contradicted in canon. However, I do think that such interpretations of characters should not be confused with the diversity itself existing in canon since those personal interpretations are often a response to the lack of diversity in a work. In this case, I would say that fan interpretations of a Star Wars character as being on the spectrum likely arise from there not being a Star Wars character clearly stated in canon to be on the spectrum for fans on the spectrum to identify with in that particular way. In other words, this is a fan creation in response to an absence in canon rather than a deliberate creation by the makers of canon for which the makers of the canon deserve credit. 2. I dislike it when creators of any fictional universe sort of "steal" these fan interpretations to get what seems to be street credit or score progressive points especially without crediting or acknowledging that it is a fan theory and creation. To me, it is much better to say, "When I was creating x character, I didn't create him/her to be autistic, but reading comments from fans, I realize that I gave him/her traits associated with the autism spectrum without even realizing it. That definitely makes it possible to see him/her as autistic." Rather than to say, "Oh, yeah, I totally meant for him/her to be autistic all along" when that was plainly not the case or the intention. I think that is disingenuous and not fair to fans who deserve deliberate representation rather than representation the creator wants to take credit for on a post hoc basis after reading some cool fan theories. 3. I think to create and include a character on the spectrum in Star Wars, it would have to be done with respect and sensitivity and appreciation of the fact that every single person on the spectrum is unique. It would be good to consult with people who have autism before creating this character and in the process of creating this character to ensure an accurate rather than stereotyped presentation and to avoid causing any presumably unintentional offense or pain to a group often mocked and marginalized by society. 4. I personally could never perceive C-3PO as on the spectrum as I think of autism as a human condition (or, in Star Wars, it could possibly be extended to all sentient beings) and not one that a machine can experience. In fact, to me, one of the misrepresentations of autism that I've had to contend with in my life is that people with autism are like machines or robots who are great at memorizing things and reciting information and don't feel anything. So to me it is important to emphasize that while I may have a good memory, I'm still very much a human and not a machine or a droid like C-3PO. Therefore, I wouldn't be thrilled with having a droid like C-3PO as any sort of official representation of autism. 5. I never really saw autistic traits in Ben Solo, so personally I wouldn't identify him as such. I wouldn't be a fan of the first Star Wars autistic character being someone who falls to the Dark Side and commits mass murder as part of an authoritarian regime either. To me, it would seem to portray autistic people as criminals when in reality autistic people are more likely to be abused, bullied, manipulated, and generally be the victims of crimes than to commit crimes themselves. 6. With Anakin Skywalker, I can't say that I ever identified autistic traits in him either. I don't know if I really like the pattern of autistic people being identified with people who fall to the Dark Side. Almost makes it seems like autism is evil when it's not. 7. Can't really comment on Galen Marek since I'm not familiar enough with his character. 8. I am not really a fan of diversity that is only done through Word of God. I think that if creators want credit for diversity, they should have the courage and creativity to include the diversity in their story in a way that isn't ambiguous. Fans deserve that sort of representation and shouldn't have to settle for anything else or make their own headcanons and interpretations because of the lack of diversity in the canon itself. 9. I do wonder if Star Wars society would be better equipped to deal with autism as it would be used to adjusting to the differences in brain structure and mental processing between species. Perhaps being neurologically different in Star Wars would be much more accepted than in our own world. A story exploring this concept could be compelling and interesting.
I would be all for this, as long as they are careful to portray the character in a dignified way. It's too easy to have this kind of representation fall into a comedic or side-character kind of category, which IMO is a poor way to represent individuals which fall within this spectrum.
Agreed it would have to be done right; and not be a movie cliche like the guy who can crack codes or see ghosts.
These two points are very important. If we are to have autistic characters in SW, they shouldn't be bad guys. Hollywood, and pop-culture in general, are way to happy to make the autistic character a serial killer or serial rapist or something horrible like that. Hopefully SW can be different in that aspect. As for neuro-diversity in SW, I'm all for it. I'm high functioning to the degree that most people don't notice, but I would still like to see someone "like me" in a SW story, and since many people "on the spectrum" are drawn to escapist fiction, I think it'd be great if they (we) could get some representation in one of the most popular escapist franchises in the world. But again, it needs to be done with care so as to not fall into the regular traps. Oh hey, I guess this is my 'coming out as autistic' post on the forums.
I understood what you meant. I think it's really easy for neurotypical people to misunderstand neurodivergent people and therefore make a caricature of an autistic person which might come off as a lack of respect.
See, the problem probably would have a lot to do with neurotypical writers trying to write a neurodivergent character, which I don't think is a good idea - look at Sheldon Cooper, a character which IIRC was never openly identified as autistic but clearly was a sort of caricature in a lot of ways - but usually mostly being used as the punchline for not being on the same "wavelength" as people around him.
I'm okay with NT's writing (or attepting to write) neurodivergent people, but preferably with consult from experience experts
Well, it might seem acceptable but I fall more along the lines of "nothing about us without us" preferably doing the actual work whenever possible.
I’m very curious and quite ignorant about this. What would be an example of a neurodivergent character who was represented well? On a slightly related topic, I think the prevalence of other species makes for an interesting dynamic with this and other kinds of diversity. If characters in this universe are used to interacting with people who have very different brains and bodies, then human beings who go beyond the “norm” are likely not seen as remotely outside of the SW norm.
With the exception of his crush arc in Season 6, I feel like the character Max Braverman was done okay in the show Parenthood. Maybe I'm wrong about Max, but the writers at least took the arcs seriously. Not sure if I'm the best judge. Very different genre though. Also count me in as a neurodivergent (autistic spectrum)
Oh, thank you! Unfortunately, I haven’t watched Parenthood. But I did remember that Netflix’s She-ra and the Princesses of Power has a character who appears to be neurodivergent, Entrapta. Would that be considered a good depiction? That show generally did quite well in terms of representation from what I could tell. And especially because, like Star Wars or other scifi, they did it in a setting where the terminology might not exist at all, so the show had find a balance in making it clear to the audience without being able to explicitly say it and without over-emphasizing it to the point of making the portrayal problematic.
I really liked this one. It is made by a NT director, but the animation is made by autistic people. It's the best fiction capture of autism I have seen in any media. https://www.mindmymind.nl/
