Star Wars: 20 Worst Franchise Moments (So Far)
6. Racism In The Phantom Menace
Film: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
When you get older, you notice something about The Phantom Menace: it's actually pretty racist.
Star Wars, up until the recent films, was never great for racial or gender diversity, but with The Phantom Menace they really hit a new low. Quite a few of the aliens depicted in this movie are downright offensive and have been annoying audiences for nearly two decades now.
First off, there's Nute Gunray and the rest of the Neimoidians. They're all evil businessman who wear clothes that look Asian and speak in East-Asian accents. Even worse is Watto, the brash and greedy slave trader with a hooked nose and a Middle-Eastern accent. Watto has been seen as both an anti-Arab and antisemitic stereotype; when he appears in Attack of the Clones with a beard and hat, he leans towards the latter.
These characters were also voiced by British men imitating the accents, which makes these already jarring aliens even more uncomfortable to watch. There is also Jar Jar Binks, but more on him later.