“Luke, I Am Your Non-Birthing Parent”: The Acolyte and the Wokification of Star Wars

'[W]okism is an all-out offensive against the present, and it aims to rewrite the past in order to shape the future.' Even the future of a 'galaxy far, far way'.

From The European Conservative

By Álvaro Peñas

It is not enough to rewrite history; wokism demands that we rewrite fantasy, fiction, and all of the imaginary worlds that exist in books and films.

Most people alive in the West today have grown up with Star Wars films. I was a kid when I saw the original Star Wars (now known as A New Hope) in the cinemas and, like so many other kids, I began to collect everything related to that fantastic universe. Then came The Empire Strikes Back, for me the best of the saga, in which audiences discovered that Luke, the hero, is the son of the villain Vader. Finally, there was Return of the Jedi, where the cruel Vader finds redemption by saving his son, and the whole galaxy, from the evil incarnated in the Emperor.

The Star Wars story is, at its core, a story of good versus evil. That evil is represented by an empire whose methods and uniforms are reminiscent of the Wehrmacht, whose soldiers are ‘stormtroopers,’ and whose leader, Darth Vader, wore a sinister mask with a black helmet very similar to the characteristic model used by Germany in the two world wars. There are many similarities with V, a successful 1980s series. In V, Earth is invaded by a sinister race of lizards who, in human guise and with deceptive smiles, seek to turn the Earth into a larder for their evil empire. Their uniforms, their propaganda posters, and, above all, the symbolism of the visitors, all hearken back with little subtlety to the Second World War. The only thing missing for the lizards is the German language. In both fictional universes, the good guys are the ‘resistance,’ the defenders of freedom who are willing to give their lives to end tyranny.

In 1999, a new trilogy of films began to depict events that happened before the events of the first Star Wars trilogy. Although they were not as original as the first, they were successful, and they revitalised the Star Wars universe in the public consciousness. However, in October 2012, Disney took over the rights to the franchise and announced yet another new trilogy, beginning in 2015, and following the original three films. These films, were as full of special effects as they were empty of meaningful dialogue. Through them, Disney turned a story of fiction and entertainment into a platform for woke ideology.

Disney followed this policy in all its franchises, suffering financial losses of around a billion dollars in 2024 and fulfilling the popular saying, “Go woke, go broke.” In the Star Wars franchise, the Disney films were followed by several Disney-produced series that, with varying degrees of success, have followed some classic Star Wars characters while introducing new ones, and in which the ideology has not always been so overt. However, despite Disney CEO Bob Iger’s assertion, in April of this year, that Disney would return to a focus on entertainment, it is wokism that has returned to the galaxy with renewed energy in Disney’s new series, The Acolyte.

It is the third episode of the series that has angered Star Wars fans the most, and which has sunk the new show’s ratings. It features a coven of witches who wield the Force and, in an echo of Darth Sidious’ implied act before the prequel trilogy, are able to create life without the need for male involvement. The scenes of the witches dancing tribally in purple cloaks seem more at home at a feminist rally than a science fiction series. Of course, criticism of the series has been described as an example of the ‘toxicity’ of a largely male, sexist audience. For example, Leslie Headland, an LGBTQ+ activist who is also director and writer for the series, has said that, “While some fans may resist change, diversity and the exploration of new perspectives are essential to keeping the Star Wars galaxy alive.”

“Diversity is our strength” is one of the quintessential woke slogans, reminiscent of one of the Party’s slogans in 1984 that “Ignorance is strength.” When Orwell published his novel in 1949, the Third Reich had been destroyed, but Soviet totalitarianism had emerged as one of the victors of the conflict, and it was crushing half of Europe under its boot. For Orwell, totalitarianism has a very clear face and methods: “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face forever.” What the British writer could not imagine for a moment is that the new totalitarianism of the 21st century, which now shares a space with the old, would have dyed blue hair and would fly multicoloured flags in the name of diversity. Except for this detail, his book has a prophetic character. “Newspeak” has evolved into ‘inclusive language,’ a way of speaking that makes the speaker sound like an idiot, but in which the idea is basically the same: to change the meaning of words and thereby manipulate thought. “Crimethink” is also dangerously close to a reality, and there have already been arrests for praying silently in front of abortion clinics. 1984’s assertion that “Those who control the present, control the past and those who controls the past control the future,” is immediately relevant, because wokism is an all-out offensive against the present, and it aims to rewrite the past in order to shape the future.

Attempts to rewrite history are not new, as seen not only in the past but also today in the actions of both authoritarian and democratic governments, which implement ‘remembrance laws’ so that only that which suits the dominant ideology is remembered. Wokism participates in the rewriting of history, with delusional cultural productions in which, for example, Anne Boleyn is a black woman and a feminist, or in which homogenous mediaeval societies are presented as diverse and multicultural. Book burning is also present in the cancellation culture that bans the study of the classics, and censors—or worse, rewrites—the works of the past. But wokism, as a postmodern creation of cultural Marxism, has arrived in a way never before seen in the world of popular culture. For wokism, it is not enough to rewrite history; wokism demands that we rewrite fantasy, fiction, and all of the imaginary worlds that exist in books and films. Elves, dwarves, witches, and jedis must be—and have been—put through the wringer of political correctness.

The absurdity and ridiculousness of wokism might suggest that it will collapse under its own weight, but the truth is that it is a political agenda maintained on the basis of a large chequebook, and its supporters seem more like members of a cult than defenders of a political ideology. Let’s imagine being children for a moment and imagine growing up with diverse and inclusive space and superhero stories. Think of the dramatic scene in The Empire Strikes Back from a woke perspective with Vader telling his son: “Luke, I am your non-birthing parent”; think of Han Solo considering self-determination as a Wookie; think of comics with non-binary Jedi; think of stories where it is hard to distinguish what is good and what is bad, and where only minority representation and gender quotas matter. Growing up immersed in such things, would we be the same people we are now?

C.S. Lewis wrote, “Since it is so likely that (children) will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” A brighter destiny and, above all, the possibility of a destiny is at stake. Ending wokism is imperative, not only in the arena of modern politics, but also in works of fiction.