Furious Star Wars fans slam woke franchise for creating rainbow version of R2-D2
STAR Wars fans have accused the franchise of going woke — over a rainbow toy version of R2-D2.
The redecorated and renamed figure of the normally blue, white and silver droid has left enthusiasts cold.
It has been released by Disney as part of its annual Pride Collection — but many accused the giant of injecting politics into their favourite space series.
Online collector groups had to switch off comments after angry debates erupted over R3-RN8W.
Collector Jimmy Wright posted; “Up to you if you buy it but I want my Star Wars non-political. It’s my getaway from reality.”
Tony Mancosu wrote: “I miss the time when you could have stuff with a rainbow colour scheme and not have it associated with any group of people.”
The Disney Store website describes the toy as “a new astromech droid designed with Pride in mind”.
Available in the US for $14.99, it is said to incorporate “every color of the rainbow”.
Disney, which acquired the rights to Star Wars in 2012, says its Pride Collection was “created by members and allies of the LGBTQIA+ community”.
R2-D2, a fan favourite since 1977’s first Star Wars film, communicates with beeps and electronic noises and is famed for its friendship with fussy droid C-3PO.
Star Wars has created a series of gay and trans characters since Disney bought the rights for $4bn, even featuring a non-binary Jedi in the latest animation series The Bad Batch.
Every year since 2018, Disney has released a Pride Collection featuring a rainbow theme across toys and clothing for some of its most iconic brands, including Mickey Mouse, Lilo and Stitch and Wall-E.