There have been countless Star Wars controversies in the franchise’s almost 50-year history, but these 10 are among the biggest. Star Wars movies and TV shows seem to be nearly plagued by controversy and backlash. The truly intense backlash began with the Star Wars prequel trilogy, which infamously saw actors like Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, and Hayden Christensen bullied online and in the media.

When Disney bought Star Wars, these issues only intensified. Even with the sequel trilogy having been released a full decade ago (at least the first of the sequel movies), that trilogy is still slammed by much of the fanbase. The Acolyte’s cancelation feels like the latest in this long line of mᴀssive controversies in Star Wars. Of all the controversial moments in Star Wars over the years, though, these 10 represent some of the controversies that divided the fanbase the most.

The Star Wars Special Editions Caused A Lot Of Controversy

Many Complaints Were Raised About The Special Editions

The changes George Lucas made in the special editions proved to be incredibly controversial. There were several changes made, among them the introduction of the тιтle A New Hope for the first movie, which had originally just been called Star Wars, and a number of other changes that caused significantly more backlash. One of the biggest was the change to Anakin’s Force Ghost, who went from being Sebastian Shaw to Hayden Christensen.

Another change that has proven unpopular is the decision to make Greedo shoot first, rather than Han Solo. Lesser changes, such as adding a musical number in Jabba’s Palace, didn’t cause quite the same frustration, but, on the whole, audiences were not happy to see that so many changes had been made to the original Star Wars movies. Really, this set the example of Star Wars viewers being very resistant to change, which persists to this day.

Osha And Mae Were Revealed To Be Created Using The Force

Some Viewers Found This Choice Stepped On Anakin’s Toes

As mentioned, The Acolyte ended up being one of Star Wars’ most controversial projects to date. There were a host of reasons for this, including that aforementioned resistance to change, and, sadly, some racist backlash to the cast of the show. One of the biggest complaints about The Acolyte of them all, though, was the fact that Osha and Mae, the twin protagonists of the show, were created by their mother, Mother Aniesaya, using the Force.

Some viewers felt that this stepped on Anakin Skywalker’s toes as the Chosen One, as he too had been created through the Force and had no father. There are some important distinctions, though. For one, Mother Aniseya used the Force to create Osha and Mae, whereas Anakin seems to have been created by the Force itself. Nevertheless, this remained an unpopular choice, and it informed much of the backlash to the show.

Rey And Ben Solo Kissed (& Then Ben Died)

The Final Moments Of Ben Solo’s Life Were Highly Controversial

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker continues to be seen as one of Star Wars’ worst movies, and that isn’t likely to change any time soon. There were many things audiences took issue with in this movie. Although not the most serious of them all, one of the complaints about The Rise of Skywalker was the way in which Ben Solo died. Part of this complaint stems from the fact that, in Ben’s final moments, he and Rey kiss.

Audiences were divided throughout the sequel trilogy about whether Ben/Kylo Ren and Rey had a romantic connection, and this seemed to confirm that they did (although Star Wars has since walked that back). Immediately following this kiss, though, Ben also dies, which caused its own separate controversy. Many were frustrated to see that the Skywalker bloodline had come to an end, and it also felt disappointing that Ben’s redemption ended in his death.

Ahsoka Tano Was Introduced As Anakin’s Padawan

Initially, Ahsoka Was Not At All Well-Received

Although Ahsoka Tano is now considered one of Star Wars’ best characters by many, this certainly wasn’t true when she was introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Although it was evidently always George Lucas’ intention to give Anakin Skywalker a Padawan, that was far from a popular choice. For some viewers, Ahsoka felt forced into the narrative, and for others, they simply didn’t like her personality.

These opinions are few and far between these days, though. Ahsoka has now appeared in many other Star Wars shows, including Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and even her own show, Ahsoka, among others. She has more than proven herself as a brilliant character over the years, but she faced a very rough introduction at first.

Anakin Skywalker Was Given The Chosen One Backstory

Some Found This Story Too Messianic

Although audiences were very defensive about Osha and Mae potentially stepping on the toes of the Chosen One prophecy, originally, even that choice proved unpopular. When Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace introduced the idea that Anakin had no father and was effectively immaculately conceived, there was plenty of pushback. For some, this felt too Messianic.

That, too, seems to have changed in the fanbase’s view for the most part. In fact, there are frequently animated debates even now about whether it was truly Luke Skywalker or Anakin Skywalker who fulfilled the prophecy (but the franchise has reinforced that it was indeed Anakin). At the time, though, many felt that this altered the nature of the Force seen in the original trilogy too significantly.

Anakin Was A Child In The Phantom Menace

Audiences Were Expecting A Sith, Not A Child

Coinciding with the backlash to Anakin being the Chosen One were complaints about Anakin being a child in The Phantom Menace. Evidently, following the original trilogy, many viewers were expecting to see Anakin’s origins as a villain, not beginning as an innocent child. Some have even said that seeing Anakin as an angry teen (which we eventually did see) would have been fine.

Ultimately, this is what George Lucas wanted for the prequel trilogy, though. Lucas wanted to show that even the most innocent could be twisted to evil when subjected to the right circumstances, and that is precisely what Anakin’s arc ultimately showed. Sadly, at the time, that wasn’t enough to stop some in the fanbase from attacking the actor for young Anakin, Jake Lloyd, online.

Luke Skywalker Was In Hiding In The Sequel Trilogy

Fans Hated This Portrayal Of Luke

Perhaps one of the single biggest complaints in all of Star Wars is the treatment of Luke Skywalker in the sequels. Following the original trilogy, particularly Return of the Jedi, which saw Luke as a heroic Jedi primed to bring the Jedi Order back to life, audiences were disappointed to see Luke in hiding on Ahch-To, seemingly having lost all hope. In fact, many felt, and continue to feel, like this representation of Luke in the sequels was a betrayal of his character.

It’s difficult to argue with these sentiments because Mark Hamill himself has expressed frustration with this arc for Luke. This backlash was also likely heightened because there were so many complaints audiences had about the sequels even outside of Luke. It seems Star Wars has since tried to course correct somewhat, given Luke has now also appeared in The Mandalorian season 2 finale and The Book of Boba Fett.

Rey Adopted The Last Name Skywalker

This Remains One Of The Franchise’s Biggest Controversies

At the end of The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars made a decision that has continued to cause outrage for some in the fanbase. Specifically, The Rise of Skywalker revealed that Rey had adopted the last name Skywalker. This has led to such division in the franchise, in fact, that there are many who simply refuse to accept that Rey Skywalker is her canonical name.

It will be interesting to see how Star Wars handles this moving forward, especially because Rey’s upcoming Star Wars movie, rumored to be тιтled Star Wars: New Jedi Order, will absolutely be addressing this in some way or another. It’s very unlikely that Disney will back down from that decision, though. In all likelihood, that name will be reinforced in New Jedi Order, no doubt leading to even more division among fans.

Palpatine Was Resurrected In The Rise Of Skywalker

This Minimally Explained Plot Point Infuriated Some

To date, one of the most explosive decisions Star Wars has ever made was resurrecting Palpatine in The Rise of Skywalker. Theoretically, this could have been an interesting storyline, but many took issue with how it was executed in the movie. Essentially, this plot point is only minimally explained, with Poe Dameron at one point infamously saying, “Somehow, Palpatine returned.” Although there are mutterings about cloning technology, that wasn’t adequate for many viewers.

Since then, Star Wars has begun to explore deeper explanations. This was especially true in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which provided significantly more insight into Project Necromancer and Palpatine’s resurrection plans. Even so, this isn’t likely to go away as a major complaint in Star Wars anytime soon.

George Lucas Sold Star Wars To Disney

This Remains The Single Biggest Complaint

Finally, the single biggest controversy in Star Wars has been George Lucas selling Disney to Star Wars. This remains something that is constantly brought up within the fanbase, with some going so far as to say nothing Disney has made is canon. While I think some of Star Wars’ best TV shows have been produced by Disney Star Wars, there are some who will never be won over.

That’s truly a shame, because that isn’t something that is going to change. Disney will continue to own Star Wars for the foreseeable future, and what’s done is very, very unlikely to ever be undone (and I don’t think it should be, to be clear). Of all the controversies in Star Wars, George Lucas selling the franchise to Disney has absolutely been the most divisive.