The Star Wars fandom is notoriously toxic, so it’s not shocking to hear of the horrible treatment some of its cast members received over the years.
Of all the undeservedly hated Star Wars veterans, Ahmed Best may have had it the worst. He wasn’t as young as Jake Lloyd, but his Star Wars debut as the prequel trilogy’s Jar Jar Binks brought the wrath of the fandom down on Best. He was terrorized for years over the role, and his return in The Mandalorian’s third season is serving as a well-deserved redemption for the actor.
The Star Wars universe is in a bit of a slump right now, despite The Mandalorian’s continued popularity, and Star Trek seems to have taken notice. The two galactic franchises have long been pitted against one another — despite being distinctly different — but Star Wars tends to pull in a broader audience. That might be changing, as shows like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds quickly outpace less-inspired offerings like The Book of Boba Fett.
The stars are clearly on sci-fi fans’ minds, as yet another star-centric title takes over conversations. Both Starfield and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 might be releasing in the same month later this year, and the news quickly prompted a debate among future fans of either title. The PlayStation vs Xbox wars are never-ending, it seems.
Supposed September release leak pits Spider-Man and Starfield fans against one another
A leak seemingly revealed when the highly-anticipated second Spider-Man game is set to release, and its apparent competition with Bethesda’s Starfield sparked a debate among gamers. Future fans of either game quickly picked sides and faced off in a pointless argument about which game was better, had more longevity, and would get higher sales. The two games have absolutely nothing in common, thematically, and most gamers are likely to buy up copies of both, but that’s not enough to stop them from fighting tooth and nail over which release deserves more respect.
Strange New Worlds threatens to replace Star Wars among sci-fi’s best and brightest
Star Wars tends to be a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to quality, particularly as the franchise continues to absolutely saturate the market with content. Some shows, like The Mandalorian and The Bad Batch are on the receiving end of consistent praise, but other releases — like Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Book of Boba Fett — fall far shorter of fan expectations.
As Star Wars struggles to maintain its relevance, Star Trek is here to take up the mantle. Strange New Worlds continues to dazzle fans with its first season and cinch new viewers as it makes its way toward season two. The show’s perfect blend of modern stylings with that classic TOS charm is certainly satisfying viewers, and might even be enough to win over some Star Wars die-hards.
Fans celebrate Ahmed Best’s well-deserved redemption
Ahmed Best made his return to the world of Star Wars in the latest episode of The Mandalorian, and fans couldn’t be more pleased. Reception to his latest Star Wars character is far removed from the reaction his first venture into the galaxy received, which is no doubt a relief for Best. We certainly don’t think he deserved all that hate the first time around, but he definitely deserves all the love he’s getting now.
Published: Mar 23, 2023 12:00 am