If tokenism was an effective method of securing a Black audience for a single White film in the years before Obama’s presidency, then Hyper-tokenism is an effective method for securing a Black audience for a series of White films that are part of a film franchise during the Obama presidency. The seduction of the spectator is primarily performed through costly CGI effects, high production values and skillful editing. White supremacy is maintained within a White film by the ability of a White character to change, influence, control and/or survive the circumstances within a story through the seduction of the spectator into not questioning this ability. (1)ĭramatic agency is measured by the ability of a character to change, influence, control and/or survive the circumstances within a story.
#The force awakens cast full#
Hyper-tokenism in a White film can be defined as the marked increase in screen time, dramatic involvement and promotional images of a Black character in a White film, while simultaneously reserving full dramatic agency as the providence of White characters by the end of the film. The Finn character, from the moment we saw him as the first image in the original trailer, to the moment he was knocked unconscious and remained unconscious throughout the final act of the film, is a manifestation of what I will call: Hyper-tokenism in the White film. While this is not the first, nor will it be the last time that a character has been held in abeyance at the end or the beginning of a series installment, whether knocked unconscious, frozen in “carbonite”, abandoned or running away to a hidden land, world or fortress, robotic parts separated and/or power disconnected – the unconsciousness of Finn throughout the final act of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” as I shall discuss it here in this piece, reveals to us that, White Hollywood, as we near the beginning of the last year of Obama’s presidency, is ushering in a new and more powerful form of racial tokenism. Martin Scorsese's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to Seeīut alas, a curious thing happened on the way to a galaxy far, far away… The character of Finn as the penultimate symbol of racial inclusiveness for this franchise reboot is knocked unconscious during a climactic battle scene in the final act of the film, and he remains unconscious for the rest of the film. James Cameron Reveals Why He Thinks 'The Force Awakens' Doesn't Live Up To George Lucas's Vision Star Wars Celebration: What Other Studios And Festivals Can Learn About Balancing Art And Fan Service Abrams (handpicked and lobbied for by none other than blockbuster wunderkind, Steven Spielberg himself) as the new director at the helm, these profound changes seemed to suggest that the “Star Wars” franchise would shift into a mode of greater diversity in regards to the race and gender of its principal characters than ever before. Jackson as Jedi Master Mace Windu in the subsequent prequels trilogy, the original “The Force Awakens” trailer seemed to suggest that, with Disney’s 4 billion dollar purchase of the “Star Wars” franchise, and the coronation of J.J. As a franchise known primarily for its careful placement of Black token characters performed by recognizable Black actors like, Billy Dee Williams as Lando Cairissian in the original trilogy and Samuel L.
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