Superfan focus groups are a horrible idea, Disney and Lucasfilm

As a seasoned Star Wars fan who’s been part of the galaxy far, far away since before the original trilogy graced our screens, I can’t help but feel disheartened by the state of fandom today. The once vibrant community where we shared our love for lightsabers and the Force has morphed into a battleground of hate and negativity.

It’s another day that ends in “Y,” meaning there is some sort of discourse on social media.

Yesterday, Variety published an article delving into the topic of harmful fan cultures, starting with Amandla Stenberg’s video encountering bigotry during “The Acolyte” production. The piece offers insights on how various studios have addressed the darker aspects of fandoms. A particularly intriguing section in this article has sparked debate online, featuring an unnamed studio executive discussing the utilization of superfan focus groups. To put it simply, here’s the gist of what the article shares:

Everyone who interacted with Variety concurred that it’s wiser to steer clear of stirring up fan bases initially. Besides regular audience feedback through focus group testing, production studios plan to gather a select group of die-hard fans to evaluate potential marketing materials for a significant franchise undertaking.

According to the studio executive, these groups are quite outspoken. They simply warn us, “If you go ahead with that, fans will respond negatively.” In fact, these groups have influenced studios to modify their projects. If it’s still in development and the film isn’t finalized yet, we can make those adjustments.

It’s disheartening to see such a timid approach from studios, especially when it’s noted in the same piece that the majority of fans are casual viewers and that studios speaking out against bigotry actually experienced less backlash. Engaging in dialogue is the appropriate response, and it’s appalling that Disney and Lucasfilm have seemingly abandoned the cast of The Acolyte in this matter. One might wonder if Disney needs John Boyega to address them again at a Black Lives Matter event? Indeed, my article on this subject appears to be more relevant today than ever!

Here are three compelling arguments that make the “superfan focus group” concept less than ideal. Let’s delve into the details.

1. The TV Streaming Model is Broken

Streaming platforms are facing difficulties in various aspects due to their persistent pursuit of rapid and unsustainable growth. This approach has led to a flawed television model where an abundance of content overwhelms viewers, who often lack the time to watch more than just a few shows. As a result, series struggle to gain traction due to the lengthy period it takes for viewership numbers to increase. Executives are impatient and quick to cancel shows if they don’t see immediate growth in their profits. This means that promising series with slow starts or lower-than-expected performance may be terminated before they have a chance to gain an audience, which goes against the traditional nature of television programming.

As a fellow enthusiast, I often ponder over my best friend and her spouse, die-hard Star Wars aficionados who are typically running behind on the latest releases. With their demanding full-time jobs and a toddler to take care of, they haven’t managed to watch “The Bad Batch” Seasons 2 and 3 or even “The Acolyte.” It’s not due to lack of interest; they genuinely want to immerse themselves in these shows. However, their love for other franchises outside Star Wars also claims a significant portion of their viewing time. If only the world of TV could operate as intended, my friends would have ample time to catch up whenever they wished, and these series could gradually expand their audience, allowing new fans to find them. The article in Variety highlights that the majority of fans are casual ones like my friend, who may need to watch a series at a later date. Will she ever get that chance? With shows being canceled or, even worse, disappearing from streaming platforms, will she even have an opportunity to see “The Acolyte”? Frankly, I’m in the same boat, lagging behind on several series like “Abbott Elementary,” “Succession,” and “What We Do in the Shadows” due to my focus on other media. The fear of these shows being removed from their streaming services before I can catch up is always looming.

If a series doesn’t reach the popularity level of “House of the Dragons,” it risks being terminated. It seems that television operation is not as promised; instead of an endless library for fans to enjoy anytime, streaming services have fallen short of their initial claims. Regrettably, it appears that these promises were never truly valid, and now we’re witnessing their flaws.

2. Fans Don’t Actually Know What They Want

Have you heard that “The Empire Strikes Back,” initially met with fan disapproval, has since been acclaimed as one of the best films in cinema history? Interestingly, even the prequel trilogy has seen a resurgence in recent years, despite an initial wave of hatred. I find it amusing when people claim that “The Clone Wars” was always popular (with a hint of sarcasm). Observing fan discussions on Twitter about its long-term love is simply untrue. This topic is actually the basis for one of my podcasts. In fact, I met my co-podcaster at a 2009 Dragon Con panel discussing “The Clone Wars,” where fans openly criticized the show. If you’re curious, here’s some proof! It’s fascinating to note that Ashley Eckstein, who played Ahsoka Tano, once cried over fan backlash against her character. Now, Ahsoka Tano is a cherished figure in the Star Wars franchise.

We engage artists, writers, directors, and other creative minds to produce films and television series because they introduce innovative concepts and experiment with various ideas. Some of these attempts succeed, while others don’t. This is inherent in the realm of art. The involvement of creatives also stems from the fact that fans often struggle to articulate their desires. Fans are frequently seeking a sense of nostalgia, attempting to recapture the excitement they felt as children upon seeing Star Wars for the first time. Unfortunately, I must inform you that this experience cannot be replicated. Just as studio executives will never attain perpetual growth, fans can’t relive that initial golden feeling again. However, this is alright!

In a recent episode of “Cinema Therapy,” filmmaker Alan Seawright analyzed the concept of “Inside Out 2” and specifically discussed a scene involving Joy expressing concerns that as people age, they tend to experience less joy. He explained this idea by saying…

Joy’s statement, ‘Perhaps as you grow older, you feel less joy, rings true.’ It does. People often recall their childhood and early teenage years as a period filled with happiness and contentment, almost like a magical time when everything seemed perfect. And it was, indeed, joyful. This sentiment is often expressed as, ‘Life was better in the 80s!’ However, objectively speaking, life wasn’t necessarily better during that era. But the feeling of joy was more profound. As we age, life becomes more complex and the pure, uncomplicated joy associated with childhood tends to fade away, making room for a more mature form of joy, which may be mixed with other emotions.

And he’s right. We can never capture the nostalgia we feel for these franchises. Filmmakers can give us everything we ever want as fans in a piece of media, and we could still find a flaw in it. That’s because nothing is perfect. Time, perspective, and letting go of the want to relive a golden time when we felt life was better are the ways to move forward with these franchises. Letting new things find their footing is how to go about it. There was a time when The Empire Strikes Back, the prequels, and The Clone Wars were all the hated new things that didn’t capture what we felt when audiences first saw their Star Wars. And in turn, those were someone’s first Star Wars that made them a fan.

If studios attempt to gather dedicated fans in an effort to dictate their preferences, it’s likely to backfire fundamentally. This is because such a strategy tends to suppress creativity, hampering the development of fresh ideas that could nurture the franchise and introduce new Star Wars stories for fans to discover.

Also, it doesn’t fix the real problem in the Variety article, so let’s get to the real issue.

3. The Studios are Pandering to Grifters

I won’t delve deeply into the entire timeline of Gamergate, but check out this simple, informative infographic for an overview:

Ooo. So close Variety, A for effort, but it is time for the meme
— Katie. (@InFormalMajesty) October 3, 2024

It seems that some individuals who claim to be Star Wars fans are actually exploiting their passion for financial gain. They capitalize on negative emotions, stirring up phony indignation to drive traffic and income. Without the manufactured outrage, they wouldn’t attract clicks, and thus, wouldn’t be able to cover their expenses. This is essentially how they operate. As Variety points out, creators of The Acolyte anticipated the backlash from the show’s announcement, with a fresh controversy to fuel their outrage every week (a nod to my boy Ki-Adi-Mundi). These individuals are essentially profiting from dishonest opinions.

It’s perfectly normal not to like stuff. Star Wars is so huge, especially when you factor in the Extended Universe side of things. We need to normalize that we won’t like everything in the franchise. I shredded Season 3 of The Bad Batch because major parts of the show that fell very flat for me. In my opinion, it is both the best and grossly worst show from Lucasfilm Animation. But the key word in that last sentence is that it is my “opinion.” I can share my thoughts in an article, but I have no right to attack the creators or voice actors. I can say that it didn’t work for me, but that does not mean I should be allowed to use racist, bigoted rhetoric against them.

There is a difference between fans discussing things that don’t work for them and these grifters purposely looking for things to monetize their clicks. They weaponize their so-called “opinions” using rhetoric like “bad writing” to push this narrative. There is a difference between actual criticism of bad writing and what is happening here (This essay is long, but a very good breakdown of the difference.). For example, there was a big blowup during Andor because the show used bricks and screws. You don’t see these people getting mad at Luke Skywalker wearing dyed blue jeans in A New Hope though! Because it’s a grift. That’s it. Plain and simple.

I’ve found that when game studios acknowledge and address negative feedback from players like me, it often lessens the amount of backlash. As Variety points out, this approach seems to work quite effectively.

Following a series of unfortunate incidents last year, the cast of “The Rings of Power” expressed disapproval towards the persistent racial discrimination, threats, harassment, and abuse faced by their fellow cast members of color. Similarly, actors from the “Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy displayed solidarity by sharing images of themselves wearing multi-colored Middle-earth creature ear accessories accompanied by a message in Elvish that read “you are all welcome here.” These actions seem to have made a difference. In an interview with Amazon MGM Studios TV head Vernon Sanders, he mentioned that during Season 2 of “The Rings of Power,” the show did not encounter the same level of racial hostility experienced at its 2022 premiere. Sanders attributed this change to the fact that people have had a chance to engage with and discuss the series without being influenced by negative or biased opinions.

This. This is what should be done over and over again. Every single time. This is what Disney and Lucasfilm should be doing, not making superfan focus groups to stick their heads in the sand. The problem will not go away by ignoring it. Call it out every single time. Protect your actors. Protect your fans.

As long as Lucasfilm and Disney don’t address these three issues, the Star Wars franchise will remain disorganized. The current TV streaming approach needs fixing. Instead of clinging to nostalgia, they should strive for innovation, and absolutely avoid succumbing to those who exploit the brand.

Clean up your act, Disney Corporation, or risk encountering many obstacles ahead. As it stands, your current approach is not productive.

2024-10-04 20:52