Star Wars: The Bad Batch has been largely enjoying a positive reception from fans and newcomers alike. While some assert that it got off to a bit of a slow start in its exposition-filled first episode, much of that criticism quickly gave way to the writing and characterizations of the various not-so-identical clones. However, one aspect which has been drawing less than favorable attention has been the visual portrayal of certain characters, and if certain rumors turn out to be true, Disney may already be well aware of the criticism.
Almost right as soon as The Bad Batch premiered, fans began to notice some oddities with the skin color of various characters. From the clones themselves all the way to even the young Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume (later known as Kanan Jarrus in Star Wars Rebels), there was a distinctly lighter color to almost every character compared to their previous appearances in other Star Wars media. That was enough to raise a few eyebrows, but once Saw Gerrera (played in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Forest Whitaker) showed up with a similarly lighter skin tone, the idea that it could be explained away by the show's lighting became a bit less credible, and many viewers began to raise concerns of whitewashing.
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For those unfamiliar with the term, "whitewashing" refers to the act (intentional or otherwise) of portraying non-white people or characters with lighter skin/more "Caucasian" features than they'd originally had, or even having them turned entirely into white people either through artwork or the actors who play them. Fans of the video game Overwatch brought up similar concerns when they discovered the character McCree had noticeably lighter skin in the upcoming sequel Overwatch 2. The idea is that, since non-white people in general already receive considerably less representation in media than white people, the act of further decreasing that statistic through whitewashing is unnecessarily cynical, and erases the contributions of people who are already in the minority.
However, it appears that certain people within Disney are not only aware of the concerns, but have plans to rectify the situation. According to io9, an unnamed source has told them the animation team for The Bad Batch has been given alternate lighting tools to hopefully "moderate their effects in the premiere episode’s starkly-lit primary settings." According to the source, "such tweaks will also be made in future episodes of the series." There are no guarantees, but this could be a step in the right direction for the show many fans hope will positively redirect the Star Wars franchise's trajectory.
Some may still think the whitewashing allegations aren't that big of a deal, and it's understandable why they might think that. For some, the main concern is that a role is well-acted, regardless of who's playing it. But for people who don't often get to see characters who look like them in the media they enjoy, the removal of one such portrayal can hit hard. It would be like if one kid had 10 pieces of candy while another had 2, and one of the 2 was given to the first kid because "they really wanted it." It's not just about who plays the part best.
Similar criticisms have been leveled at the voice acting by white actor Dee Bradley Baker as all of the clones, who are meant to be modeled after Māori actor Temuera Morrison. However, those concerns have been a bit less pronounced due to Baker having played the clones for well over a decade at this point. But either way, the issue of representation is very real and important. Regardless of whether or not Disney actually has any intention of addressing these criticisms directly, here's hoping more people become aware of how whitewashing can affect those who lose relatable heroes as a result.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch is now available on Disney Plus.
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Source: io9