Who needs a lightsaber when you can have a powerful assault rifle?
Disney is being shot for having an unmodified AK-47 in the upcoming “Star Wars” prequel series, “Andor”.
A full trailer for the 12-episode series was released on Monday, with fans outraged after seeing an unnamed character brandish what appears to be the controversial rifle during an action sequence.
Enthusiasts of George Lucas’s sci-fi franchise say the inclusion of the weapon is disloyal to the “Star Wars” universe and has labeled the “Andor” producers as “lazy”.
It’s also likely that gun reform campaigners will be triggered by the appearance of an AK-47 on a Disney show, especially in light of recent mass shootings.
While “Star Wars” prop teams have often used real weapons as the basis for fictional ammunition in the franchise, this appears to be the first time an unaltered real weapon has appeared in the “Star Wars” world – and fans aren’t happy.
“5 seconds into the trailer and you’ve already pissed me off,” a fan raged. ‘That man has off-king AK-47! IN A STAR WARS SHOW! YOU ARE SO NICE! You couldn’t be bothered to design a space cannon. I’m so tired. So very tired.”
“Hard pass, no aliens and just a plain old AK-47. No creativity. Where does this take place. Russia or Ukraine? How stupid,’ another complained.
“That design that is clearly a prop AK-47 is just lazy. Hell, the guy looks like he’s wearing a jacket and hoodie. These aren’t Star Wars designs,” a third person smoked.
According to the website Task & Purpose, George Lucas “draws on real conflict” when he started making movies in the 1970s.
For example, he claimed that the rebels featured in 1977’s “A New Hope” were inspired by the Viet Cong in the Vietnam War. At that time, many Viet Cong fighters used AK-47s, but Lucas did not dream of including the real gun in his film. Instead, he used the pistol as a base to create the fictional A280 blaster rifle, which was famous in the movie.
Task & Purpose laments the apparent lack of imagination in the new “Andor” series, saying Lucas’ nuance and creativity now seem to be scarce.
“Looks like subtext is just text now,” the site wrote sharply.
Meanwhile, the inclusion of the AK-47 could be problematic for Disney, given the recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York; Ulvade, Texas; and Highland Park, Illinois.
While none of those mass shootings were carried out with an AK-47, the alleged perpetrators used similar weapons to slaughter their victims. Last week, in the wake of the violent attacks, the House passed a bill that would ban the sale of assault weapons, including the AK-47.
The weapon was first designed in the Soviet Union in the 1940s and became extremely popular around the world in the following decades. According to Britannica, it is “perhaps the most widely used shoulder weapon in the world”.
The Post has reached out to Disney for comment. “Andor” premieres on Disney+ on September 21.