Talking About 'Star Wars': Toxic Fans, Rumors, and Kathleen Kennedy

Why is Kathleen Kennedy still president of Lucasfilm despite the rumors that she was going to be replaced?

Because “rumors” are usually not facts.

Let’s first define the word “rumor” so that there is no misunderstanding, okay?

Per Merriam-Webster’s Definition of RUMOR

Definition of rumor

(Entry 1 of 2)

1: talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source

2: a statement or report current without known authority for its truth

3 archaic: talk or report of a notable person or event

Now that we’ve defined rumor, let’s get to the heart of the matter.

It seems that the Original Poster of this prime example of an insincere question does not care at all for the new Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, which is Lucasfilm’s second post-George Lucas Era Star Wars project (the first being, of course, Star Wars Rebels, which aired for four seasons on Disney XD between 2014 and 2018). He offers a bit of faint praise for the company’s animated series in one of his answers about Star Wars, but condemns Lucasfilm and its corporate owner, The Walt Disney Company for the Sequels:

Well, at first they didn’t do a bad job with Star Wars Clone Wars and Rebels, Star Wars Rogue One is so far the best Star Wars movie made by that company, but after seeing the disastrous results in the new trilogy, I have no longer expectations for them.

Apparently, this guy’s bete noir is Kathleen Kennedy, so, of course, he would be delighted if rumors that she is leaving were to come true.

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news to the OP, but unless Ms. Kennedy so decides, the lady is not leaving Lucasfilm any time soon.

I mean, seriously. The fraction of fans who dislike The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi is only a small subgroup of the larger Star Wars fandom. If there was no Internet on which they would have a global soapbox from which to express their opinions, the toxic fans would be isolated and rarely heard from.

The Force Awakens was the biggest box office hit of 2015. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story did well in theaters even though it’s a film in which all of the main heroes die and, incidentally, not wholeheartedly embraced by the entire Star Wars fandom. The Last Jedi also did good business during its theatrical run in 2017. And if Bob Iger and Alan Horn had not decreed that they wanted Solo: A Star Wars Story out in theaters on May 25, 2018 (to celebrate the franchise’s 41st Anniversary), Kathleen Kennedy and Ron Howard could have fixed some of Solo: A Star Wars Story’s issues, including the release date, which followed too closely on the heels of The Last Jedi’s theatrical run.

So, no. The rumors of Kathy Kennedy’s career demise were greatly exaggerated.