So the results are in, and the winner is Jaina Solo, the daughter of Han and Leia in the Legends continuity. Personally, I’m pretty happy with that – I voted for Jaina, always liked the character, and along with Revan, her figure means I’ll actually buy some brand new Star Wars merchndise for the first time in what feels like forever.
However, it’s not all sunshine and roses. Another EU character wins, and the old internet dischord of film and Disney fans versus the EU/Legends fans has been stirred up once again, with all the usual petty bile that the internet empowers upon people. Furthermore, there’s two areas of upset with the toy makers themselves – accusations of poll mishandling through vote rigging since it looked like Starkiller was going to win shortly before polls closed, and that unlike last year, despite the results being roughly the same, the runner up doesn’t get a figure. This could possibly be attributed to the fact the top three spots were held by Legends characters – last time Sabine from the Disney cartoon Rebels got second place, resulting in a Legends and Disneyverse figure coming from the poll. In addition, fans of both continuities are crying foul – Ben Kenobi, a finalist from the last poll, received the lowest votes. Despite this, you can now get a Ben Kenobi Black Series figure, while Revan and Sabine are still being shown around conventions as prototypes, which kind of calls into question how effective the fan poll really is. Ah, passionate fandom. So why do Legends characters do so well in these polls?
The answer is actually pretty simple – it all comes down to marketing politics. Lucasfilm handed down a decree to Hasbro that, after the last Legends figures in the smaller scale were out, no more Legends characters could be made. That was it – if you wanted a Legends character, you had to scour eBay for an already released figure (amidst rising prices empowered by said events), or look for customisers selling their works. I’ve seen a custom Darth Caedus net one person a very tidy profit. Then, when the fan choice poll was resurrected for the larger Black Series, it was announced that any Star Wars character, regardless of continuity, could be nominated. Suddenly, an entire are of the market opens up again, and fans who have been denied new figures of favourite characters get a chance to add to their collection. It’s a fair argument to say that non Legends characters will get made eventually – not counting Ben Kenobi, popular nominations from last year have had prototype figures unveiled, and as voting continued this year some characters were struck off as Hasbro revealed those character were being or will be made regardless. But for Legends? Only time of the year they get a chance to shine.
So what could Hasbro and Lucasfilm do to alleviate this and please both fanbases? The way I see it, there are two options;
1. Reintroduce Legends characters into standard releases
I know the decree has been passed, but if the okay was given for even one Legends figure to be included in every wave, it would at least lessen the Legends drive in the fan choice fractionally, especially if popular characters were chosen. The Legends characters would definitely still pop up, but by releasing characters that make repeat appearances, it could potentially give their spot to a broader range of characters, while bringing Legends fans back into the market.
2. Do separate polls for Legends and Disney/Canon characters.
This is the alternative, and one which might be more acceptable, given Hasbro were willing to do two figures when the two most voted for came from different camps. By splitting it and making two fan choice polls, they’d make it so both fanbases have a greater option to get what they want, with a greater choice and variety for both. People wouldn’t feel as if they’ve been done over by the toy makers or the other fandom, and might not set about the internet arguing over who deserves a figure.
As a Legends fan with near zero interest in the Disneyverse, I’m happy Legends are allowed in the Fan Choice polls, and they’ll always get my votes and nominations. But at the same time, I think both markets need to be tapped into, not just to appease the fanbases, but also because Hasbro and Lucasfilm could make some serious money there from both parties. Just my own thoughts on the matter.
Veni Vidi Castratavi Illegitimos 