Lord Of The Rings & Star Wars Crossed Over Once To Fight ... Toxic Fans?

When it comes to the biggest trilogies of all time, two sets of films commonly come up in the conversation: While "Star Wars" may be the original bar by which we measure epic movie trios, a new generation rejected its messy prequels in favor of Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Either way, what both franchises have in common is that they've been the recipient of online harassment and threats when it comes to how they've evolved with time. Specifically, both "The Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars" have been criticized by the bottom-feeders of their online communities for casting people of color in their more modern visions.

This may be why the two united so quickly when "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" was attacked by bigots for its inclusive casting. The official Twitter account for the epic fantasy series posted a message in support of its cast members that reminded fans of author J.R.R. Tolkien's principles and that was quickly backed by the official "Star Wars" account, which tweeted, "From Middle-earth to a galaxy far, far away... #YouAreAllWelcomeHere."

Though a crossover like this between such huge franchises might not have been expected anywhere outside of "Clerks II," there's likely a very good reason for it. Audiences are split on "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" for different reasons, but one that pops up over and over is the prevalence of women and people of color. Memorably, actor Kelly Marie Tran left social media because she was getting such hateful messages from a certain contingent of fans.

Lucasfilm even warned Moses Ingram that these same social media users would likely target her after she was cast in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." As reported by the Independent, the performer took it all in stride. "Of course there are always pockets of hate," she said. "But I have no problem with the block button."

As Disney continues with new "Star Wars" content, actors like Pedro Pascal and Rosario Dawson are now at the forefront of the franchise, signaling that they will not be intimidated by the Force power of a few trolls. Meanwhile, it's full steam ahead for Season 2 of "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," which suggests that Amazon Prime isn't backing down either.