Oscar winner George Lucas got candid about criticism of the first six “Star Wars” films during a conversation at Canes Film Fest.

When speaking about the success of the franchise ahead of receiving the festival’s honorary Palme d’Or, Lucas reflected on some of the negative comments he’s received over the years.

“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,’” Lucas said of the films’ critics. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”

“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “I mean, we’re already starting with AI, saying, ‘Well, we can’t trust those robots.’”

Lucas also responded to criticism about the depiction of women in the “Star Wars” films, saying: “Who do you think the heroes are in these stories? What do you think Princess Leia was? She’s the head of the rebellion. She’s the one that’s taking this young kid who doesn’t know anything and this boisterous, I-know-everything guy who can’t do anything and trying to save the rebellion with these clowns … And it’s the same thing with Queen Amidala.”

Lucas is on hand at Cannes to receive an honorary Palme d’Or, which will be presented to him at the festival’s closing ceremony on Saturday. He is the visionary behind the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises and the founder of Lucasfilm, video game branch LucasArts, VFX company Industrial Light and Magic and high-quality audio design system THX.

The most recent “Indiana Jones” installment, “The Dial of Destiny,” premiered at Cannes last year, but Lucas did not attend the festival, making his appearance at the 77th edition even more special. Lucas joins a number of auteurs on the Croisette this year, including Francis Ford Coppola, who premiered his sci-fi drama “Megalopolis,” and Paul Schrader, who brought his Vietnam drama “Oh, Canada” to the fest.