Star Wars poses with Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Moses Ingram amid racist backlash from fans

Reply to fast and It’s all an expected wave of racist reactions From star Wars “Fans” outraged by the idea of ​​black people in space, Disney released a statement in support of it Obi-Wan Kenobi Actor Musa Ingram.

anyway Obi-Wan KenobiThe first two episodes premiered just last week, and that was all it took star Wars Obsessed with focusing on the character of Ingram Reva Sivander, one of the interrogators of the Galactic Empire tasked with exterminating the Galactic Jedi. The following Monday these years star Wars celebration eventIngram took to her personal Instagram account to share a selection of the “hundreds” of anti-black and misogynistic messages she’s received for portraying a fictional villain doing sinister things. Ingram expressed her gratitude to fans who had the potential to understand that the actors aren’t the characters they play on TV, but she also admitted that she felt a certain degree of depression “because there’s nothing anyone can do about it.”

“There is nothing anyone can do to stop this hate, and so I wonder what my purpose is even to be here in front of you to say this is happening,” Ingram said. “I guess the thing that bothers me is this kind of feeling I had inside me—which nobody told me about—but that feeling is like, ‘I have to shut up and deal with it,’ you know?”

Hours after Ingram shared, the official star Wars A Twitter account shared a message confirming that Ingram’s character Reva Sevander is a big part of the franchise no matter what any racist trolls say.

There are always a number of reasons – such as racism – why people who are supposed to love the literary genre star Wars or The Percy Jackson Novels I feel compelled to show their asses like that. But the reply to Ingram seems at least partially inspired by a text Obi-Wan Kenobi Itself. In the short period of time he was Riva (also known as third sister) was part of star Wars franchise business, Obi WanProve it, while she profession To kill a Jedi and put the fear of the Empire in her people, her hunt for Obi-Wan is somewhat personal.

Rather than simply being a Sith allied with the dark side of the force, Riva is presented as one of the few living Jedi recruited by the Empire to eliminate the species as part of Order 66, the Empire’s plan to permanently eliminate the Jedi. Riva has demonstrated that she is an effective Inspector who is committed to her mission. But her past has been a major point of contention for other Empire villains such as the Grand Inquisitor (Robert’s friend) and Fifth Brother (Song Kang) – both of whom see Reva’s violent ferocity as a double-edged sword that can harm the Empire’s cause. .

Many of the messages thrown at Ingram seem to conflict with how often disjointed Riva appears. Obi Wan A character trait that is easily identifiable as an intended part of the story the show is trying to tell. Unlike the Grand Inquisitor and Fifth Brother, who use more conservative methods to terrorize civilians, Reva is much quicker to reach a level of violence close to insane, and Obi Wan He emphasized over and over how Riva’s temper would likely lead to her downfall.

Photo: Disney Plus / Lucasfilm

Obviously, telegraphic narrative intent was never enough to sustain racism star Wars Trolls fix their mouths to blast nonsense. John Boyega became famous with him Years of persistent racial hostility In the wake of being chosen for the role of Finn, As was Kelly Marie Trang Having joined the franchise as Rose Tico Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi.

In the end, both Boyega and Tran were forced to spend a lot of their time in star Wars Shed light on dealing with suspended development for a franchise it doesn’t deserve. While it looks like Ingram may end up with the same fate Obi Wan The actress continues to end her Instagram video by telling everyone that she does not intend to go quietly into the night.

“I’m not built like that, so I really wanted to step up and say thank you to the people who show me in the comments and the places I’m going to put myself in now,” Ingram said. “And to the rest of you: you are all strangers.”