The official Star Wars Twitter account came out in defense of Obi-Wan Kenobi star Moses Ingram after the actress reported having received hundreds of hate messages from fans displeased with her role on the show. Seduced by the Dark Side, some fans have been targeting Ingram with racist messages including the N-word and claims that she was just chosen due to a diversity move by Lucasfilm.
Obi-Wan Kenobi stars Ingram as Reva, an Inquisitor who dedicates her life to exposing the titular Jedi Master (Ewan McGregor) and bringing him before Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen). While Reva’s motivations are still being kept under secrecy after the premiere of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s first two episodes, the show already underlined how Reva is ready to put her rank as an Inquisitor on the line just to catch her prey.
Some fans were displeased to see a POC have a prominent role in a Star Wars series, which prompt the official franchise response to the racist attacks. The official message from the Star Wars Twitter account reads:
“We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist. There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist.”
The message is clear. In a galaxy so diverse as the one of Star Wars, racist attacks on any cast member must not be tolerated. Unfortunately, toxic fans will always exist, but Lucasfilm is willing to stand up to the cast and crew of Star Wars productions and fight for a more diverse galaxy. Even prior to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s release, Ingram was warned by Lucasfilm she would probably be targeted by toxic fans, and that she should always reach out for help. As Ingram told The Independent:
“It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, ‘This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens.’”
In addition to McGregor and Christensen, Obi-Wan Kenobi brings back Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse who played Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru in the final act of Revenge of the Sith. The series also stars Moses Ingram as a force-sensitive Inquisitor named Reva who is tracking down Obi-Wan Kenobi. The show’s cast also includes Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, and Benny Safdie.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is directed by showrunner Deborah Chow, who made her Star Wars debut with Chapter 3 of The Mandalorian. The series was penned by Joby Harold. The limited series is executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Michelle Rejwan, Deborah Chow, Ewan McGregor, and Joby Harold.
New episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi come to Disney+ every Friday. Check out Star Wars’ official tweet below:
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