Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrived this past December, and the fandom is still reeling from the film's wild events. Rian Johnson subverted fan expectations, and what resulted was perhaps the most divisive movie in the Star Wars franchise. Much of the film's contents have been criticized by fans, and the batch of new characters introduced in The Last Jedi didn't fare well, either. Benicio del Toro's DJ was weird and Laura Dern's Holdo should have told Poe her plan. But the Kelly Marie Tran's Rose Tico seemed to get the most hate.. When the actress recently departed social media, many believed it was in response to months of online harassment from Star Wars fan. While Tico hasn't confirmed this herself, co-star John Boyega recently shared his thoughts on the subject via Twitter.
While not mentioning Kelly Marie Tran by name, John Boyega instead attempted to address the overall problem with fan culture. Obviously fans are the only way franchises are successful, but the price of admission doesn't give one the right to harass members of the cast and crew. Everyone is just doing their job. And although fan reaction is heard by the powers that be, tweets and complaints ultimately aren't going to change the course of the franchise.
John Boyega's Tweet no doubt comes from personal experience, as he faced a fair amount of backlash both before and during the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There was massive hate around Finn being a person of color, as well as having Rey be the film's primary protagonist. Ultimately fans were won over by J.J. Abrams' trilogy starting blockbuster, but it's clear that there are some issues with how fans react to canon changes. Boyega also took the time to thank the more respectful Star Wars fans out there.
John Boyega isn't the only Star War figure who has come to the defense of Kelly Marie Tran after she left social media. Both Mark Hamill and director Rian Johnson took to Twitter themselves, voicing their support for Tran and encouraging the fandom to find a healthier way to enjoy the galaxy far, far away. Hamill in particular expressed frustration, and a feeling of protection over his Last Jedi co-star, saying:
Done with this disingenuous bullshit. You know the difference between not liking a movie and hatefully harassing a woman so bad she has to get off social media. And you know which of those two we're talking about here.
You can catch Kelly Marie Tran's Star Wars debut The Last Jedi on demand and for home purchase. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
