SPOILER ALERT: Mild spoilers ahead from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
When the Star Wars franchise began, there were just a few characters to keep track of. But since the Skywalker Saga has continued to grow for the past 40 years, you could fill an encyclopedia full of characters from the film (and they do!) In 2017’s The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson introduced a new character in Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico. Yet, since the recent release of J.J. Abrams’ The Rise of Skywalker, fans have been asking, "Where’s Rose?"
Since the movie came out this weekend, fans are taking to Twitter to express their feelings on how the Resistance fighter was handled in the concluding chapter of the film. Check out this response:
After the previous film took some time to introduce her tragic backstory and had her and John Boyega’s Finn going on an important side mission, the character is reduced to the sidelines in Rise of Skywalker. It’s a choice members of the fandom are becoming critical of. Here’s what Laura Sirikul from The Nerds of Color had to say:
Star Wars as a whole has had predominantly white characters, but the newer trilogy has definitely made a solid effort to change this and give fans more characters to see themselves in. That Twitter user points out how Rose Tico was the first woman of color to have a leading role in a Star Wars film, yet she’s completely in the background in Rise of Skywalker. Why didn’t she join Rey, Finn and Poe on their journey across the galaxy?
Jimmy Wong, who will actually play Ling in Disney’s upcoming live-action Mulan, also spoke out on social media about how "livid" he is about the lack of Rose Tico. In his words:
Dominic Monaghan’s new character was introduced in Rise of Skywalker and often next to Rose Tico in shots, yet he was often the one to have something to say. It’s a massive downgrade after Kelly Marie Tran gave out quite a few memorable lines in The Last Jedi, including, “That's how we're gonna win, not fighting what we hate, but saving what we love.” ICONIC.
Another fan brought up how Rose Tico being sidelined is especially infuriating because she received a ton of harassment on social media that caused her to delete her accounts. The actress recently opened up about going to therapy following the backlash as well. Check it out:
Another fan made a case as to why Rose Tico should have had a greater stake in the franchise with this tweet:
Perhaps she’ll get a second chance on Disney+ show or spin-off movies one day? Amidst the Rose Tico talk, The Last Jedi’s writer/director Rian Johnson tweeted this, perhaps as a way to quietly support fans speaking out about Rose Tico. Check it:
Check out our five Star Wars moments that prove J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson were not on the same page during the making of the new trilogy. Leave a comment below about how you’d like to see Rose Tico continue her story in the Star Wars universe!
