#4 - Kelly Marie Tran and Rose Tico
You're probably heard all about the Kelly Marie Tran/Star Wars news of late. If not - Tran (who played Rose Tico in The Last Jedi) has been dealing with online harassment for over a year, even before the movie was released. The offenders are all the usual bigots: sexist, racist, probably insecure, etc. Tran has since removed all of her Instagram posts, and isn't much active on any other social media. Of course, the good guys of the internet have come to her defense in waves. Co-stars, directors, and fans alike have publicly reached out. It's a comforting thing to see. But, it doesn't change what's already happened.
So why did it happen? I think there's more than one reason. The first, and probably the more important, is because she's an Asian-American woman who doesn't have the "Hollywood body type." This is somehow an issue for some idiots. I'm not going to discuss this much - I don't think we need any more straight white dudes weighing in on this sort of thing. I'll leave that to someone else.
I feel more comfortable talking about Rose Tico, Tran's character in The Last Jedi. Rose has gotten a lot of hate from fans ever since the movie's release, and is often pointed at for "ruining the movie." Personally (not that it matters), I really liked the character and the film. The Last Jedi has loads of fun, drama, and heart - Rose Tico is largely responsible for that last one.
Before we get into it: there's going to be spoilers for The Last Jedi in here, as well as other Star Wars properties, I imagine. But if you're reading this, either a) you've already seen the movie, or b) you don't care. (Each of my parents, respectively).
For me, Rose's defining moment is near the end of the film. The Resistance is holed up in big ol' bunker, and The First Order is knocking on the front door with lasers and such. Classic Star Wars. In a desperate attempt to save the day, Finn aims his speeder at the biggest laser, essentially planning to sacrifice himself for his friends. As Rose and Poe plead for him to back off, Finn turns off his radio (more classic Star Wars) and doubles down. Just at the last moment, when it seems like there's no hope for Finn, Rose smashes her speeder into his, knocking them both out of harm's way. It's a powerful moment, and a fitting end to all three characters' arcs.
As Finn scrambles to free Rose from the rubble, she delivers what might be the best line in the movie: "We're going to win this war not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love."
Boom. There are a few reasons why that line has stuck with me.
Rose's character is perfectly summarized in this one sentence. Everything she does in this movie is to protect something she loves. She and Finn embark on their mission to save The Resistance. Rose frees the Fathiers (big horse things) from their abusive captivity on Canto Bight. And she almost sacrifices herself to save Finn at the end. To her, no price is too high to help someone we love.
The duality of "fighting what we hate" versus "saving what we love" is very reminiscent of past Star Wars moments - specifically, Luke's choice at the end of Return of the Jedi. To recap: Luke is standing over Darth Vader, ready to strike that final blow. Emperor Palpatine is egging him on (classic). We can see the dilemma on Luke's face; "Do I do it? Can I do it?" And in the end, he decides not to kill Vader. Why? Because if there's even a slim chance that Anakin could be saved, Luke is going to take that chance. And he was right. Man, what a movie!
Lastly, there's a lot of real-world significance to Rose's quote. Go back and read up on all the old freedom fighters (Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela), and they all say something similar. Again, I'm no expert on this stuff. I'm not a historian, I'm a nerd with too much free time.
Not only does Rose embody the central theme of Star Wars, she's a representation of real-world heroes as well. As I typed that sentence, I realized just how incredibly cheesy it sounds. But I'm sticking to my guns.
But, no matter how much these bigots claim to take issue with Rose's choices, I seriously doubt that's actually what's upsetting them. In short: I haven't really addressed the main issue here. But like I said earlier, I'm going to leave that for another day.
I hope you got something out of reading this. And I'd love to discuss it with you, even if you are one of those awful bigots I've described. Leave a comment, write me an email, send a telegraph, etc. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Look up #FanArtForRose - it's good for the soul.
So why did it happen? I think there's more than one reason. The first, and probably the more important, is because she's an Asian-American woman who doesn't have the "Hollywood body type." This is somehow an issue for some idiots. I'm not going to discuss this much - I don't think we need any more straight white dudes weighing in on this sort of thing. I'll leave that to someone else.
I feel more comfortable talking about Rose Tico, Tran's character in The Last Jedi. Rose has gotten a lot of hate from fans ever since the movie's release, and is often pointed at for "ruining the movie." Personally (not that it matters), I really liked the character and the film. The Last Jedi has loads of fun, drama, and heart - Rose Tico is largely responsible for that last one.
Before we get into it: there's going to be spoilers for The Last Jedi in here, as well as other Star Wars properties, I imagine. But if you're reading this, either a) you've already seen the movie, or b) you don't care. (Each of my parents, respectively).
For me, Rose's defining moment is near the end of the film. The Resistance is holed up in big ol' bunker, and The First Order is knocking on the front door with lasers and such. Classic Star Wars. In a desperate attempt to save the day, Finn aims his speeder at the biggest laser, essentially planning to sacrifice himself for his friends. As Rose and Poe plead for him to back off, Finn turns off his radio (more classic Star Wars) and doubles down. Just at the last moment, when it seems like there's no hope for Finn, Rose smashes her speeder into his, knocking them both out of harm's way. It's a powerful moment, and a fitting end to all three characters' arcs.
As Finn scrambles to free Rose from the rubble, she delivers what might be the best line in the movie: "We're going to win this war not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love."
Boom. There are a few reasons why that line has stuck with me.
Rose's character is perfectly summarized in this one sentence. Everything she does in this movie is to protect something she loves. She and Finn embark on their mission to save The Resistance. Rose frees the Fathiers (big horse things) from their abusive captivity on Canto Bight. And she almost sacrifices herself to save Finn at the end. To her, no price is too high to help someone we love.
The duality of "fighting what we hate" versus "saving what we love" is very reminiscent of past Star Wars moments - specifically, Luke's choice at the end of Return of the Jedi. To recap: Luke is standing over Darth Vader, ready to strike that final blow. Emperor Palpatine is egging him on (classic). We can see the dilemma on Luke's face; "Do I do it? Can I do it?" And in the end, he decides not to kill Vader. Why? Because if there's even a slim chance that Anakin could be saved, Luke is going to take that chance. And he was right. Man, what a movie!
Lastly, there's a lot of real-world significance to Rose's quote. Go back and read up on all the old freedom fighters (Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela), and they all say something similar. Again, I'm no expert on this stuff. I'm not a historian, I'm a nerd with too much free time.
Not only does Rose embody the central theme of Star Wars, she's a representation of real-world heroes as well. As I typed that sentence, I realized just how incredibly cheesy it sounds. But I'm sticking to my guns.
But, no matter how much these bigots claim to take issue with Rose's choices, I seriously doubt that's actually what's upsetting them. In short: I haven't really addressed the main issue here. But like I said earlier, I'm going to leave that for another day.
I hope you got something out of reading this. And I'd love to discuss it with you, even if you are one of those awful bigots I've described. Leave a comment, write me an email, send a telegraph, etc. Thanks for reading!
P.S. Look up #FanArtForRose - it's good for the soul.
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