Source: Pexels by Andres Garcia
Now, as much I’d love to get into the narrative nooks and crannies of Disney Plus’s record breaking premiere show Obi-Wan Kenobi, racism has yet again stolen a bigger spotlight than both Tatooine’s Binary Stars. Moses Ingram, a character known as Reva, has received a slew of death threats and racist comments concerning her presence in the show. Yes, this is still a thing in the year 2022… and it appears Moses is under no illusion herself that this may always be a thing…
Ingram’s Quote:
“There’s nothing anybody can do about this. There’s nothing anybody can do to stop this hate. I question my purposes in even being here in front of you saying that this is happening. I don’t really know.“
forbes.com
Well, Moses. We can give it a tr-
Goddammit, Yoda. I guess I’ll just have to do it.
Although Ingram’s performance has been unfavourably critiqued by a significant proportion of the Star Wars fanbase (I included), the type of comments she’s received are unquestionably more vile than Luke’s love of turquoise milk in Star Wars: The Last Jedi…
It don’t quite hit like the blue stuff.
Now, as a fellow Hunter myself (she’s a Jedi hunter so, I respect the trade)… I’ve gotta weigh in on this.
None of this is exactly shocking. A certain swath of Star Wars fans make a habit of being obscenely vulgar about any choices seen as ‘unauthentic’ to Lucas’s sandbox… but enough is enough.
Jake Lloyd – Anakin
Kelly Marie Tran – Rose
Ahmed Best – Jar Jar Binks
John Boyega – Finn
Even…
Hayden Christensen – Anakin
…one of the focuses of one of the most anticipated series of all time!
Say what you will about their characters (force have mercy, I’ve got plenty to say about Rose), but to berate them as people? Everyone of these actors got vicious, undue abuse from basement dwellers who’d slip on their own flop-sweat if they ever confronted these faces in person.
So, with racism being one of the most immensely boring, and eternally stupid issues mankind faces today (nope, it didn’t die with slavery, sorry to say), Mr. Hunter refuses to put up with it in Star Wars. Let’s make painfully clear just how much of a walking, laser-brained contradiction you need to be if you call yourself a ‘Star Wars fan’ and choose to be racist. Here’s a bit of love for some of the tentpole black Star Wars characters that make the universe what it is…
Exhibit A
You know him, you love him… it’s our favourite smooth-talking ex-smuggler, with a slicker tongue than even Solo: Lando Calrissian
It seems the ‘Reva racists’ forgot about the galaxy’s biggest cool-cat when they branded Ingram’s casting as ‘Diversity Hire’. Originally betraying his former pal, Han Solo, in the wake of Darth Vader’s imperial might, Lando redeems himself by blowing away the second Death Star in the Millennium Falcon (which was his former whip, I might add). Making his original debut in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in the 80’s, as well as being a primary character in what’s often considered ‘the greatest Star Wars movie of all time’, means black faces are a part of this franchise’s DNA. Period.
And trust me, it’s near impossible find blacker than Billy Dee Williams. Well, almost…
Exhibit B
Sorry motherf@#&ers. Samuel L Jackson’s purple lightsaber wielding, no nonsense talking, Emperor Palpatine-besting master Jedi might actually be blacker than Billy Dee Williams: Mace Windu.
A mainstay character in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Mace Windu was the biggest badass in the Jedi council, with the biggest axe to grind with Hayden Christensen’s ‘Anakin’. With Jackson having been baller enough to request his lightsaber be purple, he changed the Star wars universe forever; extensive lore now exists surrounding what having a purple hued lightsaber means in regards to one’s standing in the force!
The man invented a new lightsaber, and Star Wars fans dig it. To you basement dwellers who think Ingram’s race is a reason to fat-finger your keyboards with hate filled drivel, Master Windu’s got one thing to say…
Now, Drumroll please… because this one really makes the ‘Reva racists’ situation more laughable than a Rancor on ice…
Exhibit C
Yep, the most revered villain in cinematic history, our favourite black-suited asthmatic cyborg: Darth Vader. Voiced by the gravitas imbued legend that is James Earl Jones, this character has terrified the world over whilst simultaneously embarking on one of the most powerful redemptive arcs in storytelling. Even today, Darth Vader still has us piddle ourselves in Disney’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Oh wait, yeah that’s right… the character everyone is most excited to see, more than the guy the show is named after… is black?! Go figure.
So yeah, to be racist and truly love Star Wars might actually be impossible. To reiterate Yoda’s quote…
…so if you’re gonna be racist, there are no half measures. You can either embrace a galaxy of millions of different species, or take the nearest proverbial star ship with a hyperdrive to another galaxy far, far, far away…
Whether you think I’m wrong, whether you think I’m right, whether you think turquoise milk is better than blue (you disgust me)… tell Mr. Hunter your thoughts below!
If you liked this and fancy more, visit my HuntersFlix page (and don’t be shy, hit the follow button)!
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