An Overview Of ‘Star Wars’ LGBTQ+ Rep In 2022
Image Source: Wookieepedia
2022 has been a year of many firsts for the galaxy far, far away. With series such as The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, and Tales of the Jedi, we’ve seen Star Wars revisit familiar characters and stories while exploring ideas and topics that the franchise has only dabbled in previously. With Boba Fett, we saw the titular bounty hunter form a connection with a local Tusken tribe on Tatooine, bringing actor Temuera Morrison’s ethnicity and culture to the forefront.
Obi-Wan showed the extent of the Empire’s targeting and genocide of Force-sensitives throughout the galaxy. Tales of the Jedi dove into the corruption of the Republic and Senate and how they led former Jedi Master Dooku to fall to the dark side. Andor has broken several boundaries for Star Wars, tackling themes of revolution, corporatism, fascism, immigration, and racial profiling. But an especially notable aspect of the series is the inclusion of the franchise’s first openly gay couple.
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Since Andor’s fifth episode, “The Axe Forgets,” Vel Sartha and Cinta Kaz, played by Faye Marsay and Varada Sethu, respectively, are in a romantic relationship. This is even brought up during one of their conversations in Andor’s eighth episode, “Narkina 5”, in which they talk about the lives they could have together outside of the impending galactic civil war. Vel even deals with micro-aggressions from her cousin Mon Mothma’s husband, Perrin Fertha, who suggests finding herself a husband during a family dinner. This kind of representation has been sorely lacking in onscreen Star Wars media and is more than a welcome addition to one of the most grounded and personal entries in the franchise so far. Luckily, Andor isn’t the only Star Wars project with notable LGBTQ+ representation.
Earlier in July this year, non-binary actor Amandla Stenberg was announced to be joining the cast of The Acolyte, a series headed by Russian Doll director Leslye Headland and set during the final days of the High Republic. In addition, the High Republic project has been providing readers with a large number of LGBTQ+ characters, including Vernestra Rwoh, Zeen Mrala, and Lula Talisola. Even outside the High Republic, we’ve seen similar characters introduced in novels and comics released in 2022. Padawan, a junior novel by Kiersten White, follows a young Obi-Wan as he protects seven orphans on a far-off planet. One of these orphans is a non-binary Clawdite changeling named, Zae-Brii, who uses their ability to take on others’ appearances to assist in their rescue.
Image Source: Star Wars
Also worth noting is the novel’s confirmation of Obi-Wan’s asexuality and lack of preference for any specific gender. EK Johnston’s latest novel Queen’s Hope, introduces Tepoh, a non-binary but feminine-leaning member of Padmé Amidala’s handmaidens and Sister, a transgender woman clone trooper who is just as valued as her clone brothers. Sister also makes an appearance in Mike Chen’s novel Brotherhood. As usual, the Doctor Aphra comics continue to have various LGBTQ+ characters in their cast, including Chelli Aphra herself, Sana Starros, Just Lucky, Ariole Yu, and the newly introduced Kho Phon Farrus from the comic’s current writer Alyssa Wong.
This isn’t to say that Star Wars has handled representation perfectly across the board. Just the previous month, we saw Tales of the Jedi face warranted criticism over erasing a gay character from its own take on a previously established story from the Ahsoka novel. Plus, the general lack of LGBTQ+ characters in Tales of the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and The Book of Boba Fett, which is more noticeable in light of Andor’s own representation. This isn’t even getting into the controversies that Disney itself is facing over its funding of regressive bills, its cutting of LGBTQ+ characters in conservative markets, and its continued work with people criticized for previous homophobic and transphobic behavior (Bill Burr, Chris Pratt, Tim Allen, James Woods, Rosario Dawson).
Image Source: YouTube
Star Wars has undoubtedly made considerable strides in terms of LGBTQ+ inclusion. But there is still more work to be done. Hopefully, in the years to come, we’ll see the franchise taking further steps forward into an even larger world.
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