The Transgender Clone Trooper 'Star Wars' Fans Might Have Never Heard Of
Image Source: WallpapersDen
The Star Wars universe has been pushing the boundaries of diversity in recent years, increasing the number of people of color, and women, and even introducing gay, bisexual, and lesbian characters to the fold, primarily in books and comics (most notably, Doctor Aphra), but also included a same-sex kiss in the latest Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker. What escaped my attention, as a transgender person myself, as well as likely many other fans of the franchise, is that Star Wars novelist E.K. Johnson created a transgender woman character for one of her Clone Wars-era novels, Queen’s Hope, a Clone Trooper nicknamed Sister who served during the Clone Wars.
The animated series The Bad Batch introduced fans to Omega, the only known female clone of Jango Fett. However, as of the publication of Queen’s Hope in April 2022, we now have a transgender female Clone Trooper, “Sister”. While I have not read the book, nor been able to speak to the author, Ms. Johnston, about the character she created, Sister adopted a feminine name and appearance to distinguish herself from her Clone Trooper brothers while she fought in the Clone Wars.
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“Sister” (artwork by Uzuri Art commissioned by author E.K. Johnston)
Image Source: Wookiepedia
It is not clear, based on the background information presented, whether hers was a social-only transition (i.e. changing names, pronouns, appearance) or if there was also a medical component to her transition (i.e. cross-sex hormone treatment, gender-affirming surgeries). However, it needs to be noted that any transition should be considered valid. Sister served with distinction throughout the Clone Wars and was particularly admired by Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, who served in a battle with her in 22 BBY. Sister was more sensitive to the losses incurred due to the Clone Wars, having held a private memorial for her brothers in the Seventh Sky Corps.
Regardless of the state of her transition (or “transcendence” as Anakin described it), Sister was affirmed in her gender identity by her Clone Trooper brothers. Although she was concerned that she would not be affirmed by her Jedi Generals, the Jedi she served with during the Clone Wars like Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, readily accepted her as well, giving her character good representation in the story as a transgender woman. Sister made a subsequent appearance in Mike Chen’s Star Wars novel, Brotherhood, published in May 2022. Sister’s post-Order 66 fate has not been written yet, however, hopefully, Sister will appear again in other future Star Wars media.
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Source(s): Wookiepedia, Comic Book Resources, GameRant, Wikipedia
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