‘Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi’ Has Been Criticized For Erasing LGBT Character
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Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, a collection of six animated shorts, was released yesterday to critical and fandom acclaim. With impressive animation and a delve into aspects of characters’ lives that were not previously seen onscreen, the animated anthology miniseries has been a welcome addition to the Star Wars canon.
Though the series has been reviewed positively overall, one criticism has been aimed toward the final short. Titled Resolve, the short follows Ahsoka Tano shortly after Order 66 as she meets a few farmers on a far-off world and rescues their village from an Inquisitor. If this premise sounds familiar, this is because the short takes inspiration from the 2015 novel, Ahsoka. Written by EK Johnston, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi on a similar adventure. While seeing continuity from the novels being referenced in onscreen canon is a treat, fans have pointed out a noticeable omission from the original story: Kaeden Larte.
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Image Source: Wookieepedia
Born on the planet Raada, Kaeden and her older sister Miara become close acquaintances of Ahsoka as she helps them fight the Empire’s tightening grip on their home, with Kaeden even developing a crush on the former Jedi. As many fans of the novel have pointed out, Kaeden is an essential part of the story and an important early example of LGBTQIA+ representation in the Star Wars galaxy. In Resolve, however, Ahsoka instead meets an unnamed brother and sister whose world she helps save from an Imperial Inquisitor. Not only are the sister’s feelings toward Ahsoka completely absent, but the characters are also noticeably lighter skinned compared to how Kaeden and Miara are described in the novel, despite being voiced by black actors. Multiple fans on Twitter have brought attention to these oversights, among which are @QueerSWatch and @SskeerMadness.
This kind of controversy has sadly been occurring quite a bit in Star Wars over the last few years. As LGBTQIA+ representation continues to grow and diversify throughout popular media, occurrences such as these have become more and more noticeable. As Star Wars continues to expand in terms of representation throughout novels and comics, the franchise is being held to a higher standard than in previous years. Hopefully, Dave Filoni and the rest of the creatives at Lucasfilm are aware of the fans’ feedback and plan to tackle onscreen LGBTQIA+ representation better going forward.
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