However, Rose Tico is a problematic character for me because of the way that her interactions with Finn shape up across the film and subsequent novelizations. I wanted nothing more than to love the character and what she and Veronica Ngo’s Paige Tico represent as Vietnamese characters in space.

I hate that I can’t get around to liking Rose because Kelly Marie Tran is a totally cutie and I love that’s she’s literally a nerd living the dream. Within hours of seeing leaks from the junior and expanded novelizations for The Last Jedi, I went from being slightly uncomfortable with Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose Tico’s interactions with John Boyega’s Finn to wanting her nowhere near him until she did some soul searching. I keep being told that Rose and Finn are great representation in The Last Jedi and that I shouldn’t complain because that’s just mean, but… Representation in media or fandom isn’t a “one-size fits all” set up where it works for everyone in the group being represented.Īdditionally, why does Rose’s status as the first East Asian (specifically Vietnamese-American) female main-ish character in a Star Wars film suddenly mean that I can’t critique her behavior towards Finn or the fact that the writing for her characterization is weirdly nonsensical? (And note that Finn being the first Black character with a main role in Star Wars didn’t stop certain parts of fandom from criticizing the hell out of him and John Boyega for stuff neither character nor actor did… They still do it even when asked not to!) What I got was Paige dying in the first part of the film, Rose’s unbelievably frustrating interactions with Finn, and my boy Finn being frequently reduced to comedic relief and a naïve child with no common sense or intelligence as Rey tried her darndest to find the good in Kylo Ren for most of the movie. I went into the film expecting Rose Tico to be AMAZING and for her and Paige to be significant and positive characters. Everyone that hates The Last Jedi has to hate it because they hate seeing women and people of color in charge, right?Įxcept, I went into The Last Jedi expecting that Finn would continue his heroic arc alongside the Force-focused plot with Rey (or, if not, that he’d have something focused on himself and figuring out who he is on his own). One of my biggest issues with folks who really loved The Last Jedi is that they keep trying to lump everyone that dislikes the film together. – - From Jason Fry’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi novelization

“Poe, this will save the fleet and save Rey,” Finn said. You’re following the words of active anti fans and the thing they’re anti… Is me. In February, they actively tried to get me fired and they constantly misrepresent what I actually write (which is some ship of theseus shit) in the most negative light. Edit 5/28/21: if you’re here because a Rey/Kylo or Kylo/Hux shipper linked this post as “proof” that I was somehow anti-Rose or anti-Asian people and therefore didn’t deserve to interview Kelly Marie Tran, please note that you’re being led by racists (and yes this includes other people of color) who have spent months and even years in some cases harassing me.

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