Star Wars has been a part of our lives since 1977’s Episode IV: A New Hope. The universe that was created and put in motion by George Lucas has gained incredible momentum over the decades. What started as six cleverly released chronology of films has now become interspersed with multiple movies, series, and animated short films. The Star Wars universe was one of the constants for most of our lives and with the extended additions, it is only getting harder to catch up on all the details outside of the universe.
However, that does not make the lives of the actors who are dedicated to portraying all these characters on-screen irrelevant. The recent Disney+ series actor, Moses Ingram, has been facing an onslaught of hatred and backlash and fans have been divided over the difference in treatment of two of the Star Wars actors.
Also read: Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 2 in Development Despite Backlash
What Happened with Gina Carano and Moses Ingram?
Gina Carano gained global recognition and popularity when she entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe/Foxverse Film, Deadpool as Angel Dust. However, even before that, she was known as the “Face of Women’s MMA” for compiling a 7-1 record on EliteXC and Strikeforce.
Also read: Actors Who Got Fired From Top Franchises and Movies For Saying Something Stupid
Carano was cast as Cara Dune, an Alderaanian mercenary serving as a shock trooper in the Alliance, in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian’s initial 2 seasons. However, by late 2020, she started posting regularly several political statements and transphobic comments on Twitter that led fans and the public to call for her firing from the Star Wars series. Carano advocated anti-vax and anti-mask campaigns, and supported the allegations of voter fraud in the aftermath of the 2020 U.S. elections. She also added the words “beep/bop/boop” beside her name on her Twitter profile, which several people took as a mockery of the non-binary pronoun. By early 2021, the public rallied to get her removed with the hashtag #FireGinaCarano, and soon after, Lucasfilm released a formal statement in February 2021 declaring Gina Carano was no longer a member of the Star Wars franchise.
Also read: How The Mandalorian’s Firing of Gina Carano Will Affect Future Star Wars Projects
On the other hand, Moses Ingram who plays Reva, the Inquisitor, in the Disney+ Series Obi-Wan Kenobi has come forward on May 31, 2022, revealing hateful messages that were directed toward her, including death threats and racist comments. The Star Wars franchise and members of Obi-Wan Kenobi have come forward to stand with her and publicly call out such comments. However, the situation didn’t entirely go over swimmingly.
Also read: Star Wars Fans Review Obi-Wan Kenobi Bombing After Moses Ingram Controversy
Star Wars Fans Clash Over Differential Treatment
Some fans of the franchise have come forward to call out Star Wars for their support of Moses Ingram. They claim that the franchise could have stood by Gina Carano when she was being harassed, just as they did with Ingram, instead of firing her.
However, the situation isn’t entirely the same says another faction of the Star Wars fandom. One of them was voluntarily spreading harmful transphobic messages and propagating controversial right-wing politics whereas the other person was being harassed, bullied, and persecuted just because of the color of her skin.
Also read: Star Wars Fans Rally Support For Moses Ingram
Following the incident, the Star Wars Twitter account posted, “We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva’s story to unfold. If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi actor, Ewan McGregor, too, came forward and tweeted, “I just want to say as the leading actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series, that we stand with Moses, we love Moses, and if you’re sending her bullying messages, you’re no Star Wars fan in my mind.” He left off with, “There’s no place for racism in this world. I totally stand with Moses.”
