Disney supports Star Wars' Moses Ingram: "Don't choose to be a racist"
The message of support was posted on the official Star Wars Twitter account.
The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi have now been released on Disney Plus, with Inquisitor Reva, as played by Moses Ingram, becoming the latest villain to grace the franchise.
However, since her debut it appears that Ingram has sadly received online racist abuse relating to her portrayal of the character. In the wake of this and in support of Ingram, the official Star Wars Twitter account posted this morning to say that it "resists" anyone making her feel unwelcome within the Star Wars family.
The tweet said: "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."
The account then followed up with another tweet which said: "There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don’t choose to be a racist."
Ingram previously told The Independent that she had been warned by Lucasfilm to expect racist abuse online following the series' debut.
She explained: "It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, 'This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens.'"
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Star Wars stars John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran have both similarly received racist abuse online since joining the franchise, which caused Tran to delete her social media accounts.
Speaking to Teen Vogue last year Tran recalled: "I knew that the most important thing was to protect my mental health and make myself a space where I felt like I could create again and where I could be an artist again, which for a time, I didn’t know if I could do that again."
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series will release new episodes on Disney Plus on Wednesdays at 8am GMT. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year now. If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our Sci-Fi hub.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
