Star Wars supports Krystina Arielle after racist abuse
Krystina Arielle is the host of the upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic Show.
Star Wars has tweeted their support for Krystina Arielle, the host of the upcoming Star Wars: The High Republic Show, after she was subjected to racist abuse online.
Arielle has shared screenshots of the racist vitriol she has received following the resurfacing of some of her old tweets in which she condemned systemic racism.
Most of the tweets were from last year, when protests erupted in support of Black Lives Matter.
"The last 24 hours have been ... not the greatest," she tweeted on Saturday, along with screenshots of the racist harassment she has been subjected to.
In response, Star Wars said they were against racism and bullying on their official Twitter account. "Our Star Wars community is one of hope and inclusivity. We do not stand for bullying and racism. We support, @KrystinaArielle," they tweeted.
Arielle was recently confirmed as the host of The High Republic Show, which is an upcoming web series about Star Wars: The High Republic, a new subseries of the Star Wars franchise.
It is set during the High Republic sub-era of the Age of Republic, 200 years before the events of the Skywalker saga and 800 years after the fall of the Old Republic.
John Boyega has previously spoken out about how his casting in The Force Awakens generated a racist backlash. He also claims that he was marginalised by the studio.
"Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, 'Black this and black that and you shouldn't be a Stormtrooper,'" he told British GQ in September last year.
"Nobody else had that experience. But yet people are surprised that I'm this way. That's my frustration."
The latest Star Wars adventures are being told through books, comics, magazines and TV shows.
"We are so excited to be opening up such a rich, fertile era for our authors to explore," said Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president, about The High Republic. "We'll get to see the Jedi in their prime."
Disney recently announced Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic, set within the same timeline as The Mandalorian and will also be executive-produced by that show’s creators Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.
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