Rian Johnson, director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, showed his support for actress Kelly Marie Tran after The Rise of Skywalker sidelined her character. Tran made her franchise debut in The Last Jedi as Rose Tico, a Resistance mechanic who befriends Finn (John Boyega) and goes on a mission with him. Tran was the first Asian woman to have a substantial role in the Star Wars franchise, and most fans were thrilled to have her on board.
However, following The Last Jedi's divisive fan reaction, Tran became the target of racist Internet trolls and deleted her Instagram. There is an official account for her up now, but there are no posts. Many Star Wars cast and crew members came to her defense following the harassment, and she was soon confirmed to return for The Rise of Skywalker. Fans were quick to note, however, that her role was severely diminished, with Rose sitting out the main mission Finn, Rey (Daisy Ridley), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) embarked on.
Johnson took to Twitter to support Tran by posting a picture of her from the film's premiere and simply captioning it with the crown emoji. He was one of the people who defended Tran after the harassment she faced. Check out the post below:
Johnson faced (and still faces) his own share of backlash from Star Wars fans who were displeased with The Last Jedi. Many have noticed several plot points from The Rise of Skywalker seem to be responses to The Last Jedi's more controversial moments, as well as serving as retcons of numerous story decisions Johnson made. Upon its release, The Last Jedi earned critical praise while heavily dividing fans. Somewhat ironically, The Rise of Skywalker seems to be equally polarizing, having earned one of the lowest Rotten Tomatoes critics score of all the Star Wars films.
Tran's smaller role in The Rise of Skywalker is disappointing because it feels like a direct response to those trolls who attacked her online, one that capitulates to their wishes. Rose was a wonderful addition to the sequel trilogy, and it's not Tran's fault she was in a storyline several Star Wars fans disliked. She deserved a bigger role in this film, though an argument could be made that there are so many plot points within The Rise of Skywalker it couldn't afford much time to every character. Still, The Last Jedi set up Rose to play a prominent part in the final installment, and leaving her out of some of the biggest moments feels like a mistake. It is refreshing, though, to see Johnson continue to stand by her no matter what.
Source: Rian Johnson/Twitter