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The Star Wars franchise has been coming out in full force to defend Moses Ingram from racist and sexist attacks. This includes the star of the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Ewan McGregor himself.
The clip was recorded by McGregor and shared by the official Star Wars Twitter account.
And he has some choice words for those who are trying to drive Ingram out.
\u201cA personal message from Ewan McGregor.\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1654045680
The clip starts with McGregor thanking fans for making Obi-Wan Kenobi the most watched series premiere on Disney+. However, his tone quickly changes.
He speaks about how painful it was to hear about the kinds of abuse people are sending toward Ingram.
McGregor said:
“However, it seems that some of the fan base, from this influential fan base, have decided to attack Moses Ingram online and send her the most horrendous, racist DMs.”
“And I heard some of them this morning and it just broke my heart.”
He continued, giving praise to Ingram and said those who are sending bullying messages aren’t Star Wars fans in his mind.
Hopefully, if anyone can get through to the mob, it’s Obi-Wan Kenobi himself.
\u201c@GeekZoneGZ @starwars Lowkey made me tear up a bit\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1654045680
\u201cThe fact that the official account is unequivocally endorsing and amplifying this sentiment rather than taking some mealy-mouthed non-confrontational stance gives me a tiny sliver of hope for the future \ud83d\udc9c\u201d— SUEDE (@SUEDE) 1654114863
\u201c@FettRules @starwars Same thing with Ahmed Best and Kelly Marie Tran.\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1654045680
\u201c"omg ewan mcgregor called us out for being racist, we're not supporting star wars anymore" then go??? just go!! no one wants ur racist ass here\u201d— diana KENOBI SPOILERS (@diana KENOBI SPOILERS) 1654048410
\u201c@starwars She\u2019s pretty good, sucks that half this fan base acts this way\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1654045680
\u201c@leavinghope99 @DiscussingFilm I love him even more for speaking up for his co-star\u2026\u201d— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1654046701
In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ingram plays Reva Sevander, an Imperial Inquisitor hunting the titular Jedi. Her character is ambitious, ruthless, and will do anything to find Kenobi.
Some of the racist and sexist commenters have tried to hide behind “legitimate” criticism, claiming that her character is bad and given too much screen time. Which is a strange criticism when her character is the primary antagonist, with an unrevealed, personal drive to attack Kenobi.
Ingram has also been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her work in the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. While no one, even an award-winning actor, is above criticism, it’s going to take a little more than just “the character is bad” to be seen in good faith.
McGregor stands by Ingram's acting ability, saying:
"Moses is a brilliant actor. She's a brilliant woman, and she she's absolutely amazing in this series."
He ended the video saying:
"There’s no place for racism in this world. And I totally stand with Moses.”
Criticism of a character should never involve the racist messages Ingram has been receiving.
\u201c@corkymp89 @starwars Because she's black and a woman and God forbid people are different\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1654045680
\u201cI\u2019d always been confused as to how some SW fans could misunderstand the franchise they claim to love so much, but reading the work of historian Heather Cox Richardson really opened my eyes to the fact that the original movie served as a kind of Rorschach test for viewers in 1977\u2014\u201d— Jen Bartel (@Jen Bartel) 1654124411
\u201cThe irony of course is that George Lucas modeled the villains of SW after Republican politicians of the era\u2014Palpatine was inspired by Nixon and the Empire grew out of a highly corrupt oligarchal republic. (Hmm!!) The political subtext of the franchise as a whole is pro-socialist.\u201d— Jen Bartel (@Jen Bartel) 1654124411
\u201c@SimonSt51662750 @starwars "It's not about that, it's about BAD WRITING" says they, about a franchise known for it's amazing writing.\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1654045680
\u201c@MaceAhWindu @starwars Anakin will be as well.\u201d— Star Wars (@Star Wars) 1654045680
\u201c@AustinAllemand @DiscussingFilm and that is precisely why on last week's episodes Obi-Wan had more than 40 minutes of screen time compared to Reva's 10 or so minutes. \n\nshe is also the actual antagonist of this show. not Vader. either cope or quit watching.\u201d— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1654046701
Star Wars has always had a problem with its White male fanbase attacking non-White actors and any hint of LGBTQ+ storyline. This includes Kelly Marie Tran’s and John Boyega’s characters, Rose Tico and Finn respectively, in the sequel trilogy.
While Disney is standing by Ingram as she receives racist messages, some are wondering why Disney didn’t try to cut off the hate before it happens, since there’s clearly a pattern.