Star Wars has introduced numerous actors into the Hollywood spotlight through their character portrayals in the franchise. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher became overnight sensations as the original trilogy’s heroes, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa; Hayden Christensen brought to life the tragic origin story of the franchise’s iconic villain, Darth Vader, paving the way for other leading work in Jumper, Awake, and his return to the Star Wars Universe in Obi-Wan Kenobi. The sequel trilogy introduced audiences to its newest hero, Rey, portrayed by Daisy Ridley; Ridley has since gone onto participate in films such as Chaos Walking and Murder on the Orient Express. There are also performers who, despite their incredible performances in the Star Wars franchise, have been mishandled in their characterizations down the line. Such is the case with Kelly Marie Tran in her portrayal as Rose Tico. A prominent addition to The Last Jedi, Tico is reduced to a minimal screen presence in The Rise of Skywalker. Here is why Kelly Marie Tran deserved better in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
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Complex Character
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Kelly Marie Tran molded Rose Tico into a complex character. Her first scene introduction shows Rose dealing with the aftermath of her sister’s death amidst an attack from the First Order. Driven by grieve and in an attempt to honor her sister’s memory, Rose joins Finn and BB-8 on a mission to deactivate the First Order’s tracking device. During their mission, they face countless obstacles, from fleeing security at Canto Bight, meeting a smuggler, DJ, who later betrays them, to narrowly escaping the destruction of the First Order’s fleet; Rose remains faithful to her mission throughout each obstacle. In a blaze of glory, Rose saves Finn from sacrificing himself against the First Order’s obsolete speeders. Rose isn’t just brave; she is heroic without resorting to self-destructive measures. A pleasant change of pace for Star Wars considering its affinity towards killing off pivotal characters to convey heroism.
Sidelined in The Rise of Skywalker
Despite Rose being a unique character addition to Star Wars, her character received mixed reviews across the board. While some fans and critics thoroughly enjoyed her part in the sequel trilogy, others condemned her for being a disservice to the franchise, driving attention away from other characters, such as Finn, being a Mary Sue, and some even considered her pointless to the film’s plot. This turned into blatant harassment towards Kelly Marie Tran, with her social media accounts being flooded with misogynistic and overtly offensive messages. The backlash culminated in Tran deactivating her social media for an indefinite amount of time. This is the definition of toxic fandom towards a performer that was only doing their job. To make matters worse, The Rise of Skywalker reduces Rose’s screen time and overall dialogue compared to other characters, such as Poe, Finn, and the returning Lando Calrissian. For someone so neatly outlined in The Last Jedi; this was wasted potential for Rose’s character and a disrespect towards Kelly Marie Tran as an artist.
Resourceful
Interestingly, Rose Tico possesses the mechanical skills of two of the franchise’s titular heroes, Luke and Anakin Skywalker. As a maintenance worker on the Resistance’s ship, Raddus, Rose spends her spare time reading countless mechanics manuals for ships similar to the Raddus and the Supremacy, the First Order’s fleet. General Leia Organa took notice of Rose’s skills after the events of The Last Jedi and promoted her to leader of the Engineering Corps, a position held during the Resistance’s final battle against the First Order. This is a feat for Rose’s character; nevertheless, audiences are never given the chance to see her relish in her success after The Rise of Skywalker’s climax.
Emotionally Nuanced
Star Wars excels at creating emotionally nuanced characters from its heroes, supporting characters, and notably, its villains; that’s the reason audiences can relate to villains such as Darth Vader and Kylo Ren; they are emotionally torn anti-heroes. Rose Tico is emotionally nuanced from beginning to end. She starts off the movie completely devastated by her sister’s death; this drive’s her to hold an unflexible demeanor towards potential Resistance deserters. Nevertheless, her desire to honor her sister’s memory leads her to temporarily abandon her post to join Finn on his mission to give the Resistance the upper hand against The First Order.
As they bond, Rose softens her guard towards Finn, showing a more sensitive side to her stark personality. Rose reaches her character arc by selflessly putting herself in harm’s way to save Finn from his sacrificial onslaught against the First Order’s obsolete speeders. By The Last Jedi’s conclusion, Rose is well on her way to becoming a main character in The Rise of Skywalker; she is resilient, brave, and proves a formidable ally to the Resistance. Yet, she is relegated to a forgettable supporting character, and her love story with Finn is never expanded on. It’s criminal for The Rise of Skywalker to dismiss a character who propelled so much action in The Last Jedi.
Kelly Marie Tran’s Work Following The Last Jedi
Fortunately, Kelly Marie Tran’s career has taken a strong turn as her talent is being properly showcased by Hollywood. Since working on the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Tran’s booked voice roles in Disney’s The Croods: A New Age and Raya and The Last Dragon. Kelly Marie Tran is well on her way to maintaining a successful Hollywood career despite her tumultuous Star Wars journey.
