Star Wars Franchise Defends Black Star of New Disney+ Show

The excitement over Obi-Wan Kenobi, the latest Star Wars series on Disney+, has permeated the internet, but along with the positive buzz, a more disturbing development has emerged. Moses Ingram, the Queen's Gambit actress who plays the Inquisitor Reva in the new Disney program that premiered Friday, revealed on Monday that she hasn't exactly been welcomed with open arms by some fans—and that some of the messages she's received have included racist remarks and threats, reports People. "Long story short, there are hundreds of those. Hundreds," the Black actor noted in an Instagram story of some of the screenshots showing the vitriolic comments she's gotten.

She continued, "I think the thing that bothers me is that, like, sort of this feeling I've had inside of myself—which no one has told me—but this feeling of, like, I just gotta shut up and take it. I just kinda gotta grin and bear it. And I'm not built like that." As for the people who attacked her, she had just one thing to say: "Y'all weird!" It wasn't long after her post that Team Star Wars rushed to defend her. "We are proud to welcome Moses Ingram to the Star Wars family and excited for Reva's story to unfold," the franchise's official Twitter account posted Tuesday. "If anyone intends to make her feel in any way unwelcome, we have only one thing to say: we resist."

It then added: "There are more than 20 million sentient species in the Star Wars galaxy, don't choose to be a racist." Even the show's star, Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan, offered a show of support. "It just broke my heart," he said in a video message, calling Ingram a "brilliant actor." He added, "If you're sending her bullying messages, you're no Star Wars fan in my mind." It's not the first time Star Wars actors have broached racial issues: In 2018, Asian-American actress Kelly Marie Tran deleted her Instagram due to online harassment, while in 2020, Black actor John Boyega criticized Disney's approach to diversity in casting. As for Ingram, she's heard the messages of support. "The love is louder. It overflows. Thank you," she wrote Wednesday in her Instagram story. (More Star Wars stories.)