Star Wars has introduced its first transgender “stormtrooper,” a move that has left fans of the beloved sci-fi franchise divided.
Called ‘Sister’, she is dressed in armor painted in the blue and pink of the transgender flag and was first depicted in a new book released earlier this week.
The dreadlock-sporting soldier first appeared in a reference in an earlier 2022 novel, ‘A Queen’s Hope’, before later being depicted in a fan art piece.
Now her story and photo are featured in Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers, adding her to the franchise’s official lore.
But the addition of the new character has divided fans of the saga far, far away, with some calling it ‘utterly insane gender cult worship’ and ‘idiotic’, while others raged that it was a ‘bat-s*** crazy p* was. **to take’.
Star Wars has introduced its first transgender “stormtrooper,” a move that has left fans of the beloved sci-fi franchise divided.
The character, called ‘Sister’, first appeared in a 2022 novel and fan art piece (pictured) before being added to the official Star Wars history in the new book release earlier this week
Not everyone supported the new character, with some venting their anger online
“I remember #StarWars being about space wizards, epic adventures and lightsaber battles. Now it’s… this,” someone told X.
Others seemed critical of Disney, the franchise’s owners, for allowing the character to become canon and calling Star Wars “woke garbage.”
Gaming news YouTuber The ArchCast was among those who ridiculed the move, saying in a video: “Finally, what all Star Wars fans have been begging for for years has finally come true.
‘What is that? Tell a good story? A focus on Thrawn perhaps, or the force, Jedi, the Emperor or something like that? Oh no, no, no, stupid, angry fanatics. I’m talking about the first transgender stormtrooper.”
He criticized the move, adding: “There was no quid pro quo from Disney, nothing. Nothing at all. Again, “astonishing and courageous” – the most oppressed minority is truly the one that gets its way every time it asks for anything at all.’
Another person on social media added, “Wow my friends and I were just talking about what could save this franchise, aaaannnnddd this wasn’t it.”
First introduced in the 2022 book A Queen’s Hope, Sister was created on the planet Kamino to fight for the Galactic Republic.
She is one of several clone troopers from Star Wars Episodes II and III, which depicted Anakin Skywalker’s evil transformation from Jedi hero to iconic space villain Darth Vader.
Little is known about the character other than that she served alongside Skywalker (played by Hayden Christensen) and his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) during the Clone Wars.
Little is known about the character other than that she served alongside Skywalker (played by Hayden Christensen, left) and his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor, right).
She is one of the clone troops featured in the second and third films of the Star Wars prequel series in the early 2000s.
Pictured is young clone troops being trained during a scene in Star Wars Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
She later appeared in a fan art piece that has since been adopted as her official appearance in Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers, which was released this week.
The book is intended as an illustrated encyclopedia for children and is written from the perspective of another Star Wars character, Captain Rex from the Disney+ animation Bad Batch.
A description of her in the book, given by Rex, reads: “If anyone of our kind expressed her gender identity differently than her fellow troopers, she said she had to hide who she really was inside. Luckily, her brothers in the 7th Sky Corps gave her the name ‘Sister’ as a constant reminder that she belonged.”
Despite the anger online, others have welcomed and defended the character being officially enshrined in the franchise’s extensive history.
“Star Wars fans need to learn not to be weirdos. This is amazing,” someone wrote on X.
Another added: ‘Despite gender fluidity and gender transitions being classic sci-fi tropes, people will still find a way to bitch and moan about it.’
Sister isn’t the only transgender character from Star Wars. Ceret and twin brother Terec are ‘trans non-binary’ Jedi Knights who previously appeared in The High Republic 2 in 2021.
A post on the Star Wars Instagram for International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021 later confirmed their pronouns and status as trans-non-binary.