I’m sorry but this is NOT OK. Yesterday the official Star Wars Twitter account made a big post wishing Kelly Marie Tran, the Rose Tico actress, a Happy Birthday, but they didn’t bother wishing James Earl Jones a Happy Birthday. His birthday is also on January 17th.
He’s a Disney Legend for pity sakes!
Help us in wishing the incredible Kelly Marie Tran a very happy birthday! pic.twitter.com/i4kCc5YGRR
— Star Wars (@starwars) January 17, 2021
To make matters worse they posted the following on Martin Luther King Jr. Day today.
Today, we honor Dr. King and celebrate his legacy. The Lucasfilm family is committed to the fight for justice and equality in every corner of the galaxy. Each of us keeps the dream alive! (Photo by Reg Lancaster/Express/Getty Images)
— Star Wars (@starwars) January 18, 2021
“Today, we honor Dr. King and celebrate his legacy. The Lucasfilm family is committed to the fight for justice and equality in every corner of the galaxy….”
Well apparently not. They didn’t care enough about “justice and equality” to give James Earl Jones a birthday post but they gave Kelly Marie Tran one. Don’t get me wrong, Happy Birthday to her as well, but Darth Vader has been the cornerstone of the Star Wars universe and is the key to the Skywalker Saga. Mr. Jones is an iconic black actor who voiced the pop culture phenom character and they couldn’t even wish him a Happy Birthday!
Nothing like stepping over Darth Vader and then putting Kelly Marie Tran into a potential backlash situation again. Is Lucasfilm doing this on purpose and then will say that people are against women again?
Then to turn around and post about Dr. King and his legacy after stepping over a prominent black, male actor. You can’t make this up!
What the heck Lucasfilm?
They also posted a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” —Martin Luther King, Jr. pic.twitter.com/BHxhQvkoBU
— Star Wars (@starwars) January 18, 2021
People are pointing out that they were fine with minimizing John Boyega’s character of Finn in both scope and on the actual movie poster.
Twitter is having a field day:
“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” —Martin Luther King, Jr. pic.twitter.com/BHxhQvkoBU
— Star Wars (@starwars) January 18, 2021
And Happy birthday James earl jones!
— Marque Guillaume Plantagenet (@Mark63272197) January 18, 2021
But no mention of James Earl Jones’ birthday? pic.twitter.com/wzaX467L6L
— GachaMan (@gachamanrerise) January 18, 2021
Y’all literally used a Black man as a bait-and-switch protagonist, then made him the epitome of a “Token Black Sidekick”.
— Def Trooper (@TheDefTrooper) January 18, 2021
There’s nothing wrong with wishing Kelly Marie Tran a happy birthday…
But I gotta ask why the official twitter account is ignoring one of the most iconic voices of not just the franchise but of American cinema PERIOD who helped cement the franchise?
— Craig nunyadambidnes (@cyberdeathninja) January 17, 2021
They didn’t forget. They (Kathleen Kennedy and her SJW entourage) simply have zero respect for him
— テｲノビ🈂ヨ (@SenzakiKamo) January 18, 2021
Come on Lucasfilm / Disney you can do better than this.
Source: Twitter
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