A new character in the “Star Wars” universe is causing quite a stir with fans of the franchise.
The first transgender Stormtrooper, named Sister, appears in the new book “Star Wars: The Secrets of the Clone Troopers.”
According to the X account Star Wars Holocron, the character Captain Rex gives a description of Sister in the book that says, “When one of our kind expressed her gender identity differently than her fellow troopers, she featured [sic] she’d have to hide who she truly was inside. Fortunately, her brothers in the 7th Sky Corps gave her the name Sister as a constant reminder that she belonged.”
Sister made her “Star Wars” canon debut in the 2022 book “Queen’s Hope.” She served the Galactic Republic alongside Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) and Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Clone Wars.
The character has not yet appeared in any “Star Wars” TV shows or movies.
The move to create a trans Stormtrooper by Disney (which purchased the rights to “Star Wars” from George Lucas in 2012) sparked a big reaction.
“This can’t be real. Gotta be a parody … there is no freaking way!” someone posted.
“What happened to the franchise I love,” said another X user.
A third person wrote, “These people just love to kill escapism and fantasy.”
“Are we really supposed to sit here and take this at face value for canon? Cmon this is some wacky nonsense,” another critic wrote.
However, others applauded the sci-fi franchise for promoting inclusivity with a trans character.
“I love this! More diversity in the clones and representation through each of them trying to make their existence more than just being a killing machine for the republic,” a fan wrote.
Someone else said, “Very happy to see them doubling down on inclusivity and telling transphobes to f–k off. If the existence of one story element that won’t affect anything triggers you that much, that’s a you thing.”
“I love that so much, armor looks awesome!” another person wrote.
This is not the first time Disney and “Star Wars” have been criticized for “going woke.”
In June, Disney+ released “The Acolyte,” created by Leslye Headland and set 100 years before “The Phantom Menace.” The series received hate for its progressive themes, with many alleging it contained LGBTQ propaganda.
The show was “review bombed” online: It has an 18% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Disney canceled “The Acolyte” in August, two months after its premiere.
“To hear the news, I was quite surprised personally as well,” cast member Lee Jung-jae said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly after the show was axed.
Jodie Turner-Smith, who also starred in the show, recently called out Disney for not protecting its actors from online racist attacks.
“They’ve got to stop doing this thing where they don’t say anything when people are getting f–king dog-piled on the internet with racism and bulls–t,” the actress, 38, told Glamour UK last week.
“It’s just not fair to not say anything,” she added. “It’s really unfair.”
