And while these roles do have value in advancing Asian representation in Hollywood, there's no denying that they are limiting. (Their mysticism with regards to the Force could also be read as playing into the stereotype of the ancient Asian spiritual guide.) Meanwhile, two of the only other Asian characters in Star Wars, The Force Awakens' Admiral Statura (Ken Leung) and Jess Testor (Jessica Henwick) fell into the "other" background category. In the world of Star Wars, Chirrut and Baze were the "other" in that they were foreign. And these roles are often little more than background filler - an easy way for filmmakers to create a more diverse picture without actually giving Asian actors much to do. These characters are the stoic foreigners (courtesy of the model minority myth) or the wacky minorities, with rarely any in-between. In modern Hollywood, the role of the "other" has been exemplified by Gossip Girl's Nelly Yuki (Yin Chang) or The Hangover's Mr. In the past, that's often meant playing the foreigner, leaning into the "fresh off the boat" stereotype, like Sixteen Candles' long Duk Dong. Throughout history, Asian and Asian American actors have been stuck in this trope time and time again. While Yen and Jiang do represent a significant step forward when it comes to representation of Asians in Hollywood, their casting is also emblematic of the kind of Asians Hollywood is comfortable with: the "other." Moreover, as Chinese actors, they expand the Star Wars universe in a different way than Tran, a Vietnamese American. And though they were two major characters, they weren't exactly on the same level as Rose. Before her, the biggest Asian presence was Chirrut (Donnie Yen) and Baze (Wen Jiang) in Rogue One. Rose is not the first Asian character ever to appear in a Star Wars film, but she is the first to take on such an impactful role. Star Wars/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (It probably doesn't hurt that the role was written for "any ethnicity," as Tran revealed to Rolling Stone.) She's as much of a citizen of the Resistance as Poe and as much of a lead character as Finn. When she appears onscreen for the first time, vaguely Asian music doesn't start playing in the background. She has no patience for deserters, but doesn't think twice about breaking the rules.
Yes, Rose is an engineer, but she's not presented as a mathematical genius who plays the violin every night. And she does all of this without playing into the model minority stereotype. She plays a crucial role in the plot to save the Resistance fleet and also in Finn's journey to embracing his status as a hero of the fight against the First Order. In The Last Jedi, Rose isn't just a background player in the Resistance or a glorified extra - she is a fully-formed hero. Not only is Rose the first female Asian lead in the Star Wars franchise, but she's the first Asian American lead in the series, period, and moreover, she represents a shift in Asian Americans moving away from being "the other" in Hollywood. Paige Tico (Veronica Ngo) might only have one scene in the film, but her presence sets the stage for another Star Wars first in her sister Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran). Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens with something never seen before: the birth of an Asian American hero in the Resistance.
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