Like many Star Wars fans, Jon M. Chu wants justice for Rose Tico.
On Thursday night, the Crazy Rich Asians director took to Twitter to express his disappointment with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker—specifically, the way Resistance member Tico was sidelined for the film. The character, portrayed by Asian-American actress Kelly Marie Tran, appeared in the 2-hour-plus film for less than a couple of minutes, which, of course, sparked outrage among some viewers.
So, how can Disney make it up to Tico fans? Chu has an interesting idea.
The director called on Disney+ to create a series centered on Tran's character. He made the proposal in a tweet that included the hashtag #RoseTicoDeservedBetter.
The "put me in coach" line suggested Chu was willing to contribute to the series in some way—perhaps writing, producing, or directing. You're move, Disney+.
Tran's Tico character was introduced in Rian Johnson's 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The actress, who was also the first woman of color to land a leading role in the beloved franchise, said she experienced racist and sexist harassment from a number of Star Wars fans. In fact, the hate became so severe, she ended up deleting her Instagram account.
"Their words reinforced a narrative I had heard my whole life: that I was 'other,' that I didn’t belong, that I wasn’t good enough, simply because I wasn’t like them," she wrote in August 2019. "And that feeling, I realize now, was, and is, shame, a shame for the things that made me different, a shame for the culture from which I came from. And to me, the most disappointing thing was that I felt it at all ... I want to live in a world where children of color don’t spend their entire adolescence wishing to be white. I want to live in a world where women are not subjected to scrutiny for their appearance, or their actions, or their general existence. I want to live in a world where people of all races, religions, socioeconomic classes, sexual orientations, gender identities and abilities are seen as what they have always been: human beings."
