Lucasfilm Warned Moses Ingram About Racist ‘Star Wars’ Trolls: Harassment ‘Likely Will Happen’

Moses Ingram recently told The Independent that Lucasfilm executives warned her that she would likely face harassment online from racist “Star Wars” trolls as a Black woman entering the franchise in the upcoming series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” POC actors such as John Boyega and Kelly Marie Train faced their own racism from toxic fans when they joined the “Star Wars” franchise.

“It was something that Lucasfilm actually got in front of, and said, ‘This is a thing that, unfortunately, likely will happen. But we are here to help you; you can let us know when it happens,’” Ingram said.

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Moses, whose credits include Emmy winner “The Queen’s Gambit” and Oscar nominee “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” stars opposite Ewan McGregor in the show. The actor said that “Obi-Wan Kenobi” director Deborah Chow has put “the proper systems in place so I feel safe as we do the work.”

“Of course, there are always pockets of hate,” Ingram said. “But I have no problem with the block button.”

Moses added, “‘Obi-Wan’ is going to bring the most diversity I think we’ve ever seen in the galaxy before. To me, it’s long overdue. If you’ve got talking droids and aliens, but no people of color, it doesn’t make any sense. It’s 2022, you know. So we’re just at the beginning of that change. But I think to start that change is better than never having started it.”

Moses stars in the show as Inquisitor Reva, a force-sensitive henchman for the the big bad Grand Inquisitor who seeks out Jedi-in-hiding for the Empire. Chow and writer Joby Harold told Entertainment Weekly that Reva is “ruthlessly ambitious.” Might Reva have a change of heart in her pursuit of Obi-Wan and join the good side? Ingram told EW her character is “all heart.”

“They share a common dark-side goal,” Ingram added to EW about the show’s villains: Reva, the Grand Inquisitor and Darth Vader. “They’re on the same team.”

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” premieres its first two episodes May 27 on Disney+.

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