Rose Tico

Rose Tico
Star Wars character
Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico in
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
First appearanceThe Last Jedi (2017)
Last appearanceThe Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Created byRian Johnson
Portrayed byKelly Marie Tran
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderFemale
OccupationMaintenance worker
AffiliationResistance
Family
  • Hue Tico (father)
  • Paige Tico (sister)
  • Thanya Tico (mother)
Significant otherFinn (The Last Jedi)
HomeworldHays Minor

Rose Tico is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise, first appearing in the simultaneously released Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Cobalt Squadron (both 2017). A mechanic with the Resistance, she befriends Finn (John Boyega) and works with him to try to help Resistance forces escape from the First Order. Rose is portrayed by Kelly Marie Tran.

Rose was created by The Last Jedi writer and director Rian Johnson after he decided a subplot originally involving Finn and Poe Dameron needed a different dynamic. The Last Jedi marked Kelly Marie Tran's first film role, and she had never watched a Star Wars film before auditioning for the part. As a struggling actress who had contemplated quitting the profession, Tran underwent an intense five-month audition process, successfully competing against hundreds of other actresses for the role.

Rose's backstory is revealed in the novel Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Cobalt Squadron (2017), where she is the protagonist alongside her sister Paige, a minor character in the film. The novel establishes that Rose and Paige joined the Resistance after their impoverished home planet was devastated by the First Order. The character of Rose serves as a relatable audience surrogate, an everywoman, a positive influence on Finn, and the personification of real-life Star Wars fandom. Johnson originally planned for Rose to be sarcastic and irritable, but the character was changed to match Tran's personality after she was cast, becoming more positive. Tran felt a connection between Rose's past experiences and those of her own family during the Vietnam War, and she researched the conflict and her family's past to help get into Rose's mindset.

The character and Tran's portrayal received largely positive reactions from critics, though fan reception was more divided,[1][2][3] and she became the subject of racist and sexist attacks over the internet.[2][4][5] Multiple fans and celebrities came to Tran's defense, and she directly responded to the harassment with an essay in The New York Times.[6] For her performance in The Last Jedi, Tran was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Rose returned in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019), the final installment in the sequel trilogy, in which she has risen in the ranks of the Resistance and has taken on a greater leadership role. The character's reduced role in the film was a major point of criticism for many, who saw it as giving in to online racist and sexist attacks against Tran, though writer Chris Terrio and Tran herself dismissed those criticisms, with Terrio stating that her minor role was not deliberate, and Tran stating that she was proud of being a part of the film.

  1. ^ Daley, Katerina (December 31, 2017). "Star Wars: 15 Things You Didn't Know About Rose Tico". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Menta1219 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Woerner1221 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Karlis0718 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference TranNYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).