![]() Aside from Dhruv Chanchani as Ani’s friend Kitster , the only other Asian-coded characters in The Phantom Menace are the Neimoidians and Queen Amidala’s wardrobe. When Lucas returned to the franchise in the late ’90s to tell the backstory of Darth Vader, he also forgot to cast AAPI actors in any significant roles. Sure, she doesn’t really have any lines, but she did get more than four seconds of screen time and an action figure! Dalyn Chew as Lyn Me in Return of the Jedi: Special Edition (1997) The Prequel Trilogy In an extended musical number inserted into Jedi, Chew plays Lyn Me, one of the backup dancers at Jabba’s Palace. Twenty years later, in the Special Edition of Return of the Jedi, Dalyn Chew became the first actor of Asian descent to have any significant screen time in a Star Wars movie. Sadly, Mifune turned down the role, and it would be more than two decades before an Asian face would be seen in Star Wars - not counting Nien Nunb or Lieutenant Telsij (the first Asian actor to speak a line of dialogue in any Star Wars movie), of course. Beyond the narrative echoes between the two stories, Lucas had intended to rhyme Star Wars and Hidden Fortress even more by casting the legendary Toshiro Mifune, one of Kurosawa’s frequent collaborators and the star of Hidden Fortress, as either Darth Vader or Obi-Wan Kenobi. Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress is perhaps the most obvious. It’s no secret that the filmography of Akira Kurosawa had a huge influence on George Lucas’ space opera. So what better way to honor both AAPI Heritage Month and Star Wars then by going through the history of AAPI representation in the Galaxy Far, Far Away 1? The Original Trilogy The Hidden Fortress (1958) Also, “Star Wars Day” falls every May the Fourth, so naturally, May is Star Wars Month by default. (This year, Lucasfilm finally returns to tradition when Solo: A Star Wars Story debuts in theaters on May 25). Before the last three Star Wars movies - Episodes VII and VIII, plus Rogue One - became staples of the Holiday Movie Season, every other film in the Saga was a May release.
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