Star Wars introduces its first LGBT character to canon...

[Alena Reckar]

[member="Drapeam Nyx"]: LOOOOOO...etc, etc, etc...OOOOL.

 

[Onrai]

One can only hope that this character doesn't turn into a pandering "oh, we made her lesbian to cater to the crowd by slapping this trait on when it has nothing to do with her backstory or plotline whatsoever" sort of thing. If the character has such properly integrated into her history, though, she may prove to be an exceptional hit with all fans. Only time will tell, though. I hope she turns out to be the latter - would be a damn shame to see effort wasted in molding her into what she'll assumedly become when the film comes around.

 

[Fabula Caromed]

All of the times that we would have had a gay character before now but got stonewalled by Lucas Arts. This is almost worth it.

Almost.

Come back to me, Juhani.

 

[Vulpesen]

Spoiler

We're forgetting someone... thank you, [member="Fabula Cavataio"] for remembering.

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

[member="Vulpesen"]
There was actually some glitches with that where it didn't always work, it wasn't clear/official, and the male could romance her as well (though she was supposed to be lesbian). She's a good example, but people have kind of ignored her or gone as far as to say "she meant it in, like, a brolationship kind of way".
It's what happens when it's never made officially official.
But yeah, she's totally a gaybie.

 

[Arumi Zy]

You know I'm going to add more to my opinion. What concerns me is how are they going to reveal it, will there be a big conversation between the character, a sex scene etc. they really don't need to bring any sexuality for front and center. Star Wars isn't about sexuality and it just plain out doesn't need to be added just to be encompassing and politically correct.

And comparing the games to the book is a big difference, optional content vs non-optional.

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

You know I'm going to add more to my opinion. What concerns me is how are they going to reveal it, will there be a big conversation between the character, a sex scene etc. they really don't need to bring any sexuality for front and center. Star Wars isn't about sexuality and it just plain out doesn't need to be added just to be encompassing and politically correct.

And comparing the games to the book is a big difference, optional content vs non-optional.

Except the straightness of characters has already been brought to the front and center. They've kissed, they've hugged, there had been implied sex/fun times, they've talked about being in relationships. What would be different about doing that with someone who just happens to be queer? Nothing. If queer characters shouldn't be shown in any romantic/sexual situations because sexuality isn't important (which in a Star Wars story it isn't, it can just add another layer if there's a love story to go with it, not just a 'hey this one is straight and that one is not') then the straight people shouldn't be able to either. Simple as that.

Sexuality doesn't only become an issue when the character isn't the 'default sexuality'. Some are gay, some are straight, some want to frak but not love, some want to love but not frak. Simple as that. Showing that a character is or isn't interested in a certain gender isn't odd or out of the place. We see ladies like the men all the time. We see men like the ladies. Sometimes we see a girl glancing at another girl. Or a guy at a guy. When we're really lucky we get a agender/hermaphrodite character expressing interest in something (though those characters are still generally portrayed as either male or female, denying their biological structure or personal preferences).

I think I'm losing my point here. What was it again? Oh, yeah, straight relationships and queer ones are 99% percent the same thing. The only difference is what genders are involved. Well, how they're represented changes as well. For the most part though... seriously, it's not a big deal to have a queer character kiss or frak another person in a book. Especially if straight people get to do it all the time.

 

[Arumi Zy]

[member="Drapeam Nyx"] I am a big guy and I can admit when I have been bested. You make some really good points and put forth a great argument that I really can't argue against. While I do not necessarily agree with them, I can't really go against them. So at this point I just hope it isn't done in an annoying way just to do it, to be pc etc and is done well enough not to take away from the book.

Congratulations btw, I believe you could be a good lawyer or politician.

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

[member="Arumi Zy"]
I'm not mean enough to be a lawyer...
;_;
Haha, all joking aside, I'm going to take that as a compliment. Debating has always been something I've enjoyed (though at times I've chosen to do it at the wrong time, when I was being affected by my anxiety/empathy, and ended up karking myself over). One time I singlehandedly lead my debate team to victory! Though, of course, it wasn't exactly a big debate, and I didn't exactly agree with the side I was supposed to assist...

Ahem. That's really besides the point.
At this point if I kept writing I'd probably just ramble on for another 10-15 minutes, so I'll just leave it with this:

I'm assuming that at some point someone has photoshopped a sombrero onto that cat.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

Jesus God.

This thread gets all my ovens.

 

[Dredge]

Didn't I write a blog about this? Something about sexy T. rex.

 

[Dredge]

[member="Ludolf Vaas"]
Shut up and deal with it

 

[Grrwunhoooll Agaburry]

cool

 

[Amaethon]

As a member of the LGBT community (they send you a card along with a yearly gay agenda), I couldn't care less. It is like making Dumbledore gay, it adds kark all to the plot.

 

[Ludolf Vaas]

[member="Ludolf Vaas"]
Shut up and deal with it

wow

much tolerant

such progressive

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

As a member of the LGBT community (they send you a card along with a yearly gay agenda), I couldn't care less. It is like making Dumbledore gay, it adds kark all to the plot.

But it's still important?... Because representation, yo. That's always important.

 

[Amaethon]

But it's still important?... Because representation, yo. That's always important.

Yes, but it only serves to make us stand out and be different. As such, we will be the bigger target of ostracism. We are all human beings regardless of our gender (or lack thereof) and whom we feel attraction to. We are the same. We love, we hate, we bleed, we laugh and die. It is ultimately irrelevant if we are lesbian or gay or transgendered. If only more people could see that and understand.

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

[member="Amaethon"]
In the mean time there are kids who don't know that they can like someone of the same gender. In the meantime there are kids with gay or lesbian or generally queer parents who are told they're different or freaks. In the mean time we are treated differently. That's not going to change for a long time. What would not showing us on TV or in books or in movies do? It's like pretending we don't exist. It's putting us back in the closet that they built around us.

Sexuality does not matter, that is true, but people, as you said, don't understand that.
There are people who still think that because I happen to like the people who have the same parts as me... that I'm going to spend my afterlife in a fiery pit of doom. Some think that I don't deserve to live- that I should die for loving someone. Those people won't be swayed. But there are youngsters, there are teens, there are people who can still think for themselves.

If one kid out of a million sees a gay person on tv, a total badass, kickass awesome person, and says 'maybe being gay isn't so bad after all'... then it's worth it. I say bring on the representation. Let the kids know they aren't alone. Let the teens know that they're perfectly normal.

This isn't a horrible thing. It's the opposite. We won't be seen as even weirder or different for this. If anything... we're starting to get what straight people have had for centuries. That's good! That's great! Being represented doesn't alienate us- everyone else is already being represented. We're just getting to go along on the trip. If this goes well... we'll keep getting to go on the ride. And maybe someday people will be so used to us being on the ride that they'll think we've always been on the ride and not care about us being on the ride. We'll be like the straight people- just, you know, not straight.

 

[Amaethon]

[member="Drapeam Nyx"]

Yes, all of what you say, but weave it into the story. Make it seamless, like Jack Harkness just so happened to kark anything willling and legal whether they be male, female or something else. He just happened to be that, it wasn't blatantly announced that he was pansexual/bisexual. He just was, like all of us are who we are.

 

[Artemis Vahl'Nyx]

[member="Amaethon"]
That is the hope.