All signs are pointing to Rose Tico's role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Viewers expected Rose to have an expanded role in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. That may have been the original plan but it didn't work out that way in the end.
Rose Tico was introduced as a mechanic of the Resistance who ed up with Finn on a special mission to rescue fellow Resistance forces from the First Order. The character had recently lost her sister, Paige, another Resistance fighter who sacrificed herself. Rose was a gutsy character who had a lot of motivation in taking down the First Order considering the trauma she had endured, making her a viable character to explore in the future.
Tran marked the first Asian American woman and woman of color to play a leading role in a Star Wars movie. Sadly, a small yet outspoken group felt the need to Tran stepping away from social media, causing many of her co-stars to step up in defense. This, in turn, caused a larger portion of fans to unite in honor of Tran and her character to show their unwavering . There was hope that Rose's role in The Rise of Skywalker would justify her importance to the narrative and silence the toxicity plaguing the fandom. That didn't turn out to be the case, but here's what we know about the early plans for Rose and why they were changed.
Rose Was Supposed To Have Scenes With Rey In The Rise Of Skywalker
Even though Rose was introduced early on in The Last Jedi, the character never got the opportunity to interact with Rey. Many fans were disappointed at that fact, as was Tran. That was supposed to change with early cuts of The Rise of Skywalker since Rose and Tico reportedly had scenes together while residing at the Resistance base on Ajan Kloss. The actress spoke to EW prior to the premiere of the film and commented on her excitement revolving around Rose's on-screen interaction with Rey. She added that both women have They both have "the same objective which is to fight for the things you believe in and the people you love."
That interaction, however, didn't make the final cut. Rose and Rey never spoke to one another on the base nor did they share a scene together. Considering Tran's comments just before the world premiere, the actress was not made aware of her reduced role. This indicates that the scene featuring the two characters was removed shortly before The Rise of Skywalker made its theatrical debut.
To make the decision even more questionable, a film still of Rose and Rey (which can be seen above) was released prior to the movie's release. This excited the segment of Star Wars fans who were in of Rose and their hope for her expanded presence. Instead, the picture of Rose and Rey conversing at the Resistance base was used as a bait and switch showing what could have been. The fact that the film featured Rose alongside the central female figure in the sequel trilogy but felt it wasn't important to the narrative remains baffling.
Did Rose Originally Go On The Mission With The Main Trio?
By the end of The Last Jedi, Rose proved herself to be a suitable member of the Resistance. She was driven by the death of her sister at the hands of the First Order and finally found a new group to align with. In the year that followed, Rose advanced up the ranks of the Resistance. It would have been safe to assume that Rose, being present on the hidden Resistance base, would have plenty of screentime along with the likes of Finn and Poe. This seemed to fall in line when Rey and other planned to travel to Pasaana to find the Sith Wayfinder.
At one point, Finn invited Rose to come along on the mission, but she declined, explaining that General Leia needed her to study the First Order Star Destroyers. Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and BB-8 then embark on the journey while Rose remained in the foreground for the remainder of the movie. It's possible that earlier drafts planned for Rose to accompany the group. It would have given the character a more direct role and interaction with the leads.
Whether or not this plan was changed, there could have also been a chance that Rose was never intended to go on the mission but instead, had more interaction with Leia at the base. Even if Leia's role wasn't changed due to Carrie Fisher's untimely death, it's an odd choice to push Rose to the sideline. She proved that she was hungry to fight on the frontline so going on the mission with the trio would have been much more entertaining than having her analyze the specifications of a Star Destroyer. Even when she took part during the big battle on Exegol, Rose was hardly shown participating in the action.
Why Rose's Rise Of Skywalker Role Was Changed (& Cut Down)
In the months leading up to The Rise of Skywalker's release, Tran teased that her character would have complications using Fisher's footage. He explained that there were multiple scenes with Rose and Leia that didn't work out in of "photo-realism" so they were dropped altogether. Many viewers are finding this explanation unsatisfying despite Terrio's proclamation that they didn't intentionally push Rose aside. The displeasure for Rose's treatment is overshadowing any kind of the screenwriters supposedly have for the actress.
Surely if Rose's interactions with Leia had to be cut, the creative team could have given the character other on-screen opportunities. She could have shared scenes with Dominic Monaghan who notably had more lines than Rose. These decisions did a disservice to Rose and leads viewers into the mindset that Abrams and his team didn't fight hard enough for Tran. Much of The Rise of Skywalker's big moments felt like a response to requests and criticisms to The Last Jedi but not when it came to Rose. If anything, it seems like the franchise gave into the toxic side of the Star Wars fandom by not standing up for one of their heroines.
Like many ive fans, of Hollywood are showing their to Tran and the character of Rose. Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu has expressed interest in developing a Disney+ series focused on Rose. Chu took to social media to take part in the campaign in continuing Rose's story beyond Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker along with #RoseTicoDeservedBetter. No matter what kind of excuses or explanations come out of Lucasfilm, Rose Tico (and Kelly Marie Tran) ers won't be satisfied until the character gets real justice.
