#fanartforrose

Earlier this week, news broke that Vietnamese-American actress Kelly Marie Tran, who played Rose Tico in The Last Jedi, had deleted her Instagram account due to harassment from online trolls. Many had made personal attacks on the actress, criticizing her ethnicity and appearance, including her weight. And it wasn’t limited to social media. Her character’s Wookieepedia page was altered renaming her using a slur that mocks the East Asian accent.

She’s not the first Star Wars actor to face unrelenting criticism from ostensible fans of the series. Daisy Ridley also temporarily deleted her Instagram account in 2016 after backlash she received from her portrayal of Rey in The Force Awakens. Going back further, Hayden Christensen’s career was seriously derailed due to his portrayal of a young Anakin Skywalker thanks to critical backlash. And Jake Lloyd, who portrayed Anakin as a child in The Phantom Menace retired from acting after being bullied in school over his performance.

But the character of Rose Tico seems to have touched a nerve among fans. Almost as soon as the news broke of her departure from Instagram, a hashtag appeared on Twitter and began slowly gaining momentum. #fanartforrose became the real world embodiment of her most memorable—and most disparaged—line of dialogue from The Last Jedi, “We’re going to win this war not by fighting what we hate, but saving what we love!”

Here are some of our favorite pieces of Rose Tico fan art. But there’s a whole lot more at the hash tag.

#FanArtforRose
Kelly Marie Tran brought a lot of joy and love to the franchise. pic.twitter.com/VbIqo2Fq9z

— Meredith McClaren (@IniquitousFish) June 6, 2018

I wish I could put my fist through this whole lousy beautiful town. #RoseTico the Resistance Fighter. Latenight sketchbook action. #TheLastJedi #StarWars pic.twitter.com/WMnR8pc5QR

— Lucky Nakazawa (@LuckyNakazawa) June 6, 2018

God help the mister.#FanArtForRose pic.twitter.com/JBwvKaxUgW

— Chris Schweizer (@schweizercomics) June 6, 2018

Finally finished this sketch in-between meetings, and making good on my promise. Kelly Marie Tran is a motherfrickin treasure. #fanartforrose #Rosetico #kellymarietran #Starwars #thelastjedi pic.twitter.com/aZPhMyzBYA

— mingjue helen chen (@MingjueChen) June 6, 2018

Here she is, our shining ray of light and positivity <3
#fanartforrose #Rosetico #kellymarietran pic.twitter.com/nlgGppVWtN

— Maria Nguyen (༶ૢ˃̵̑◡˂̵̑༶ૢ) (@DTNart) June 6, 2018

i’m not much of an artist but i wanted to contribute to the #FanArtforRose tag as an OG kelly fan ?? pic.twitter.com/cNiGNxBJoo

— emi (@plantblogger) June 6, 2018

Bring light to the world #FanArtforRose Art by Devin Doty pic.twitter.com/Og7vslf7HI

— Ziggy (@mrjafri) June 6, 2018

#KellyMarieTran IS the spark that lights the fire of #StarWars!!! An inspiration to us all, stay strong and keep shining your light! #FanArtforRose #RoseTico #TheLastJedi pic.twitter.com/Hl92au0Amr

— 800 Pound Productions (@800lbProds) June 6, 2018

I drew this little Rose right after I saw the movie for the first time. She was so cute, I loved her character! I think I'll go ahead and finish this
?❤ #FanArtforRose #TheLastJedi pic.twitter.com/IlfjpPCS8b

— Meg K ~ Amazing Vegas C70? (@theMegmcmuffins) June 6, 2018

I sincerely loved her character and #KellyMarieTran seems like a such genuine and sweet individual. Her Instagram was a joy to follow and I will miss it. Thanks too for repping people who never get to see themselves reflected in media! ?? #FanArtforRose pic.twitter.com/I65BeTjzLG

— Tiff Bartel (@tiffbartel) June 5, 2018

Here’s to you, Kelly Marie Tran, and Rose Tico! Much love from Rise Up Daily.