Star Wars fans support Kelly Marie Tran as she quits Instagram after horrific abuse

A minority of cruel so-called fans of the franchise had been consistently pestering her Instagram posts with racist and misogynistic comments since The Last Jedi came out last December.

Today, Tran wiped her Instagram of all photos – a move previously deployed by Daisy Ridley soon after she herself joined the Star Wars family.

Thankfully, fans without a racist streak have rallied round Tran, who plays Rose in the new trilogy – and is the first Asian-American woman to land a leading role in the series.

Tweets have been flooding in supporting her, with Jody Houser saying: “I was lucky enough to meet Kelly Marie Tran briefly, and she was incredibly nice to a comics writer who may have been geeking out a bit too much.

“It’s fine to not like fictional characters. It’s not fine to harass actual human people.”

Ashly Burch wrote: “Kelly Marie Tran is a goddamn treasure and I will not hear otherwise.”

Sarah Dollard chimed in: “If you followed Kelly Marie Tran on instagram then you know she has been one of the loveliest and most positive souls on the goddamn internet in the past year and I will FIGHT every last person who hurt her.”

User @caroldanvrs posted: “kelly marie tran literally posted nothing but cute positive daily posts and y’all dudebro gremlins harassed her so much you drove her off insta.

“F**k all y’all for thinking you can just comment your uninvited opinion about rose on a post that has nothing to do with it.”

Even Last Jedi director Rian Johnson has had his say, posting tonight: “What we talk about when we talk about manbabies.

“On social media a few unhealthy people can cast a big shadow on the wall, but over the past 4 years I’ve met lots of real fellow SW fans. We like & dislike stuff but we do it with humor, love & respect. We’re the VAST majority, we’re having fun & doing just fine.”

Kumail Nanjiani said: “I totally embarrassingly fanned out when I met Kelly Marie Tran. Rose Tico was unequivocally one of the highlights of The Last Jedi. You’d have to be an idiot to disagree with that.

“I look forward to the hundreds of awesome things she will make over the course of her long career. #TeamTran.”

And Chuck Wendig said: “Kelly Marie Tran’s quote on her Instagram page — ‘Afraid, but doing it anyway’ is a thing I adore without reserve.

“She is a force for light and joy and unabashed engagement with the things you love, and to think of the harassment she’s received is infuriating.”

Tran is expected to return to the Star Wars universe in Episode 9, which goes into production this summer.

She made some fans’ day when The Last Jedi came out – and she overheard them talking about it in a British pub.

Tran has a regular role in the upcoming webseries Sorry For Your Loss, also starring Marvel’s Elizabeth Olsen.