gays in space

Gays in Star Wars, its more likely than you think.

Welcome to the bracket for queer Star Wars characters, from movie characters quietly confirmed to be queer to the most minor of book characters. Here they will compete to find the ultimate gay in space! This is for characters who are textually (or almost so) queer, and as such there is no need for nominations.

Every poll comes with a description of each characters, but we encourage you to submit propaganda for each character about why they should be voted for. Any propaganda against another character that is judged overly hostile or more for discourse shit-stirring than good fun won’t be published (if its off anon, we’ll let you know what’s wrong with it)

The bracket will begin on July 5th, with 3 polls per day, each running for a week. Only after all polls resolve will the next round begin.

FAQ

The bracket is being run by @absolxguardian and @bisexualwintermoon

JUHANI, THE OG

Juhani | Identity: lesbian | Media: Knights of the Old Republic

Juhani from 2003’s Knights of the Old Republic was the first ever queer character in Star Wars. The Mandalorian Wars rendered Juhani’s family refugees on Taris after the destruction of their homeplanet of Cathar. Juhani was enslaved due to her mother’s debts, but was liberated by the Revanchists when they freed Taris from Mandalorian rule. This inspired her to travel to Dantooine to train as a Jedi, where she fell in love with her fellow padawan Belaya. For her final trial, she was tricked into believing she killed her master when consumed by the Dark Side. She fled into the wilds of Dantooine, her turmoil agitating the wildlife. Dealing with Juhani is the player’s final trial as a Jedi, and they can either kill Juhani or handle the situation diplomatically and return her to the light. She then joins the player as a companion.

Traveling together, Juhani grows close to Revan and can be romanced by female Revans (the game shipped with the gender flag for romance bugged, but she is intended to be a lesbian). She takes the player turning out to be Revan very well, as she never truly accepted that Revan turned to the Dark Side due to how the Revanchists saved her. If the Dark Side ending is chosen, the player must kill Juhani.

Juhani strives to be a good Jedi, strongly believing in their principles. However, she struggles with the in-born aggression and heightened anger of her species, which with her perfectionism creates a vicious cycle that drives her towards the Dark Side. Other than Revan, she kept herself separate from the rest of the crew of the Ebon Hawk, especially Canderous Ordo due to the Mandalorian’s genocide of her people. She was also full of bitterness regarding the racism she faced on Taris, and struggled not to lash out against all humans because of it. 

Chelli Lona Aphra | Identity: lesbian | Media: Star Wars Comics

Oh Aphra, where to begin. Honestly the best way I can describe her is that she’s Star Wars’ Vriska. She’s a “rogue archeologist” and in marketing material sometimes compared to Indiana Jones, but the only similarity is that she can feature in the same wacky stories about retrieving artifacts except with none of the mismatch between modern ideas about archeology and repatriation and Indy being the hero, because she specifically isn’t. She was originally created for the 2015 Darth Vader comic series, recruited to help Vader raise a force that would let him coup the Emperor. She was so popular she then got her own comic series, making her the breakout star of the Disney/Marvel Star Wars comics. The Fandom Menace can’t touch her.

Her comics have been a series of frankly strange adventures involving Force artifacts, Vader either working with her or wanting her dead, and double crosses that leave your head spinning. She has Thrawn level tactical abilities, but only for schemes. She is haunted by how her trauma born behaviors make it hard for her to maintain relationships and be a good person. She has so many exes it's an entire section of this tournament. Her most significant relationships have been with Sana Starros and Magna Tolvan. As of the end of the Spark Eternal arc, the comic seems to be leaning towards a poly ending with the three of them, but first Aphra needs to stop self sabotaging.

Juhani | Identity: lesbian | Media: Knights of the Old Republic

Juhani from 2003’s Knights of the Old Republic was the first ever queer character in Star Wars. The Mandalorian Wars rendered Juhani’s family refugees on Taris after the destruction of their homeplanet of Cathar. Juhani was enslaved due to her mother’s debts, but was liberated by the Revanchists when they freed Taris from Mandalorian rule. This inspired her to travel to Dantooine to train as a Jedi, where she fell in love with her fellow padawan Belaya. For her final trial, she was tricked into believing she killed her master when consumed by the Dark Side. She fled into the wilds of Dantooine, her turmoil agitating the wildlife. Dealing with Juhani is the player’s final trial as a Jedi, and they can either kill Juhani or handle the situation diplomatically and return her to the light. She then joins the player as a companion.

Traveling together, Juhani grows close to Revan and can be romanced by female Revans (the game shipped with the gender flag for romance bugged, but she is intended to be a lesbian). She takes the player turning out to be Revan very well, as she never truly accepted that Revan turned to the Dark Side due to how the Revanchists saved her. If the Dark Side ending is chosen, the player must kill Juhani.

Juhani strives to be a good Jedi, strongly believing in their principles. However, she struggles with the in-born aggression and heightened anger of her species, which with her perfectionism creates a vicious cycle that drives her towards the Dark Side. Other than Revan, she kept herself separate from the rest of the crew of the Ebon Hawk, especially Canderous Ordo due to the Mandalorian’s genocide of her people. She was also full of bitterness regarding the racism she faced on Taris, and struggled not to lash out against all humans because of it. 

Sabé | Identity: bisexual | Media: Queen’s Trilogy/Darth Vader comics

Sabé, born Tsabin, was a member of a family of musicians who set their daughter on the same path. However, she was only skilled enough to ever have a supporting role and instead volunteered to be one of Queen Amidala’s handmaidens. She became Padmé’s most trusted operative, pretending to be the Queen during the Invasion of Naboo. After Padmé’s term as queen ended, she remained her operative and worked with Tonra, a member of Naboo’s security force, to attempt to free slaves on Tatooine. They eventually made contact with the White Suns, a Tatioone slave liberation movement. When the Clone Wars began, Sabé once again acted as Padmé’s decoy when Padmé was away from Coruscant conducting an investigation. There she learned Anakin and Padmé were married. However, to make sure Padmé didn’t have her closest confidant, Palpatine blasted Sabé’s brain with the Dark Side until she didn’t want to work closely with Padmé anymore. Sabé spent the rest of the war helping the White Suns.

After Padmé died, Sabé founded an organization known as the Amidalans- a rebel cell consisting of Naboo (including some of the other handmaidens), who sought to avenge Padmé. They attempted to assassinate Vader (who they deemed responsible) on multiple occasions. Sabé focused on deception, pretending to work with Vader to find Padmé’s killer and infiltrating Crimson Dawn. Until she figured out that Vader was Anakin. Remembering how Padmé’s last words (which had been recorded) was “There’s still good in [Anakin]”, she decided to actually become Vader’s operative. Her given reason was that the Empire and Vader did bring order to the galaxy, but it is just as likely she is following her queen’s last order to attempt to bring the man she loved back to the light. She remained by Vader’s side even when her fellow handmaidens came to “rescue” her. Her last appearance in the comics was Vader abandoning her on a beach until she could decide to fully commit to the Dark Side (emotionally speaking).

Sana Starros | Identity: wlw | Media: Star Wars comics

Sana Starros has appeared in a variety of Star Wars comics, primarily the main series, Doctor Aphra, and now her own eponymous series. She was first introduced as Han Solo’s fake wife (they got married as part of a scheme), but quickly became a proper character in her own right. A former archeology student of the University of Bar’leth, she is now a smuggler and scoundrel with her own ship. She is Aphra’s main ex, and the Aphra comic series is currently leaning towards a poly ending with her, Aphra, and Magna Tolvan. Despite frequently being pulled into Aphra’s schemes, she gathered a team of everyone important to Aphra to save her from the Spark Eternal. 

Chelli Lona Aphra | Identity: lesbian | Media: Star Wars Comics

Oh Aphra, where to begin. Honestly the best way I can describe her is that she’s Star Wars’ Vriska. She’s a “rogue archeologist” and in marketing material sometimes compared to Indiana Jones, but the only similarity is that she can feature in the same wacky stories about retrieving artifacts except with none of the mismatch between modern ideas about archeology and repatriation and Indy being the hero, because she specifically isn’t. She was originally created for the 2015 Darth Vader comic series, recruited to help Vader raise a force that would let him coup the Emperor. She was so popular she then got her own comic series, making her the breakout star of the Disney/Marvel Star Wars comics. The Fandom Menace can’t touch her.

Her comics have been a series of frankly strange adventures involving Force artifacts, Vader either working with her or wanting her dead, and double crosses that leave your head spinning. She has Thrawn level tactical abilities, but only for schemes. She is haunted by how her trauma born behaviors make it hard for her to maintain relationships and be a good person. She has so many exes it's an entire section of this tournament. Her most significant relationships have been with Sana Starros and Magna Tolvan. As of the end of the Spark Eternal arc, the comic seems to be leaning towards a poly ending with the three of them, but first Aphra needs to stop self sabotaging.

Leox Gyasi | Identity: aro/ace | Media: The High Republic Phase I

Leox Gyasi was the pilot/captain of the ship the Vessel, who ended up entangled in the discovery of the Drengir on the Amaxine station, a diplomatic mission with the Hutts, and the fall of Starlight Beacon, becoming a trusted ally of the Jedi. He was created to be an extreme subversion of the archetypical Han Solo-inspired scoundrel archetype. He’s a space hippie and what you’d get if Yoda wasn’t a Jedi and smoked spice instead.  He crews the Vessel with his found family consisting of the living rock Geode (who does fuck) and the young Affie Hallow- who became the captain of the Vessel after the dissolution of the of the Bryne Guild. He’s a fun guy with an appearance inspired by 90s Mathew McConaughey

Sana Starros | Identity: wlw | Media: Star Wars comics

Cinta Kaz | Identity: wlw | Media: Andor

We all know Cinta Kaz. While she is not the first queer person in Star Wars by a very long shot, her and her girlfriend are the first queer people to appear in live action and have their queerness confirmed in said format, rather than retconned in later. 

Chelli Lona Aphra | Identity: lesbian | Media: Star Wars Comics

Oh Aphra, where to begin. Honestly the best way I can describe her is that she’s Star Wars’ Vriska. She’s a “rogue archeologist” and in marketing material sometimes compared to Indiana Jones, but the only similarity is that she can feature in the same wacky stories about retrieving artifacts except with none of the mismatch between modern ideas about archeology and repatriation and Indy being the hero, because she specifically isn’t. She was originally created for the 2015 Darth Vader comic series, recruited to help Vader raise a force that would let him coup the Emperor. She was so popular she then got her own comic series, making her the breakout star of the Disney/Marvel Star Wars comics. The Fandom Menace can’t touch her.

Her comics have been a series of frankly strange adventures involving Force artifacts, Vader either working with her or wanting her dead, and double crosses that leave your head spinning. She has Thrawn level tactical abilities, but only for schemes. She is haunted by how her trauma born behaviors make it hard for her to maintain relationships and be a good person. She has so many exes it's an entire section of this tournament. Her most significant relationships have been with Sana Starros and Magna Tolvan. As of the end of the Spark Eternal arc, the comic seems to be leaning towards a poly ending with the three of them, but first Aphra needs to stop self sabotaging.

Sola Naberrie | Identity: aroace | Media: Attack of the Clones/Queen’s Shadow

Sola Naberrie first appeared in deleted scenes from Attack of the Clones where Pamdé brings Anikin to meet her family. She was the older sister of Padmé. Unlike her sister, she had no interest in government. In the novel Queen’s Shadow, she has her first daughter Ryoo on her own through the use of reproductive technology. This was added to establish that the Naboo wouldn’t find Padmé being pregnant on her own unusual. She later had another daughter named Pooja. E K Johnston has clarified that she was written as aroace. Because she wouldn’t marry, she made baby clothes for her children out of her portion of the Naberrie family wedding fabric.

Sabé | Identity: bisexual | Media: Queen’s Trilogy/Darth Vader comics

Sabé, born Tsabin, was a member of a family of musicians who set their daughter on the same path. However, she was only skilled enough to ever have a supporting role and instead volunteered to be one of Queen Amidala’s handmaidens. She became Padmé’s most trusted operative, pretending to be the Queen during the Invasion of Naboo. After Padmé’s term as queen ended, she remained her operative and worked with Tonra, a member of Naboo’s security force, to attempt to free slaves on Tatooine. They eventually made contact with the White Suns, a Tatioone slave liberation movement. When the Clone Wars began, Sabé once again acted as Padmé’s decoy when Padmé was away from Coruscant conducting an investigation. There she learned Anakin and Padmé were married. However, to make sure Padmé didn’t have her closest confidant, Palpatine blasted Sabé’s brain with the Dark Side until she didn’t want to work closely with Padmé anymore. Sabé spent the rest of the war helping the White Suns.

After Padmé died, Sabé founded an organization known as the Amidalans- a rebel cell consisting of Naboo (including some of the other handmaidens), who sought to avenge Padmé. They attempted to assassinate Vader (who they deemed responsible) on multiple occasions. Sabé focused on deception, pretending to work with Vader to find Padmé’s killer and infiltrating Crimson Dawn. Until she figured out that Vader was Anakin. Remembering how Padmé’s last words (which had been recorded) was “There’s still good in [Anakin]”, she decided to actually become Vader’s operative. Her given reason was that the Empire and Vader did bring order to the galaxy, but it is just as likely she is following her queen’s last order to attempt to bring the man she loved back to the light. She remained by Vader’s side even when her fellow handmaidens came to “rescue” her. Her last appearance in the comics was Vader abandoning her on a beach until she could decide to fully commit to the Dark Side (emotionally speaking).

Sana Starros | Identity: wlw | Media: Star Wars comics

Sana Starros has appeared in a variety of Star Wars comics, primarily the main series, Doctor Aphra, and now her own eponymous series. She was first introduced as Han Solo’s fake wife (they got married as part of a scheme), but quickly became a proper character in her own right. A former archeology student of the University of Bar’leth, she is now a smuggler and scoundrel with her own ship. She is Aphra’s main ex, and the Aphra comic series is currently leaning towards a poly ending with her, Aphra, and Magna Tolvan. Despite frequently being pulled into Aphra’s schemes, she gathered a team of everyone important to Aphra to save her from the Spark Eternal. 

Idzuna (The Traveler) | Identity: nonbinary/nblm | Media: Ronin Novel

The Traveler is a mysterious being of an unknown species that The Ronin encounters on his way to the spaceport after the events of “The Duel”. A Force user with a secretive past (given not a lot of people have read Ronin, I don’t like spoiling the plot twists), they recruit the Ronin to help them find the lost planet of Rei’zu. The trials they endure during the book cause them to fall in love. 

Chelli Lona Aphra | Identity: lesbian | Media: Star Wars Comics

Oh Aphra, where to begin. Honestly the best way I can describe her is that she’s Star Wars’ Vriska. She’s a “rogue archeologist” and in marketing material sometimes compared to Indiana Jones, but the only similarity is that she can feature in the same wacky stories about retrieving artifacts except with none of the mismatch between modern ideas about archeology and repatriation and Indy being the hero, because she specifically isn’t. She was originally created for the 2015 Darth Vader comic series, recruited to help Vader raise a force that would let him coup the Emperor. She was so popular she then got her own comic series, making her the breakout star of the Disney/Marvel Star Wars comics. The Fandom Menace can’t touch her.

Her comics have been a series of frankly strange adventures involving Force artifacts, Vader either working with her or wanting her dead, and double crosses that leave your head spinning. She has Thrawn level tactical abilities, but only for schemes. She is haunted by how her trauma born behaviors make it hard for her to maintain relationships and be a good person. She has so many exes it's an entire section of this tournament. Her most significant relationships have been with Sana Starros and Magna Tolvan. As of the end of the Spark Eternal arc, the comic seems to be leaning towards a poly ending with the three of them, but first Aphra needs to stop self sabotaging.

One of Aphra’s greatest achievements was at the end of her 2016 comic run, where she trapped Vader in a PTSD flashback Force artifact on Tython and hacked his suit to allow her to erase Hoth from the Empire’s records. She did this for the sake of her loved ones who had joined the Alliance. Doing this gave Echo Base enough time to build up before they were found again that they were able to evacuate much more efficiently. That’s right, disaster lesbian love saved the Rebellion.

Kaeden Larte | Identity: queer | Media: Ahsoka novel

Kaeden Larte was a young farmer on the isolated moon of Raada. When she was fourteen her parents died in a farming accident and she was given special permission to take their job. She also became the guardian of her younger sister Miara. When Ahsoka arrived on Raada, Kaeden was quick to welcome her and developed a crush on her. When the Empire arrived, Kaeden joined a resistance cell. Their attack on the Imperial garrison failed, and Ahsoka to save them, was forced to reveal that she was a Jedi. Feeling betrayed that Ahsoka kept such a secret from her, she abandoned their hiding place in the caves and was captured by the Empire. They tortured her, but Ahsoka was able to rescue her. When Ahsoka left Raada to get help, Kaeden was captured again by the Sixth Brother to lure out Ahsoka. When Ahsoka rescued her again, she confessed her feelings, which Ahsoka gave a noncommittal answer to.

After Ahsoka’s battle with the Sixth Brother, the residents of Raada were welcomed to Alderaan. Kaeden eventually went to medical school and afterwards joined the Rebellion as a medic. If she ever reconnected with Ahsoka is unknown. She was present at the medal ceremony at the end of A New Hope.