Cal Kestis from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a positive portrayal of ginger

I have to start this post by stating that I, Maddy Myers, have red hair. This is a coloring operation for my natural golden blonde, which some refer to as “strawberry blonde” due to the stages of natural bleaching I get from the sun in the summer.

You can look at mine Instagram and think how angry you want to be at me because personally I find it funny to substitute the word “ginger” for the word “Jedi”. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Many fans have dubbed Cal Kestis “boring” character, but I do not agree. He’s soft-spoken but playful, maybe not as funny as Nathan Drake – but thank god for that, because that shit can be annoying. And he has something that few (maybe none?) other Star Wars main characters have ever had. I’m talking about his hair, of course.

It is common in video games for female protagonists to have red hair, often an unrealistically bright shade of purple. This includes the standard female version of Commander Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy, as well as Joanna Dark from Perfect dark, or – more recently – Aloy in the Horizon games. Of these famous specimens, Aloy is the only one whose red hair looks natural and also has freckles.

Also, in the Star Wars world, you see more red-haired ladies than guys – Mon Mothma and Aurra Sing, for example. Among the male cast there’s Domhnall Gleeson as Hux, but of course Hux isn’t a hero.

Even in video games, male redheads – let alone freckled redheads – rarely become heroes. There’s Reno from Final Fantasy 7, a supporting character and a bit of a bad boy. Secondary protagonist Atreus in God of War Ragnarok has red hair, but it’s not nearly as vibrant as Reno’s. Then there’s Ganondorf, a problematic favorite. All three are shades of the trickster type, with Atreus being the most heroic of them all…although he’s also called “Loki”. (Cal Kestis actor Cameron Monaghan also played a trickster villain himself Gotham.)

But in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Cal Kestis is a hero – no question about it! – and he was in fallen order, to. I loved that Cal was a redhead back then, and I still love it to this day. Is that a form of representation that I actually think is a big deal? No. There are prejudices against redheads and redheads, but few people will argue that it is a serious social ill. Still, Cal’s hair is something that makes him a little different from the norm. As far as I can remember, nobody in the games ever talks about their hair or their other auburn features (translucent eyelashes, freckles, etc.). And because he’s so unusual, both as a lead man and especially in the world of Star Wars, I find it funny to substitute “ginger” for the word “Jedi”.

The Star Wars Jedi games are set in the wake of Order 66, so all Jedi were murdered – except for a few who evaded capture, like Cal. There are some pretty ones obvious cultural analogies for Order 66 from the history of our world. However, discrimination against ginger is not one of them.

Unfortunately, my fun has diminished a bit since I found out someone made a mod for it Star Wars Jedi: Survivor this will re-dye Cal’s hair. In a since-deleted Twitter thread, Monaghan responded with what appeared to be frustration at the existence of such a mod. Accordingly popculture.comIn his article on his thread, he had written: “Seriously, does ginger hate still exist? We must be one of the few groups where it’s not taboo to berate each other because of our birth or our looks, right?” He then backtracked on that statement, saying the thread was a “lighthearted joke,” and continued : “People who look different from the norm are awesome.” Redheads are awesome. If someone tells you that you’re not great because you’re different from what’s considered ‘standard’, just know you’re awesome.”

That’s a great take on Monaghan’s last post, even though it was deleted. And if someone makes a mod for it Star Wars Jedi: Survivor that replaces the word “Jedi” with “ginger,” only… you might not tell Cameron Monaghan.