After finally including non-white leads in The Force Awakens, a new Star Wars novel will include the franchise's first openly gay lead.
Star Wars: Aftermath, written by author Chuck Wendig, introduces fans to a new character, the Imperial turncoat Sinjir Rath Velus.
While there have been other LGBT characters inthe Star Wars universe, this will be the first time the character has been a major hero, a small step forward that is long overdue.
"You're starting to see it more, obviously, in the larger narrative properties," Wendig said to Entertainment Weekly.
"Comics are just starting to figure out that that [LGBT men and women] exist in the world, and you can include and incorporate them in stories and speak to those people, and speak to audiences who may not have been spoken to before."
Sinjir is an AWOL Imperial loyalty officer who finds himself siding with the forces of the Rebellion after witnessing the horror of the Battle of Endor.
The issue of what life is like for gay men and women in the Empire is also touched on and is a theme Wendig has hinted he will explore in more depth in future novels. He is currently signed on to write two more for the franchise.
