Star Wars: The Last Jedi adds a new character to the Resistance

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will expand the Resistance with a character named Rose, played by Kelly Marie Tran, Lucasfilm announced today during Star Wars Celebration Orlando.

Lucasfilm announced Tran as part of the cast for The Last Jedi in February 2016, when the company said that the then-unnamed film had entered production. This will be Tran’s first major role on the big screen; she has starred in a number of television series.

Rose, said Tran during the panel for The Last Jedi at Star Wars Celebration Orlando, is “part of the Resistance, and she works in maintenance.” Tran said she had to keep her role a secret from even her family. She didn’t tell them for four months; instead, she said she was doing an indie film in Canada.

Rian Johnson, the writer and director of the film, compared Rose to Luke Skywalker as an “unlikely hero.”

“She gets pulled in a very big way” into the adventure with Finn and Rey, Johnson added.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will hit theaters Dec. 15.