Lando Calrissian, Sana Starros among LGBTQ characters on Star Wars’ Pride Month covers

Pride Month is coming up in June, and Star Wars is celebrating by putting some of its iconic LGBTQ characters on special variant comic covers coming out in June. And, the characters will be illustrated by some of Star Wars’ gay and transgender artists.

“This talented team of artists is bringing so much passion and enthusiasm to these covers,” Marvel editor Tom Groneman said to StarWars.com. “For me, sharing that passion with fans and readers is a wonderful celebration of the most unique, compelling, and iconic characters in the Star Wars galaxy.”

Add these titles to your next comic pull list:

• Rae Sloane on the cover of Darth Vader #13, drawn by J.J. Kirby
• Doctor Aphra on the cover of War of the Bounty Hunters #1, art from Babs Tarr
• Yrica Quell on the cover of Bounty Hunters #13, illustrated by Jacopo Camagni
• Jedi twins Terec and Ceret on the cover of Star Wars: The High Republic #6, portrayed by Javier Garron
• Lando Calrissian on the cover of Star Wars #14, illustrated by Stephen Byrne
• Sana Starros on the cover of Doctor Aphra #11, art by Jan Bazaldua

This week, Star Wars also shared an exclusive first look at Sana Starros on Doctor Aphra #11:

Sana Starros and Doctor Aphra are two of the most prominent LGBTQ characters in Star Wars, particularly in the comics, where their stories have collided in both romantic and hostile ways. In the newest High Republic comic series, creator Cavan Scott identified Kotabi twins Terec and Ceret as non-binary who use them/them pronouns.

Yrica Quell, one of the main characters in the Alphabet Squadron trilogy, talks about a former girlfriend in the books and by the end of the series “gets the girl” with a relationship we saw coming since book one. In Aftermath: Empire’s End, the ambitious and loyal Grand Admiral Rae Sloane talked about possibly having a “husband or wife” in the future.

As for Lando Calrissian, Star Wars has never explicitly confirmed the character’s sexuality. In an interview in 2018, ahead of the Solo: A Star Wars Story premiere, writer Jonathan Kasdan told the Huffington Post that Lando is pansexual. However, that pansexuality was never acknowledged in Solo. Being included in Star Wars’ Pride Month covers is possibly the first time Lando is presented as queer.

Which Pride Month cover are you most excited about seeing? Let us know in the comments!