gamebird:

I can often figure out a logic to the racial/ethnic/coloration choices for Star Wars casting. Kylo Ren’s biological ancestry is known – he’s going to look something like them. It’s important (especially in the sequel trilogy) to show that Star Wars encompasses people across the spectrum (at least insofar as race goes), so we end up with primary characters in the Resistance who are black, Asian, and Latino.

In the First Order, we have primarily white folks. That dates back to George Lucas saying the Empire was modeled after the British Empire, complete with the accent, clothing, stiff upper lip, and various mannerisms. They’re very proper. Almost all the officers are men, clean-shaven old white guys. The entrenched, old money establishment. You should be able to tell this at a glance.

It occurred to me the other day that Hux does not fit this pattern. He is almost literally a red-headed stepchild. He is, canonically, a bastard. His deviance from the pattern is blazing on the top of his head for anyone to see. They could have toned that down, you know. They could have hired an actor who better fit the established mold for an Imperial officer. Even if they were determined to have Gleeson, they could have dyed him.

But no. They sought out a red-head. They kept him a red-head. Then they put him next to Peavey (black/grey haired), Mitaka (black hair), and various others who all fit the English “type” of black, brown, perhaps dark blond hair, and bald. (Moden Canady is an exception – his hair is orange/grey.)

I’ve seen people say this is because Star Wars was trying to use visual shorthand to say the First Order is a bunch of Nazis. First off, I think that’s bunk, but were it true, I can’t see that Star Wars would choose a red-head when there are so many perfectly fine actors with light brown or dark blond hair to choose from who would more clearly signal Nazism.

Was Star Wars trying to signal that the First Order itself is the bastard step-child of the Empire? It seems true enough by what I understand of canon and reading Wookieepedia’s stuff about how the FO came to be. As a political entity, they were cast aside, ignored, neglected, and discounted by the main part of the galaxy, then came roaring back in a quest for revenge and legitimacy … led by a red-headed, illegitimate person.

The more I think on it, the more I think that’s what they’re really trying to say.