2016-04-20

Diego Luna, who’s made a career of being a heartthrob on planet Earth, looks to expand his reach into a galaxy far, far away.


Credit: Disney/LucasFilm

Luna will star alongside Felicity Jones in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

Credit:Star Wars/YouTube

We don’t know much about the film, other than it’s set shortly before “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,”  and that it will be focused on a rebel mission to steal the plans of the Death Star.

Disney is being so secretive that we don’t even know what Luna’s role in the film will be.



Credit: Star Wars/YouTube

From what we can tell from the trailer, Luna’s character has that whole Han Solo/”don’t mess with me” vibe going on, which we seriously dig.

This, of course, isn’t Diego Luna’s first sci-fi rodeo. He starred with Matt Damon in 2013’s “Elysium.”



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And he’s not even the first Latino to be featured in a “Star Wars” film.

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Let’s not forget about internet boyfriend Oscar Isaac, who played Poe Dameron in J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

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The film was a box-office hit and has garnered more than  $2 billion worldwide.

But before there was Poe, there was Senator Bail Organa, played by Jimmy Smits.

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Senator Organa was instrumental in both “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.”

It’s not just the “Star Wars” universe. Latinos are popping up elsewhere. Benicio del Toro had a brief role as the Collector in “Guardians Of The Galaxy.”

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Playing a bigger role in that Marvel cinematic universe movie was Zoe Saldana, who brought Gamora to life.

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Yes, Zoe, the same actress in James Cameron’s “Avatar.”

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Oh, and did we mentioned she plays Uhura in the “Star Trek” reboot?

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Also kicking ass and taking names for Latinos everywhere is Michelle Rodriguez.

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She’s the ruthless and indestructible Rain Ocampo in the “Resident Evil” franchise.

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But before any of these A-listers broke into the sci-fi realm there was…

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Ricardo Montalban.

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He appeared in “Star Trek: The Original Series” as Khan Noonien Singh in 1967.

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A role he would later reprise in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” in 1982.

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KAAAAAHHNNNNN!!!!!!

And, this time he had no mercy.

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That same year, Edward James Olmos, one of Latino cinema’s OGs, appeared in “Blade Runner.”

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For the unfamiliar, “Blade Runner” is about as close as you can get to a sci-fi masterpiece.

But he didn’t stop there. Decades later, he gave life to Commander William Adama in “Battlestar Galactica.”

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This, of course, is nowhere near a complete list of Latino contributions to sci-fi. If anything, it’s just a reminder that Latinos have always played a prominent role in the genre.

Who are some of your favorite Latino sci-fi characters?  Don’t forget to share this story with your friends by clicking the button below!

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