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Related: Are there any statistics for the demographics of the Star Wars universe?

In the Star Wars universe, we see humans from various real-life ethnic groups playing human characters, but it is not clear whether these characters are intended to be ethnically distinct in universe. For example, Lando is portrayed by an African-American actor, but it is unclear whether or not he belongs to an in-universe ethnic group consisting of people who have stereotypical African-American traits, mannerisms, traditions, or linguistics, or whether his appearance is no more significant than being genetically bald or having Morton's Toe in our universe (e.g. there is no ethnic group in our world with which all bald people align themselves and partake of its culture).

Do humans in the Star Wars universe divide themselves into specific ethnic groups with shared genetics, histories, and/or traditions, or are planet of citizenship, occupation, gender, and faction the only real differentiating factors among humans in the Galaxy?

To be clear, we do see that humans on various planets do favor different kinds of clothing and architectural patterns, but it is not clear if those are simply local or civic traditions or whether, for example, distant descendants of human settlers from Naboo on Tatooine would still be expected to retain Naboo traditions, dress like stereotypical Nabooians, speak Galactic Basic with a Naboo accent, self-identify as Nabooian, and/or be seen by those not descended from Naboo settlers as ethnically distinct.

DavidW
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Robert Columbia
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    From just a quick google, ethnicity within a populace seem to breakdown when there's the idea of aliens of a different species living amongst you. – Edlothiad May 03 '18 at 14:01
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    @Edlothiad perhaps, but in the Star Trek universe, human characters such as Chekov (Russian), Sisko (Cajun), and Picard (French) retain ethnic identities despite working regularly with non-humans. They are not literal walking stereotypes, but when there is a chance for their ethnic backgrounds to matter in some way, they often do. – Robert Columbia May 03 '18 at 14:04
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    To be clear, are you asking for racial groups or ethnic groups? The two terms are not interchangeable. From this: "Race refers to a person's physical characteristics, such as bone structure and skin, hair, or eye color. Ethnicity, however, refers to cultural factors, including nationality, regional culture, ancestry, and language." Mace Windu and Lando Calrissian are (arguably) the same race given their dark skin, Mace Windu and Obi Wan Kenobi are (arguably) the same ethnic group given their upbringing in Jedi culture. – Thunderforge May 03 '18 at 14:13
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    @Thunder I askes about ethnic groups. African-American is an ethnic group, Black is a race. Is there evidence that Jedi see themselves as an ethnicity? It seems to me that they see themselves as a religious order. – Robert Columbia May 03 '18 at 14:14
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    You also mention "specific ethnic groups with shared genetics", but shared genetics aren't necessarily a commonality within ethnic groups, hence my confusion. – Thunderforge May 03 '18 at 14:15
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    @Thunder I said and/or. Genetics can be (and often is) a part of one's ethnic identity, but it is not always either a necessary or a sufficient part. Someone descended from Potato Famine migrants in New York is more likely to be accepted as ethnically Irish in our world than, say, an Aboriginal Australian who just happens to like Riverdance a lot. That doesn't mean that the Aboriginal could never become Irish or that a single Irish ancestor five generations ago makes one 100% Irish 100% of the time. – Robert Columbia May 03 '18 at 14:17
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    I'd imagine it would be fairly similar to how Terry Pratchett describes racism on the Discworld: “Racism was not a problem on the Discworld, because—what with trolls and dwarfs and so on—speciesism was more interesting. Black and white lived in perfect harmony and ganged up on green.” – Orgmo May 03 '18 at 16:00
  • Human genetics don't work that way, anyways. If I recall correctly, "native" Africans are genetically closer to "native" Europeans than to "native" Australians (Aborigines). Skin color just happened to be one of the most visible differences pre-science people could find to divide themselves into groups. – Annatar Dec 01 '20 at 15:32
  • Pratchett nails it, skin color would presumably be a lot less interesting as an "us or them" thing in a world where the guy over there might have tentacles or horns or ten eyes. – Annatar Dec 01 '20 at 15:38
  • I believe that most Star Wars planets that are inhabited by sentient beings are "multi-ethnic". For example, a human and a Rodian on Planet X could be members of the same ethnic group, despite being members of different species. The Jedi are religious adherents, made up of a multitude of beings from different species and ethnic groups. – Frank Rendar Oct 30 '22 at 22:06

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