WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark by Claudia Gray, on sale now.
In Claudia Gray’s Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark, Gray introduced Leox Gyasi, an ace pilot in more ways than one. Leox Gyasi is the pilot of the Vessel, alongside Affie Hollow, his co-pilot and the Byne Guild's representative on board, and Geode, their Vintian navigator who also resembles a large rock. Leox and his crew mainly transport goods, both legal and illegal. Sometimes they do take passengers, and in the novel, their attempt to transport a group of Jedi to the Starlight Beacon goes awry when the Great Disaster hits. Amidst the chaos, in some of the quiet moments, Affie and Leox's conversations reveal that Leox is asexual. Throughout the novel, Claudia Gray both addresses common misconceptions about asexuality and also expands readers' understanding of the Jedi Code and the Star Wars galaxy through the lens of Leox's experiences.
The Asexual Visibility & Education Network (AVEN) explains that "an asexual person does not experience sexual attraction -- they are not drawn to people sexually and do not desire to act upon that attraction in a sexual way." AVEN makes sure to distinguish between celibacy, which is a choice, and asexuality, which is inherent. Leox Gyasi's profile on starwars.com states, "Despite his undeniable good looks, romantic and sexual encounters are not imperative to him; in fact, he identifies as asexual." Because of the mention of his avoidance of romantic encounters, Leox could possibly be an aromantic representation as well, but that part of his identity is unconfirmed. As AVEN explains, aromanticism is when a person does not experience romantic attraction. While some people are both aromantic and asexual, or aroace, not all asexual people are aromantic, and vice versa. Amongst both identities, there are also people who identify within a gray area. As AVEN explains, asexuality and aromanticism both fall on a spectrum of identity, and there is no one universal experience for either identity.
Gray portrays Leox’s asexuality as only one part of his character; there is a far greater focus on his piloting skills and his eccentricities. When the Jedi are introduced to Leox, the following questions race through Padawan Reath Silas's mind in quick succession, "Is that man's shirt open to the waist? Is he holding out his arms to us like he wants a group hug? Does he want a group hug? Is that guy on spice? No--how much spice is that guy on?" Leox also seems to be distracted by "'the deeper spiritual dimensions of the cosmos.'" Still, despite Reath's misgivings about Leox at their introduction, Leox still proves himself to be an excellent pilot, saving the crew and his passengers from the debris from the Legacy Run explosion and taking them to safety. Later, he also uses his skills to safely help them escape from Amaxine Station.
Still, Gray uses Leox to address common misconceptions about asexuality and the Jedi in a way that still flows well with the rest of the text. Affie first brings up Leox's asexuality after she first learns about the Jedi code. In a conversation with Reath, Reath simplifies the Jedi Code to basically mean celibacy when it really means to not form emotional attachments, which is an important difference. When Affie discusses the conversation with Leox later, Leox is surprised by the lack of attachments. He states, "'How are you supposed to prove love to the galaxy at large if you don't know how to love any one individual person?'" Affie does quickly reply, "You don't have to have sex with someone to love them. You should know that if anyone does." This statement is the first confirmation of Leox's identity in the text and notably argues directly against the misconception that asexual people are incapable of love. However, Leox notably does not mention sex in his initial question. Instead, he seems to be picking up on the mandates against individual emotional attachments found throughout the Jedi Order. Leox replies to Affie about some beings using "'copulation as a form of bonding,'" and in doing so, he distinguishes the perceived Jedi code to be celibate from the asexual identity. While some Jedi might also be asexual in addition to choosing to be celibate, asexuality itself is not a choice.
Gray further addresses misconceptions about asexuality later in the novel when Affie reflects on the beginning of her friendship with Leox. When he first comes out to Affie as asexual, Leox does note that he has tried sex before but he is just indifferent to the practice. This moment also addresses another misconception that all asexual people are repulsed by sex. Instead, AVEN identifies three main categories of attitudes toward sex: sex-favorable, sex-indifferent, and sex-repulsed, and Leox would fall under the second category. Both of these conversations fall naturally into the text, showing that asexuality is only one part of Leox's identity.
By including these discussions of Leox’s orientation, Gray and the other authors of the Star Wars: The High Republic subseries are furthering their goal of inclusivity in this new era of Star Wars publishing. Leox is not the only asexual character in the Star Wars universe. Vi Moradi from the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge theme park attraction and multiple Star Wars novels is also asexual. Still, there is room for more asexual and aromantic characters in the Star Wars universe, and increasing the number of characters that have these identities can allow for more room for nuance in their characterization. By adding more explicitly asexual and aromantic characters to the Star Wars universe, the new canon is embracing the idea that Star Wars is for everyone.