Graduates from Princeton’s 2012 class will not be able to attend a “Star Wars”-themed party in Stormtrooper gear due to fears that it will convey a racist message.

A rules committee organizing a five-year class reunion party in early June around the fictional “Star Wars” universe was contacted about characters allegedly inspired by World War II-era events. Subsequently, Stormtroopers will not be allowed.

An update sent to those who RSVP’d to an Eventbright invitation was obtained Tuesday by Heatstreet.

“A few of our classmates reached out expressing concerns over our choice to use Stormtroopers as our costume inspiration,” the email said. “We have been informed of the origin of this word and its connections to early- to mid-20th century Germany. This is something neither we nor anyone on your Reunion Committee were aware of, but something we take very seriously. Tonight we made the unanimous decision to remove these costumes.”

Individuals who already ordered a Stormtrooper costume through the committee were informed that they would receive a different outfit instead, Heatstreet reported.

This is the second time in recent months that “Star Wars” became tangled in historical debates about Nazi Germany. “Rouge One” writer Chris Weitz tweeted, “Please note that the Empire is a white supremacist (human) organization,” on Nov. 11 after Republican Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election.

Mr. Weitz deleted the statement shortly afterward, but kept another that said, “Star Wars against hate. Spread it.”

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.