There's some semi-strongly implied "ism's" in the Empire throughout the films I believe, however there is some sloppiness in ANH and ESB that implies the same things go on in the Alliance as well. ROTJ seemed to be Lucas's effort to show that the Alliance was a rainbow of colors, sexes, and species all holding hands and working together against the proverbial intergalactic "man".
I bring this up because I was pondering the issue of other races and sexes within the Empire the other day... What role do they play? Do we just not see any in our really generally limited view of the Empire? Are whites just a much greater in # race than blacks or asians in Star Wars perhaps? Are women limited in their duties in Star Wars as they are in the U.S. military?
We obviously don't see female Stormtroopers, female anyone in the films really...
ROTJ showed the Alliance as having more diversity to it with a black pilot, asian pilot, a female was actually cut from the film (X-Winger), there's a female B-Winger seen at the briefing though, aliens, etc., etc... But till then we didn't see women, blacks, asians, or aliens doing much for the Alliance at Yavin and Hoth, so there's a certain ammount of "ignore it, it's only a movie" I think you have to accept to, and that the black guys were flying and working on X-Wings at Yavin, we just missed them, or whatever.
Anyway though, this was more about the Empire... And more I was thinking of the role of women actually in the Empire... Of course there's Isaard, Daala... But what other roles do women play? Is the Empire sexist and excludes women almost entirely? Or are they like the US in that women play a role as pilots, shuttle pilots, "crew" members of larger vessels, medical staff, support personnel of various kinds?
I tend to lean towards women being integral in the Empire and of course not being used within the Stormtrooper ranks (maybe very late after ROTJ though they are used?), but who maybe get their time in the Imperial Army instead? Perhaps pilots as well, and definitely crew and support staff for the Army and Navy alike... I like to view it as we just don't see them because we just don't see a lot in Star Wars and the "it's just a movie" excuse too. The same thing applies for me with black Imperial crewman or Asian crewman (or any other ethnicity than white, to broaden this).
Aliens though I do feel that the implied xenophobia is the "truth" as it were... I've discussed this before, and about the whole "Home Guard" argument I was making of Imperial Army units made up of conscripts and things from alien worlds under Imperial Martial Law, but to me there is a strong xenophobia in the Empire with only a few very near-human species getting any level for advancement in the Empire at all... Chiss for example (which I don't buy the "Thrawn is the only Chiss in the Empire" bull**** that surrounds his character. I figure there's more and they're maybe not able to advance easily but they're there). Perhaps some other species, kind of like in Star Trek that are just a different color than what we know as classically human, or that have a little ridge on their nose like B'Jorans from ST or spots like some species that look human besides these spots on them or some crap like that. Like I said, "near human".
Anyway, that's just some random thinking I've got on the subject... I'm hoping (and Hasbro hinted) at a Daala figure. The fodder she'd present for customizing would be great because there's not much to work with for female figures anyway but female Imp's are even rarer.