There’s no doubt that the newest Star Wars film exhibited everything we wanted, needed, and loved about Star Wars (captivating plot, intense action scenes, inspirational heartfelt moments of raw emotion, blue aliens, space lasers, and tiny beeping robots) but this time with an added bonus of a more vibrant, diverse set of characters and cast than ever before!

Yes, there was no lack of excitement on any front with the latest Star Wars release, but the fact that this was the story by and for the new generation was very apparent in this latest installment of one of the most successful stories ever told in theaters.

While "Star Wars" was traditionally considered a sci-fi series enjoyed by "nerdy" types, especially nerdy males, it is evident now that there are plenty of fans from all facets of life of Star Wars. From female fans to non-nerds of all shapes, colors, and ages who love action and a good plot, including myself, pretty much anyone and everyone can and does love Star Wars nowadays. It's on all of our cereal boxes, and I can get a band aid with R2-D2 and BB-8 hugging on it if I want to, I bet. Not only does the film have a great plot, plenty of action, sci-fi shenanigans, and a legacy to boot to attract fans of all identities, ages and genders, but its latest installment finally has the screen representation of the diverse range of fans who love and relate to this timeless story to match!

The Force Awakens first hits us with Rey, the strong, empowered, and well-rounded female protagonist, who not once is forced to wear a metal bikini by a giant, ugly space pimp! Hurray for progress! But really, shout out to Carrie Fisher because Princess Leia did eventually get to kill that same space pimp with her bare hands, which Carrie Fisher refused to let the stunt-double do because she was so furious about having to wear the bikini in the first place. We salute you, princess Leia.

And we are very happy that our latest heroine didn’t have to take anything off against her wishes for this saga, and so is Princess Leia! In an interview with Daisey Ridley who plays Rey, Carrie Fisher said that Rey "should not be a slave like I was, you keep fighting against that slave outfit". Well she did! In fact, Rey's wardrobe is less Princess and more Obi Wan Kenobi's robes.

As far as personality goes though, Rey does carry the I-was-doing-just-fine-without-ya princess Leia attitude that we all know and love, in fact Rey’s character was a straight up boss, and this time with extra scavenger and rebel, hold the doe-eyed love interest. But most importantly? While Rey does represent “the girl” in Star Wars, this saga's female hero that little girls can and should look up to, more importantly, above that Rey’s character transcends her gender. Her character is courageous, resourceful, emotionally strong, clever, and can hold her own in an action packed fight and make us scream “YES” when she hits the mark, and she certainly doesn’t need anyone holding her hand. Rey has truly hit the sweet spot of being both a relatable character who feels real, as well as a true Jedi hero through and through, and for that I thank Star Wars for answering my female protagonist prayers. "I'm definitely not quite there yet myself, but I hope Rey will be something of a girl power figure." - Daisey Ridley (Rey).

The Force Awakens doesn’t stop at Rey though, who could forget the witty space hunk, Poe Dameron played by Guatemalan-American actor Oscar Isaac? Poe Dameron's character demonstrates a blend of the old and the new, being quite reminiscent of characters from the Star Wars Legends X-Wing book series. Poe, like Wedge Antilles, is a masculine, hot-shot cocksure pilot who remains humorous and fearless even in the face of the the evil that is the First Order.

In fact, here's a photo of Luke Skywalker in his X-wing pilot gear next to the iconic shot of Poe Dameron in front of his plane, so yes, some clear similarities to the older series are present. Isaac does this masculine, almost cocky pilot type of character and he does it well, but Poe's also adds much more than that into the mix. Oscar Isaac no doubt brings a modern take to his tough guy character, admitting in several interviews that fan speculation that there is purposeful friendlieness-to-the-point-of-flirtiness coming from his end of things toward Finn may be true; whether or not he was being serious about a romance, if those feelings will continue to be expressed, or if they will be reciprocated by Finn or not is unclear until the next film premieres, though.

Oscar brings it all home with another layer of interest by bringing his Guatemalan background into the development of Poe's lovable character. Isaac is responsible for writing Poe Dameron's background story, and suggested that Poe hail from Yavin 4, the Rebel Base location that Tikal, Guatemala notably played the part of in Episode IV. Channeling his heritage into his on screen persona really worked for him, Poe's loyalty to his friends and the Rebel cause was palpable, and Isaac's portrayal generated a lot of pride especially for Guatemalan fans who recognized his homage to the history.

Finally, and arguably most importantly we get ex-Storm Trooper Finn.

Finn is a courageous, if non-traditional leading hero who is as fresh, nuanced and convincing as Rey and Poe. He too is a winning combination of tough, silly and full of heart, not to mention he is played by the ever-lovable Nigerian British actor, John Boyega from Peckham! John has been quoted more than once talking about how surprising and exciting it was for him to be given the chance at such a leading role in a sci-fi film to the caliber of Star Wars, especially as a black British actor.

There's no doubt that beyond his talent playing a fantastic hero like Finn, Boyega is proud of his heritage and his skin, as he should be and the actor seems to be pretty open about exposing and eliminating racial prejudices in Hollywood and in general. John speaks out about racism in interviews and on social media pretty often, and on Jimmy Fallon he talked about how his friends actually thought he was going to be an extra in the film because they're so used to seeing sci-fi movies with a predominately white cast,

John was also surprised at how he was given the freedom to make his portrayal of the leading man more silly, down to earth and in his words, more of a "chill guy" than some of the more stoic, hyper-masculine hero characters that have traditionally graced the screens long before him. On playing Finn, Boyega said,

"I wanted to go back to the unlikely hero story that I do miss, like "The Warriors," "Assault on Precinct 13." The unlikely dudes that, when it starts the movie it's like, "you won't be anything but this." And then they rise to something bigger, gradually, realistically. I love that." Boyega plays a fantastic, believable, and lovable hero as Finn, who feels like a real person instead of some kind of heroic caricature of manliness that you sometimes get in Hollywood films. Now, that's not to diss or dismiss earlier Star Wars leading men, who were kick-ass and multi-faceted in their own respects, but is a pleasant departure to see some variation in how the hero can look and behave. Finn gives us a fresh hero who is a genuine, and realistically strong leading man with a silly side. He is well-balanced with a sweet and jovial manner about him, and of course is truly good and just to the core, yet John still received much criticism for his portrayal of the role, particularly about his skin color when it was announced that he would play Finn.

"It's Hollywood's fault for letting this get so far, that when a black person or a female, or someone from a different culture group, is cast in a movie, we have to have debates as to whether they have been placed there just to meet some kind of a quota," John said in response to such critics. One such supporter of John's portrayal of Finn came from Mace Windu himself, as Boyega told Flicks and the City interviewers:

"I wanted it to be different, I wanted it to be unique. I wanted people to hopefully see me in a movie and feel like, you know what, he bridges the gap between what people think of Peckham, Deptford, and all that kind of stuff, and show that there are talents all around the world in different circumstances" said Boyega. No doubt this level of diversity and representation on screen is worth celebrating. It's refreshing and relatively new in mainstream Hollywood hits to see a movie with a cast of leading heroes like this one, especially on the level of a franchise like Star Wars, and we hope the new generation will keep this trend moving because if Star Wars: the Force Awakens is any indication of how good a story and movie made about and for all types of people can be, then I think everyone can agree that we want to see more of it.

It may seem like a small thing to some, but representation in stories and on screen is important, it matters, and it doesn’t take away from or deemphasize great art and entertainment. In fact, I think it may make a story even more powerful and real because by nature it forces us as viewers to address points of view that maybe we haven't experienced ourselves, but that we can relate to on a human level. Or perhaps more importantly, representation is important especially for a kid who may not usually get to see someone like themselves on the big screen, it could be downright life changing to see themselves as the hero of their favorite movie in a way they haven't been able to before, like as a black Storm Trooper. Star Wars: the Force Awakens is the latest and perhaps the greatest argument to this point, and above all else is a movie worth seeing full of talented people, period. Anyone who is worried that having a girl or man of color playing the protagonist of their favorite hero movie is going to ruin the film's ‘relatability’, might have some serious thinking to do after seeing a movie like The Force Awakens.