I grew up in the midst of Star Wars; I viewed the prequel trilogy in theaters, and watched the original trilogy on VHS. This franchise has always been a huge part of my life, from watching the movies multiple times, reading and collecting several extended universe novels, and playing with toy lightsabers while wearing my dad’s Wookie mask. One of the highlights of my childhood happened on a family vacation, when we happened to be in the same hotel as a Star Wars convention. I’ve met Peter Mayhew, friends.

At the time I’m writing this article, I’ve already seen "Star Wars Episode VII" twice, and the chances I’ll see it again before this is published are extremely high. The release of this film is monumental for a number of reasons, one of them being that this is a rebirth of a cultural phenomenon that’s been around since before my generation existed. As a woman whose worldview was shaped by this sci-fi saga, I am estatic about this reboot for one huge reason: Rey.

Rey is undoubtedly the hero of this new trilogy; she checks off all the requirements for the Force-sensitive hero in the mythos: young, seemingly orphaned, impoverished, and stranded on a backwater desert planet. Her gender, however, is a very important distinction from the previous films.

Science fiction has historically not been very favorable toward female characters, so having a character like Rey occupy most of the screen time and heroism is huge. She is not portrayed as a mere girl or damsel; she is simply a person trying to work out her path and her own views of right and wrong (aka light-side and dark-side). True, Star Wars has a few feminine badasses, but until now they’ve been pushed from the limelight. Rey, on the other hand, rules the forefront without being sexualized or diminished. She has not been rendered defeated and helpless by romantic love, forced into hostage-dancer bikini dress, and when imprisoned on the fascist super weapon space station, Rey takes charge and rescues herself.

In an industry where women are grossly outnumbered, a character as natural and well-rounded as Rey is incredibly empowering, and I am thrilled that there is a new generation of young girls who will grow up watching her acts of Jedi heroism.

We should celebrate the casting in this movie as a step in the right direction towards equality, but it is a mistake to believe that it fixes anything. Women are still terribly underrepresented in film, especially women of color and LGTBQA+ women. Another big-time female star in "Episode VII," Carrie Fisher, has recently had to deal with shocking and rude comments on her age and size, whilst the returning male actors are allowed to slide by.

I know that one role is not a fix, and a white cisgender woman like Daisy Ridley cannot represent everyone (even though she is pretty amazing). Still, I am very glad that the newest installment of my beloved saga is centered around such a badass woman.