Watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and you may notice something different from the previous two trilogies. As with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there are both a lot more women around, and people of color. Now, don’t get us wrong, it’s not all up in your face, but it is a noticeable change from how the franchise started.

Needless to say, the folks that will feel this difference the most are the young girls and people of color who will get a chance to grow up seeing themselves represented on screen as heroes.

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LRM had a chance to attend a press conference for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and while there, actress Gwendoline Christie (who plays Captain Phasma in the film), was asked what the pervasiveness of women (with the likes of Leia, Holdo, Phasma, Rey, and Rose making up a lot of the core cast) did for them.

“I was so delighted. I wasn’t cast in the first Star Wars film yet when I heard about the casting, and I was utterly delighted to see that there was a more representative selection of actors that were going to be in these incredible Star Wars films, and that has continued. And you know, everything that my amazing colleagues say is absolutely right. You get to see women that are not being strong just because they’re acting like men. They’re doing something else. And also you’re seeing a developed character or at least a developing character, that’s showing some complex character traits. And I’m just delighted about that. I’m delighted that something as legendary as Star Wars has decided to be modern and to reflect our society more as it is.”

Indeed, I think the key thing here is that Disney doesn’t necessarily play it up, but rather incorporates the diversity organically into the film. It’s only when you take the extra effort to look at who the main cast actually consists of that you notice.

What do you think of the prevalence of women and minorities in Star Wars: The Last Jedi? Does it matter to you at all? Let us know in the comments down below!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi hits theaters this Thursday!

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