8 Things You Learn Watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens
6. And It's Progressive, Too
Not that I want to get too much into this aspect of the Star Wars saga (because it really is copy for another, more comprehensive article), but, to touch upon it slightly, lets just say that in a series which has, for one reason or another, been pretty whitewashed in the past, its refreshing to have a young, black male lead here in The Force Awakens. Its further refreshing to see another great female lead role in 2015 (and there have been plenty), here exemplified by Rey, who refuses to be characterised as a damsel in distress, to the point where her constant refutations to Finns insistence on holding her hand or pulling her up seem like meta rebuffs aimed at parodying the very idea that she might need any help at all (if anything, its Finn who needs help). Respectively played (brilliantly, I might add) by John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, Finn and Rey are a true sign of progression in Star Wars, a franchise which was of course never overtly racist or misogynistic, but which was instead perhaps a product of its time, one in which white, all-American cowboy-style heroes were tasked with seeking out the women in dire need of their help. The Force Awakens looks set to put an end to that, and that can only be a good thing.
