Star Wars: The Force Awakens just became the fastest movie to reach $1 billion at the box office, and that’s great, but it’s also the most diverse film I’ve seen all year, and that’s even better. The previous movie to reach $1 billion the quickest was Jurassic World – a film that, while entertaining, played it frustratingly safe.

While audience and critic approval has been overwhelmingly positive for The Force Awakens, many have offered a similar critique, calling the film too derivative of Episode IV New Hope. Whether or not that’s a legitimate criticism is subjective. But if there’s one area in which the film took a considerable risk, it was casting.

Episode VII sees the long awaited return of Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, but it’s newcomers John Boyega and Daisy Ridley who breathe new life into the franchise. Ridley, whose prior filmography was limited to minor television appearances and a handful of short films, delivers a magnetic, breakout performance as the female protagonist, Rey. Fans of the 2011 cult hit Attack the Block will recognize Boyega, who stars as Finn, a former stormtrooper attempting to escape the villainous First Order. With less than eight years combined acting experience between them, the decision to choose a black man and a woman as the new faces of the franchise is even more remarkable.

Completing the remaining cast is a band of veteran actors past their prime and pasty white men as the central antagonists. I respect Adam Driver and Domhnall Gleeson immensely and mean no offense by calling attention to their ghostly features, but they are certainly not the paradigm of male envy. Although I must admit, Adam Driver’s hair is so perfectly coiffed when unmasked as Kylo Ren, that I couldn’t help but feel slightly seduced to the dark side.

It’s also worth noting that Oscar Isaac, who is Guatemalan American and arguably the most talented actor, has the thinnest role. Honorable mentions include the 6’3″ actress Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, the franchise’s first female stormtrooper, and Lupita Nyong’o, who provides a motion-capture performance for the thousand-year-old pirate, Maz Kanata. Even behind chrome armor or a CGI facade, the commitment to diversity remains.

Relegating these actors to their superficial descriptors is certainly not my intention, but in Hollywood, pretty tends to pay. So for a blockbuster of such size, this cast is simply unconventional. Even the best casting and performances are ultimately at the mercy of a film’s writing. And it’s The Force Awakens’s script that pays respect to its characters, especially Daisy Ridley’s Rey.

Not once does Rey strut, seduce, or reduce herself to anything less than the three-dimensional character that J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan have so delicately crafted. During a pivotal rescue sequence, Rey thanks Finn not with a passionate kiss but rather a warm hug that holds more emotional weight than any sensual display could ever have.

In another scene that refutes the standard damsel-in-distress trope, Finn rushes to Rey’s aid, only to have his helping hand refused more than once. While not exactly subtle, it’s a refreshing reminder that Rey is not a plot device subject to the will of another. As self-sufficient as Rey may be, she is not without her own moments of peril. But in those moments, Rey shows both courage and fear. She is strong and confident yet scared and reluctant. She is ultimately, human.

Opposite Ridley and equally deserving of praise is John Boyega. Teeming with a palpable charisma, it’s apparent that he couldn’t be more grateful to be part of this franchise. Of all the genuinely likable actors in The Force Awakens, I’m most happy for Boyega, primarily because of the criticism he endured prior to the film’s release.

In the year leading up to Episode VII’s premiere, disgruntled “fans” began voicing their disapproval of the film’s multicultural cast, particularly Boyega’s role as the first black stormtrooper. Amidst a slew of slurs, these racist trolls accused J.J. Abrams and Disney of committing “white genocide” and even launched a social media movement to #BoycottEpisodeVII. According to one bigoted tweeter, Episode VII is “nothing more than a social justice propaganda piece that alienates it’s core audience of young white males.” To believe that Star Wars belongs exclusively to “young white males,” let alone one cultural group, speaks volumes to that individual’s delusions.

Like a true Jedi, John Boyega tempered his emotions and simply told critics to “get used to it.” Letting his performance do the talking, Boyega has silenced any dissenters and cemented himself as a definitive part of the Star Wars legacy. While there has been some bait-and-switch marketing at play regarding Finn’s relationship to the Force, few things are more gratifying than the first time that he turns on Luke’s lightsaber. Seeing a young black actor associated with such an iconic piece of pop culture is invigorating. Whether it is Finn wielding Luke’s lightsaber or Rey piloting the Millennium Falcon, such moments are handled with grace.

Rather than calling attention to these efforts toward diversity out of some misguided pursuit for a pat on the back, they simply exist organically. These are characters not defined by their race or gender, but rather their actions and words – deeds of friendship, sacrifice, love and hope. When characters are written with reverence and a consistent loyalty to their motivations, every action will sufficiently communicate those inherent qualities without the need for lazy exposition. Had this not been Star Wars, though, would such a diverse cast have been as successful?

Some may attribute the film’s universal success solely to the name associated with it. Given the context preceding Episode VII’s release, I don’t think it’s that simple. In the wake of a prequel trilogy that temporarily tarnished the Star Wars legacy and almost derailed the franchise, The Force Awakens stood on an incredibly unstable foundation. With a 4 billion dollar hole still freshly burnt in its pocket, Disney could have easily played this one close to the chest. Instead, the entertainment and media conglomerate displayed courageous resolve and assembled a cast rarely seen in a film of such scope.

For all of its achievements, The Force Awakens is just a film, albeit a great one, but certainly not the panacea for the marginalization of women, minorities, or other disenfranchised groups in Hollywood. However, if one thing remains constant, it’s that entertainment has an incredible influence on the culture of the times in which it presently exists. And the tide already seems to be turning.

The recent ‘Rocky’ spinoff, Creed, starring Michael B. Jordan, opened to major critical and box office success that outperformed estimates. Next April, Captain America: Civil War will see Chadwick Boseman in the debut of Marvel’s most recognized black superhero, Black Panther, with a solo film to follow. March’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will also feature Gal Gadot in the much anticipated cinematic arrival of the original superheroine, Wonder Woman. The film industry is certainly more than just big budget franchises, but these are the properties that receive the most exposure and can effect true change.

Hollywood still has a long way to go, but The Force Awakens is further proof that diversity and financial success are no longer mutually exclusive. After the last box office record is shattered, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be remembered for restoring the ‘Star Wars’ name to its former glory. But with light on its side, the film will also represent a moment that gave birth to a new hope for diversity in Hollywood.