4) Diversity
J.J. Abrams made a big effort with Star Wars: The Force Awakens to utilize a diverse cast, hence why Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac were all cast in the lead roles. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, however, takes that one step further with both a female lead (Felicity Jones) and a supporting cast made up of actors from all over the world (Riz Ahmed, Donnie Yen, Diego Luna, etc.)
With different accents and faces, it feels like just about everyone is represented here, and that’s a big step forward for a franchise which has in the past predominantly focused on white males. The movie being such a huge success at the box office also proves that a female lead in a blockbuster like this can work, which will no doubt help ensure that future spinoffs also make use of a diverse group of actors playing a variety of characters.
That’s important in today’s more diverse world, and it means that people of any gender and race can now look to this franchise and possibly see themselves. It’s a shame that Star Wars has yet to focus on LGBT characters, but many believe that Chirrut (Donnie Yen) and Baze (Jiang Wen) may fall into that category, even though it’s never directly stated.