The beauty of Star Wars, some will argue, is the diversity of its cast. However, when you really look at Star Wars, you realize the "diversity" really only lies in the different species of alien that inhabit various planets. And while the argument may be that the point of the series is to show a diversity that isn't racially tinged, the statement still begs itself: why are there only two black guys in the entire galaxy?

Mention has been made, both here and elsewhere, of the lack of women in the Star Wars universe: two of the three major women are related to each other (Padme and Leia), and the other one only had a brief appearance (Mon Motha). But why are Billy Dee Williams (who played Lando Calrissian) and Samuel L. Jackson (who played Mace Windu the same way he played Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction -- more than a few of us were expecting him to quote Ezekiel 25:17 at any given time) the ONLY two black guys in the ENTIRE galaxy? Light years upon light years long... and those are the only two black men to be found... and they both happen to be quasi-racial stereotypes.

In terms of diversity, however, black men in Star Wars are still faring better than Latino men... there's exactly double the number of black men in the Star Wars universe as there are Latino men (Jimmy Smits, who played Bail Organa, is the only Latino).

So, to say that Star Wars -- especially Episodes 4, 5, and 6 -- is milquetoast is the understatement of the year.

But the America of the original Star Wars is completely different from the America of today. Much has been made about the fact that the "face" of America is changing: whites are still a racial majority, but experts are suggesting that that won't be true for much longer. As the white majority ages, more and more children today are being born of mixed race -- one or more racial backgrounds -- and by 2042, the majority of people living in America today will be people of color.

Check out this amazing interactive map to see what I mean:

 

In the year 2000 -- just one year after Episode I came out in theatres -- a census was taken, and more than 7 million Americans identified themselves as being of one or more race. By 2010 -- more than 5 years after Episode III was released -- the face of America changed further as "Hispanic" was clarified as an ethnicity, not a race.

Indeed, the Census Bureau summarized additional facts about race in America, and how thoughts on race today are completely different from thoughts 30 years ago. Among their findings:

- As a whole, the nonwhite population increased by 1.9 percent to 116 million, or 37 percent of the U.S. The fastest growth is among multiracial Americans, followed by Asians and Hispanics. Non-Hispanic whites make up 63 percent of the U.S.; Hispanics, 17 percent; blacks, 12.3 percent; Asians, 5 percent; and multiracial Americans, 2.4 percent.

- About 353 of the nation's 3,143 counties, or 11 percent, are now "majority-minority." Six of those counties tipped to that status last year: Mecklenburg, N.C.; Cherokee, Okla.; Texas, Okla.; Bell, Texas; Hockley, Texas; and Terrell, Texas. 

- In 2012, 13 states and the District of Columbia had an under-5 age population that was "majority-minority," up from five states in 2000. In 25 states and the District of Columbia, minorities now make up more than 40 percent of the under-5 group. 

And again, to get back to the earlier point of how "Hispanic" is now an ethnicity, understand that the new Census forms divide "minorities" into two types of categories: minorities of color, and minorities of ethnicity. The way the Census question is framed, one can be "black of Hispanic origin" (Afro-Latino) or "white of Hispanic origin." Either way, minorities are those who check any race other than "white" in the first question, OR who check anything except "not of Hispanic origin" in the second question. (Interestingly, from that same Census tabulation, 91 percent of Hispanics identified as "white.") 

So, with all of this diversity in the United States today, putting a milquetoast cast into place for Episode 7 is not only exclusionary, it's unrealistic. (Even the Enterprise had more diversity than our favorite galaxy far, far away...) Casting the Colt 45 spokesman and sticking him in the outer rim planet of Bespin, then, isn't going to work, and neither will killing Jules Winnfield in the most ridiculously unbalanced Jedi-Sith fight ever. 

In JJ Abrams' defense, however, he has said that he'd like to incorporate more diversity into the Episode 7 cast, which is why Michael B. Jordan of Fruitvale Station read for a part very early on in the casting process. But one look at the "top five" of Abrams' potential heroes, and you have to wonder just what, exactly, he thinks diversity means:

- Ed Speleers (British, white)

- Matthew James Thomas (British, white)

- Ray Fisher (unknown)

- Jesse Plemons (American, white)

- John Boyega (British, black)

No offense, but that doesn't exactly scream "diversity." No Latinos (again)? No Asians? Not ONE Native American? Not even someone of mixed race? What part of this list is "diverse" -- you have a token black actor, and a majority of white British men. Imperialism, much? 

When asked if there were production delays because of the lack of diversity in the cast, Disney had "no comment." 

Still others are suggesting that all of this, and then some, is much ado about nothing. Aisha Harris of Slate is suggesting to Disney and Lucasfilm that they completely halt ALL marketing efforts, and we as journalists completely hate ALL coverage of the film. "Have every cast and crewmember sign a nondisclosure contract, and scrap any formal promotional plans prior to the release of the latest installment. Let us know not one more single detail about the production until it's up on the screen for us to eagerly gawk at on opening night. Seriously. Some details will leak, surely, but there are advantages to at least trying to keep them secret. If producers ditch the press releases and skip the trailers, they'll save millions in advertising and build even greater buzz among curious audiences. Curiosity might even push more people to see it on opening weekend than otherwise would. As a cultural experience, opening night would be something like a once-in-a-lifetime event, and no one, not even the most casual Star Wars fan, would want to miss out," she writes.

Now, personally, I think this is a little extreme. On the other hand, one can understand why she thinks as such: when Abrams took the faux-secrecy approach to Star Trek Into Darkness even AFTER Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) was announced for the role, he came off as pretentious.

But if Abrams wants this Star Wars to ring as relevant to today's audiences as the Star Wars of yesteryear rang to its audiences, he's going to have to do a lot more than cast one, obligatory, "token" minority actor. Because as Obi-Wan Kenobi astutely observed, the Force -- which is what gives a Jedi his power -- is an energy field CREATED BY ALL LIVING THINGS. It surrounds us and penetrates us, and it binds the galaxy together.