Lightsabers and Black Excellence: Celebrating the Iconic Black Characters of 'Star Wars'

Lizzo, John Boyega, Lupita Nyong'o and more shine in the 'Star Wars' universe.

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Billy Dee Williams – The Empire Strikes Back; Return of the Jedi - Fresh off of the success of Lady Sings the Blues and Mahogany, Billy Dee Williams was already a seasoned acting vet when he was tapped to join the Star Wars franchise. As the charming bad guy-turned-sort-of-good guy Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, he made sci-fi history becoming one of the best to ever grace the series.(Photo: Desiree Navarro/Getty Images)
James Earl Jones – Star Wars; The Empire Strikes Back; Return of the Jedi; Revenge of the Sith - It goes without saying that James Earl Jones's voice is arguably as famous as the entire Star Wars franchise, but what many don't know is that this very voice went uncredited for at least three of the films. It all eventually came full circle, though, with Jones being given his due credit for bringing the most recognized super villain to life: Darth Vader.(Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)John Boyega  - At 22, this British actor is set to have a lot of people talking as he has been cast to be the first ever Black Stormtrooper in the latest Star Wars Film: Episode VII. Of course, once fans of the franchise caught a glimpse of the rising star in the movie's trailer, they sounded off on social media questioning whether a Black Stormtrooper made sense. Boyega, however, had four direct words for the critics: "Get used to it."(Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)

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Black Stars Who Slayed at the 97th Academy Awards

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In honor of Star Wars Day (May 4), we are looking back at the franchise that leaped light-years into the future in terms of diversity from Lizzo to John Boyega to Billy Dee Williams. Here's a look a the Black characters in the Star Wars universe.

Photo By L-R (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for dcp), (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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