(CNN) -- Actor John Boyega has four words for anyone who's upset he's playing what appears to be a black Stormtrooper in the latest "Star Wars" film: "Get used to it."
The 22-year-old British actor posted the message on Instagram yesterday after his appearance in the new trailer for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" aroused feverish discussion on social media. On YouTube, some questioned whether a black Stormtrooper made sense, while others reacted with racist remarks.
READ MORE: Who is John Boyega?
Supporters responded on Twitter with the hashtag #BlackStormtrooper.
"They'll accept an alien-filled galaxy powered by 'force' but they're not having a black man in uniform?" tweeted writer Iain Macintosh.
"Love how there's "controversy" over a #BlackStormtrooper. Even in a galaxy far far away black people exist and can be dynamic characters too," tweeted Joseph Oteng.
"#BlackStormTrooper better not die first, or I am going to be pissed," quipped USC professor Robert Hernandez.
Race in the 'Star Wars' universe
Despite the diversity of human and nonhuman characters mingling together in the fictional Star Wars universe, there have been just a handful of prominent black characters. Samuel L. Jackson played Jedi Master Mace Windu in three films, while Billy Dee Williams played Cloud City administrator turned Rebel General Lando Calrissian in two films.
The cast of "Star Wars: Episode VII" -- or should we say "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," now that the official title has been released -- unites well-known names with some up-and-coming actors. At least one cast member, Daisy Ridley, is so new she has just a few acting credits to her name. You can see her in the back right of this cast photo, wearing a necklace and talking to "Star Wars" veteran Carrie Fisher. Here's who she'll star with.
Meet the cast of 'Star Wars: Episode VII'
James Earl Jones also provided the legendary voice for Darth Vader, but the actor under the mask was white.
In the "Star Wars" series Stormtroopers were originally clones of Jango Fett, an ethnic "Mandalorian" played by New Zealand-born actor Temuera Derek Morrison, of partial Maori descent. Later in the storyline, when Boyega's "black Stormtrooper" character would've lived, Stormtroopers were recruited from general populations -- making a Stormtrooper of any race certainly feasible.
As fans continue to dissect the trailer, many have also pointed out Boyega may not even be a Stormtrooper -- he could be a rebel in a Stormtrooper uniform, like Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope." Fans will have to wait a bit longer to find out more about Boyega's character.
READ MORE: The Force is with the new 'Star Wars' trailer
The movie, the seventh in the Star Wars film series, is scheduled for release on December 18, 2015.
Boyega's message also contained a note of gratitude to his fans.
"Isn't it crazy that Star Wars is actually happening? I'm in the movie but as a Star Wars fan I am very excited.
"A year is long time to wait but it will be worth the wait."
John Boyega is best known for the 2011 sci-fi action comedy "Attack the Block," but now he's known as the guy who steals the spotlight in the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" trailer. Boyega was long rumored to be a top choice for the lead role.
Actors Pip Andersen, left, and Crystal Clarke were picked from an open casting call to join the movie. Andersen is skilled in the training discipline parkour, and "The Force Awakens" will be one of Clarke's first feature films.
The rumors about Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o joining the cast turned out to be true. In May, she was announced as the newest actress to join the saga. Nyong'o won the best supporting actress Oscar for her breakthrough role in "12 Years a Slave."
Gwendoline Christie, currently known as Brienne of Tarth on HBO's "Game Of Thrones," has also joined "Star Wars." Next year, she will star in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" as Commander Lyme.
Adam Driver is a multifaceted actor who'll presumably get to show more of his range in "The Force Awakens." While he's best known for playing a quirky love interest on "Girls," Driver has also appeared in feature films "J. Edgar," "Lincoln," "Frances Ha" and "Inside Llewyn Davis."
Oscar Isaac had a breakthrough role in 2013 as the cranky singer-songwriter Llewyn Davis in the drama "Inside Llewyn Davis." We can't imagine his work in "The Force Awakens" will require him to sing, but it would be awesome if it did; Isaac has proved he's got a great set of pipes.
Andy Serkis is setting himself up to have a busy few years. The celebrated actor recently appeared in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," which will be followed by "The Force Awakens." After that, he's expected to appear in another "Tintin" movie, "The Adventures of Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun."
Does the name Domhnall Gleeson sound familiar? That might be because you remember him as Bill Weasley in the last two movies of the "Harry Potter" franchise. But Gleeson has established himself with a host of other projects, including 2010's "Never Let Me Go" and 2013's "About Time." Suffice to say that if you don't know Gleeson by now, you will after "Star Wars: Episode VII."
When we learned that the latest "Star Wars" installment is supposed to take place 30 years after "Return of the Jedi" and feature a trio of newbies alongside some familiar faces, we were ready to bet the house that Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker would be one of the recognizable stars. It was an easy guess to make, though; Hamill has long been considered an unspoken done deal.
Carrie Fisher was one of the original "Star Wars" cast members who initially said she was on board the new movie, only for her rep to backtrack and say the actress was kidding. But Abrams' announcement is no joke: The former Princess Leia has returned.
After playing coy with the press for months, Harrison Ford was finally officially announced as part of the "The Force Awakens" cast. The actor is expected to reprise his role of Han Solo.
We can't be the only ones who are supremely relieved to see that Anthony Daniels, the voice of C-3PO, will be back in action.
Obviously, you can't have Daniels' C-3PO without Kenny Baker's R2-D2. Just the thought of splitting up the droids is heartbreaking!
Peter Mayhew is probably somewhere warming up his voice for that famous Chewbacca roar. The actor was rumored to be reprising the character in "The Force Awakens," but it wasn't official until Abrams' announcement.
Max von Sydow is one of the veteran actors joining the upcoming "Star Wars" movie. It isn't clear what the wide-ranging thespian will do in Abrams' picture, but we can rest assured that he'll bring his respected acting chops to the part.
"Star Wars" veteran Warwick Davis is set to return too. He's played multiple roles, but he's best known as Wicket the lead Ewok from "Return of the Jedi," so we suspect he may reprise that role.
