Empires have risen and fallen for nearly all of human history. These Empires normally paint a picture of benevolent leadership, as a way to uplift their subject’s lives. They paint an image of just governance, and that their subjects had to be saved from themselves.

Most of the independent states swallowed by these behemoths tend to do so peacefully, or rather, they refuse to bare their fangs and try to rebel. But the ones we do know of, are the ones that chose to rebel, the ones that decided to fight for their life, they fought for their freedom, for their land.

Rebellions generally occur when the empires are at their lowest, no one would want to rebel against an empire when they are powerful, rebellions generally occur when the empires slip up, the casus belli that would justify a rebellion. That isn’t to say that rebellions are not a result of a gradual build-up of tensions, the ultimate boiling point tends to be an amalgam of many other grievances that eventually transform into seething hatred, one major failure doesn’t lead to revolt, only a series of relatively minor blunders leads to one. Rebellions are also caused because the people who rebel feel like they have been treated unjustly, which, to be fair, is an absolutely correct assessment as far as the rebels are concerned. It however, I feel, is sort of necessary to emphasize the role of the individual rebels in the role of a revolt, many of them fight because of feeling of personal disenfranchisement, the feeling of not calling your soul your own.

These Feelings of hatred are sometimes suppressed, out of fear of retribution. The Gallows are always more horrifying alone. These feelings of resentments carry over for decades, maybe even over a generation, whence they are given more time to fester and grow. Overtime, as more people develop this sentiment, a single spark can often cause major uprisings in a territory.

In India (The Country’s History I’m most familiar with), rebellion is part of the tapestry. The Independence of the nation was established through silent, non-violent rebellion, so you can guess that rebellion plays a huge role in the History of the country. My own textbook, for example, has four chapters about the Anti-British Rebellions in the 19th and 20th centuries. These were caused due to a general air of dissatisfaction against the ruling British, who often treated Indians as second-class citizens, as sheep who had to be shepherded by the “benevolent” British overlords who governed for the Indians’ own good. This, I need not tell you, was utter nonsense. The reality of the Situation was that an Indian, however great their qualifications, could only dream of rising above British Ranks, the often racist policies in the Government was a major hurdle in the way of the Indians, accentuated by the fact that they were not even given opportunities to rise. The few bastions of independence, the Princely States were quickly stamped out, any kingdom without a legitimate Male heir would be done away with, its king deposed.

^Lord Dalhousie, creator of the Doctrine of Lapse, which deposed of a ruler without a legitimate male heir.

In Star Wars, the Rebellion is, well, the rebellion. The Iconic band of plucky heroes who fought against the evil empire. But another rebellion seems to be less considered. The CIS (Confederacy of Independent systems). I always thought of them as being The Rebellion of Star Wars. Sure, the Rebel Alliance could have the throne, but the CIS felt more brutal, it fits the idea of rebellion in my mind. I’ve theorised that the reason the CIS isn’t considered a rebellion is because its shenanigans are overshadowed by the whole Palpatine-Darth Sidous-Dooku mess that lead to the formation of the Empire and another Rebellion. For all its talk, the CIS was a genuine rebellion, the attempted to seceed from the Republic over Legitimate concerns, this attempt would lead to a bloody war that eventually paved the way for the ultimate ascension of Palpatine, the Fall of the Jedi, and Rise of the Empire. What’s to be noted, is that, like all rebellions, the members of the CIS genuinely Supported its cause, none of them were aware of the Evil Intentions behind its formation. The members of it also seem to be non-human species, perhaps as a deliberate choice to battle the anthropocentric nature of the Republic? This again plays into my point of feelings of dissatisfaction, the non-humans perhaps wanted a society where they were represented equally. For too long was the Republic and Political Structure of the Galaxy dominated by Humans; they seemed to take over too many spots on the map, and pushed the others out of the scene.

When the Republic proved ineffective in dealing with the conflict of Naboo, many of the planets felt like the Republic had served its purpose, and was then wasting away in the murky depths of bureaucracy. So they had to do something. Leaders who believed that the Republic was beyond Saving, Like Mina Bonteri, decided to, well, exit the Republic. In their ideas that the Republic was irredeemable, they were opposed to the Faction led by senators like Padme Amidala and Ohnakonda Farr, believing that the Republic could still be saved.

These early contributors to the CIS were senators who truly believed in what they were fighting for. In the “Pursuit of Peace” Arc, it’s shown that Many Senators of the CIS honeslty thought of the War as a necessary Evil, even willing to go so far as to sue for peace. This, however, was muddied by the Members from planets like Cato Neimodia, who were in it for the Profit.

After the Formation of the Empire, many factions were dissatisfied with its rule. Justly, they decided to do something about it. They decided to fight against their oppressors. The Rebel Alliance was built upon this ideal. And yet, the Empire was able to crush them, at least in their early days. It would take a group of highly charismatic individuals to finally bring the cells together at last.

That Group came to be known as the Crew of the Ghost, a team of would be rebels with Two Jedi, one Gemocide Survivor, One Pilot, and a Mandalorian. Their Adventures are more well documented in the show Rebels. But this crew did something that was revolutionary (Get it?) to the way that the anti-Imperial sentiment was expressed in the Galaxy at Large.

Their actions, of sending a transmission urging the people against the Empire was something unprecedented, it made the Rebellion go public. No Longer was the rebellion confined to a few players in the Galaxy, but they could band together to fight their common enemy, just that they did not agree on how best to do it.

“It takes a Loud Voice to make the deaf hear ‘Inquilab Zindabad!’”

One way to fight your oppressors is to use the very methods they use to keep you down. You return their brutal punches and kicks with your own. You fight fire with flame.

Violence is one route for revolutions to vent their feelings. They target parts of the system they perceive as being the cause of their troubles. These revolutionaries tend to be rather successful in spreading their message, their tales easily give way for a sense of romance to form around them, they can very much be the knight who fights for freedom, the warrior who sheds blood that must be shed. Their messages also travel far, perhaps because theirs are the tales best told, the stories of their exploits still grace many a textbook, and many more novels. These Revolts, often go under “Terrrorism” or “Riots” in official records, their tales often surviving only through word of mouth.

^Bhagat Singh, one of the later Radicals

Although the Freedom Struggle in India is best known for its Non-Violent approach, the revolutionaries were still there, the people who fought the British with violence were still a major player, especially in the early years of the Freedom Movement.

The Radicals, the faction within the Indian National Congress who believed in revolutionary violence. They felt that the British would only leave India if they were given a strong message, that the civilians would not take their governance quietly, they did not like it, and they would make it known.

One of the most famous quotes from the Independence Struggle came from one of these revolutionaries, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, an editor of a newspaper, Kesari, written in Marathi and was very critical of the British, the quote was “Freedom is my Birthright, and I shall Have it.”

The Leaders Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and Bipin Chandra Pal (The Three were often referred to as Lal-Bal-Pal) were the most famous in this age, they advocated for self-rule, the idea that the Indians were capable of governing themselves formed the very core of their ideology. They advocated the burning of British Goods, and boycott of British Services. They wanted the Indians themselves to provide for their needs. Manchester cloth saw a major fall in sales around this period, Government Schools saw a mass exodus of students, who set up their own schools and colleges.

But they needed a spark to begin the inferno of the rebellion.

Across Kamino, the clones saw one message: The War was over. But the Republic had fallen, replaced by an Empire, they suddenly felt hostile toward their Jedi Masters, people they were taught to obey previously. They had truly become Droids.

The Bad Batch, Clone force 99 were the ones we see the changes through, as the clones start to eerily resemble droids more and more. The inhibitor chips every clone has was discovered to have malfunctioned in the clones, they were free from the brainwashing of the Empire. But they chose to oppose the Empire, first as a way to rescue their fallen comrade, but more and more, against its very ideology, after seeing the Empire’s atrocities first-hand.

Their Fallen Comrade, Crosshair was tasked, as his first mission for the Empire to wipe out a band of “terrorists”. This band was none other than Saw Gerrera’s Partisans. A Group of hardened warriors who fought against the separatists with the aid of the Republic, only to fight the Empire when they saw that they were no different. Years of harsh warfare and the loss of his sister turned Saw bitter, a cruel mirror of the Empire. And so too, did his Partisans morph, they fought, or claimed to fight for Justice, but their ideals were all that were left in their final form.

But they still fought. They still fought fire with fire because that was their way. It worked against the Separatists, it would work against the Empire. I think a part of this is also the idea of An eye for an eye, the saying that all misdeeds must be paid for in equal terms. Perhaps the Partisans only wanted to inflict the Punishments upon their overlords that they themselves faced. Whatever the case may be, Saw and his crew were branded as “Terrorists” even by other Rebel Cells. But all this was for naught however, as they faced defeat time and time again.

And yet, there is something inspiring about their tale, about a bunch of Freedom Fighters who decided that enough was enough and to do something about their condition. Perhaps, had they been less overtly violent, they could’ve brought in real change in society. The intentions are certainly there, don’t get me wrong, it’s just they seem to fall flat when compared with their net actions.

“We do not associate with their politics of prayers.”

But what of those who chose the path of peace, preferring the olive branch to the Trident?

See, many in the Congress felt that the British were keepers of the peace, that they would understand the principles of Justice and Liberty. That they would understand that what the Congress was asking was Just, and therefore, the British had to accede to their requests … right? All their Politely worded requests were just as politely ignored by the British. Minor, token reforms were introduced, but immediately stamped out with words of “National Security”.

Throughout all this, leaders like Dadhabai Naoroji, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, G Subramaniyan Iyer, and many more thought that reform was the way to go forward, they did not vy for independence, but merely the ability to rule independently while still staying a part of the commonwealth.

They fought for internal reform before the thoughts of freedom were thought up. To them, India first had to be cleansed of its social evils before it could rule itself, and to an extent, they were right. Dadabhai Naoroji for instance, was himself a member of the British parliament, itself an unheard of feat in that age. He was, I believe, the first Black man to be a part of the House of Commons. He was often the voice that spoke for India in British Affairs. In the end however, their policies failed, for they were never able to realise the tide in which the events flowed. The World was too fast for them, they remained unaware that the British simply did not care for India as a body politic.

But there were some lessons the others could take from them. Their methods often led to more internal reform in the Princely States, not in the British territories. Their policies were much more well-suited to the Princely States, since their more peaceful, respectful tones could appease the British, making them invaluable to the Princely States’ quiet rebellion. However, they were also widely derided for their “Politics of prayers” by other groups, and were often seen as being stuffy and out-of-touch, being much more used to the problems of the City, not the village.

In the end however, it was age that killed this facet of the movement, the ways of fighting the empire would not work. In the late 1800s, it was very clear that the British would not listen to the “Moderates”, and so, a new form of revolution was necessary.

Padme Amidala, Senator for Naboo, was always a thorn in the Side of Chancellor Palpatine, A.K.A Darth Sidious. Her ways of vying for peace, when the Galaxy was hellbent on war irritated him. Had her methods succeeded, his plan would fall to pieces, a carefully crafted plan was on the verge of being ruined by an upstart senator.

Her ideas of trying to end the conflict peacefully had a good basis, and was actually the better choice, why let millions suffer when the war could be ended through peaceful means?

On the other side of the war too, was someone who wanted peace above her war-bent comrades: Mina Bonteri. She, along with Amidala orchestrated a plan to bring the war to an end, where both the CIS and the Republic could cooexist, without a war between them. In a way, her ideals were very similar to what the “Moderates” wanted, they too, wanted India to be a self-governing entity within the British Empire, as had been given to Ireland and Australia.

The Bonteri-Amidala pact of peace would not last, however, for Darth Sidious and Tyrannus would never let it stand. To them, the Empire had to be built, and so, the pleas for peace were left unheeded.

The Spark that Binds

On the 19th of July, 1905, the Citizens of India received terrible news: Bengal, the erstwhile largest Province was going to be split. The new divisions announced were East Bengal, and West Bengal (Divisions that Hold up even today). The Justification given to this decision was ease of Administration: Bengal had become too big, you see, and that made it very hard for governance, and so, Bengal was going to be split. All well and Good, you might think. Unfortunately, this split also had ulterior motives behind it, religious division. See, what made the split of Bengal suspicious, is that it was done on purely religious lines, the split, you see, could have been done in better ways than what the British Chose, the line also divided predominantly Hindu and Predominantly Muslim parts of Bengal neatly. The Man who announced this, Lord Curzon was also a known Racist Governor, with an existing track record of Anti-Indian legislation and oratory, which did not make the announcement any less aggressive.

This was one of the few times that the Radicals and the Moderates worked together, they both, for once, fought against a common enemy for their mutual wellbeing. While the Radicals set up textile mills, schools, colleges, and even courts to replace the British ones, which the citizens of India left, the Moderates petitioned the British to take the partition back. They also gave some amount of legal protection to the protestors. In this way, the first truly national movement was born. People, inspired by the Bengali rebellion fought their own battles for resolutions of their own grievances.

Due to this public pressure, that the people of India would not back down, the British were forced to accede to their demands, for the first time since the revolt of 1857, India had arisen in flamboyant revolt. Bengal was reunited in 1911 by Lord Hardinge.

In 4 BBY, the people of Lothal heard a transmission. A Group of Rebels had taken control of a communications tower and transmitted a message, as you do with a communications tower. Their message would spark the inferno of revolt throughout the Galaxy, culminating in the uniting of the Rebel Alliance.

What’s interesting here is that I feel the comparisons between India and Star Wars have worked so far, but this is where I want to emphasize the differences over the similarities. The Ghost Crew’s uniting cry was one that the Rebels sent out, something that was, yes, prompted by the actions of their overlords, but the actual uniting was done by their actions, and theirs alone. While the Indian Unity was achieved when the British made a highly controversial decision regarding the unity of the polity. The cause of the unification of the Indian National Movement was the British. This would bite them back tenfold, when a lawyer from South Africa would land there.

“The Blood of our Brothers flows across the Battlefield”

The Year was 1914, men in India were told to fight for their Imperial Overlords. Apparently, some bigwig in Europe was killed, and the Indians had to fight. And well, they were forced to fight. Any young man who was not already employed was forced to join the British Indian Army.

This, understandably, angered a lot of Indians. But they had no say in the matter. The Powers that be wanted the Germans Dead, and the Indians had to comply. World War one was especially Brutal: Indians were forced to endure the double horrors of War and rampant racism in the military ranks, which thankfully faded away overtime, to be replaced by the Utter Horrors of World War 1, the unclean trenches killed many more than the battles did, and those who returned home would never be the same again. They had lost their caste, a very important part of an Indian’s life at the time. People who crossed the oceans, or the Kalapani (Black Waters) was a serious no-no, breaking of this taboo would lead to the person’s loss of Caste.

The people back home suffered too, most of the youth of the country were lost to the war, the country suffered through a serious famine at the time, and the economy was in tatters. The volunteer army had lost over a half of their army to the war.

The ones who returned were permanently traumatized, they took a long time to return to functioning society, but the British did nothing to alleviate the nation’s crisis, they continued with their governance as though nothing happened.

This angered many of the population, who rather understandably wanted reform in the government. So began another phase in the struggle for Freedom. The World War had given Indians another perspective of the World Too, the War had brought many disparate groups together, and the would-be freedom fighters had learnt of colonial oppression outside their own context, and also saw the perspectives of the British themselves.

In a way, the War had provided fresh vigour to the already heated battlefield.

The Clone Wars were brutal. To say the least. An entire army of soldiers were bred for this purpose, in the middle of the War, the Republic economy was a thing of the past, many had to live hand to mouth.

The war itself took an untold number of civilian lives, all in the name of the existence of the Republic. In the middle of the War, we see the public opinion shifting: No longer were the Jedi the guardians of peace and Justice, but had instead started to have an aura of hatred around them, the people’s trust in the Jedi had begun to wane, they no longer held faith in these bastions of the Light Side. Further, the republic itself was beginning to lose favour, the people back home were devastated by the war, even the handmaidens of one of the Senators lived in palpable poverty. As often happens in Wartime, people’s very basic needs began to be neglected in favour of the War, rations were running low.

The Aforementioned Senator’s aide herself had to see her family deprived of adequate food and water, and see her children suffer from a lack of education. Being an aide to a Senator is presumably a pretty well-paying job, and if even the semi-elite suffered from conditions like this, what did the poor face?

🥉 ESSAY CONTEST FINALIST

Today, I want to share with you all a little theory I've been playing around with this afternoon while watching the 2003 Clone Wars Series: Was Master Yoda a victim of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and was that the reason why he left the Jedi Order to live out a hermit's existence on the planet of Dagobah? Recently, several fellow users have been exploring Luke Skywalker's dramatic flight to Ahch-To and his life as a Jedi hermit and that got me thinking... Today, watching Yoda riding around on his Kybuck and leading troops into battle on Axion got me thinking about his journey as a character. This is not part of my usual series (the next instalment of which has yet to be completed; hence, the different intro card) and is just a discussion point I wanted to share will you all. Enjoy... If you dare!

• The Old Warrior

My theory is based on the life of Yoda in both Legends and Canon. However, it is also based on a small handful of his many, many wonderful quotes. Indeed, my theory is centred around one main quote in particular:

What is the deeper meaning behind this quote? Where does it come from within Yoda's soul? Let's find out!

Over the course of the Clone Wars, the Separatist Crisis and the early stages of the Great Jedi Purge, Master Yoda fought in many battles and suffered many personal losses. He fought in the Yinchorri Uprising alongside Jedi Master Mace Windu before losing his own apprentice to the dark side (who went on to become Count Dooku- the leader of the Separatist Alliance). He lost his close friend and female species counterpart (Jedi Master Yaddle) in 25 BBY after the disastrous Mission to Mawan...

Yoda was present during the initial outbreak of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, fighting in the First Battle of Geonosis where he promptly rescued the entire Jedi Order and crossed swords with his fallen apprentice while directing the Republic's new Grand Army. He lead Republic forces into battle during the catastrophic Battle of Axion before rescuing Luminara Unduli and Barriss Offee from chameleon droids on Ilum. In the same year, Yoda was forced to kill his old friend, King Alaric of Thustra, after the latter joined the Separatist Alliance...

Yoda would go on to see combat on Rugosa (when he won a show of strength to appease King Katuunko and rescued him from Assajj Ventress) and Malastare (when he shielded the Supreme Chancellor and several leading Jedi Knights from poisonous gasses which had been detonated to kill the monstrous Zillo Beast). Though he would go on to take a primarily figurehead role in the ongoing wars, Yoda would continue to engage his fallen apprentice and enrich his understanding of the Force after journeying to Dagobah, the Wellspring of Life and Korriban...

His last major military campaign was the 19 BBY Battle of Kashyyyk, when he once again lead the Republic's clone forces into battle, liberating the Wookiee home world from the oppressive droid army and surviving an assassination attempt at the hands of the Clone Commander, Gree...

After sensing a great disturbance (which was actually the galaxy-wide execution of Order 66) in the Force, Yoda journeyed back to Coruscant with Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, where he killed several renegade clones and confronted the author of the whole catastrophe: Supreme Chancellor Palpatine- Darth Sidious. After a fierce battle in the Senate Building, Yoda fled from Coruscant, seeking solace on one of the worlds he had previously visited during his "Force Pilgrimage". But why did he go there? What motivated him to completely abandon his warrior ways and seek out a hermit's life (as Luke would also do, many years later)? "Ay, there's the rub!" And we shall look into that very shortly... But first, I should really explain...

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WHAT IS PTSD???

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The official dictionary definition of PTSD is:

"A psychological reaction occurring after experiencing a highly stressing event (such as wartime combat, physical violence, or a natural disaster) that is usually characterised by depression, anxiety, flashbacks, recurrent nightmares, and avoidance of reminders of the event".

Almost every soldier across history has experienced some form of PTSD. "Shell Shock" was (and sadly, still is) the most common form of combat-induced PTSD and affected many soldiers during both World Wars. However, PTSD would also affect soldiers during the both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Soldiers came back from battle barely able to function in normal society. They retreated into their shells, seeking solace, peace and some amount of closure (in a word: an "escape"). The memories never left them and (if you watch any modern-day interviews of veterans) even today, they still break down talking about their experiences. There are many familial accounts of returning soldiers becoming distant, remote, volatile and "never really coming home at all". War changes people- that's a given fact, but how did it change Yoda? Let's answer that question right now!

During the late stages of the Vietnam War, many veterans who had been wounded in action came home and rather than championing the cause, stood against it as outright critics. Ron Kovic was one such veteran, who became a passionate campaigner against the Vietnam War and its costly prolonging. To me, his philosophy and total change in ethics completely mirrors Yoda's own peculiar change in character and his own unique views over the end cost of war: "No longer certain that one ever does win a war, I am"...

• The Great Retreat

When Luke first encounters him on Dagobah, Yoda is no longer the strong, serious, authoritarian Jedi Grandmaster who lead both the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic to victory over the Separatists. He is eccentric, chirpy, panicky and nervous, screaming: "AWAY PUT YOUR WEAPON, I MEAN YOU NO HARM", when it wasn't so long ago that Yoda would've cut Luke down to size in a matter of seconds. But now, he has abandoned his lightsaber for a walking stick. He lives in a cozy little hut in the middle of a desolate swamp, totally cut off from all human contact (until, that is, Luke arrives). It's quiet out in the swamps. It's peaceful. In short, it's everything war isn't....

And was it a mere coincidence that the Force chose this planet to be Yoda's primary habitat? I don't think so. I think the Force was playing off of Yoda's own fears and Yoda's own inner struggle with the demons of his violent past. Was that what the shadow creature on the Force Planet really was? A spiritual culmination of Yoda's combat experiences and private fears, showing that such horrors can take over your life, if you let them. But thankfully, Yoda never did...

When he says "wars make not one great", he's warning Luke that war can and will take everything from you. In other words, he's basically saying: "don't make the same mistakes I did". Make no mistake, my friends: despite being the wise old teacher who dies at a ripe old age, the war has taken EVERYTHING from Yoda- his friends, his family, his Padawan and his calling in life. Yoda traded in his true calling as a sacred protector of the peace for the chaos and carnage of battle. The noise, the smells, the sights, the screams... These are things that never leave you and I think anyone could understand Yoda's desire to leave all of this behind.

• War is Hell

So, to summarise: Yoda abandoned the cause of restoring both the Republic and the Jedi Order because of the horrific level of stress he had achieved during the Clone Wars. This may have been in sync with the will of the Force, but it still saw Yoda reduced to a scarred shell of his former self. He achieved wisdom through his experiences, but the traumas themselves caused him to seek peace and solus in the swamps of Dagobah. Some might argue that PTSD had nothing to do with Yoda's flight and that it was ALL in accordance with the will of the Force, but I disagree; look at Obi-Wan. He lived an almost-identical existence: losing everything during the Clone Wars and retreating to the Outer Rim to live as a hermit. However, Obi-Wan chose to become a hermit on Tatooine primarily because of Luke, whereas Yoda's decision (I believe) came from pain and a deep desire for inner peace.

I hope you've enjoyed reading my theory! Please feel free to let me know your own thoughts about Yoda's tragic exile in the comments below. God bless and see you again very soon, Aragorn :))

(P.S) This essay is dedicated to:

@Ajjviolin96

@IronStain98

@Jade Moonstroller

@CrtlHit

@Revival Stories2020

@Shreekomandar

And my many other beloved brothers and sisters of this wonderful Fandom!

🥇 ESSAY CONTEST WINNER

Introduction

Rey begins her hero’s journey as a young girl abandoned on a remote planet. She lives her life alone, watching the world move around her. But like all heroes, in order to be a part of her world, she needs to be connected to it. Here, I discuss various views concerning Rey’s lineage, how they effect my view of her character, and why I ultimately enjoy Rey’s character as a descendent of Sheev Palpatine.

Rey grows up alone, waiting to find her place in the world.

Rey as a Nobody

Despite The Force Awakens setting up Rey’s character to have a genealogical connection to someone in the Star Wars Saga, The Last Jedi made Rey “a nobody” by making her parents “filthy junk traders”, and, thus, her lineage irrelevant to the story. Although this designation is appealing (more on that below), what this does within the narrative of The Skywalker Saga is turn Rey into a superhero - a nobody with crazy powers that becomes the hero that everyone needs her to be (like a Superman or Wonder Woman).

And in effect, this removes her character from the Star Wars universe. She no longer has to interact with it, or with its members, in order to grow and move the story along. For example, in The Last Jedi Rey visits Luke on Ahch-To seeking guidance, but when Luke refuses, she can largely ignore him, and, instead, can do whatever she needs to do herself, without anyone’s help. Why? Because she doesn’t need help, she is effectively a “Star Wars superhero” who can save the day on her own. This is great for audience empowerment, but lacking when it comes to enriching in-world narratives.

A combination of Rey being a nobody, having incredible powers, and on her own becoming the champion that is needed, effectively turns her character into a superhero.

Nonetheless, I believe that this “superhero disconnect” comes from a good place. It is an attempt to make Rey, who is the first female Jedi protagonist in a Star Wars movie, strong and independent to appeal, in particular, to younger female viewers (which is awesome). However, these otherwise positive traits (whether a male or female character possess them), when combined with the Force in Star Wars and the revelation that a character is a “nobody” who on his or her own becomes the hero that people need them to be saturates the character, and, paradoxically, makes the character seem less human and more superhuman. Consequently for Rey, it removes her from the larger narrative, and she no longer has any meaningful stakes tied directly to her world. She is simply there to help the good guys win.

The Force is still cosmopolitan

One of the main appeals of Rey being a “nobody” is that it supposedly demonstrates that anyone can use the Force, and you don’t have to be from a powerful bloodline to be a hero. This line of reasoning is noble, and its appeal obvious, but it similarly comes from a superhero-oriented mindset (as well as various contemporary socio-political schools of thought). For example, modern themes concerning the character Spiderman are that “anyone can wear the mask”, which is a wonderful and empowering theme, but, when this concept is co-opted with the Force in Star Wars it becomes redundant - The Force in Star Wars has always been cosmopolitan.

The Force in Star Wars has never been relegated to “mighty bloodlines”. Its power, and the wisdom gained from it, have always been for everybody.

The Force has never been specifically relegated to “powerful bloodlines”. In its simplest terms, it is an energy field created by all living things that sentient beings can feel and utilize to varying degrees. George Lucas created Midi-chlorians as a means to quantify potential “Force sensitivity”, but how these traits are passed through generations is largely unknown. Sometimes it can appear to follow blood lines, and many times it does not. But in the end, the Force in Star Wars has always been for everyone.

Therefore, “greatness” among characters in Star Wars has never really been defined by their bloodlines, but from the choices they make. They follow the basic theme of the Everyman - characters to whom all can relate regardless of where they come from. So for Rey, then, having a recognizable lineage in the context of The Skywalker Saga does not define her “greatness”, but serves to ground her character.

Rey as a Palpatine

In The Rise of Skywalker, it is revealed that Rey was a nobody because her parents wanted her to be, they purposely hid her on a remote planet for her safety. She is the granddaughter of Sheev Palpatine, and she needed to be protected. Moreover, Leia and Luke both knew of this (more on this below). This, admittedly, was a surprising narrative turn. It required rethinking the events of the previous two movies. However, what it did for Rey’s character was make her part of the story. Rey is now a character that comes from arguably the worst place in the Galaxy (so to speak), and she, and the people around her, now have to contend with this. Her narrative now has legitimate in-world stakes that are meaningful, and tied to the events surrounding her. Rey no longer is a “superhero” character participating from the outside and looking in, but is now intertwined with, and connected to her world.

Rey is a naturally kind and hardworking person, abandoned as a child for her safety. She wants to help and know her place in the world. However, unknowing to her is an unconscious drift that occurs when she begins to access the Force.

For example, Leia and Luke both knew that Rey was a Palpatine, but when? It seems that Leia knew of this from before the events of the The Force Awakens, where they first meet onscreen. During that scene, Leia reacts to Rey as if she knows her. And in fact, in 2016 after the release of The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams said this about their first meeting:

“The idea being that both of them being strong with the Force and never having met, would know about each other — that Leia would have been told about her beyond what we saw onscreen and Rey of course would have learned about Leia. And that reunion would be a meeting and a reunion all in one” (J.J. Abrams, ABC News)

So although Abrams did not have Rey written as a Palpatine at that time, the intent of the scene is clear - Rey was someone of consequence and Leia knew of her. Consequently, their embrace in that scene now carries more meaning, and this event now drives the narrative of the trilogy more deeply by suggesting that Leia is willfully entrusting Rey, a descendent of Palpatine, with finding Luke. It shows Leia’s grace, and, in turn, her faith in her brother. Leia is also consigning the future of this possibly volatile girl to Luke. So when Leia wishes Rey “May the Force be with You” as Rey leaves in the Millennium Falcon to Ahch-To at the end of The Force Awakens, it has weight and the stakes are set.

Leia knew Rey was a descendant of Palpatine. This deepens their first onscreen meeting in The Force Awakens, and sets the stakes for rest of the trilogy.

Likewise, the scenes in Ahch-To from The Last Jedi (mentioned previously) now convey an expanded perspective, and similarly allow for Rey’s narrative to carry a deeper consequence. For example, it is clear that Luke does not know who Rey is when she first arrives at Ahch-To, likely because he has closed himself off from The Force. However, from the scenes when Luke is training Rey, Luke can be seen putting the pieces together about who Rey is, and, when he reconnects with the Force in the Jedi temple before Rey leaves (and links with Leia), it is confirmed.

But more significantly, Luke learning the truth about Rey enriches the conflict with which he is already struggling - namely, that Luke believes he has failed Ben Solo, and now he is confronted with the dilemma of training a descendent of Palpatine. Consequently, when Rey attacks Luke from behind, and they scuffle, it brings with it a deeper meaning. And, with the help of Yoda, who tells Luke “Lose Ben Solo you did. Lose Rey we must not”, Luke must realize that Rey is not a product of her past, but with help (e.g., looking past a pile of old books), she can forge her own path, as Leia always believed.

After struggling with the failure of losing Ben Solo to the Dark, Luke is faced with challenge of training Rey, a descendant of Palpatine (top). This inner conflict culminates when Luke discovers Rey and Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) are communing through the Force (bottom).

Rey’s Parents (The Missing Piece)

In The Rise of Skywalker, we see Rey’s parents. In an emotional scene, they are able to hide Rey on the planet Jakku before they are taken and killed for not revealing Rey’s location. Although no details are disclosed about them in the movie, Rey’s parents also play a pivotal role in tying Rey’s character to her world, and increasing her importance to the story. Additionally, it opened new narrative possibilities concerning the role Rey’s parents played, considering Leia knew of Rey’s identity. Moreover, Palpatine having descendants deepens his lore as well, particularly during the years of Episodes I - III, as he would have become a father during this time.

The ship where Rey’s parents were killed in order to keep her safe. Their complete story remains to be told, but Rey’s parents’ inclusion in the story strengthens Rey’s overall narrative.

Unfortunately, in the novelization of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey’s father was made to be a clone of Palpatine after Palpatine was killed in Return of the Jedi. This clone “son” was inexplicably normal, escaped from one of the most hidden planets in the Galaxy, and, somehow, met someone and fathered Rey. This is admittedly a stale and uncreative narrative decision, given the available possibilities. However, novels are only considered Canon in Star Wars “where they align with what is seen on screen” (Wookieepedia). Therefore, since there is no reason to believe that Rey’s father is a clone in the movie (this does not align with what is seen on screen, and the novelization simply appropriated the concept of the Sith Eternal clone tanks that were meant to explain Snoke), there is a legitimate argument to be made as to the weight the novelization carries (i.e., the novelization is filler).

There are many narrative possibilities for Rey’s parents, but they must rest on the basic story that Sheev Palpatine conceived a child at some point during the Prequel Era. Consequently, I believe a more meaningful story concerning Rey’s parents are a missing piece to fully complete her story.

Force Dyad (Rey’s Myth)

The Rise of Skywalker reveals Rey and Ben Solo to be part of a Force dyad - two physical bodies that share one Living Force. The concept is derived from Joseph Campbell’s works, which include the ideas behind the modern monomyth, and represents Rey’s (and Ben Solo’s) contribution to the Star Wars mythos. Campbell references the dyad as a union, a “marriage” of two bodies. And in Star Wars, Rey and Ben, therefore, are inextricably bound as a single unit in the Force.

Rey and Kylo Ren (Ben Solo) are part of a Force dyad. Rey being a Palpatine and Ben a Skywalker thematically complement the two halves of this union in the Force.

This symbolism is thematically resolved with Rey as a Palpatine. For example, Ben Solo (a Skywalker) and Rey (a Palpatine) represent the two main lineages of The Skywalker Saga, and the two contrasting aspects of the Force itself. However, what makes their union as a dyad unique, is that Ben comes from the Light but chooses the Dark, while Rey comes from Dark and chooses the Light. This interconnection compliments one of the overarching themes of sequel trilogy - the maintenance of balance. Luke even contemplates in The Last Jedi that “for many years there was balance”. Therefore, The Rise of Skywalker asks “how is balance preserved?”, and proposes that “it takes a village”, the community of the Galaxy, to overcome its challenges. This theme is also carried through with the Force with concept of “all the Jedi”. Therefore, with the Force dyad, it is as if the Force itself is manifested as one, attempting to achieve balance through the two most contrasting, yet intertwined, lineages of the Skywalker Saga, a Skywalker and a Palpatine.

So, it is only when the two opposing facets resolve, a Skywalker returns to the Light and a Palpatine controls the Dark, as an equally complimentary unit in the Force, that balance can be maintained and preserved for future generations. By the end of the Saga, Rey embraces this as her new role, and, accordingly, accepts the Skywalker name as a symbol of hope, and as an ambassador to the Skywalker Legacy.

Rey is a symbol of overcoming your past, and choosing your own path through unity and maintenance of the Force.

Conclusion

Rey is a uniquely positioned character in Star Wars. She represents the vision of multiple writers, and, therefore, can be interpreted in many different ways (often drawing much contention in the process). Even so, I don’t believe that a choice has to made. Here, I argue why I enjoy Rey as a descendant of Palpatine - because it grounds her character and allows her to be part of the story in way that enriches the lore. However, I don’t believe that this negates any positive attributes that people see in her character if she were a “nobody”. She will always be Rey, and a character that, I believe, offers a unique and enriching role to the Star Wars Saga.

Further Reading

Here are other posts I have written that examine Rey as a Palpatine that may be of interest:

Rey channels the dark during her duel on Starkiller Base

Rey channels the dark during Kylo Ren’s interrogation in The Force Awakens

The Mirror Cave from The Last Jedi - An Interpretation

Acknowledgements

Whether the positions were positive or negative, I would like to thank all the great users here that have helped me shape my views on Rey. There are many of you, and you probably know who you are. Cheers!

All of the artwork from this post comes from “The Art of Star Wars” books.

✍️ ESSAY CONTEST ENTRY

(See link to vote)

(WARNING: Contains minor Spoilers for The Searchers, Shane, The Dollars Trilogy, Rio Bravo & The Wild Bunch... Although, if you haven't seen any of these great films by now- WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?!! JK 😂)

Today, we're going to be doing something a little different... Today, instead of comparing an era or conflict in Star Wars to a specific period in real world history, we're going to be comparing and contrasting Star Wars itself to a certain movie genre which has, I believe, influenced this faraway galaxy a great deal... THE WESTERN! Today, we'll be looking at how the western has evolved and how it's gone on to influence Star Wars as a whole. We'll be comparing and contrasting characters, plot lines, stories and settings. However, before we do that, I'd just like to say that this is NOT a straightforward analysis; this is also a love letter. This is a love letter to both Star Wars and the western- two distinct art forms that made up a great and very happy part of my childhood. So saddle-up partners, and let's ride! YEEHAW!

• Setting the Scene: A New Hope & The Searchers

1956's The Searchers, Director John Ford's undisputed masterpiece (and, in my humble opinion, the greatest western ever made), begins on a quite little farm in the middle of West Texas. The year is 1868- three years after the end of the brutal civil war that tore the whole country in two. We begin with the Edwards Family: Aaron, Martha, Ben, Lucy and Deborah (or "Debbie"): honest, hardworking, God-fearing settlers come west to build a new life for themselves. Out of a pitch-black hallway we step, and into the blazing heat and breathtaking beauty of Monument Valley, watching with silent anticipation as a lone rider trots up towards the house: Ethan Edwards (played by the one and only, John Wayne), a Confederate veteran of the civil war and Aaron's estranged brother. After eight years spent doing who-knows-what (but more about that later), Ethan has finally come home to his family as the virtual "prodigal brother". Overcoming Aaron's various suspicions, Ethan temporarily settles back into family life. However, it is sadly not to last...

Trouble charges into their peaceful little world in the form of the Reverend Samuel Johnson Clayton (played with true heroic gusto, by Ward Bond), a grizzled old preacher and captain of the Texas Rangers. This is all set during the bloody Texas-Indian Wars (1820-1875) and the reverend has come bearing dark tidings: Norwegian settler Lars Jorgensen's (Lars? Coincidence?) cattle have been apparently run off his ranch by "rustlers" during the night, and Captain Clayton is forming a ranger posse to bring them in. Leaving Aaron behind to defend his family (due to certain suspicions that there may be darker forces at work), Ethan joins the detail and sets off to track down the stolen cows...

However, nothing could be further from the truth. The posse makes a shocking discovery: the cows have not been run off, but needlessly butchered in the dead of night, as Ethan points out to the entire group:

ETHAN: Caddos or Kiowas, huh? Ain't but one tribe uses a lance like that... Stealing the cattle was just to pull us out. This is a murder raid. Shapes up to burn down either your place, or my brother's.

What the reverend believed to be a ragtag bunch of simple cattle rustlers, is actually a full war party of Comanche raiders, led by a bloodthirsty Chieftain ("Scar") with revenge on his mind. Slaughtering Jorgensen's cows in a successful attempt to lure the settlers away from their homesteads, the raiders head straight for the Edwards Family (in one of the most terrifying scenes in all of non-horror movie history)... Ethan returns to find his family massacred, their ranch burned to the ground and his two nieces kidnapped as Comanche "war brides". And so begins a gruelling five-year search that will force Ethan to confront the "dark side" of his own personality...

A New Hope, George Lucas's first iconic instalment of the Star Wars saga (why we're all here!) begins in much the same fashion- with a quite little homestead on the desolate Outer Rim world of Tatooine. We begin, not after the end of a civil war, but just before the beginning of one, in a deeply-divided galaxy ruled by the tyrannical Galactic Empire. We find our main hero, Luke Skywalker, living with his uncle and aunt (Owen and Beru Lars) as a humble moisture farmer. However, their simple little existence is not to last either... Trouble walks (or rather, "waddles") into their lives in the form of two droids: C-3PO and R2-D2. The Lars's buy them for the purpose of simple farm labour, but little do they know that they've actually just acquired the stolen plans to the Emperor's ultimate destructive weapon: The Death Star, kickstarting a heroic quest to combat evil and restore freedom to the entire universe...

• Lonely are the Brave: Luke Skywalker & Martin Pawley

When we first meet Luke Skywalker, he is like many young men: rash and impatient, slightly naive, extremely eager and above all else, desperate to make his mark on the world. He loves his uncle and aunt a great deal, but is determined to break away from their farming community and fulfil his dreams of becoming a star pilot and galactic adventurer. He feels trapped by the life, stifled into becoming something he isn't: (to C-3PO) "not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest or teleport me off this rock" and "well, if there's a bright centre to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from". He's desperate for action, adventure, travel and camaraderie (something that many of us can probably relate to), complaining that "it just isn't fair" and reasoning that "I'm going nowhere". He looks out to the horizon and watches as Tatooine's twin suns set, feeling purposeless and utterly abandoned...

Martin Pawley, the adopted son of Martha and Aaron, sits out on the front porch of the Edwards homestead, bathed in the orange glow of a setting sun and feeling totally alone. Rescued by Ethan after his parents were massacred during a previous raid, Martin was raised as one of the Edwards Family. However, like Luke, he is unsatisfied with his lot in life. He lacks purpose and meaning, cruelly mocked by Ethan as an outsider for his Cherokee heritage. Like Luke, he is desperate for adventure but feels suffocated by his apparently "dead-end" surroundings: (to Ethan) "Yeah, I know what you want me to know. That I got no kin, no money, no horses! All I got here is a bunch o' dead-man's clothes to wear! Well you told me that already, so shut your mouth!" Unfortunately, both young men will get decidedly more than they bargained for when adventure finally does come knocking, as Martin joins Captain Clayton's ranger posse and Luke pursues a runaway R2-D2 into the forbidding Jundland Wastes...

Attacked by a marauding band of Tusken Raiders (commonly known as "Sandpeople"), Luke is rescued by the nomadic Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. After recovering the droid and revealing certain secrets about Luke's true parentage, the wise old warrior resolves to escort the confused youth back to the Lars homestead. However, the pair make an unnerving discovery on the way home: the Jawa family that previously sold them the two droids has been brutally massacred by what appears to be another band of Tusken Raiders. However, all is not as it seems and the dialogue leading up to the discovery of the identities of the true culprits is startlingly similar to Ethan's own detective-style analysis regarding the dead cows:

LUKE: It looks like the Sandpeople did this, alright. Look, there's gaffi sticks, bantha tracks. It's just, I've never heard of them hitting anything this big before.

OBI-WAN: They didn't, but we are meant to think they did. These tracks are side-by-side. Sandpeople always ride single file to hid their numbers...

LUKE: But why would Imperial troops want to slaughter Jawas? If they traced the robots here, they may have learned who they sold them to and that would lead them back... home!

And heck, they even look a little bit like each other too!

• "Next time you mind your Uncle Owen!"

Ethan Edwards in not a nice man. It's as simple as that. He has a soft side and certain level of vulnerability to him... but he keeps both characteristics buried deep beneath a layer of primal, rock-hard hatred. Described by screenwriter Frank S. Nugent as "a man as hard as the country he is crossing", Ethan is a man of few words and infinite mystery. What exactly did he do during those three years after the end of the civil war? Was he a bandit? A bank robber? A rebel raider? A gun-for-hire? We will never know, and (for me at least) that's one of the things that makes Edwards such a compelling character.

Upon returning to his brother's farm, we see faint traces of a past romance between Ethan and his sister-in-law. Maybe they were once betrothed? Maybe they were lovers? Maybe Martha still loves Ethan? All of it is left unsaid, but Ethan's silence speaks volumes. He is a nomadic man of the wilderness, hopelessly destined "to wander forever between the winds". There are thresholds he can never cross, bridges he can never build, promises he can never make. As his search for Debbie progresses, it becomes clear that the only thing keeping him going is hate- hate for the Comanches and everything they stand for. The actual reason for this hatred is briefly revealed when Debbie leans back against a tombstone (while hiding from the Indians) with a mysterious inscription: "HERE LIES MARY JANE EDWARDS. KILLED BY COMANCHES. MAY 12, 1852. A GOOD WIFE AND MOTHER IN HER 41st YEAR". This was Ethan's mother...

However, he is also a lonely man and a figure of great tragedy and regret. With a distance of 40 miles between the farm and himself, Ethan is forced to stand and stare into the distance, utterly helpless as Scar moves in on his family... Out of the way, Clark Kent; this is the real "man of steel"...

In terms of finding a biological Star Wars counterpart for Ethan Edwards, Owen Lars (Luke's adoptive uncle) is the clear choice. However, in terms of character, both men couldn't be less alike, though it's fun to imagine a Star Wars parody of one of Ethan and Martin's many disagreements:

LUKE: There's something mighty fishy about these Jawas, Uncle Owen!

OWEN: Don't call me "uncle", I ain't your uncle.

LUKE: Yessir.

OWEN: No need to call me "sir" either, nor grandpa, nor Jabba the Hutt! I can whup you to a frazzle!

I believe that the Star Wars equivalent of Ethan Edwards is none other than Anakin Skywalker. Like Ethan, Anakin is a man of great pain and inner darkness. He also keeps a "hidden romance" buried deep within his heart and fuels his powers with anger and passion. Returning to his home world just before the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Anakin makes the horrific discovery that his mother (Shmi) has been kidnapped by Tuskens. Making the perilous journey to their camp, Skywalker discovers that his mother has been brutally murdered by the raiders. Fuelled by his anger, he slaughters the entire village, displaying the same hatred that moulds Ethan: "I... I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead... every single one of them. And not just the men. But the women... and the children too. They're animals, and I slaughtered them like animals! I HATE THEM!"

As this hate begins to consume him, Ethan changes his mission's overall goal: to kill his niece. After becoming one of Scar's many squaws, Ethan sees Debbie as worthless and lost. He resolves to kill her and rid his family of this Comanche connection, seeing all Native Americans as nothing more than savages (like Anakin and the Tuskens). Can he break away from this destructive crash-course? I won't spoil the ending for you, but will just say that it will bring you to tears...

• An Anatomy of Evil: Creating the Perfect Villain

When creating a villain for your film/book/TV show, sometimes it's not important to make him (or her) brilliantly complex. Sometimes the villain doesn't have to have a grand scheme or a deeply personal motivation. Sometimes, the villain just has to be downright evil! Nowhere in all of Star Wars, is this more than case than with the infamous and feared Duros bounty hunter: CAD BANE. Bane is a ruthless psychopath, killing without mercy or remorse. He will murder, rob and torture anyone or anything to get what he wants, and how does he justify these diabolical means? Quite simply: "I'll take on any job... for the right price".

"Where did Filoni and Lucas get their inspiration for this most monstrous creation?", I hear you ask. Well, I believe there are two great examples. The first comes from the classic 1966 spaghetti western: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. On the hunt for a stolen cache of gold coins, we follow three gunslingers, one of which happens to be Lee Van Cleef as the mercurial "Angel Eyes". Angel Eyes, like Bane, is a cold-blooded killer who justifies his numerous acts of savage cruelty with the immortal line: "when I'm paid, I always follow my job through"...

The second example comes from the classic 1953 western: Shane (in my Dad's opinion, the greatest western ever made). Set some time after the civil war, the film follows a small community of Wyoming settlers plagued by a corrupt landowner and his hired guns. The plot is centred around a mysterious gunslinger named "Shane" (masculine fortitude personified, in the form of Alan Ladd) and his relationship with the Starrett Family. Shane's Cad Bane rides into town in the form of gunfighter, Jack Wilson (played with devilish zeal, by Jack Palance). Like Bane, Wilson is a hired killer with a heart of stone and a penchant for drawing his victims into making the first move. Wilson is the real deal: black gloves, black hat, pale horse and a sly grin. What links these three characters and makes them such compelling villains is how marvellously uncomplicated they are; they're not trying to get the girl, rule the world or take revenge. All they're interested in is making a fast buck, and they don't mind killing to do it. I can remember being captivated by Bane and his cruelty from the very beginning, thinking to myself: "Did he really just do that? He's a bad guy! He can't do that to a good guy and get away with it"... Or can he?

• The Loveable Rogue: Han Solo & The Dude

When people think of redemption and Star Wars, they tend to either think of Anakin Skywalker or IG-11. Well, those are both good examples, but I think one of the most intriguing cases of redemption in the entire franchise is the case of a certain Corellian smuggler who I'm sure you've never heard of before: HAN SOLO. There may be several individual outside influences defining his character, but I personally think that Han Solo is the Star Wars equivalent of Dean Martin's character, from 1959's Rio Bravo. The film follows Sheriff John T. Chance's (John Wayne, again) heroic attempts to bring local troublemaker, Joe Burdette, to justice. Over the course of the film, Chance recruits a long list of colourful characters to his cause, finding a new romance and mending several old friendships along the way...

When we encounter "The Dude" (or "Borrachón"- Spanish for "drunk") for the first time, he is a depressed alcoholic who bites his hands and punches his legs to subdue his cravings for liquor. Chance regards the Dude as a virtual son, but the Dude doesn't feel worthy of his love or his respect: "you've got no use for a man you can't depend on". He lacks faith in himself, and that's what keeps him tucked up inside the bottle, as observed by local wagon drover, Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond, again): "I'm so used to stumbling over that fella. I don't think I ever did see him standing on his own two feet without something to help hold him up".

Redemption can only come when the Dude is ready to put his own problems aside and start taking responsibility for both his friends and his actions. He must make that break, and he alone. And when he finally does make it, spurred-on by Burdette's hired thugs playing of "El Degüello" ("the cutthroat song", played for the ill-fated defenders of the Alamo by Santa Anna's Mexican Army: "no-quarter"), it's simply glorious to behold, with a virtually reborn Martin serenading us with that golden voice of his as his crippling alcoholism finally disappears. Faith, pride, hope and self-assurance return: "Till they played that piece, I forgot how I got into this thing. Keep on playing it, I don't think I'll ever forget again"...

When we first meet Han Solo in that legendary cantina scene, he makes no attempt to hide the fact that he is all about the money. He's charismatic and charming, but also vain and selfish, displaying his shocking lack of concern for the welfare of others aboard the Death Star:

LUKE: They're gonna execute her! Look, a few minutes ago you said you didn't want to just wait here to be captured. Now all you want to do is stay?

HAN: Marching into the detention area is not what I had in mind!

LUKE: But they're gonna kill her!

HAN: Better her than me!

Though not an alcoholic, Han has a crippling addiction to wealth. Any possible heroism can only be inspired through the promise of money. Like the Dude, Han lacks faith, though the Dude lacks faith in himself where Solo lacks faith in the ways of the Force, seeing them as mere "hokey religions". Han's uncaring egotism is promptly confirmed by an angry Princess Leia just before the climactic Battle of Yavin:

LEIA: It's not over yet.

HAN: It is for me, sister. Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money.

LEIA: You needn't worry about your reward. If money is all that you love, then that's what you'll receive... (To Luke) Your friend is quite the mercenary. I wonder if he really cares about anything. Or anybody.

Like the Dude, redemption can only come for Han when he is willing to put aside his own selfish ideals and put his life on the line for his friends and the cause of the Rebellion. But how did he get like this in the first place? What made Han so untrusting? What made him so uncaring? The answer is simple: "a girl".

Yes, in Solo: A Star Wars Story, we learn that Han used to be everything Luke still is: optimistic, courageous and unselfish. However, something changed... The beautiful Qi'ra walked into his life and broke the poor lad's heart, abandoning him for the wealth and power of Darth Maul's vast criminal empire. What is one of the defining quotes of the movie? "Assume everyone will betray you, and you will never be disappointed". Resolving to never again suffer such heartbreak, Solo wrapped himself up in a protective layer of Wookiee camaraderie and street-smart introversion. And how did Dean Martin's character lose that same spark? How did the Dude become Borrachón? Again, the answer is simple, but also links Solo straight to the singing gunslinger himself:

CHANCE: (To Pat) Well if you'd come through three years ago, you wouldn't've stumbled over him. Dude was good. He was my deputy. Best man with a gun I ever worked with... (When Wheeler asks) A girl. Just a girl that came through on the stage. She was no good, but couldn't tell him that. I tried and her damned-near killed me. Anyway, he was hooked. Went away with her. Six months later, he came back without her... So, for two years he's been drinking. All he could buy or, somebody'd buy for him, until last night.

• The Mandalorian with No Name: The Story of the Spaghetti Western

As US pop culture evolved and the tastes of many moviegoers changed, the age of the screen western began to draw to a close. The days of the big, blockbusting western epics like Stagecoach, The Big Country, Rio Grande, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and The Alamo were virtually over. Audiences wanted something new, something fresh, something different. Thanks to the radical Hippie Movement of the 1960s and the efforts of directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, people wanted to experience greater, deeper themes exploring internal psychology, the effects of war (preferably, Vietnam) and the consequences of violence... However, in Europe, the genre itself was experiencing a radical new rebirth. The sudden change in international trends gave birth to the rise of a new type of western: THE SPAGHETTI WESTERN.

Talented new directors like Sergio Corubcci and Sergio Leone were gathering together in their native Italian homelands to create a new kind of western epic. Their westerns would be darker, grittier and more violent, shot on low budgets and filmed in primarily Italian locations with primarily Italian casts (hence, the subgenre's nickname). The hero would no longer be a buckskin-clad Adonis, but dirty, unshaven and morally questionable. The hero would become the anti-hero: only in it for selfish gain until something (or someone) can persuade him otherwise. In Lucas's terms: a Grey Jedi. The hero would not be fighting for country or cause, but for himself and those around him. Revenge would be a common motivator for characters and redemption would be an inevitably common outcome, because who doesn't like a good zero-to-hero story? In short, the spaghetti western changed the western genre forever, and in some ways saved it from extinction.

In recent years, Star Wars itself has experienced a similar rebirth in the form of Jon Favreau's game-changing new series: The Mandalorian. From that first moment when he strolled onto our screens back in 2019, cowboy spurs a-jangling, the bounty hunter known as Din Djarin captured our imaginations with his many exploits and adventures, rescuing a force-sensitive infant (who captured our hearts) from shadowy Imperial remnants and ruthless bounty killers. And for inspiration, it would appear that Favreau turned straight to several prominent spaghetti western influences... because who is Din Djarin? What motivates his character? What is his goal in life? Let's find out!

There is one particular character from the spaghetti western canon who (it is fairly safe to say) may have inspired Din Djarin's entire story: The Man with No Name, Clint Eastwood's iconic cigar-chewing, poncho-wearing, eye-squinting gunslinger who blazed a trail through western pop culture over the course of three movies: The Dollars Trilogy. This mysterious gunfighter is known by several nicknames- "Joe", "Blondie" and "Manco" (Mando? Another coincidence?), but like our beloved Mandalorian (for most of the first season, at least) is virtually unknown. A Fistful of Dollars' melodramatic trailer describes him with a line of dialogue that could've easily been written for the Mandalorian himself:

"The man with no name... Danger fits him like a tight black glove... He is perhaps the most dangerous man who ever lived".

Like the Mandalorian, he is a man of few words and even fewer mercies. But who is he? Where does he come from? Where is he going? What are his goals? What has he done to survive in this lawless frontier? As with Ethan Edwards, we will probably never know... and that's one of the things that makes both Mando and Manco such great characters! Why does he hate droids? What exactly did happen on Alzoc III? Why does he cover his face? Answers to such questions will come later, but for the moment, let's dwell on his character and motivations, because that's where the similarities between these two great characters really lie...

In A Fistful of Dollars, the first (and in my humble opinion, the best) instalment of the Dollars Trilogy, the Man With No Name (known as "Joe" in this film) rides into a virtual "ghost town" divided between two warring criminal factions: bandits employed by the merciless Rojo Brothers, and gunrunners working for the corrupt Baxter Family. At first, Joe's only goal is to find "food... something to drink" and make a few bucks; staying with grouchy old innkeeper, Silvanito, on the edge of town. Ignoring Silvanito's "I have spoken" warnings, Joe begins to play both sides of the conflict. Like Han, Joe is a complete mercenary; only in it for the money... until he encounters the fair Marisol- Ramon Rojo's girlfriend, unjustly stolen from her husband's side. Something happens to Joe upon discovering this pair of "star-crossed lovers". Something changes... Our uncaring anti-hero grows a heart... Redemption is within his grasp...

Like Joe, "Mando" the Mandalorian wonders the lawless Outer Rim territories as a bounty hunter and gunslinger, picking up whatever work he can. He takes jobs from the unscrupulous Greef Karga, chasing bounties across the galaxy while fending off rival hunters. Like "Manco" in For a Few Dollars More, Mando usually gives his bounties a choice:

MANCO: Alive or dead, it's your choice.

&

MANDO: I can bring you in warm, or can I bring you in cold.

Desperate to earn a decent credit, Mando accepts a job from the nefarious ex-Imperial official known only as "The Client": to journey to the Outer Rim world of Arvala-7 and capture/kill an unnamed 50-year old individual. Joining together with an IG assassin droid and his own Silvanito in the form of the Ugnaught moisture farmer, Kuiil, Mando finally discovers the character that will effectively become his "saving grace": the force-sensitive infant, later known as "Grogu"...

Still pledged to achieving his own selfish goals, the Mandalorian makes the journey back to Nevarro, delivers the child to the Client and collects his reward: a camtono-full of beskar steel. Forging himself a new suit of armour, Mando prepares to leave Nevarro and continue his travels, abandoning the infant to his fate with the Imperials... However, strapped into his cockpit onboard the Razor Crest, something happens to this mercenary hunter... He too, grows a heart.

Both heroes finally turn against their evil paymasters, saving the day and achieving redemption. Mando never formally reveals his reasons for saving Grogu, but I think we can all guess why: at heart, he cares for the kid like a son and, when faced with the alternative, refuses to let the Empire's sinister forces claim him as one of their "guinea pigs". Mando is given one shot at changing his ways and achieving redemption... and he doesn't miss. And as for Joe? He didn't miss either, turning on the Rojos and returning Marisol back to her real family. As with Mando, the explanation for this uncharacteristic heroism is wonderfully unspecified: "I knew someone like you once. There was no one there to help"...

• Spectre of the Past: Origins of the Outer Rim

When George Lucas set about creating his lawless Outer Rim frontier, specifically Tatooine, it would appear that he turned straight to the western and its many defining features for inspiration. Far from the law-abiding Core, Tatooine would resemble the untamed American frontier of the early 1830s and late 1860s, in terms of geography, history and social infrastructure.

Mos Eisley, that iconic "wretched hive of scum and villainy" would be a virtual carbon copy of Kansas's Dodge City- a place of smugglers, cardsharps, hired killers, travelling snake oil salesmen and bounty hunters. Chalmun's cantina would resemble many of your typical western saloons, filled with every kind of lawless thug or troublemaker- people just waiting to pick a fight with any newcomers.

The Dune Sea and its Jundland Wastes would be based upon the forbidding desert plains of West Texas, Colorado and Kansas. Like the West itself, the Dune Sea was inhabited by large communities of desperate farmers and settlers. These families came to the Outer Rim to start a new life and exploit the planet's need for water. This agricultural expansion would inevitably bring them into direct conflict with the Dune Sea's natives: the Tusken Raiders, whom Lucas would base (in part, at least) on the many Indian tribes of the Great Plains. Like the Tuskens, these tribes would prove to be fiercely territorial and warlike. Comanche raiders would terrorise the American frontier (though this was actually their frontier) for many decades, burning homesteads, slaughtering farmers and kidnapping women and children. Some settlers formed ranger companies and set out to try and retrieve these stolen family members, but few ever returned. Cliegg Lars and his ill-fated quadrille are one such case in Star Wars history: "Thirty of us went out after her. Four of us came back"...

• Vision of the Future: What comes next?

But what does the future hold for this faraway galaxy that we've all come to know and love so well? What new adventures are the writers at Lucasfilm busy cooking up? What brave new worlds will their brave new characters be encountering? Well, I for one think that the future is universally bright! We have a myriad of hopefully great new TV shows and movies coming our way, featuring the likes of Ahsoka, Kenobi, A Droid Story, Andor, Rogue Squadron, Lando, The Acolyte and the Book of Boba Fett. Personally, I'm really excited... but there were two particular entries that really caught my eye as further examples of the franchise's western influences: The Bad Batch and Rangers of the New Republic.

With both entries, it would appear that Star Wars is somewhat returning to its western roots. With Rangers of the New Republic, Star Wars may be edging closer towards Searchers territory, because what do we think of when people mention rangers? Horseback constables combing miles of wasteland in search of raiding parties or abducted settlers. Let's hope that's what we get... The Bad Batch will follow Clone Force 99, an elite combat unit of clone troopers with "desirable mutations". I would personally link the basic premise of the series to Sam Peckinpah's blood-soaked 1969 western: The Wild Bunch. The film follows a group of ageing outlaws out for "one last score" and trapped in a modern world that doesn't want them around anymore. Because what happens to trained killers (like the Bad Batch) when the government (like Palpatine's Empire) finally turns against them? Will we see the Bad Batch going out in a wild blaze of glory? Let's wait and see...

And so, as we close the book on this analysis like John Ford shutting the door on Ethan Edwards, I would just like to leave you with the last verse of "The Searchers", the Sons of the Pioneers' beautiful little ballad that plays us in and out of that great movie. I would also post one last image of another person walking away, and humbly leave you to draw your own conclusions:

"A man will search his heart and soul, go searching way out there. His peace of mind, he knows he'll find, but where, oh Lord, Lord where? Ride away... ride away... ride way".

If you're still here, thanks for reading my work! I hope you've enjoyed this comparison and (if you haven't seen them already) have discovered some really great western movies to watch during lockdown. Feel free to leave some feedback or checkout my previous analysis posts via my brand new hub. Thanks again and God bless, Aragorn :))

(P.S) If you enjoyed my Tusken/Comanche comparison, fear not; I am still not finished with Native American history yet ;)

(P.P.S) Just a few ritual dedications to all the friends who've so kindly commented on my previous posts: @Jace Moon @TheTrooperGuy @Esmy12345678910 @Vaderson @The House Always Wins VIII @RushW @Cian42 @Revival Stories2020 @Noah3310 @CrtlHit @1106SW @Tedmcminn @NotKait @Plexaura @Mand'alor the Vault13warrior, Flame of Valhalla @Justdeffra and @Ajjviolin96. To all of you, many thanks for you kind words and overwhelming support. God bless, Aragorn :))

(P.P.P.S) A special mention for @Shreekomandar: "IN ARDA WE TRUST" ;))

• A long time ago...in this same galaxy...

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, everyone his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said: “It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts”. Thus, did Job continually.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan:

Ø “Whence comest thou?”

Then Satan answered the Lord, and said:

Ø “From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

And the Lord said unto Satan:

Ø “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?”

Then Satan answered the Lord, and said:

Ø “Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.”

And the Lord said unto Satan:

Ø “Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.”

So, Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house.

And there came a messenger unto Job, and said: “The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said: “The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said: “The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said: “Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.”

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped. And said: “Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. (Job 1:1-22)

Being one of the most admired figures of both Judaism and Christianity as also the Islam, Job was known as an example of patience, wisdom, faith and loyalty. Some believe he indeed existed; others say he was invented. Whatever be the nature of his existence, fictional or real, Job undoubtedly might be an inspiring figure. Just like in our beloved SW universe, there is also a character which life has many similarities: Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi. I know, Kenobi never had any properties, nor servants or wealth of any kind, nor even wife or children. But his life had parallels with Job's in relation to the people he cared and loved...and that he lost.

• ...and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.

Is known that Obi Wan was one of the best Jedi Masters ever. The first in almost a millennium to defeat a Sith...and as padawan. Specialist in Ataru, and a master of Soresu, Kenobi was one of the greatest lightsaber duellists of his time. The only one to manage to kill Grievus and defeat Vader (on Mustafar), also recalling his Force abilities and powers...as his charm and calm demeanour specially at resolving disputes without a single battle, which would earn him the sobriquet "The Negotiator", even being a Jedi guardian. During the time of CW, Obi-Wan's reputation and talent on the battlefield and his legendary diplomacy skills had him promoted to Jedi Master, and he was granted a seat on the Jedi High Council.

Indeed, Obi Wan was all these things, but he always recognized that all he was and had was thanks to the Force. Throughout much of his early apprenticeship to Qui-Gon Jinn, Kenobi possessed strong fondness for rigid rules and a largely by-the-book attitude when it came to matters such as the Jedi Code. In many ways, he represented the strength of the old Jedi Order: steadfast, selfless, and modest. He let himself be guided through the Force and was always willing to do its will. His humility allowed him to try to understand its designs, even when he was not agreeing. And it was exactly because of all these peculiar traits that allowed Kenobi to face and win all the tests he had been through during his life. Just like Job.

• God and the Force vs. Satan and the Sith lords:

As it was cited above, Job's disgrace and misery came as a result of "a bet" between the Devil and God, with the former being sure that Job would curse God and fell into darkness if he took everything from him. Being aware of His victory, God gave the licence to Satan do whatever he wanted to do with Job, with the solely condition of not killing him. And as the same way that Satan used all his resources to attack the Jew, also did the dark side against Kenobi, with its most formidable agents: Darth Maul and Darth Sidious. Maul could be stated the analogue of the Sabeans and Chaldeans raiders, while Sidious would represent "the fire of God and the great wind", as a metaphor of a "force of nature".

Just as the raiders took away from Job his animals and slain his servants, also Maul took twice away from Kenobi two people he cared deeply. First his master on Naboo, and though then Obi Wan had "avenged" him by "killing" the zabrak obtaining a great Jedi victory, it was more a loss than a winning; but perhaps the worst one was in Mandalore, when again Maul, a decade later surfaced to get his revenge against Kenobi, taking the life of someone - the duchess Satine Krynze - who didn't have nothing to do with, only to make Obi Wan suffer. And even that the Jedi may have found himself guilty and had cursed himself for his lover's death, just like Job accepted God's will over him (the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away), also did Kenobi about the Force's will over Satine’s passing (there is no death, there is the Force), over Maul’s actions (there is no passion, there is serenity) and with great sorrow, put himself together, holding tightly in his beloved Jedi Code, reciting again and again in his mind, as an analgesic to his body and soul (there is no emotion, there is peace).

However, the checkmate came when the fire from the heaven and the great wind personified in Darth Sidious burned the Jedi (Order 66) consumed the Republic (Galactic Empire), and took away one of the things that lasted to the Jedi Master: Anakin. But unlike Job, that had to mourn his ten children all at once, Obi Wan had to face Vader for his own sake. I see the duel on Mustafar as not only a duel, but a triple battle: Vader fighting Obi Wan at same time he (the Sith) is struggling with Anakin in his mind; and Obi Wan knew it, and was trying his best to get the young Skywalker back …but in vain. We all already know the end. And worse. In a way o another, Kenobi was the responsible to cripple Anakin forever, becoming indirectly, one of the contributors to the creation of the deadliest cyborg in the galaxy history. Obi Wan not only “lost a child” but also had to “kill him”, in order to survive (all this without counting Padme’s death).

• The parable of the desert and the eternal redemption

In Christian theology, the desert is seen as a metaphor of tribulation times or a test sent by God to make the believer grow in faith and spiritually. One of the most famous and emblematic is the 40 days period in which Jesus Christ passed on the desert, to test himself before beginning his ministry. It is also an analogy to the 40 years the Jewish people passed on the desert in their path from Egypt until Canaan, guided then by Moses. In the case of the Messiah, he was tempted from time to time during his quarantine by Satan: to show his abilities on his own benefit and use them to achieve power and lead the people of Israel to their independence from the romans and be a great ruler…things that Jesus naturally declined, because he was well aware of his real mission on Earth.

Job also passed through a desert, not physical but spiritual: he lost his wealth, he lost his health, he even cursed himself, but in any moment he cursed God for it, accepting his misery as part of the Lord designs for him, comprehending that his time had arrived and death was his only hope to save his soul. Also, in a way, Obi Wan, now called Ben. However, the Devil´s temptations was not a person, but a place. A desert planet, home to one of the most dangerous crime lords of the galaxy…but also home of the galaxy ultimately hope: to defeat the empire, the Sith, and restore balance to the Force again…and to redeem him. After all, he was “the responsible” for a Skywalker demise, he could not let another to fall. At least in Owen Lars’ point of view.

Indeed, while Job was in his spiritual desert, three friends visited him with the intention to be at his side and help him in his mourning. But analysing deeper the situation, they concluded that Job sinned against God and that his punishment was well deserved, but he was too pride to recognize it. Nonetheless, Job was aware of the true of his situation, and remained loyal to his beliefs, and to the hope that God would redeem him. Owen, like Job’s friends, didn’t understood (and probably never would) the real reason for Anakin’s doom, and so was easier to blame Kenobi for the whole thing; while Ben, although saddened, remained firm on his beliefs and faithful to his mission: not exposing himself unnecessarily, helping always when he could, and also closing arcs of his past (his final duel with Maul that, imho, was pretty dumb).

And finally, after an undetermined time, God then appears to Job and his friends out of a whirlwind, not answering Job's central questions. Job, by staying silent before God, stresses the point that he understands that his affliction is God's will even though he despairs at not knowing why. Job appears faithful without direct knowledge of God and without demands for special attention from God, even for a cause that all others would declare to be just. And the text gives an allusion to Job 28:28: "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding".

In Kenobi’s case, his final confront was with his former apprentice, but not to defeat him again and restore his former life…but to die. Ben knew this and he had 19 years to prepare himself to face his fate. While Job had his life restored gaining the double he had before, Ben gained something else, something better actually: he transcended, becoming one with the Force and achieving eternal life… approving his test and completing his task. Even posthumously.

Although I’m glad we’re getting a Kenobi show soon, I don’t expect nothing from it. Not because it’s from Disney, but because I already got all the information a need from Obi Wan’s example to know how to edify me, inspire me and help me to learn how to face a “desert” in my life, and how to never lose faith and hope. A tv series only will portray these ideas in an audio-visual form, with the astonishing Ewan McGregor performing it. Kenobi’s character is complex enough to write a full thesis having him as a main subject related to other things. Job’s story and biblical parallelisms are just one of them. But what really incited me to write this short analysis (more a homage) is to make a counterpoint on the already worn out figure of Obi Wan, specially because of the memes that the PT rendered through the years. Though I know that “Hello There” and “the Higher Ground” are fun and already consecrated in the fandom, their unintentional misuse sometimes overshadows the truly brightness of the character. In my opinion, of course.

I’d like to thank @Revival Stories2020 who, in a curious comment from a post that didn’t have nothing to do with Kenobi but in which he was mentioned, inspired me to do this simple, yet touching analysis about two figures that, apparently looked like losers but were in fact champions. As we all are.

May the Force be with you…always!

“Skywalker was the one who once took down twenty AT-ATs with his lightsaber.”

The other deckhands chimed in.

“My mother told me it was two hundred! And he rode a tauntaun while doing it.”

... “My uncle said he used magic to smash two Star Destroyers together.”

“It wasn’t magic. It was just good piloting. And it was six Star Destroyers-“

- The Legends of Luke Skywalker, pg. 8-9

After the Rebel Alliance’s defeat of the Empire at the Battle of Endor, Luke Skywalker rose to unparalleled prominence. As the last of the Jedi and the apparent defeater of Darth Vader, the figure of Luke Skywalker was soon regarded as a modern legend by the citizens of the galaxy, to the point where such a heroic and powerful Jedi Knight had to be a myth, according to some.

Indeed, countless contradictory stories and second-hand accounts centered around Luke Skywalker elevated a mere farm boy from Tatooine into a messianic figure whose exploits defied imagination and possibility. Passed on through table conversation, bedtime stories, and campfire tales, the Legend of Luke Skywalker was the coalescence of thousands of embellishments and tall tales that greatly distorted who Luke actually was (as illustrated above).

Perhaps the closest, or at the very least more well-known, real life parallel to Luke is that of Arthur Pendragon, better known as King Arthur of Camelot. Much like the stories told about Luke Skywalker within the galaxy, the various tellings and retellings of King Arthur’s legends has resulted in a nearly indecipherable canon, certainly a portrait far different from the 5th Century Romano-British war hero who stood against Saxon invaders Arthur’s legend is suspected to be inspired by.

As the case with those who regarded Luke as a myth, almost everyone today considers King Arthur a fictional character of legend. Yet, despite the various contradictions between the architects of Arthurian literature, we all recognize at least a basic outline of Arthur’s legend. Pulling a magical sword from stone, Arthur, mentored by the wizard Merlin, went on to rule the fabled Camelot and establish the Knights of the Round Table.

At first glance, there appears to be more commonalities between the story of Luke and Arthur than there are differences, even if they’re painted in broad brushstrokes. Both descendants from powerful bloodlines (Anakin Skywalker and Uther Pendragon), Luke and Arthur adopted magical weapons of power (the Skywalker lightsaber and Excalibur) to fight evil and established a reigning, just kingdom (New Republic and Camelot) and an order of fellow Knights (Luke’s Jedi and Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table) before losing it all to a traitorous nephew (Kylo Ren and Mordred).

Luke Skywalker and Arthur Pendragon: Twin Sons of Myth and Legend

Of course, the parallel isn’t perfect. There are no obvious reflections of the ever important Guinevere/Lancelot subplot, Galahad and the Holy Grail, the Lady of the Lake, etc. in Star Wars. But the similarities in the formation, structure, and influence of each hero’s legend on their respective universe and character is worthy of analysis.

Now, I realize I have thus far only discussed some overarching similarities between Luke and Arthur, when I promised to argue how Luke is the Anti-Arthur. Let’s delve into that.

The conclusion of Arthur’s legend simultaneously mirrors and contradicts Luke’s. After Mordred’s betrayal, Arthur confronts his nephew in the climatic Battle of Camlann. Mordred is slain by Arthur, but Mordred fatally wounds his uncle. Retreating to the Island of Avalon, Arthur dies and is laid to rest, rumored to rise once again as a messianic hero when his people need him most.

The similarities are plain. Ahch-To can be seen as the equally impossible to find Avalon, both Luke and Arthur died confronting their fallen nephews, and both are promised to defy death when called upon.

Ahch-To (left) and Avalon (right)

The differences, however, are just as obvious.

Unlike Arthur, who sought Avalon as a place of rest and a symbol of heroic retirement, Luke seeks Ahch-To out of despair and loathing. His exile is one borne out of failure, not costly victory, and although both came to their respective islands to die, Luke’s resignation is one of self-hatred and shattered hope.

The reasoning for this symbolic reversal lies in the difference between Arthur’s legend compared to Luke’s. Arthur’s legend came about centuries after his death. Luke lived to not only hear his legend, but to bear the full burden of being regarded as a savior.

Luke is a man being told he’s a god.

When he fails to stop the rise of darkness in Ben, and indeed even is partially responsible for Ben’s fall, he fails the himself, his loved ones, and the impossible expectations of the galaxy. Arthur lived under no such expectations, and more importantly, never had Luke’s heart. Herein lies another reason Luke necessarily counters Arthur.

Arthur ‘s legend is that of a king and warrior, a distributor of justice and a great monarch first and foremost. Luke is a Jedi, whose greatest triumphs were informed by love and compassion, not righteous might.

His “duel” with Kylo on Crait is a testament to the Jedi philosophy of peace and trust in the Force. He doesn’t confront and kill Kylo as Arthur confronts and kills Mordred because Luke doesn’t seek justice as Arthur does, he seeks reconciliation with Ben and the safety of the Leia’s Resistance.

Luke confronting Kylo during the Battle of Crait (left), Arthur confronting Mordred during the Battle of Camlann (right)

Ultimately, we know no other Arthur than the King Arthur of legend. For all intents and purposes, Arthur’s character is his legend. We do know Luke apart from his legend, and we do know that the legends are all hearsay. As such, Luke’s character is not his legend nor his destiny.

This is the truth that Luke confronts at the end of his life, the lesson Yoda teaches him. Luke is not his legend, he is simply Luke Skywalker, a man of “strength, mastery but also weakness, folly, [and] failure.”

Luke’s Anti-Arthurianism is derived from his humanity relative to Arthur’s deified icon, by the fact that although the legends paint Luke as the ever-praised Jedi Master destined to continually save the galaxy, rebuild the Jedi, and wield untold power, Luke is very much like us.

He’s insecure, self-critical, and worries about his loved ones to a fault. But he’s also brave, selfless, hopeful, compassionate, and heroic. He’s a representation of the full scope of the human condition. Arthur is a legend, but Luke is more than that: he’s a hero.

Luke Skywalker and Arthur Pendragon: A hero and a legend

One final musing. There is only one King Arthur. Only one person who could pull the sword from the stone. Only one person could defeat Mordred. Only one person could rest in Avalon’s mists and await his reawakening. We can’t be King Arthur, because we can’t do any of those things. We can’t all be legends.

But we can all be Luke Skywalker. We can all be heroes.

(Credit to @WriterBuddha. Without knowing it, one of his comments inspired this post. Thank you, my friend in the Force).

⭐️ FEATURED

Hello all! I wrote an analysis about the deeper meaning of the ever present sunsets in the Prequel Trilogy! I hope you like it! (It's a long post but with many pictures)

In Phantom Menace, Shmi Skywalker introduces a theme what will be present in every movies in the Prequels. When she says goodbye to her son, she says: "You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting." The setting sun is a recurring symbol of change, marking milestones in the story of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. And like almost every single symbol and theme in George Lucas' Star Wars Saga, it is pervades the whole trilogy.

The sunfall of Anakin Skywalker

When Anakin stands before the Jedi Council, the sun is setting on Coruscant, signifying the end of a chapter of his life - he leaves his old life behind, but he also loses his faith in his heroes. When night falls, the Council rejects him.

In Attack of the Clones, he returns to Tatooine to save his mother from the Tuskans: he is heading toward their camp as the twin suns sets. When dawn comes, he is not the same - he carries his mother's dead body in his arm and guilt in his heart. Anakin changed during the night and he changed forever.

Anakin and Padmé's wedding is in sunset: they are sealing their own fates. In Revenge of the Sith, their love pushes Anakin toward the Dark Side of the Force. As light and darkness clashing in him, Anakin sits in the Jedi Temple council room, alone, as the sun sets once again: only this time Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi Knight will never see the dawn.

Suns are setting in the Prequel Trilogy darkness is approaching.

The setting sun of the Jedi Order

In The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan Kenobi insists on the Council's opinion about Anakin being dangerous, but Qui-Gon responds this is the will of the Force - as they are talking, the sun sinks before them, signifying the end of the universe as the Jedi know - the change is inevitable, the Chosen One is standing before them.

After Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan swore to fulfill his last wish, and train Anakin. Despite Yoda arguing against it, the Council had agree to allow him to train Anakin - the sun is setting outside the Naboo royal palace, and Yoda is unable to stop it, like he unable to stop change of the ear, and the call of destiny.

In Attack of the Clones, the Jedi become aware of the Sith in the Galactic Republic, and decides to keep an eye on them - however, as Yoda points out, they were unable to defeat the Dark Side and the shroud of the Dark Side has fallen upon them - just like night falls.

In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin leads the clone army to the Jedi Temple at night - the shroud - has fallen.

The nightfall of the Galactic Republic - the end of peace

In the Phantom Menace, after Queen Amidala moved for a vote of no confidence agaist Chancellor Valorum and she realizes the Galactic Republic is dying, and if she wants to save her people she needs to adapt the warrior side of Naboo, the sun is slowly sinking into the sea of skyscrapers and dusk falls.

Likewise, in the Attack of the Clones, when the war broke out, Palpatine and the senators are standing on a balcony, watching the clone army leaves for a hundred battlefields - the battleships slowly disappears into the sunset.

In the Revenge of the Sith, Palpatine summons the Senate and announces the formation of the First Galactic Empire, as the sun falls above the Senate Rotunda.

The Prequel Trilogy as a setting sun

In the Prequel Trilogy, Naboo is the world of democracy, peace and harmony - in Phantom Menace, the story ends here, as the Naboo and the Gungans, the Jedi, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padmé and even Palpatine are standing in bright daylight.

The Attack of the Clones also ends on Naboo, with a sunset, marking the end of Anakin's oath and the beginning something new, and the end of the peace, and the fading of the Galactic Republic.

In the Revenge of the Sith, Naboo is in darkness - the long night, the shroud has fallen upon the Galaxy.

New Hope

However, even in the darkest night, the dream of dawn is still alive: Leia founds a loving home on Alderaan, and Luke is in the arms of Owen and Beru on Tatooine. The Prequels are ending with the twins and the twin suns, an image what promises just like you can not stop the suns from setting, you can not stop them from rising either.

Jedi robes were used by the Jedi Order for thousands of years , from the time of the Je'daii Order up to and even after the Great Purge . But were they in line with their ideology, or harming their image?

First, I’d like to share a couple of quotes on the robes:

• “As these garments were not usually elaborate, the outfit mirrored their attachment-free philosophy, as well as showing their requirement to live almost devoid of luxury and also their devotion to service.”

• “It has long been hypothesized that the first known Jedi came from Tatooine, and as such, wore loosely fitting robes made of low quality fabric. This gives insight into the current state of the modern Jedi apparel. Since he came from humble beginnings this Jedi did not think twice about his outfit and all Jedi that came after him followed in his image. This eventually became vital in the long standing tradition of new Jedi being sworn to a life of modesty and humility. Jedi were raised their entire lives without possessions except for a lightsaber. Since they were given what they needed and their desires were controlled, most Jedi wore traditional yet simple Jedi robes, not feeling the need for fancy and outstanding outfits. The simplicity of the Jedi apparel was in many ways symbolic of the selfless compassion that characterized the Jedi Order.”

If their lives were supposed to be modest and humble, Jedi should wear whatever is given to them, right? Normal clothes? Doesn’t having a “uniform” oppose that idea?

The hypothesized first Jedi didn’t think twice about his outfit because it was a normal outfit for someone from his world. It was what was given to him, what he wore every day. Him wearing it was definitely in line with the Jedi teachings of modesty, humility, and simplicity.

It only becomes a problem when every Jedi wears it. You shouldn’t be able to pick a Jedi out based on what they look like.

Having a “uniform” also distances the Jedi from the rest of the galaxy, I think. Instead of being seen as the humble traveler, the average person, their seen as above that.

Now, I’m not saying they should be able to wear elaborate gowns or pricey tuxedos. That would definitely go against what they stand for. But wouldn’t it make more sense for them to wear the average outfit of whatever planet they’re on?

This way, they would be seen as equal, which would positively impact both the citizens of the planet and the Jedi that traveled there by reminding both that the Jedi are not above the average person.

What do you think? Am I correct in my reasoning, or am I missing something?

So recently I’ve been thinking about the wars in Star Wars. And the different sides. Republic vs Separatists. Rebellion vs Galactic Empire. First Order vs Resistance.

Who are the “good guys” in Star Wars? I mean, technically the Jedi are the good guys, but were they really? They allowed slavery. The Republic can be “good guys”? The Republic had shady aspects and had no problem transitioning into an Empire.

During the the reign of the Galactic Empire, a few Separatist cells are discovered in the galaxy, and they fight with Rebels!

So who are the good guys in Star Wars?

If if this is confusing to read, let me know.

This is an admission post I've held off posting for a while now, and it stemmed from an old TLJ post by I think @Demolisher1, but I'm not sure.

I think I can, after over a year, say this. I, personally, didn't have an extremely strong opinion about TLJ. I think I fell victim to big headlines and peer pressure.

To be completely honest, I actually like TLJ. The issue is, in order to defend my opinion with reasoning against those who dislike it, I am forced to use extreme language because they are using extreme language.

To be clear, anti TLJ-ers are not the only ones starting the extremity. Pro-TLJ ers are just as bad. I think the important thing is that everyone treat it like any other movie. I see that whenever anyone says anything about TLJ, the cycle continues.

People like Thor Skywalker don't help either. They acknowledge the extremity of both sides, tells everyone to cool down, and then proceeds to talk all about the drama. The problem with that is it just keeps the fight going. In short, he is a strong catalyst.

He's not the only one though. So many news websites and channels do this. SWT did a video about 6 months ago about the hate in the SW Fandom. His video was exactly what Thor should've done. In fact, although he is annoying sometimes, he was the only SW channel to reply in a positive way. Many didn't reply to the controversy, and that's not bad, but they didn't try to calm it down either.

Anyway, do you feel like you were pressured into extreme opinions like I was?

Also, please don't argue about the movie here. You can explain you're opinion without addressing anyone else's. Once the post has been up for a bit, I'll open up to discussion, given that people haven't already devolved it.

As the champions of the light side of the Force and guardians of peace and justice throughout the galaxy, you’d think that the Jedi would also support the idea of equality. **In this particular case, I’m referring to the belief in “equality” meaning that all living beings have equal value and deserve to have such value acknowledged, preserved, and respected.** I think it’s a natural conclusion, considering the opposing opinions of their Sith counterparts. According to the Sith Lord Darth Bane: "Equality is a lie… A myth to appease the masses. Simply look around and you will see the lie for what it is! There are those with power, those with the strength and will to lead. And there are those meant to follow—those incapable of anything but servitude and a meager, worthless existence.“ Charming fellow, that Bane. It is quite safe to conclude that the Jedi are not in agreement. Multiple depictions of the Jedi have proven that none of them regard their fellow beings as inferior. Yoda’s teachings in Episode V clearly illustrated that the Jedi have enormous respect for life, acknowledging that the Force is created from the essence of all living beings. The Force lives within the tree just as much as it does Luke and Yoda. Anakin Skywalker, perhaps one of the more flawed Jedi of his time, eagerly expresses to Padme that Jedi are encouraged to love everyone. He later claims that the Jedi are selfless, caring only about others and their well being. While I truly believe in and endorse such a noble philosophy, the Jedi Order completely fails to practice such professed belief in equality. The Jedi Order itself built lavish temple reserved only for their members, in the midst of poverty and suffering during a pan-galactic war. They select their members not through any form of merit or compassion, but by clinical blood tests to measure whether or not one possesses the physiological requirements set by the Jedi. The Jedi High Council is worse. Sitting in a tower that rises far above everyone else on Coruscant, the Jedi only allow a select number of their membership to even enter the Council chambers, in which galaxy altering decisions are made regularly. It’s elitism in its purest form. Not to mention their belief in the prophecy of the Chosen One, in which the Jedi believe it is their duty to groom one of their own to be the galaxy’s messiah... only to reject the likely candidate in Anakin out of mistrust and disdain. It’s no secret that the Jedi are as responsible fire their collapse as the Sith’s machinations were, and I believe a crucial part of that was they lost their value of equality. The Jedi hypocritically believed that their institution, especially its leaders, had greater value than the lives of those they swore to defend. The held themselves above everyone, deafening themselves to the cries for help and evil laughs of triumph from below. _______ What do you all think? Did the Jedi ever believe in equality? If so, did they betray that belief? Do you think that, if the Jedi will ever rise again, they will learn from their past arrogance? Or did Darth Bane have the right idea?

In my adventures across the internet, I have found the term “fan service” has a pretty negative connotation among a large portion of the fan base. I think fan service is a great thing, and I want to talk about why I believe this, using all 8 episodic films as examples. First, let’s define our label. I hate labels, but everyone uses them so let’s define this one clear as day. According to the ever reliable Wikipedia, the term fan service is defined as “material in a work of fiction or a fictional series which is intentionally added to please the audience” In a world that made sense, this post would stop here and we would all kick back and talk about how great fan service is, but we do not live in that world so allow me to now defend my radical position. Star Wars is a product. It is produced by a company, Lucasfilm, which is owned by another company, Disney, which is owned by shareholders who are people who like money a lot. Star Wars exists to make money. This is why the term “cash grab” is flawed but that’s a rant for another day. Star Wars is made so that people will want to buy it. It’s made to sell movie tickets, streaming services, video games, books, comic books, posters, magazines, coffee mugs, cookie cutters, action figures, shirts, shoes, pants, socks, underwear, lunchboxes, bed sheets, tickets to Galaxy’s Edge, toy lightsabers, life sizes statues of Darth Maul, blue ray disks, micro transactions, and one or two others things I might have missed. The point is, this isn’t the kind of art that is meant to be a passion project in the tradition of Claude Monet or Vincent Van Goh who dedicated their lives to art at the cost of living and dying poor and unknown, only for their beautiful art to be discovered after they died. Star Wars is being and has always been made by people who are trying to make money, and lots of it. George Lucas planned out toy lines for the original Star Wars movie before it even came out, he wanted that sweet sweet cash just as much as anyone. And George Lucas was a smart guy. He wanted to make money from 10 year olds buying Star Wars toys, so he made a movie that he thought 10 year olds would love and want to buy toys from. That’s not to say that it was only a job for him, he clearly was interested in and passionate about his movies as anyone would have to be about anything they work on for an extended period of time. But it is to say, he was not just making “the movie he wanted to make” he was strategically trying to make a movie that 10 year olds would love and want to buy toys from and would want to see sequels to. This is not a bad thing however. Because he had this goal in mind, he made a movie that was action packed, exciting, has intriguing characters, popping visuals and a timeless though unoriginal story based not very loosely on the hero’s journey. Most importantly it has a relatable main character with a likable Everyman vibe and strengths and weaknesses that feel human. Because he was trying to make a movie for kids, he made a badass movie for kids, the launched the biggest cultural phenomenon ever. It was not that Lucas’s passion project accidentally became a phenomenon, he was trying to make it one. Lucas was not all knowing however. He totally underestimated how Star Wars would not only resonate with actual 12 year olds, but that it would awaken the 12 year old in practically everyone who saw it. But once again, Lucas and his colleagues working on the franchise were smart. When they made The Empire Strikes Back, they made a movie darker than the first, with more romance, deeper themes. Yes it aged with the intended audience of A New Hope, but it also obviously is made to appeal to the adults who loved A New Hope who Lucas and his associates were now taking into consideration when making their product. Because of this, they made the best Star Wars movie in the eyes of many, once again, not because they simply made the movie they wanted to make, but because they crafted the perfect sequel to A New Hope, built to appeal to kids and adults alike, made to sell more movie tickets, more toys, more coffee mugs, more everything. This is what everyone who claims to hate fan service doesn’t understand. These movies were made to be loved by the masses, not to be the perfect film in the eyes of the creator. Return of the Jedi follows in this tradition, revving up the romance, and intensity again. Although it has some more missteps in the eyes of the masses such as the Ewoks and Jabba’s Palace sequences feeling too silly compared to the story with Luke, Vader, and the Emperor. But it ultimately turned out okay because it got that last plot thread right and that was the most important part of the movie. Then we got the prequels. All the evidence anyone ever needs that fan service trumps the director making the movie that they personally want to make. Lucas likes to make special affects, he doesn’t really like or care about writing dialogue and doesn’t like give his actors a lot of direction. He’s a great ideas guy but not a great executioner. During the OT, the people around him helped him put his ideas on the screen in a way that crafted them in a way that sold brilliantly. For the PT, no one wanted to tell the legend to do anything differently so they let him just make his movies. He knew that Star Wars was an unstoppable brand now and he could make what he wanted so he did. This did not go well. We got a trilogy of movies (that I personally really enjoy but would have to stick my head in the sand to not hear the criticism) which had bad dialogue, mostly bad acting (due to bad dialogue), underdeveloped characters, but a fascinating plot, fantastic world building and ground breaking CGI affects. This was Lucas’s dream trilogy. This is what happens when directors make the movies they want. When Star Wars returned after the prequels. It was met with cautious optimism. JJ Abrams made the safest installment of the franchise’s history, ever mindful of the criticism of the prequels. He crafted a movie that was a direct response to the prequel backlash. The Force Awakens is well written, has compelling characters (other than Rey who is also the subject of another rant for another day). TFA plays it safe, kidnapping the plot of ANH but throwing in interesting mysteries intentionally thrown in to drive fans nuts such as Snoke’s motivations, Rey’s origins, and most importantly why Luke was looking for the first Jedi Temple. TFA definitely played it to safe, but it made sense to play it safe after the backlash from the prequels. I’m not even a big fan of TFA but I understand why it is the way it is. Then we got, Rian Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, which subverted our expectations by being a bad Star Wars movie. In all seriousness, RJ clearly sees himself as a maverick who wants to do his own thing. He says this time and again in behind the scenes material. He also says he likes to divide people. He made TLJ not for fans to enjoy but for himself to enjoy. And because he likes making movies that divide people, he made a Star Wars movie that divided the fan base in a devastating way. Time will certainly tell how TLJ is viewed, but it is clear that it has damaged the franchise in the short term, the question is how much. If you didn’t dislike the movie, you probably disliked a lot of the conversations you had about the movie as is really is a walking controversy. While the fans don’t legally own Star Wars, they are the ones who get to decide if it’s good or not because they are the ones buying it. It is a product, and should be made to the best of the creators ability for fans to enjoy, especially by those who aren’t the original creator. So my point is, ANH, ESB, ROTJ, and TFA were crafted with the fans in mind, while TPM, AOTC, ROTS, and TLJ were made by directors who steamrolled their projects and made the movies they personally wanted to see with little regard for the fans. Obviously art is subjective and we’re never all going to agree on it. In fact, it would be really boring if we did. But I want to pose this question to those who claim to hate fan service. Would the franchise be better off with ANH, ESB, ROTJ, and TFA, or TPM, AOTC, ROTS, and TLJ?

In-depth analysis time - I'll come back to do links. This is a long one, so make a cuppa and come back. So I was recently having a think about historic Jedi temples of Star Wars - specifically, I was having a read of the SWTOR reference book. It got me thinking of a little project - let's trace the movements of the Jedi Order's primary temple through Canon history. There are four worlds which we know to have been home to large Jedi temples - Coruscant, Jedha, Ossus, and Ahch-To. Ahch-To is the location of the first Jedi temple. This is stated in several reference books, and Luke Skywalker himself told us this. I trust Luke (but then so did Ben Solo lol). As well as this, we see that the temple is clearly very old; it is the least sophisticated of all the temples, consisting of a few druid-style huts and a moderately sized meeting room. This temple would not have the capacity to shelter many Jedi, certainly not the 5,000-10,000 that there were pre-Order 66. It would appear instead to simply be a place of reflection and meetings of a small group. The Jedi that met here are most likely analogous to the Je'daii of Legends. The Jedi would appear to have then moved to Jedha, the cold desert moon. Although clearly ancient in their own right, the ruins here show that the Jedi were obviously well established on Jedha; there are towering statues, a holy city, mines and mines of kyber crystals, as well as large warrens of meeting rooms, meditation spots, and more. This was clearly a larger Jedi Order, committed to defending peace albeit in an era when they were not connected to the Republic. They would also not appear to have discovered Ilum yet. Ossus. There's not much to say here, except that it appears to have been a place of learning. It held a grand library - possibly the largest of the Jedi's libraries - and had an ornate mosaic floor. This mosaic was later transferred to the newer temple on Coruscant, suggesting that the Jedi left Ossus on their own terms; we also know that the temple was large, hinting that perhaps the move to Coruscant was the beginning of the Jedi's association with the Republic. Coruscant. Accommodation for 10,000+ Jedi, guards, the agricultural corps, hangers for ships, libraries, gardens, towers for each of the Jedi councils, the large tower for the high council. This is the newest and best-explored version of the Jedi temple, and perhaps the best of those we have seen in Canon. The move to Coruscant puts the Jedi right in the heart of the Republic - an important symbolic move for it's new protectors, marking the beginning of a long association between the two institutions. Well, until they all died, but hey-ho. Anyways, that's my (not so) brief history of the Jedi's temples. I'm sure there's a lot we can learn from this, so get involved below!