Even before The Last Jedi shook up the status quo, it was clear that Star Wars was always about much more than heroes and dynasties and the evils of right-wing ideology. The story threads woven throughout the saga films and the auxiliary story materials was as much a […]
“I must be allowed to speak,” Luke Skywalker demands of Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi. Historically peacekeepers and diplomats, the voice and spoken word are as important to the function and philosophy of the Jedi as their lightsabers. Having already struck out in anger against […]
When The Phantom Menace arrived in theatres, it was met first with fervour as the expectation of sixteen years unspooled. What we consider the backlash came later (I wasn’t even aware people had a problem with Jar Jar until after Revenge of the Sith). Perhaps the most prevalent […]
At its simplest, the Star Wars saga is made up of three key themes – tragedy, redemption and hope. These are embodied by the saga’s central character, Anakin Skywalker, and his fall and ultimate redemption through the love of his son. But during his time as right hand […]
Upon first seeing Princess Leia’s desperate plea to Obi-Wan Kenobi to aid her father and the plight of the Rebel Alliance, Luke Skywalker’s first thought is that she’s beautiful. Giving this teenage farm boy the benefit of the doubt, this was only part of the message, with a […]
Holding hands carries with it a significance in storytelling and real life. Science shows that joining hands can synchronise breathing and heart-rate while, in fiction, an outstretched hand is an offer, a plea or an invitation. In The Last Jedi, Rey and Kylo Ren get better acquainted through […]
Even before I was a Star Wars fan I believed in something like the Force. An energy that surrounds and penetrates, binding everything and everyone in one flow of existence. But since I gave birth, it’s provided me with a language for describing the indescribable; how I could […]
Star Wars is not just about family. It is family. It becomes tradition as long-time fans of the saga pass it down to their children, to experience it through fresh eyes full of wonder. It charts the scars left by the absence of family; the fall into the circles of hell […]
