What does Star Wars mean to you?

We spend a lot of time dissecting and analyzing everything that is Star Wars and holding it under a microscope to see how well it holds up to scrutiny. People offer ideas of what they would have done or would like to have seen, what worked and what didn't work for them, and absolutely nothing is wrong with doing that. Those conversations are part of what makes Star Wars so much fun.

I'd like this thread to be more about how Star Wars has impacted you personally. Is there a certain character or aspect of the story that especially resonates with you? Did you see the movies at an important time in your life or with someone special? Is there a significant moment that inspires or motivates you?

I think Star Wars is best as a communal experience and sharing our unique individual experiences with each other will enrich us all.

 

I was 4 years old in 1977, so I don't really remember a time before Star Wars. I feel fortunate to have been able to watch everything unfold from the beginning. Back then there were less entertainment options, and therefore when something big came along, it took over the public consciousness to a much larger extent and for a longer time than I believe anything could now. It was everywhere, all the time.

The story of a young person from nowhere making their way in the galaxy and proving their worth was right up my alley. Light versus dark, good versus evil, doing the right thing, helping your friends, all of it really mattered to me. Star Wars helped me form friendships and fueled my imagination. I'm sure the toys were looked on by adults as simply a money making idea, and I'm sure they were, but from my perspective they were a doorway to bonding with that galaxy. The connection to Star Wars was just different than anything else. It reached me on a significant level.

In 1999 it was different. I was 26 years old and living on my own. I was able to join the hype and appreciate this time in a way I wasn't able to when I was a kid. I had the resources to indulge in all the Star Wars goodness and I certainly did! The prequels changed everything about how I looked at Star Wars. I was at the age of questioning authority and not looking at the world naively as just good versus evil, light versus dark. I saw all sorts of flaws, just as Anakin did. The galaxy suddenly became more complex. Dogmatic views, manipulations, corruption. I saw it all.

When The Force Awakens was released in 2015, I was 42 years old. I'm older and wiser, just smart enough to realize how much I still don't know. If the Originals represent the innocence of my youth, and the Prequels represent growing up, struggling to figure everything out, and making my own way in the universe, then the Sequels are a heartfelt reflection on my journey.

Maybe I'm just older and more sentimental now, but there are themes in the new movies that really hit me hard.

I can identify with Rey looking for a connection with someone. She thinks a connection with her family will define her. She tries to train with Luke to learn her role. She even goes to Kylo to figure out how she fits in everything. Eventually she realizes no one else can tell her who she is. That comes from within. And she learns that lesson just in time!

Finn starts off afraid and just wants no part of the conflict. Along the way he meets people who become important to him. He cares for them more than himself. The tipping point is the betrayal by DJ. Finn sees an unflattering reflection of himself and learns the importance of convictions and taking a stand.

Poe is a hotshot and a showoff. You need a combat pilot to have supreme confidence and expect them to be a little bit of a diva. But the Resistance needs leaders, and he has to learn a true respect for authority before he can be in a position of authority. He is eventually confronted with Finn similarly not wanting to call off his attack run, just as he didn't earlier.

This brings us to Rose. She saves Finn from throwing his life away. Looking at this is a real highlight for me. I completely understand Rose wanting to save the people she loves, obviously informed by the recent loss of her sister. Would Finn's attack have been successful? Maybe. Then again, maybe not. Was the Dreadnought worth the sacrifice? Possibly. Leia doesn't think so. What about Holdo's sacrifice? Who is right? How do you know the correct thing to do? The answer is you don't always, and sometimes you never will. They say hindsight is 20/20, but often not even hindsight is perfectly clear. Life is full of crucial decisions that ripple through time. All we can do is make the best choice we can when the time comes. I can definitely relate.

Luke especially resonates with me. I had a lot of success in my youth. So much so that when the inevitable challenges life throws at us came, I wasn't prepared. I wasn't accustomed to losing and it was exceptionally hard for me to accept. Sure, Luke had some adversity, but he was the triumphant hero despite it all. But you can hear the anguish in his voice when he laments to Rey about how Leia trusted him with her son. Losing a family member can rip a family apart, especially when one of the family members feels it's all their fault. It's often easier to forgive others than to forgive yourself. We hold ourselves to a higher standard. Sometimes we expect perfection, but no one is perfect.

Life can hit us hard, and the optimism of our youth can be a casualty. I know too well the damage that comes from cutting people off. When life is its toughest, we must face it. How? We have each other. We forgive ourselves, learn from our mistakes, and use the lessons to make ourselves better than we were before. Then we are ready to help others. Pass on what you have learned. The greatest teacher failure is.

 

I would say that any impact it had was not in isolation. It was one of the main factors that got me into reading science fiction. It inspired the writers I enjoy reading.

For example in the 2000AD series Nikolai Dante (Russian Empire with 18th Century aesthetics and a science fiction setting where members of the Romanov dynasty are given cybernetic implants that give them powers called 'crests', a bloodline of which he eponymous character is the bastard son), there are many pop culture references. My favourite volumes being those in the Tsar Wars. An obvious reference.

Sounds light hearted but a bitter war of succession between two rival dynasties can be with many ordinary people caught up in the middle is seldom so.

Also, the story of Sheev Palpatine helped get me into politics and often I watch debates in the House of Lords and lectures on BBC Parliament on a Saturday night. The story of the Trade Federation got me into economics and I frequently watch series like the Kaiser Report (RT) and read the Financial Times.

Finally the themes explored got me into philosophy, psychology and theology.