While Star Wars fans will endlessly debate the value of The Rise of Skywalker and pick it apart for the next several decades, there is much good to discuss about the film and numerous spiritual themes worth exploring. It is a film about family, redemption and spiritual connections, while remaining faithful to a theme that […]
‘The Rise of Skywalker’ focuses on family, redemption and spiritual connections Read More »
One hour and twenty minutes into The Last Jedi, Rey stands over Luke, who lies prone on an ancient stone stairway overlooking the sea. The rain pours. The night is dark, pierced occasionally by flashes of lightning. Rey pleads with Luke to help her turn Kylo Ren back to the light side of the Force.
‘The Last Jedi’: “This is not going to go the way you think” Read More »
In the original Star Wars trilogy, the stormtroopers are portrayed with no individuality, and represent the banality of evil: the stifling sameness of blind obedience to an evil system. In the prequel trilogy, the clone troopers have slightly more personality. We see their origin and we see them having friendly interactions with their Jedi commanders.
What we can learn from Finn’s moral dilemma in ‘The Force Awakens’ Read More »
Star Wars creator George Lucas began his legendary directing career first by getting behind the camera. Lucas graduated from Modesto Junior College in the early 1960s and then enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he began to experiment with cinematography. However, Lucas was struggling to find any work in Hollywood and needed something
George Lucas’ first credit was for this Catholic short film Read More »
Editor’s Note: This article continues themes sketched out in the previous articles Star Wars: A New Hope – A look at Joseph Campbell and The Search for the Holy Grail and How ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ added to the Star Wars mythology. In spring of 1983, my mother took me to the theater to see
‘Return of the Jedi’: How Luke restored his family and renounced hatred Read More »
Editor’s Note: This article continues themes sketched out in the previous article Star Wars: A New Hope – A look at Joseph Campbell and The Search for the Holy Grail I saw The Empire Strikes Back on VHS at a friend’s house sometime in the mid-late 80s. I’d guess 1987, but I’m not absolutely certain.
How ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ added to the Star Wars mythology Read More »
Disclaimer: I am a Star Wars curmudgeon. I like to pretend the prequels don’t exist, that Star Wars is the title of Episode IV: A New Hope, and that Han shot first. Actually, I’m certain that Han shot first. I don’t like the “enhancements” Lucas added to Star Wars, Empire, and Return over the years.
Star Wars: A New Hope – A look at Joseph Campbell and the Search for the Holy Grail Read More »
St. Teresa of Avila famously wrote, “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things will pass away God never changes; patience obtains all things, whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.” Waiting is a huge key to success. It is easy to wait when there is an assurance of the end result,
3 Reasons why Anakin Skywalker ended up becoming Darth Vader Read More »
Attack of the Clones, the second installment of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, offers a mixture of romance, romp, and revenge. The main focus of this film is placed on Anakin Skywalker, his relationships, and his character development. While the romantic aspects of the movie may seem needlessly drawn out, the plot is crucial to
Among the numerous influences behind George Lucas’ Star Wars saga, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings was a principal driving force in the early drafts of the 1977 film. In fact, Lucas nearly copied Tolkien’s dialogue, word-for-word, borrowing Gandalf’s greeting to Bilbo in The Hobbit. In How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor,
Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally created to be a Star Wars version of Gandalf Read More »
