Why Hope Is The Single Most Important Word In 'Star Wars'
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Hope. It is an important word. It is what the Star Wars universe is built on. Without hope, there is nothing. Hope is the spark that keeps the Rebellion alive. We see it in a variety of stories, but especially in the movies. Each trilogy is built on the central theme of hope, even when everything seems hopeless.
During the prequel trilogy, there was a looming threat of an enemy. The Jedi knew something was brewing, but by the time they did anything, it was too late. During the Clone Wars, there were many hopeless feelings, especially when things did not go as planned. However, there were a few who remained hopeful. Ahsoka remained hopeful throughout the Clone Wars. Even in times of despair, she had that spark of hope that kept her going. She even kept that hope after she left the Jedi order. Qui-Gon Jinn had hope in young Anakin that he would fulfill the prophecy and bring balance to the Force. Palpatine had a different kind of hope. He hoped that Anakin would turn to the dark side. Padme had hope in Anakin until the very end.
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Rogue One was full of hope. It started with Jyn Erso, someone who wanted nothing to do with the Rebellion and just live her life. She would come around and even tell the Rebels, “Rebellions are built on hope.” Hope was all they had in their suicide mission to retrieve the Death Star plans. When Leia was given the plans at the end, she knew what they meant. “Hope.” It was what that Rebellion needed against the overwhelming power of the Empire.
Hope was a theme throughout the original trilogy as well. After all, the movie that started it all is called A New Hope. We first saw this when Leia sends a message to Obi-Wan Kenobi saying, “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” It was Leia trusting a Jedi to help her out. It was Luke making the one-in-a-million shot and destroy the Death Star. It was hope that convinced Han Solo to join the fight against the Empire. It was hope when Luke tossed his lightsaber to the side, trusting that his father could still be redeemed. Hope was the strongest part of the original series, and it was why the Rebels succeeded.
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The sequel trilogy took the idea of hope in a different form. Rey hoped that her parents will come back, so they could be reunited as a happy family. Kylo Ren hoped that Rey will join the dark side. Leia hoped to see her brother Luke again, after many years. She had hope that Kylo Ren would return to the light. After he got to know Rey, Luke had hope in Rey to not turn to the dark side. He knew who her family was but still had hope in her that she could defeat Palpatine.
It was the idea of hope that helped the Resistance win in the end. In Rise of Skywalker, the Resistance had hope in Rey to defeat Palpatine once and for all. Poe had hope that people will join them against the overwhelming forces of the Final Order if the people were given a reason to. After all these years, hope is still a prevalent theme within Star Wars.
Image Source: The Disney Wiki
Hope is the most important word in Star Wars. It is the word that kept the Rebellion going, even after everything seemed lost. Hope is a central theme throughout the franchise. We see it in many different forms and from both sides. Hope is having the characters trust in one another to achieve their goal. The Rebels’ idea of hope is different from the Empire’s. The Rebels used their idea of hope to succeed, whereas the Empire used theirs to corrupt. As the Star Wars franchise continues to expand, this idea of hope will continue in different media. Hope is, and always will be an essential part of any Star Wars story.
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