Star Wars characters making a final sacrifice is certainly nothing new, but if I’m being truly honest, losing Tech was the one that hit me the hardest. I could never personally relate to the incredible athleticism of Anakin or the heroic wisdom of Obi-Wan, but in the unique squad called “the Bad Batch” I finally found the one character I could identify with… the nerdy, slightly awkward one with the glasses and the receding hairline. Tech was my favorite, and I thought he was headed towards a happy ending… until the situation called for Plan 99 and he gave his life to save his squad. He wasn’t ..read more

The relationship between Padmé and Anakin  in the Star Wars prequels is one of the most heartbreaking parts of the entire saga… two star-crossed lovers torn apart by past pains and unresolved issues that ultimately led to the saddest possible outcome. Anakin never fully processed his grief or frustrations to the point of resolution, and his inability to reach a place of inner peace completely undermined his efforts to bring peace to his home or his galaxy. The adage that “people who are hurting hurt other people” was proven to be true… it’s only when we allow our own pain to be heale ..read more

If you watched the original Star Wars: A New Hope, then you remember this well… that defining moment when Obi-Wan instructed Luke to let go of what he thought he needed for his mission (the onboard targeting system) and reach out through the force during his infamous “trench run”. While these displays and tools were intended to help him, Luke’s reliance on them was actually hindering him from achieving his goals… they restricted his sight to what was visible in the physical realm, blinding him to his only path to victory until he shut them down and chose to walk by faith. Walking by faith is m ..read more

In the first six Star Wars movies, Obi-Wan Kenobi was presented as a consistent beacon of light for our heroes (sometimes literally)… but in the period of time between episodes 3 and 4, his entire world was flipped upside down. The Jedi Order had fallen, his best friend had betrayed him, and his faith had ebbed to its lowest point. Haunted by all of the pain and losses he’d endured, Obi-Wan felt disconnected from the force… the very source of his power. But his mission wasn’t finished yet, and he wasn’t forgotten or forsaken… he was just enduring a season of trials and tribulations. A new hope ..read more

While there were many contributing factors that led to the downfall of Anakin Skywalker, one of the largest is how he took the special gifts he was given for granted. From early on, Anakin was demonstrating skills far beyond his years… but he always wanted more and was never satisfied, even when he was given many opportunities others would never receive. His incredible gifts never seemed to be enough for him… a Jedi knight who needed the position of master to validate him, an unparalleled force user who was so completely consumed with his need for “more” that he failed to recognize and appreci ..read more

Many of the most memorable characters in the Star Wars franchise started with a problematic background painted in shades of gray… such as Bo-Katan Kryze, a Mandalorian warrior who errantly joined a rogue faction known as the “Death Watch” to pursue her goals of a strong and united Mandalore. While her intentions were honorable, she had chosen allies that led her down a dark and compromising path to achieve them… and because they didn’t share her convictions, they ultimately betrayed her and their cause. Bo-Katan learned there was only one path to truly serve her people and fulfill her purpose ..read more

The events of the “Andor” series and the Star Wars: Rogue One movie finally revealed the amount of sacrifice involved in acquiring the Death Star plans, setting in motion the events that would lead to the Rebel Alliance toppling the Empire. The heroic actions of these flawed but committed rebels is best summed up in Luthen’s iconic line, “I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see”. All of these fictional characters made massive sacrifices for a future they never got to personally enjoy… all because they believed that saving their worlds was a cause worth giving their lives fo ..read more

With the releases of the prequel movies as well as a prequel streaming series, we’ve learned that Obi-Wan Kenobi defeated Darth Vader at least twice in a direct lightsaber battle… which makes it all the harder to understand why he simply let Vader defeat him in “A New Hope”. That moment didn’t make sense to me at the time… but all these years later I’ve realized that even though he left Vader broken and defeated more than once, Obi-Wan never truly accomplished his mission until that moment… when he saw Luke and Leia reunited and prepared to end the Empire once and for all. That sly smile as he ..read more

The Death Star is one of the deadliest projects in the entire sci-fi universe, designed to both intimidate and destroy all who dared to defy the evil Empire. But in Star Wars: Rogue One, we found that even this horrific construct was designed by a scientist who had deliberately engineered a fatal weakness into the system… one that would later be exploited by the Rebel fleet. While the enemy successfully brought their plans into reality, it was already doomed to fail spectacularly… it was destined to bring others into an intersection with their destiny.  As followers of Christ, our lives w ..read more

The character of Ahsoka didn’t exactly receive the warmest of welcomes when she first joined the franchise in the Clone Wars animated movie from either her fictional mentor or the Star Wars fanbase… but she forged through the painful experience of being the unwanted padawan of Anakin to a feared warrior with few equals. Ahsoka grew from an undesired apprentice into a respected Jedi before forging her own path into an entirely new destiny… all because she refused to let her pain define her, but instead used it to refine her into the hero we didn’t even know we needed at the time. Real-world her ..read more