Spotlight on Star Wars:
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By Stefani Shoreibah
t first, the screen is black. Then, words in blue read, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” followed by an emphatic thunder of John Williams’ score that, since shown to audiences in theatres over forty years ago, has become immortalized in pop culture and cinema history. It’s hard to fathom someone who has not heard of Star Wars. Even if unfamiliar with its characters or plotlines, many people are able to identify some aspect of it; whether a specific character, type of starship, or even the humming of lightsabers, the imprint of Star Wars on not only our culture, but also the world, proves how much this saga become a force of nature. As mid-December approaches, so does The Rise of Skywalker, the finale film of what will culminate as the nine-film saga of the Skywalker family. The past eight films chronicle the lives of Anakin Skywalker and his twin children, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. To recap, the light and dark sides of the force clash as Anakin Skywalker falls to the dark side to become the iconic villain, Darth Vader, in episodes one to THE BULLETIN -
three. In episodes four to six, we see Princess Leia lead the Rebellion against the tyrannical Empire led by Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, while Luke becomes a Jedi and attempts to redeem his father. With the help of the cocky pilot Han Solo, his best friend Chewbacca, and quirky droids R2D2 and C-3PO, the Rebellion prevails. The victory is short-lived, however, when the child of Princess Leia and Han Solo begins the ruthless First Order under the name Kylo Ren. Set thirty years after the Rebellion’s victory, the Resistance seeks to eradicate the First Order, in episodes seven to nine. When newcomers Rey, Finn, and Poe Dameron are introduced, we learned of Finn’s trauma as a former stormtrooper, Poe’s X-Wing piloting skills, and Rey’s strong force-sensitivity that captures the attention of Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke. With questions and speculation swarming the internet over who could be Rey’s parents, given her abilities, answers may finally come in episode 9. The released trailers have so far revealed Emperor Palpatine’s menacing laugh, the destroyed Death Star from the days of the Rebellion, and Rey with a red lightsaber (indicative of a Jedi turned to
46 - Dec. 2019/Jan. 2020
