by Paul Moonhil
When my son was eight years old, I realized that, growing up in a non-religious household, he hadn’t been exposed to the kinds of moral parables that many children learn through faith-based stories. So I decided to show him Star Wars—Episodes IV, V, VI, I, II, and III, in that order—using them as a guide to discuss ethics and justice. Every few minutes, I paused to break down the dilemmas the characters faced: the choices between courage and fear, power and responsibility, loyalty, and betrayal. We examined why stormtroopers believed they were the good guys, how Anakin’s fear led him toward authoritarianism, and why Luke ultimately rejected the Dark Side. Years later, as I watch democracy itself strain under the weight of creeping authoritarianism, I find myself returning to these same stories—not just as entertainment, but as a blueprint for resistance and hope.
A Galaxy That Feels Smaller
For some of us who have watched in despair as the government is methodically dismantled and reshaped in an authoritarian mold, it’s easy to feel like the walls are closing in. Agencies meant to protect democracy have been hollowed out. Courts have been stacked. Election laws have been rewritten to favor the powerful. Every day, the machinery of the state seems to tighten its grip, rewarding loyalty and punishing dissent.
This is the backdrop of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The Empire, at the height of its power, crushes resistance with overwhelming force, leaving rebels scattered and demoralized. The destruction of Alderaan (Princess Leia’s home planet) is a show of strength designed to send a simple message: resistance is futile.
But it isn’t. And that is the first lesson A New Hope offers us.
The Empire Never Thinks It’s the Villain
It’s easy to see the Galactic Empire as a monolithic evil. The stormtroopers march in formation, Darth Vader crushes throats with a flick of his wrist, and the Emperor lurks in the shadows, pulling the strings. But the real-world parallels are more unsettling.
Ancient Rome was, in many ways, the real-world prototype for the Empire. Roman soldiers—the stormtroopers of their day—saw themselves as the defenders of civilization. They didn’t conquer and subjugate for greed alone; they genuinely believed they were enforcing order, stability, and progress. To a Roman soldier putting down a rebellion in Judea or Gaul, the insurgents weren’t freedom fighters; they were dangerous radicals threatening the Pax Romana.
Likewise, many supporters and enforcers—whether it’s federal agents arresting protesters, judges dismantling voting rights, or lawmakers putting government oversight—don’t see themselves as villains. They believe they are restoring order, protecting “real Americans,” and preserving the country from chaos. They don’t view the collapse of institutions as a problem; they see it as necessary to remake the system in their image.
That’s why waiting for self-awareness or shame is a losing strategy. The Empire never stops itself.
Luke Skywalker, the Reluctant Hero, and the Power of Collective Resistance
At the beginning of A New Hope, Luke Skywalker is not a hero. He’s a frustrated farm boy, watching from the sidelines, convinced he has no power to change the world. That feeling should be familiar to many who have seen years of protests, lawsuits, and elections fail to halt the rising tide of authoritarianism.
But Luke doesn’t defeat the Empire alone. He joins a movement. The Rebel Alliance isn’t powerful because of a single individual — it thrives on collective action. Leia is already fighting when Luke meets her, and she never stops. Obi-Wan sacrifices himself, knowing that the fight is bigger than one battle. Han, who initially refuses to get involved, ultimately realizes that neutrality is a luxury. And Luke’s final shot to destroy the Death Star only succeeds because of everyone who came before him.
The same lesson applies to real-world resistance. No single leader will reverse the damage done, but that doesn’t mean the battle is lost. The work happens in communities, in courts, in movements. Hope isn’t about wishful thinking — it’s about commitment to action.
The Death Star Wasn’t the End—
When the Death Star explodes in A New Hope, it feels like a victory. And it is. But the Empire isn’t gone. The Empire Strikes Back reminds us that authoritarianism doesn’t collapse overnight. The Rebellion still has to fight.
The same is true today.. Authoritarianism doesn’t just exist in a single leader; it’s a mindset, a structure, a movement. And it will take sustained, organized resistance to dismantle it.
The Force Is with Us—If We Use It
The Force in Star Wars is often mistaken for a superpower, but it’s not. It’s an energy that connects people, a force that exists whether people believe in it or not. It represents the unseen bonds that unite those who resist oppression.
In today’s world, the equivalent isn’t mystical energy— it’s solidarity. It’s the power of collective action, of people refusing to accept despair as the final act. The Rebellion didn’t win because it had the biggest army. It won because it refused to stop fighting.
And neither should we.
The darkest times are when hope matters most.
Or, as Yoda would put it, “Matters most, hope does, in darkest times.”
