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Rochester Local

Star Wars: May the Fourth Be With You

star warsGrowing up, I will admit, I never saw the Star Wars movies (or Indiana Jones, but that is for another time). I mentioned this to my husband while we were dating and you would think the world shook beneath his feet. Sure, I played the score in band and I knew some of the concepts: “Luke, I am your father,” cute little bears (Ewoks), Jabba the Hutt was a giant gross worm thing, light sabers, and Princess Leia was a strong willed girl. Other than that, I knew nothing. So began my education into all that is Star Wars, love for the characters, and why now I am showing my daughter the ways of the Force.

What is it about Star Wars?

Star Wars takes your imagination to a galaxy far, far away. Every movie, scene, and character has wonderment built into it. I mean, who thinks of a 7-foot, hairy Wookie who growls as he speaks and flies a ship, and becomes an iconic character? A small green character that speaks backwards would be the ultimate Jedi? Or a man all decked out in black would have these powers that could kill someone without even touching them (he was social distancing before it was cool)? Chewbacca, Yoda, and Darth Vader are icons. Mention them to anyone and even if they haven’t seen the movies, they know who you are talking about. That is a sign of being iconic. You don’t even have to watch it from the beginning to enjoy the movies either! You honestly can sit down and watch any episode (there are now 9 of them) and have an enjoyable experience (they are all on Disney+).

We introduced Star Wars to our four-year old daughter this year, when we took her to the Star Wars Experience at Disney World. Sure, we may have tried to pawn her off to the Empire (she was grumpy, they wouldn’t take her anyways. It would cost too much to re-wire her), but she fell in love with this otherworldly land we transported into.

Once we got back home, we started watching the movies with Episode I. Watching the bond between my daughter and husband over the movies is incredible. The way they laugh, talk Star Wars, build their planets, and compete on who can make their best Sebacious B. Crumb laugh (the Kworkian Lizard Monkey of Jabba the Hutt. I had to google this), fills my heart. It makes me realize the impact a franchise can have on a family.

Life Lessons from Star Wars

Good versus Evil. The underdog coming out on top. Diversity at its finest. Dare to dream and have an imagination. Strong willed girls are awesome! Love and death. How to face uncertainty. Go outside of your comfort zone. Loss. These are all lessons that Star Wars teaches us throughout the movie. I am not going to lie, we’ve had some deep conversations about things that happen in the movie with our daughter (I won’t spoil them but the end of Episode III was a good conversation).

Thoughts from my friends

 I asked my friends, “What is it about Star Wars that makes it special for you?” The answers were beautiful: The bond that is forged between a daughter and a dad growing up and watching the movies; the togetherness that the movies bring to a family when they watch it together; the excitement over the music and land development; the dreaming of heroes; wanting to have a real life light saber; being transported to a whole different world and the imagination that is brought into making this world come to life; bringing life and coolness to sci-fi; and the memories that are forged.

On this May the 4th, sit back, eat 7-Leia dip, Obi-Wan Kabobs, maybe make some C3Popcorn, sit back and be transported to a galaxy, far, far away (cue the Star Wars theme song)….

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