Envisioning Sabine Wren's Lightsaber

 A peculiar subject, I know. Since this year is a huge deal for Lucasfilm with a number of projects slated for 2026, including their first film since Rise of Skywalker. One particular Star Wars projected expected to return this year for its season 2 is the Ahsoka series. I know, I know, it is a while away, but returning to stories like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka, I can't help but wonder what the future holds in the Star Wars universe, especially when we get sneak peaks and leaks like lightsabers. Yes, Ahsoka season 2 had some talk about the central lightsabers going to return and star in season 2. This got me thinking back to when season 1 was airing and my vision for if and when Sabine Wren would make her very own lightsaber after maybe losing the one Ezra gave her.

During that time in 2023, I drew the lightsaber I imagined for her.

Lightsabers always have meaning and symbolism to each individual Jedi who constructs their own. Sabine would be no exception. In honoring her Mandalorian heritage and lineage it would naturally be made of Beskar alloy, at least for all the metal. The sleeve is also made in design with the saber's hilt beneath to make a T-visor (like that of a Mandalorian helmet) shape.

 The sleeve would be indented with the lighter spots indented into the darker metal, kind of a reverse version of Ahsoka's curved lightsabers that also have an indented sleeve but with the shaded diamonds above the lighter metal. To also honor Ahsoka's curved hilts, this lightsaber hilt has the grips at the top. The power cell orb is at the bottom, but instead of the square design that Ahsoka had on her Clone Wars era ones, these have diamonds. It is tradition for Padawans to honor their masters by having some of their hilt design match their master's lightsaber hilts in respect and honor. Sabine would surely find some way to honor Ahsoka's lightsabers into hers. However, Ahsoka had two kinds. I imagine, with Huyang's help, Sabine would be able to replicate the power cell orb.

Finally, the emitter has a guard that is similar to the darksaber. While it is obvious that Sabine has no love for this particular weapon, it was still the first lightsaber Sabine learned to wield and served as her first step into a larger world (yes, I am using Obi-Wan's line from A New Hope). Therefore, it would be very symbolic for Sabine to have guard in similar fashion to the dark saber, which also belonged to the first Mandalorian Jedi.

As for the color of the saber, this could be either blue, black, white, or yellow.

Blue has often been defined as Guardian Blue, meaning the Jedi who acquires a blue crystalized lightsaber uses the Force and the ways of the Jedi for defense and prefers to be on the field doing right by the Jedi code. Sabine may not follow the Jedi way traditionally since she is Mandalorian and Ahsoka has strayed from the traditional, so naturally she would not try to teach her own Padawan in the traditional way. So, while Sabine would fit the defender bit, but would fail to follow the traditional Jedi way. Hence, it isn't fully ideal.

Black is most obvious choice because the darksaber was black. Sabine, being a Mandalorian, would have a high chance of having a black saber, much like Tarre Vizla. However, Sabine disliked the darksaber because of what it has brought to her people.

White maybe a stretch, but often masters and apprentices tend to share ideals because the master passes their knowledge onto them. Hence, why I believe Sabine could have a chance at having a white lightsaber because Ahsoka has white. White is the symbol of neutrality, Sabine could easily follow Ahsoka's footsteps by being neutral to not just the dark and the light, but to the two cultures - Jedi and Mandalorian. On the other hand, white is very difficult to obtain because it is a process of purifying a bleeding red crystal, which is very challenging to accomplish. Ahsoka is the only Jedi in centuries to have learned how to do this. It is unsure if this is something Ahsoka can teach, or, if she can teach it, is willing to do so.

Yellow feels the most likely choice because it is less rare than white, but like blue aligns with a sort of protector. Sentinel Yellow are often associated with the guardians of the Jedi temple. Sabine has always been a protector of her friends and family, and much like her master, protector to those who differ from her own practices and beliefs. The temple guards, while part of the order, did not follow the Jedi way in the strictest sense as did their fellow Jedi kin. Asajj Ventress wields yellow lightsabers after her experiences and reformation. Sabine would not follow the traditional ways as Ahsoka would teach her to do, nor do I believe Sabine would choose to follow the traditional Jedi ways to begin with.

These are merely my thoughts on this topic. Please feel free to express your ideas of what you think her lightsaber may look like and the color it would be. Remember to keep things civilized.

Story Symbolism: 1984 and Hamlet in Freaky Friday

 In honor of the release of Freakier Friday, I wanted to discuss and analyze the film Freaky Friday. Now, many of its topics like perspective taking in psychology, the journey both mother and daughter had to take to become selfless, and the other themes found within that could be discussed in heavy details.

However, when I rewatched the film this past Thursday, in preparation for watching its sequel on today. I remembered something very important when it came to Anna's English class. Any book or film mentioned within the story, usually isn't picked at random for the sake of needing something real there, but rather because it has symbolic meaning to the film's or book's story.

A quick fun example: In Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith (the MC of the film), whose son plays the character's son, tells a joke about a drowning man asking god for help. Three boats come by, but the man turns them away. After dying and reaching heaven, the man asks god why he didn't save him. God reprimands the man because he had sent three boats to save him, and the man refused. The joke, while humorous and cute from a child telling his father, it actually is symbolic to the film's message - opportunities are always there, we just have to seize them when they come, or even help when offered.

So, in much the same way, both 1984 and Hamlet were brought into the film for a reason. So, we will discuss this in detail today.

Let's start with 1984 by George Orwell, which Anna actually nail's its theme and central conflict on the head. At this current moment in Anna's life, she is a teenager seeking freedom from both her teacher's and mother's control over her life. She is at the mercy at Mr. Bates's grading and him not being clear if he is really caring to help or not. Tess, doesn't make things easier either, by removing Anna's door, symbolic of her privacy, and trying to understand Anna, not for the sake of really seeing from Anna's perspective, but to help Anna see how her views are wrong and correct them. The difference here is that Tess genuinely cares for Anna, and is meaning well through her intentions. The same I'm sure could not be said for the government in the novel 1984.

The second literary novel brought to light in Freaky Friday is Hamlet by William Shakespeare. This play's plot is reflected a little deeper into the film like madness, betrayal, and other elements. Some of Anna's behavior, while validated by how Tess ignores and fails to listen, but also by the loss of her father three years prior to the film's beginning. This Tess brings up at the House of Chang, which Anna deflects by shifting the subject off her father. Hamlet also had to deal with the loss of his father, who visits him. While Anna's father never visits them, his ghostly presence is felt throughout the story.

After Pepe's mom's fortune cookies switches their souls into the other the following day, the madness has begun. This becomes aptly appropriate as both mother and daughter accept that they can't tell anyone for fear of what could happen if they did - yes, others will believe they have gone mad.

The betrayal aspect of Hamlet seems out of place in Freaky Friday, but don't forget that Tess in Anna's body recognizes Mr. Bates from her years in high school. A younger Mr. Bates had a crush on Tess. When he had asked her out to the prom she turned him down. While we can't guess the nature of how she turned him down at the time, it is clear Mr. Bates had held some bitterness of her turning him down and so he took out his vendetta on Anna, instead, failing her no reason. There is also Ryan, Tess's fiancee in the film, felt this when Anna in Tess's body rode home on the back of a motorbike with Jake, Anna's crush. Ryan, may have felt a twinge of betrayal there.

Finally, we come to the final analysis of Freaky Friday with Hamlet. Anna, deep down, didn't like Ryan because he is not her father. While three year may feel like adequate time for some, like Tess, but not for others like Anna, who was still having a difficult time moving forward from his passing. Both Anna and Hamlet felt uncertain around their mother's remarrying again so quickly. To Anna, accepting Ryan into their family could feel like a betrayal to her father's memory and legacy, while also feeling betrayed that her mother could just move on from her father's passing so quickly and remarry without a second thought to her and Harry. Anna reveals as much at the end with her speech when Tess asked Anna to call off the wedding, fearing they won't switch back that night and realizing her children aren't quite ready to move forward with someone who could play a father role in their lives.

Anna doesn't call off the wedding because she learns that Ryan isn't here to threaten what is already there, but to honor it and help it remain strong as it is. This, in addition to Tess helping Anna with the audition at the House of Blues, is enough selfless love to put each soul back where they belong. Thankfully, Freaky Friday proves to have a much happier ending than Hamlet, but then again, that's Disney.

These are my thoughts and insight to something that I felt hadn't really been addressed for this film. I would love to hear yours on the matter. Remember, please keep it civil.

Character Analysis: Regina Mills (Season 2)

I know, I know, this old stuff. The way I see it, classics like ABC's Once Upon a Time never get old. This is a timeless show for many of the reasons Harry Potter is considered a classic today. However, I'm not here to talk about what makes this show a classic, but rather talk about one of my favorite characters of the show: Regina Mills (aka The Evil Queen).

One of the reasons I love her character is because of the transformation she goes through from season 1 to season 7 (not a big fan of the final season, but it really adds to her arc).Today, I am not going to focus on the entire arc, but the arc she goes through in season 2, because this is the season where she really teeter-totters between hero and villain.

Season 1, Regina was hell-bent on kicking Emma out of Storybrooke so she won't take Henry away from her and won't break the curse. At the same time, she wants to keep destroying Snow (Mary-Margaret) and David's relationship. In the end, she fails, despite getting very close to succeeding. Thank you, Henry! As devastating as her loss was at the season 1 finale, this pushes Regina into the bottom of a very deep hole, kind of her own belly of the whale trope. Though, I feel she goes through two of these.

Often times, we see heroes easily climb out of the belly of the beast situation like Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie in A New Hope. True, they had to fight a bunch of Stormtroopers to escape the Death Star, but compared to Regin's climb out, their escape looks like child's play in comparison. Now, I'm not saying our galactic heroes' struggles weren't valid and worth their merit.

However, we need to keep in mind that Regina had been the villain for a very long time, always relying on unhealthy and unsafe means of dealing with her struggles. In season 2, we see her struggle with her dark and light side heavily, especially in the first few episodes. First couple, she flickers from the wallpaper trick on David to threatening everyone in Storybrooke, if Henry doesn't go with her. She even pretends to not know who Jefferson is in front of Emma, hoping this could be some tool she could use against Emma later down the road.

Henry, finally reminds her that love has to be earned and real love is allowing the people you care for to be happy and be themselves. Regina is reminded of how Cora had kept her like a prisoner in the king's castle and not letting Regina be herself. Regina finally tries to do better for Henry by letting him stay with David. That doesn't mean her struggles are over. She goes to Archie to help her not use magic and does snap at Emma after Emma and Snow return home. Regina quickly apologizes and tries to do better.

Sadly, the other residents don't make it easy. Change needs help and support. Henry believes in her and so does Emma. As for the rest, they are quick to blame her when evidence points to Regina killing Archie. Emma and Henry only believe this when this see the evidence through Pongo's memory. (I know Henry didn't, but I'm sure Emma confirmed this with him.)

In a later episode, Mary Margaret states at the hospital that she doesn't want to imagine what could happen if Cora finds Regina first, after learning of Regina's innocence and Cora has found a way to Storybrooke. Mary-Margaret is right. Cora pushes Regina back down the slippery slope she had been trying to climb. Regina, at her most vulnerable, and feels utterly alone, is left with no choice but to Cora, believing her mother is truly there to help her.

Regina returns to villainy, alongside her mother, but Snow knows putting doubt into Regina's head could help not just the heroes, but Regina herself to start waking up. Cora cares for Regina, but not in the way Regina might want it. The fall worsens after Snow kills Cora, and both Snow and Regina are back at each other's throats, well more Regina's back at it.

Now completely alone, Regina resorts to her evil, old ways, feeling it is the only option left for her. She puts her own needs and interests above everyone else, but then again I can't blame her. David and Snow discuss about returning back to the Enchanted Forest, and plan to make Regina's life miserable. Her support system isn't strong. Henry won't approve her moves and Emma, while understanding, doesn't either. These two have remained supportive, but their faith in Regina can only hold for so long especially how protective and insecure she reveals herself in becoming.

In result of pushing everyone away, as Emma assured her could happen, she is left alone and once more in the belly of the whale. She is captured and helpless at the hands of Craig and Tamara, and Hook has no interest in helping her. In the end, the heroes with guns ablaze save Regina. Afterall, she is family and a Storybrooke resident who doesn't deserve to die at the hands of outsiders who wish to destroy them all. As the famous saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Being saved several times, and especially when she no longer had a way to climb out, Emma, Snow, David, and Neal (who took a bullet and landed in the Enchanted Forest) came to her aid. Even, the Blue Fairy healed Regina. Though, Regina still remains bitter, she is grateful and slowly is able to make her climb out and become a hero.

This is why I have made this a character analysis rather than a simple, straightforward hero or villain one. She had oscillated for most of season 2, but with all the growing pains, slips, and getting back up, helped her finally start on the true path of redemption.

While these are my thoughts and take on Regina's season 2 arch, I would love hear yours. Please share them in the comments below.

Harry Potter: The Boy Who Became a Classic

 The day before yesterday was Harry Potter's birthday as well as JK Rowling's, who in my opinion is not a transphobic, but has an opinion that isn't popular with the masses, and that's fine. I support her rights and freedom to express her thoughts and opinions, whether I truly agree with her on that is irrelevant and will not stand in the way of respecting the woman for who she is. I also support the LGBTQ community.

Okay, so now that is out of the way, I want to honor both the author and her famous character. While Harry Potter has so much to give in its themes and morals that help its readers to become better people each day, the one thing I want to focus on most is what makes Harry Potter a classic. I covered this in an academic paper, but I will not go into too deeply here and just touch the surface with this. Now, we can truly go deeper in the comments section if you'd like.

I am not saying that I won't talk about the morals and themes. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Usually what makes a story a classic is their timeless themes and morals. Key word "timeless", meaning these messages are ones that humanity has never gotten never tired of hearing and must continue to hear them. I know saying this sounds odd. True, none of us want to hear the same lecture over and over again, whether it is from our parents, teachers, or even the local priest or guru. Yet, the way non-didactic stories do this is where we learn them in an entertaining and an emotional way.

Didactic means when a story's primary purpose is to teach. Harry Potter, Star Wars, and many other great stories' primary purpose is to entertain; the lesson is a delicious bonus that makes the story all the more memorable and loved. Trust me didactic stories can't do this very well, at least none that I'm aware of.

Harry Potter deals with timeless universal themes like death, love, discrimination, friendship, teaching, and much more. It has taught countless readers that death is inevitable, but the only way to truly conquer it is through love, and it isn't about love bringing the person we lost back, but rather honoring the people we loved in life through how we live. "It is our choices, Harry, that show us who we truly are, far more than our abilities" (Rowling, 1998, 333). Dumbledore's words ring true in the actions of the other characters in all seven books and in the real-world people.

However, it isn't enough to have these powerful themes written across the pages. It is also essential to have the entertaining stuff like magic wands, dragons, playing Quidditch, sneaking through Hogwarts at night, and having butterbeer and banter with friends. These moments make lessons all the moral powerful and meaningful.

On top of this, they have things that are things we associate with the story and want to have like butterbeer, chocolate frogs, house scarves, and character wands. A perfect breeding ground for merchandizing and creating recipes.

Another big aspect, are characters we can connect with and relate to. Characters have to be laired and complex, not black and white. Snape, Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione prove this alongside a number of other characters. It is why we love them, because they're flawed, making them more human and relatable.

Combine all this, you have a story that is worthy to be remembered, reread, rewatched, and have posted on all our mugs, shirts, and walls. Years ago, after the last Harry Potter film was released, people wondered would this series become a classic. It was probably too early to tell, but at the time when I wrote the paper, I knew it would become so. I knew this simply for these many reasons. It has been proven through a Broadway production, theme park, Harry Potter stores slowly opening around the world, Fantastic Beasts films, and now a TV series.  The stories are filled with rich world-building we wish we could live in, colorful characters that we can connect with, and themes that help us navigate the real world. This is why, today, it has been proven that has becomes a classic. And it always will be one. Always.

Trends and Traditions in Fantasy Storytelling

 First off, I apologize for not posting anything last week nor mentioning anything about it till now. I honestly, didn't have anything I wished to discuss last week. As a writer, it is important for me to feel a passionate energy in what I write or discuss. Now, granted there's a lot like discrimination found in the Harry Potter books, and I could even talk about the themes of love and death found within the text. I could talk about the theme of balance in Star Wars, but I wasn't feeling the energy about diving into these discussions at the time. If I don't have the passionate energy needed, then the writing will not be at its peak, my argument will be weak, lacking proper evidence, and, in the end, it won't be fair to any of my readers because you deserve strong, well-written discussion topics.

So, now that is out of the way, I want to talk about something that has been on my mind since I decided to forgo a post last week. I had been wrestling with this quire a lot recently, and I also touched on this in my Youtube vlog.

Now, normally I would like to avoid discussing things too close to my writing here because I want to keep these two things separate, but trending genres seems to be applying to both sides of the board - the readers and the writers. I discussed more in-depth on the writer's side, but I would I will expand on this and add more the reader's side in.

In the process of querying, one of the common points writers must be mindful of are topics trending in the market. This doesn't mean we need to write what is trending because the trend can change by the time a writer gets their book published, and even what they write could change the trend. In other words, become the new trendsetter.

These are current struggles, I am facing, but I am doing my best to be unfazed by the trending market. However, as a reader, it is becoming difficult for me to find books that I genuinely enjoy and look forward to reading the sequel. Okay, I'm not saying I don't enjoy many of the books I read, but I haven't enjoyed them as much as I've enjoyed Harry Potter or the Green Rider series or something along those lines.

I suppose, I'm someone who enjoys the classic fantasy stories like Lord of the Rings and the stories I grew up in the late 90s and early 00s. That was the trend during the time. Searching the Hogwarts castle for clues with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, or stepping into the wardrobe into Narnia with the Pevensie children, or flying on a dragon's back with Eragon.

Then those days ended with vampires falling in love with humans, yes I'm looking at you Twilight. Then shortly after teenage apocalyptic novels like Hunger Games, Divergent, and the Maze Runner took center stage saturating the market with teenage game stories taking place in a future world. I've read the Hunger Game novels, and while I found them jarring and at times annoying, I grew to respect them. Now, I didn't read the Divergent novels, but I've seen the films. While they're different in the themes and morals, they are similar in regards to the apocalyptic world being segregated into groups. Regardless, the vibe is still beating in similar beats. Even one of the recent stories I read, Caravel felt similar with the whole game feel, but it also uniquely did something different. It also belongs in the current trending market.

Today's trend is romantasy. Stories the blend both the fantasy genre and the romance genre. One of the most popular ones is A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. You can add Outlander, A Discovery of Witches, and Fourth Wing into this new trending genre. I did watch the A Discovery of Witches show on Netflix. It was intriguing and engaging, and the romance felt more or less realistic, if not a tad predictable. Keyword "tad", meaning not by a lot. The happily every after is there along with a few other elements I will not mention.

I, personally, am not a huge fan of romance. The idea they blended the two is making me cringe. As I said in my vlog, I've never enjoyed romance stories because of the constant pining for each other and the obsession they have for one each other. Its like they forget there are other important things out there, too, aside from each other.

My struggle dealing with this new trend has never felt so real till recently due to me querying my own manuscript, which isn't a romantasy, and finding ideal stories for me to read in bed or watch in a TV series format. Some would be nice in a film, too, but it seems those days have come and gone. I love traditional fantasy stories where real-life themes like plutonic love, death, balance, good vs evil, discrimination are placed in a high or epic fantasy adventure or political intrigue. At the same time, the worlds need to be lush, beautiful, and immersive.

While, I do enjoy the classic tropes, I don't mind them changing and twisting to tell a better story, but that doesn't mean they need to be gritty and edgy. I have yet to find a new story to love, aside from some of the Star Wars content that has been coming out in recent years. Changing the old, tired tropes is understandable and is certainly needed, but don't compromise what makes those traditional stories beloved to do so.

This is what I am hoping to change by adding something that pays homage to what is beloved most in the high and epic fantasy stories, but doing something different and giving something new and fresh. My current manuscript is exactly this with magical creatures, sword fights, political intrigue, but heavily dissects a mother-daughter through the themes of class, nature, and finding hope through failure.

So, this is my view on the current trends, and also my own personal tastes and hope for the future. Granted, many of you will not share my personal tastes and opinions on this, but that's what makes the world all so colorful. Please share your thoughts and feelings below, and remember to be polite and respectful the thoughts and opinions of others.

Film Review: Snow White (2025)

Upfront, this film has received a lot of backlash, especially with its choice casting of Rachel Zegler as Snow White, and other aspects like CGI dwarves. However, I am make my opinion on this film solely on the film itself - story, setting, CGI, casting, and the whole shebang. This means I am putting aside popular opinions negative and/or positive aside. Now this doesn't mean I will completely ignore it. I will certainly acknowledge and address them, but I will do so with the other aspects into consideration.

This past Friday night, I sat down and watched Snow White (2025). Off the bat, it isn't a bad film, but it isn't great either. In other words, nothing to write home about. For Disney, adapting one of their most iconic classics that made history, it is kind of disappointing. However, standing on its own, it was satisfactory.

There were certainly things I enjoyed about about this film, in terms of how it addressed many of the outdated issues of the first one. Now, I'm aware many found this is very annoying, considering the film being woke to many people and destroying what made the original Snow White film what it is. I get that we won't get the feel of the nostalgia, but honestly, I feel this world has become a little hypocritical. People constantly slander the original Beauty and the Beast for displaying Stockholm Syndrome, which it doesn't, The Little Mermaid for telling girls that they need to change for their man, and while I see the angle, people forget Ariel wanted to be human before seeing Eric, and of course, Cinderella gets attacked for making children believe that love at first sight is real, and you can marry that person the next day. The latter, I am happy to back that claim one 99%.

There's nothing wrong in addressing outdated themes. One example I loved was that Snow White had the dwarves clean their own home, and she helped them. So, she wasn't above joining them in the labor of cleaning their home, but neither beneath them in doing it all for them. Snow White was equal to the dwarves in this way.

The one worry I had prior to watching this film was that Snow White would be too far removed from her Hufflepuff qualities found in the original. Thankfully, they kept them, and the changes they made only strengthened those values, rather than weakening them.

While, I can't speak for others on this matter, but I am glad that they tweaked Dopey's character. I was apprehensive, but it seemed to work well here, and really helped represent those with learning disabilities or people like Dopey, who feel more aptly represented in an empowering way.

These were certainly the film's golden qualities, but not I wish to address the areas where I am feeling rather mixed about and feel aren't working in the story's favor. One of which are the clothing of the bandits. They appeared too modern for my liking, especially Johnathan's, which felt jarring in this fairytale setting set in a German-like location.

Upon the casting of Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, I originally expected the setting to be in Spain rather than Germany. There's nothing wrong of changing a setting to film that never truly specified, and felt more generic. However, from some of the tunes to the architecture, it is very clear that it is set in Germany or a setting inspired by Germany. So, the casting choices now make little sense. While, I don't mind their point of fairness is something found within you rather than being the color of your skin, but Snow White has always been associated with fair skin. Zegler is not deeply tan, of course, but not fair enough in complexity for me to kind of feel irked at times when I watched the film. Returning to the setting issue, I found the forest to be very German. I visited the Black Forest once, and the setting reminded me of that very real forest. Yes, so did the cuckoo clock in the dwarves' home because I know cuckoo clocks originated from Germany. Yet, many of the new tunes and the cast are not German.

The bandits with their modern clothing didn't help with the setting either. Even their presence was a little confusing. It was difficult to get a feel of their purpose in this story. The plot since encountering the bandits, honestly, became more rushed and confusing. I understood what was happening, but I couldn't understand why. Why was it taking Snow so long to journey to another kingdom to find out if her father was alive or not?

On the downside, the newly added musical pieces were not catchy and fell flat. Snow's and Jonathan's relationship felt rushed and not so passionate as I found in the other Disney remakes. Snow was placed to rest on a big rock. I'm surprised Snow didn't complain about it after waking up. On the other hand, some of the nods I loved, like Jonathan imitating the Snow's funeral scene during the song. Though when that did happen, it felt like a checklist item rather than a plot point. Honestly, Maleficent did this better.

In conclusion, this is why I am giving this film a satisfactory middle mark. It was reasonably entertaining, but there were certainly areas that could be improved like the CGI animals and dwarves. I get the animated cartoon feel for them, but it just didn't work for me, and it would have been nice to cast some actual little people for the roles.

While I'm aware this wasn't the most beloved live action remake, I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on the film with politeness and textual evidence to back it up (meaning specific examples from the film).

Hero Analysis: Padme Amidala

In honor of 4th of July I have decided to do a hero analysis. Last night I rewatched The Phantom Menace. So, I will do a hero from Star Wars. Now, I could, honestly, do any of the heroes from Episode I, but many of these characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan have been studied and analyzed thoroughly in the last 25 years. Yes, it celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. I decided to analyze my favorite Star Wars character of all time - Padme Amidala (Naberrie/Skywalker).

So, why Padme do you ask? Why not Jar Jar or another hero that has often been left in the dust. Well, the funny thing is Padme was not intended to be like those characters due to the significant role she plays in the overall arc of the six episode story. Yet, she is constantly treated like a minor character rather than the major character she is. The reason behind this, I feel, is largely on how George Lucas wrote her character across the three films. This I will touch on more in a bit.

First, what really inspired me to discuss her today is because earlier this week, there was a Youtube video I watched about ways to introduce your main characters and open up your story. This got me thinking about Padme's unique introduction to Star Wars. Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Jar Jar, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Anakin all got some pretty interesting introductions in Phantom Menace. Padme's is by far the most intriguing.

The scene she gets her first introduction is when their outside the main hangar where the "queen" has to decide whether to stay on Naboo with her people or leave with the Jedi. The queen turns to her handmaiden who simply says "We are brave, Your Highness." That's it. That's all we got. Honestly, in most films, it would have simply have been an extremely minor character getting their one moment in the spotlight. Yet, in Padme's case, her role continues to increase as the film progresses from cleaning up Artoo to then finally revealing herself as the queen. Later, she goes on to represent Naboo in the senate before and during the Clone Wars, marries Anakin, fights in a number of battles, and eventually, gives birth to Luke and Leia.

Such a move certainly makes you scratch your head as to why Lucas decided to introduce her in such way, where we are meant to assume she's simply a minor character. I personally feel that Lucas did this is to show who she is. She was a queen disguised as a handmaiden in plain sight. We were meant to overlook her and not give her second thought. It goes back to the academic paper I wrote in college about Star Wars (Yes, I wrote a paper on it), which was about the visual meanings and representation in the Star Wars universe. One of the first things I mention, is that Obi-Wan in A New Hope, says to Luke "Your eyes can deceive you. Don't trust them." This echoes the entire Star Wars story. Every visual element is important in Star Wars. This includes that well-known brief interaction between a queen and her handmaiden outside the main hangar. Padme made you think she was nothing more than a handmaiden, but throughout the film, she slowly revealed herself to not be a mere handmaiden.

Honestly, I could go on all day about this, but now I want to focus on her as a character and hero in the Star Wars universe. George Lucas did showcase Padme splendidly as a politician who is different than others in her field because of her kindness, intelligence, strong morals, and fierce combatant on the front lines. Timothy Zahn, the creator of Admiral Thrawn, best described Padme as someone who has a toolbox with her. Depending on the situation, she will either use her negotiating skills or she will charge into a situation with her blaster firing. These are things that Ahsoka Tano admires about Padme and even learns to apply after a year in hiding in the reign of the empire. Hence, Padme's legacy continues even after her demise.

However, I myself found her character arc in Revenge of the Sith, disappointing. As did, I'm sure, others. I fell in love with Star Wars through Padme's personality whether it be her way of talking her way out of situation or fearlessness to join the fight alongside her Jedi comrades. She was not a damsel in distress as I had believed most Disney princesses to be when I was nine-years-old. Though I hadn't gotten into Star Wars officially till I was eleven. Yet, she became a romantic, damsel in Episode III. My cousin argued that she was pregnant and a character who was convinced that Anakin could do no harm, especially to younglings. Pregnancy, fine, I get you will be out of the action, but that doesn't mean your entire character growth over the past two episodes is to slide backwards. Also how could she not believe Obi-Wan saying he saw a holo-recording of Anakin killing younglings when Anakin had confessed to killing Tusken Raider children alongside the men and women in Attack of the Clones. Also, I refuse to believe she just lost the will to live. Anakin Force-choked her, and I don't believe Force-chokes can leave medical marks on the body.

Thankfully, Clone Wars redeemed her character. She was the woman I grew up admiring. In addition, I learned about her personal weakness and struggles, which made her more human and relatable. That empowering speech she made about defeating the bill for more clones was mind-blowing and certainly left the one she gave Boss Nass in Episode I in the dust. What made that speech every impactful was that she still respected and honored the clones that currently served on the front lines, and that it got under Palpatine's skin.

Sadly, this does little to make up for the damage Episode III did to her because it is still part of her arc. However, her legacy continues. As we saw in the "Obi-Wan Kenobi" show and the Star Wars: Ahsoka novel by EK Johnston. She lives on through her children. Obi-Wan ensured that Leia knew this, though he didn't share Padme's name with her. A year after Order 66, Ahsoka struggled to find a way to live in a galaxy that no longer welcomed Jedi, of any sort. Ahsoka tried applying the teachings Anakin and Obi-Wan taught her, but they failed her. Through meditation, Ahsoka discovered that she had to rely on Padme's teachings because Padme was never a Jedi, but the noble senator survived countless battles using her own strengths and understanding the situation before acting. Ahsoka applied this in her current situation during the Empire's reign and it worked. Padme also taught Ahsoka about the politics of the galaxy, which allowed Ahsoka to become mindful how political systems can affect the entire galaxy and its people.

Padme Amidala deserves far more credit and love than she had received. While Lucas's writing of her character kind of went downhill in Revenge of the Sith, but she is still a major character that has done so much service to the galaxy during her lifetime and even beyond. The last part doesn't just apply to her children and Ahsoka, but also to the Rebel Alliance. She had urged Bail after Palpatine gave his speech, which brought in the age of the empire, to obey and keep your head down, but in secret work against the empire and all it stands for. Hence, the birth of the rebellion.

While I'm certain many of you might disagree, feel free to share your thoughts on Padme's character. Do you feel the same as I? What are your hopes for her character in the future of Star Wars? Also, once gain remember to be nice and civil like Padme herself because she would not approve of foul play, nor would I.