My Heroes Have Always Been Rebels — A Tribute to Star Wars’ Leia Organa
Carrie Fisher’s unexpected death in December 2016 has many of us thinking about the impact of her work on our world. I first saw Star Wars at the tender age of 8. My parents dragged along my grandmother, who was born in 1904, a Kansas native who married and moved to California in the 1920s. She was, needless to say, blown away, as was I.
Inspired, I immediately started wrangling the kids at the Christian School I attended to play Star Wars. I, of course, was Leia and I assigned the boys all of the best roles. This went great for about a week, until well-meaning teachers noticed us trying to use ‘the Force’ and Jedi mind tricks on each other. Then that sort of play was banned — individuals don’t have access to the Force, only God does. So that was that. But I no longer believe that is true — we all have access to life force, truth force, light force, and soul force — acknowledging those truths is how we and our world will change.
But back to the Rebels!
When I spent some time pondering my affection for Princess Leia Organa, I realized that I hold the same affection for many science fiction heroes of our time — the cast of Firefly and Serenity, affectionately dubbed The Browncoats, for instance. The resistance fighters from the future in the Terminator series. Morpheus, Neo, and Trinity from the Matrix films. Even the characters of Star Trek occasionally stood up to their Federation, when their moral imperative demanded it.
Other childhood heroes of mine were also resistance fighters, like the men and women behind the Underground Railroad, the abolitionist movement, the revolutionaries of our own Revolutionary War, those who resisted fascism (say Mata Hari) and hid Jews during WWII, various superheroes, and even the humorous characters of shows like Hogan’s Heroes. To me, resistance and rebellion are not about violence (Gandhi is a hero of mine), but it does make for great tv and movies.
Luke, Leia, and Han were rebels, fighting an Empire that refused to acknowledge them as fully human. Luke and his family were scratching out a subsistence living on Tatooine. Han was a drop-out who only followed his rules, at least at first. Leia, a Princess of Alderaan, led the Resistance movement in addition to being a diplomat, and was a subversive female leader like none I had ever seen. She was punished for her work by being imprisoned and having to watch as her planet was destroyed. But of course, they ultimately prevailed, as all heroes should. At the end of the first film, they all stood together, in a blaze of glory, to be decorated for their service. In short, they were battling tyranny, which has never been more relevant than now.
In the Matrix films, Morpheus was leading a rebellion against the Machines, a soul-less, heartless effort to exploit and destroy the last remaining humans.
These characters hold in their hearts a willingness to fight against what is unfair and unjust, to stand in solidarity with other marginalized and disenfranchised people, and to uphold the values of justice, fairness, love, and truth.
Our Resistance, Today
So many of us are appalled by the direction our world seems headed. Our ‘Empire’ is an elite-focused, hegemonic system seeking to control and dominate its citizenry. What is truly distressing is how many of our fellow citizens are bought into the particular sort of Kool Aid being dispensed.
Groups like Anonymous (I am one, a culture hacker) and the Occupy Movement also resist unfairness, injustice, and the truth embargo using non-violent methods. Our approach is about a revolution of mind, illuminating the darkness, and standing in solidarity with those who suffer by amplifying their voices and messages from wherever they originate.
At its core is what we really need: a revolution of love.
I also participate in the #Disclosure movement, which is aimed at lobbying our governments to be more truthful and transparent with us. Specifically with respect to the extraterrestrial presence on our world. Words are our weapons as we endeavor to co-create a more equitable, less exploitation-based world. We need to learn to #WagePeace as well as we know how to wage war.
Many others are now calling for an organized Resistance Movement in our own world. George Takei (Star Trek’s Sulu) has called for our participation:
It is axiomatic that little worth fighting for has ever come without a fight. New veterans of our struggle will emerge from the coming clashes. And while we all wish that future generations would not have to face the terror, isolation, and even deadly effects of hatred and bigotry, we are reminded today, more than ever, that the struggle may truly never be over. Enemies of progress, equality, and justice often slip away unnoticed for years, regroup and change their names and strategies, then re-emerge to challenge what we have gained.
We are at a critical juncture in our history. We must take inspiration from those archetypes, both fictional and non-fictional, who hold the light of justice, freedom and equality up high and encourage others to follow. We must all do what we can to lead this revolution of mind. We must not think we are not worthy or somehow incapable of this challenge.
We must awaken to the injustices around us and must support those who struggle to fight for themselves. We must strive to uncover what it is in our culture that prevents us from doing what is right. We are all in this together and we all need to rise up in support of what we know is right. This isn’t just about our present, it’s about the future we are creating and leaving to future generations.
About Lisa Galarneau, Ph.D: I am a socio-cultural anthropologist, futurist, US Army veteran, and mother.
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