My Star Wars Parental Plan Proceeds Perfectly

Using the galaxy as a gateway for big life lessons

Photo by Anthony Duran on Unsplash

‘Is Darth Vader bad?’ — asked my four-year-old son Valentine.

‘He’s conflicted,’ I replied. ‘It’s more complicated than bad and good.’

We finished all nine movies Star Wars movies and Rogue One in the summer of 2023. Last fall we watched Andor and Obi-Wan. Now we’re going through the Mandolorian Disney Plus series.

Most viewers disliked Jar Jar Binks, a character from Episode One, the Phantom Menace. But I knew my four-year-old would love the Gungan. My seven-year-old daughter Sonali adores Princess Leia, Padme, and Rey.

I realize Star Wars fans can be militant about details. Before I write further, know that I’m not one. I enjoy the stories, but I’m no diehard.

The line between good and evil runs through us all

We’re all familiar with the famous quote from Russian Alexander Solzhenitsyn, written in the Gulag Archipelago;

‘The line between good and evil runs not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart”