The Never Ending Battle vs. the First Order; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Appreciate the Sequel Trilogy · 1:38am Feb 13th, 2023
So, uh...the Star Wars sequels. Pretty hot button topic already. I'll admit to not being their biggest fan, but also not really their biggest detractor either. One of my critiques has been that the First Order ended up just being The Empire 2.0...but recently I did some thinking about them and even Palpatine's return in The Rise of Skywalker. And between the critiques that can be made about its overall handling, I think that there's actually a really good, and particularly resonant, lesson that can be taken away from the overarching story of the sequels.
The First Order rose out of the ashes of the Empire, and they got as big and dangerous as they did because–if I recall correctly, I'm not an uber Wars fan so I'm not totally brushed up on the lore between movies–the New Republic got kinda lax about nipping them in the bud after defeating the Empire.
And their negligence and complacency in getting comfy with victory cost them. Dearly.
It cost millions of innocent lives. It cost the fragile peace that they'd fought so hard to win. It cost the livelihoods of the next generation who'd in all likelihood grown up being told stories of how their parents defeated evil for good in the galaxy. It cost them everything.
I look at that turn of events in the world of a galaxy far, far away...and I look around at our world now. I think about seeing just how much went to hell in a hand basket through the Pandemic alone, and I think of how it shook more of my own beliefs and outlooks than I'd like to admit. I look at all the hatred and division that's become so deeply rooted in America alone, and I think of how much of a mistake it is to teach our children like we beat fascism in WW2 or beat racism in the Civil Rights movement and everyone lived happily ever after...
...and I look back at the First Order's rise from troublesome splinter group to galactic threat, and thinking about it that way makes it hit a lot harder.
The overall story of the Star Wars sequel trilogy is heavily flawed. I won't deny that in the slightest. But if there's any lesson to be gleaned from the rise of the First Order, the return of Palpatine, and all the struggles that the characters, new and old, of the Sequel Trilogy went through, it's that just because victories are won for the right thing doesn't mean that they'll stay that way if we don't do our best to maintain them. There will always be hatred. There will always be bigotry. There will always be tyranny. It will never truly leave us, just retreat into shadows or dark corners until it sees an opportunity to take root once again.
Being kind and decent and doing the right thing isn't a one-and-done deal. It's a never ending battle...and we can't quit. For our own sakes, for the sake of those we care about, and for the sake of others in general.
"Vigilance...", said Captain Jean-Luc Picard in one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's best episodes. "That is the price we have to continually pay."
Well said. I hope everyone else will see it that way.
Wow. The timing of this is uncanny. I've been thinking a fair bit about the sequels as of late thanks to playing through them in the LEGO Skywalker Saga. But to this, I have to say, you did a fine job with re-examining the movies and, frankly, the real-world resonance that can be found in their story. And I wholeheartedly agree, too, with your summation.
Even if you used a Star Trek quote to close out a post on Star Wars.
Very well said, Jadepone. :3
They're not the best films ever made, but I agree with the core of your commentary. As Thomas Jefferson put it, 'the price of freedom is eternal vigilance'.
To each their own. Well said, Jade.