Apart from their seemingly endless capacity for pure entertainment, the films in the Star Wars franchise play with issues and themes that range from immigration, race, and gender to the conflict of good vs. evil, the dangerous effects of having absolute power, and the significance of personal responsibility. After indulging in a Star Wars binge over the holidays, I’ve been ruminating on these films quite a bit and have come up with a list of lessons I’ve taken away from the nine films that currently make up the series. Some of the items in the following list are a bit humorous; others I’m still contemplating as far as if/how they might work with a Christian worldview, yet I’ve included them for discussion purposes. Feedback is welcome!

1. Get to know your neighbors. To Luke Skywalker at the beginning of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, his neighbor is “Old Ben,” an odd hermit-like man who couldn’t possibly have done anything heroic or spectacular in his life. Little does Luke know that Ben is really Obi-Wan Kenobi. Who might my own neighbors be?
2. Don’t subscribe to the idea that there are lost causes. What would the universe of Star Wars be like if Luke had given up on his father, Darth Vader, and hadn’t clung to the belief that there was still good in him?
3. Be persistent. When the Empire rebuilds that Death Star, just shoot it down again and again until they get the idea that you won’t give up.
4. Be flexible. Situations change constantly and quickly, and so must you.
5. Always be prepared. Make sure your breathing apparatus and grappling hook are with you at all times and in good working order—just in case you have to swim underwater undetected or jump off a building.
6. Have faith that good always wins out in the end. It will.
7. Always go back for your friends. True friends will come back for you as well.
8. Make new friends. You never know when you’ll need them most.
9. Don’t give in to anger or be puffed up with pride. Those are sure and swift ways to the Dark Side.
10. Don’t listen to/believe flattery. (See #9)
11. One person’s junk is another person’s treasure. So, don’t offhandedly dismiss the rejected or roughed up things (or people!) of the world.
12. Listen to your feelings, but always let good and your understanding of it determine your course of action. Young Jedi are repeatedly instructed to tap into their feelings; however, in crunch time when the well-being of the universe is at stake, it is not just feelings that motivate the Jedi to heroic deeds. Rather, it is their knowledge of the Light Side of the Force, their love of what is good, and their belief that this good will be triumphant that leads them to put themselves at risk and confront the Dark Side.
13. There’s always a bigger monster out there waiting to devour you. Sometimes this can work out well when a larger monster gobbles up the smaller one that is attacking your vessel. However, this lesson also hints that evil is cumulative and will devour the one who entertains it if left unchecked.
14. Be teachable. How many of Anakin’s, Luke’s, Rey’s, and Kylo Ren’s problems can be traced back to a resistance to the humility that is required to truly learn from a master?
15. Failure is the greatest teacher. Yoda says this, so it must be true.
16. Always keep your arms close to your body. One of these days, I’m going to count how many characters lose their limbs in these films—especially their right arms, which traditionally can be symbols of strength or power.
17. Be ready and able to see past others’ disguises. This lesson gels nicely with the films’ emphasis on being oneself and living up to one’s own destiny. It’s best to be real.
18. It’s better to hang with a small group of outsiders who fight for a cause than a large group who unquestioningly runs with the status quo. As one memorable t-shirt says, “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” Don’t be one of them.
19. Think outside the box. Being unpredictable and inventive are often precursors to greatness and vast influence, which can be used to spread goodness and defeat evil.
20. There are few things in this world more powerful than hope. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13).