A vast universe, shining stars, and an exciting adventure in a strange new world…. Many of us dream of being a Jedi knight, wielding a lightsaber. Lucky for us Star Wars fans, another piece of the story was recently released. Disney decided to make a new Star Wars sequel trilogy and spin-off movies to expand the world of Star Wars. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story made its debut in the winter of 2016 as the first in a serious of Star Wars series spin-off movies.
Star Wars, Be Ambitious!
Since 2015, the Star Wars saga movies have satisfied a new generation of moviegoers. In the wake of Rey, the main character of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars presents another female hero, Jyn Erso, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The two female actors join the ranks of other female heroes featured in Star Wars, which started with Princess Leia. Leia appeared introverted and closed to others. She was not a member of the Jedi Order, nor was she passionate about liberating the world. However, Jin Erso is quite the opposite and breaks stereotypical female hero images of fighting for liberty and equality. The last thing from her mind is to fight for a noble cause. To honor and follow the plan of her father, Jin Erso takes charge and heads up the spaceship Rogue One on its mission to destroy the Death Star. She is very active throughout the entire story. It is her cynical attitude that creates her unique charm, something completely innovative and different from existing Star Wars characters. Her character emphasizes the main theme of the movie: an independent woman uses her right to make choices and is not governed or controlled by others. What is more, the film featured numerous other female actors who gave outstanding performances as revolutionary leaders, flight captains, and Storm Troopers.
In addition to the multitude of female actors, the film also had two non-white actors. Audiences were introduced to two Chinese actors: Yen Ji Dan and Jiang Wen as guardians of the Whills. The characters shared great friendship and faith in the force. Moreover, their spectacular onscreen action thrilled all moviegoers. Another more remarkable aspects of the movie was the impressive martial arts actions and performance by Asian actors. Rogue One as a blockbuster makes these two aspects more meaningful. One attempt at change by a movie like Star Wars will not result in immediate change, but as a citizen of the world, it was very impressive to see females and people of colour featured in leading roles in the movie.
The Myth Persists
On December 27th Carrie Fisher the actor who played Princess Leia passed away. People all around the world expressed their sadness about the loss of Princess Leia. Thought she is not with us, her legacy will survive in generations to come as they continue to enjoy the Star Wars series. The reputation of Star Wars still persists. Personally, this reporter is looking excitedly towards the next movie in the series: Star Wars, the myth of modern times.
