If you were living in the Star Wars universe, do you think you’d be a light side follower or a dark side follower? Or would you consider yourself something else, like a Mandalorian Bounty Hunter or a smuggler like Han Solo?

The Truest Darkness

It’s safe to say that when people in the Star Wars universe took the dark side path, for most of them, it was a commitment like no other. And while giving yourself over to the dark side of your nature in our society is frowned upon, in the SWU, there’s a place for people like that to prosper. Just look at Kylo Ren’s rise to power or even Darth Vader.

The biggest problem with the dark side is forgiveness from others. To me, that’s not really a thing when you’ve killed and maimed and terrorised so many people. I was never a supporter of the redemption arc in the last trilogy. I needed to say that.

But we know that for a Disney movie to succeed, there has to be a way for the darkest character in the story to find a way to return to the light to make things right, right?

Somewhere In-between

There are characters that sit somewhere in between both, which is where I think Han Solo would be. While he wasn’t a true dark side follower, he was also a little on the dodgy side doing shady dealings with many unsavoury characters. Not exactly a light side trait. Although he ultimately did the right thing and supported Luke and the Rebellion, he still had a little more grey leaning towards the dark.

It’s in the areas in-between where I think we, as people, have the hardest time accepting someone’s actions, even if they seem “good”. Paint a person black and they’ll always be bad until they somehow step into the light. Then everything is wonderful in the world, and we have no judgement. And that annoys me as a reader, a film-lover and a fan of popular culture.

The Light Shines the Way to Boredom!

Being a light side follower is obviously an easier choice to make because it means you will always be forgiven, even when you do terrible things. There is always forgiveness when you’re (mostly) considered squeaky-clean and always doing the right thing.

But isn’t that just a tad boring? What is a light side, goody-two shoes person without the temptation of doing something wrong? Is it easier to be someone who is good that sometimes does awful things? Or to be a bad person who sometimes acts out of character so you can feel sympathy towards them, even if it’s fleeting?

I guess I want to see characters that are doomed to live life in the shadows, even when their hands are reaching out for help. Sometimes, those characters don’t deserve to be anything better. And sometimes, the light side followers will always be good, judgemental of others who aren’t and just plain boring.

Let me know in the comments if you agree or disagree or anything in between! I’m keen to hear your thoughts.

As always, keep safe, keep creating and I’ll catch you in the next post!

If you like my Star Wars posts, you can check out more of them right here.

And while you’re there, why not consider following me, which you can do here.