Introduction
Star Wars has been a pop culture phenomenon for nearly five decades. Between the twelve feature films, over a dozen television shows, countless toy lines, and a massive extended universe of books and comics dating back to the 1980s, no generation born in the West since the 1960s has been spared from its influence. Whether children and adults become lifelong fans or merely pick up bits and pieces by simply existing in pop culture, most children and many adults can name one character, movie, or influence from the franchise. At its heart, however, Star Wars has been predominantly made for an audience of children and teenagers, boiling down complex themes to make them easier to digest, often at the expense of nuance. Most who watch quickly understand the main theme of light vs dark, good vs evil, but deeper themes and connections to history can fly over the heads of many children, and some adults, in the face of spectacular space battles, fantastical aliens, and space magic. Through this unit, I hope to open the more complex themes that arise in the franchise and use those to teach students the broader ideas of fear, power, and resistance as it relates to the rise of authoritarianism and fascism and into the modern day. This unit will discuss the themes of Star Wars, juxtaposed against the rise of Nazi tyranny and moments of resistance to that tyranny. It will utilize scenes from Star Wars: Episode I – IV, but primarily focus on scenes from Star Wars: Andor.
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