A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… it has been 30 years since Darth Vader’s defeat. Rey from the planet Jakku, discovers a droid who claims to know the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker. Joined by reformed Stormtrooper Finn and Han Solo, Rey finds herself in the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the First Order, led by Kylo Ren.
The Force Awakens managed to please fans of the original trilogy and made a whole new legion of followers. JJ Abrams has seemingly done the impossible and made a Star Wars film for everyone. Yes, it’s rather similar to A New Hope in tone and plot, but that doesn’t really matter when things are this good. The mysterious Rey is superb, and, in Daisy Ridley, there is finally a female Jedi character without the title ‘Princess’. But every good character needs an opposite and in The Force Awakens, Kylo Ren is a new generation of evil, a brooding presence full of anger, destined to cause the Resistance problems for a long time to come.
One of the biggest themes in The Force Awakens is identity, with many characters all wrestling with the idea of who they are and who they should be. In this clip, we see Finn, Rey and Solo meeting Maz Kanata to ask for help in their mission to find Skywalker. Solo is challenged to embrace the past and family that he’s been running from, Finn reveals his secret to Rey and asks her to run away with him, while Rey gets her first insight that she may be a Jedi. You could start the clip at 58:45 for a scene involving Kylo Ren questioning his identity and purpose. Show the clip and discuss:
- Is it wrong for Finn to want to run away from the First Order?
- Have you ever tried to be someone you’re not to please other people? How did that turn out?
- Does our past influence who we are now and in the future? Should we embrace that or try to change it?
- What qualities of a hero does Rey possess?
Read 1 Peter 2:1-10 and discuss:
- What is the overall of this passage?
- he passage refers to a ‘living stone’, what could that mean?
- We’re told to get rid of ‘malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander’ – is that possible?
- Read verses 9 and 10. What do you think this means practically?
The Force Awakens is a crowd-pleasing film with many deep themes and issues explored. As always, if you get the opportunity, watch the whole film to help your young people see the clip within its context
Tom Wade is head of religious education at Samuel Ryder in St Albans
