Star Wars might be set in a galaxy far, far away, but the overarching themes of authoritarianism, resistance, and the moral quandaries and complexities of fighting for liberty continue to paint an evergreen parallel to reality. In Rogue One, the protagonists – a diverse group of misfits – aren’t your traditional Star Wars heroes. They aren’t legacy hires seeking advancement through the ranks of the Jedi Order for their own personal gain, but rather a group of ordinary citizens willing to take risks for the greater good, despite immense personal cost – a common theme in the series that’s mesmerized and inspired generations since the 1970’s.
As has been said before: leadership requires bravery, and bravery generally reduces chances of survival. Though the Rogue One team was successful in their mission – jettisoning the plans for the Death Star and the fatal flaw built within to fellow rebels – none of them survived.
Today calls for leadership seem to be increasingly answered via Tweet, TikTok, highly monitored public meetings, and sharply worded letters or emails. These are hardly the plans to assure victory against totalitarian, empire-minded opposition, whether the battles are being fought on battlefields or in boardrooms.
In Rogue One, the Alliance Council refused to act on proposed ideas to steal the Death Star plans, believing victory against the iron-fisted, authoritarian Empire wasn’t possible, so Jyn Erso rallied a small group of rebels to do it instead.
When traditional sources of guidance or leadership are absent or faltering, the mirror of history often reflects the faces of everyday people who banded together, marching ever-forward with quiet diligence and utmost bravery, despite internal disagreements, disputes over the best strategy, and the fear in their hearts.
Give me liberty or give me hope: Star Wars resistance quotes
There’s a reason that the story of a small group of rebels who risk everything to resist a totalitarian Galactic Empire stands the test of time. It turns out that in both their personal and professional lives, people don’t prefer regimes that wield immense power and suppress dissent. The collective understanding that dominance via military force, surveillance, economic strangleholds, and the threat of catastrophic violence is a far greater enemy than differences of opinion is foundational to Star Wars.
With that in mind, here are some Star Wars resistance quotes for the rebels among us:
- “What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of a Dark Lord of the Sith?” — Count Dooku, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
- “It is clear to me now that the Republic no longer functions. I pray you will bring sanity and compassion back to the Senate.” – Queen Padme Amidala, The Phantom Menace
- “The pace of repression outstrips our ability to understand it.” — Karis Nemik, Andor
- “Normalcy has taken leave of the galaxy.” ― James Luceno, Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel
- “That is the sound of a thousand terrible things headed this way.” – Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
- “What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?” — Queen Padmé, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- “Well, if droids could think, there’d be none of us here, would there?” — Obi-Wan Kenobi, Attack of the Clones
- “You cannot imagine the depths I would go to to stay alive, fueled by my singular hatred for you.” – Darth Maul, The Clone Wars
- “I’d rather die trying to take them down than die giving them what they want.” — Cassian Andor, Andor
- “You must face them, fight them.” – Maz Kanata, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- “So I did the one thing nobody expected. I lied. I learned to lie. I played the part of a beaten man resigned to the sanctuary of his work. I made myself indispensable, and all the while, I laid the groundwork of my revenge.” – Galen Erso, Rogue One
- “Whether we fail or succeed, at least our actions will show the empire and the galaxy that we will not stand down. That we will not be broken by fear. That we are strong, united by our courage.” – Hera Syndulla, Star Wars Rebels, Season Four, “Crawler Commandeers”
-
“What chance do we have? The question is “what choice.” Run, hide, plead for mercy, scatter your forces. You give way to an enemy this evil with this much power, and you condemn the galaxy to an eternity of submission. The time to fight is now!”
– Jyn Erso, Rogue One - “That’s what a reckoning sounds like.” – Maarva Andor, Andor
- “The Empire doesn’t care if you surrender. The Empire doesn’t care if you’re hopeless. I’ve given up before, and it doesn’t help. It doesn’t stop. I’ve seen people lose everything because they happened to be in the way. The time to fight is now, while we’re still alive to try.” — Rogue One: A Star Wars Story by Alexander Freed
- “Rebellions are built on hope.” – Jyn Erso, Rogue One
- “The First Order wins by making people think they are alone. We’re not alone. Good people will fight if we lead them.” – Poe Dameron, The Rise of Skywalker
- “I hate to tell you this, but they don’t care. This ship is going down, and those soldiers, my brothers, are willing to die and take you and me along with them.” – Rex, The Clone Wars
- “We are the very last of the Resistance. But we are not alone. In every corner of the galaxy, people know our symbol and put their hope in it. We are the spark, that’ll light the fire, that will restore the Republic. The spark is that the Resistance must survive. That is our mission. Now go back to your stations… and may the force be with us.” – Admiral Holdo, The Last Jedi
-
“You have the heart of a rebel.” “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
– Grand Admiral Thrawn and Alexsandr Kallus, Star Wars, Rebels - “If we can make it to the ground, we’ll take the next chance. And the next. On and on until we win… or the chances are spent.” – Jyn Erso, Rogue One
- “Climb. Climb. You can still send the plans to the fleet. If they open the shield gate you can broadcast from the tower. Locking the vault door now. Goodbye.” – K-2S0, Rogue One
-
“She’d done better than most; it would take the Empire a whole battle station to end her.” – Alexander Freed, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
“The fear of loss is the path to the dark side”: Of revolutionaries, rebellions, and rebirths
The battle cry for what’s right isn’t a roar, it’s a quiet, continual mantra repeated over and over across time by ordinary citizens resisting overwhelming authority. This particular moment in time feels incredibly perilous, wrought with uncertainty and unbearable weight. One cannot write about Star Wars without thinking about the balance of The Force; the ebb and flow of time, and the reality that the cycle of life requires that all things end to start anew.
After Palpatine enacted Order 66 in Revenge of the Sith, Obi-Wan left a coded message for the Jedi on Coruscant. Star Wars Rebels season 1, episode 2, “Spark of the Rebellion: Part 2” delivers the message, which seems fitting across multiple spectrums right now:
“This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi. Trust in the Force. Do not return to the temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust. Our faith. Our friendship. But we must persevere and in time a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always.”
Meaningful resistance is messy, difficult, and often thankless, but essential in the face of injustice. It’s during this time that we must remember what Obi-Wan meant when he famously said, “If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”
And on that note, I’ll close with a line from The Last Jedi: “What do you see? The island. Life. Death and decay, that feeds new life. Warmth. Cold. Peace. Violence. And between it all? Balance and energy. A force. And inside you? Inside me, that same force.”
It’s been an honor – may The Force be with each of you, always.
