Why Does Cosplay Bring Us Joy?

(Guest post by Jason)

As I made my way through the halls and booths at the Dallas Fan Expo, I marveled at the hundreds of elaborate costumes around me. This showing could surely rival the most massive Halloween parties in the US. With Jedi and stormtroopers, superheroes and villains, fairies and trolls, famous and obscure characters, I started wondering what’s behind the costumes? What about cosplay brings these people so much joy? And why they choose the costumes they do?

Is it for the attention? Cosplayers in the most elaborate or unique costumes would often get people wanting to take photos with them. They beamed each time it happened. Can’t imagine that happens to them much outside of this world.

Or possibly for the connection? The Guardians of the Galaxy group surely had fun planning their costumes and walking around feeling like they could save the world together.

Maybe it’s the escape? As I watched the lightsaber battles between jedis, it really felt like they had entered a different world. I can see how the opportunity to escape from everyday life and become someone/something totally different would be a reprieve from the same old daily routine.

Could it be self-expression? Harry Potter fans seemed to embody this purpose. First, with such passion in their different houses (particularly Hufflepuffs, who didn’t seem to realize they weren’t in Hogwarts). But, beyond that, many took it to a whole other level and tailored their robes to their personalities.

Or maybe people are just trying to feel young again? As I watched a toddler excitedly approach an edgy-looking rabbit from a game I didn’t know, the two connected on such a sweet, innocent level. The toddler just saw a sweet white bunny, and the cosplayer became that sweet white bunny in the moment as if it was the highlight of her day.

Not really sure what people’s reasons are. Maybe all of these, or maybe there are other reasons. But, whatever the reasons, the fantasy world cosplayers create is objectively incredible and something everyone should experience at least once in life.

The Bad Batch Season 2

(Guest post by Ben)

What adult in their right mind watches cartoons? I mean, they’re for kids, right? Obviously, you’ve never watched The Bad Batch, and Season 2 reinforced that sentiment. While it is technically a kid’s show, there is a lot to love as an adult. If you think about it, that’s what Star Wars is at its heart, and it’s what makes The Bad Batch such a fun and engaging experience for any age. But instead of going down that route, however, let’s look at why Bad Batch Season 2 is essentially mandatory viewing. 

As we continue on with this article, keep in mind that there may very well be spoilers for season 2 of The Bad Batch. 

The Bad Batch has some rather heavy emotional moments that bind the characters with the viewers. Wrecker’s bond with Omega is beyond sweet, and Hunter’s fatherly nature toward her is likewise endearing. But it’s more than that; these characters go through a lot, and it’s things we can also relate to. For example, Hunter thinks it’s about time to settle down somewhere safe for Omega to grow up and have a childhood. While we love the adventures, we also want Omega to be happy and care-free. We also loathe Crosshair for his betrayal in season 1, but Omega is incredibly forgiving and I, for one, am forced to agree with her simply by her sheer force of caring.

As heartwarming as those moments are, however, it’s the characters’ sacrifices that really drive the nail home. Tech’s sacrifice for Omega and the others hit deep. I knew what was going to happen—I saw the foreshadowing and felt the moment approach—and I kept thinking to myself: No, don’t do it. Please, don’t do it. 

And then he did it. 

Tech was never my favorite of the Batch, but he still grew on me, and his loss stung deep. Cid’s betrayal, too, caused me some serious emotion. I felt angry, as if she had betrayed me, as well. Which, of course, she had, since I was by then deeply invested in the story and with the heroes. 

Aside from toying with our emotions, Bad Batch season 2 gave us more insight into the post Order 66 era of the Empire. There is some seriously shady stuff going on behind the scenes, and we, as the viewers, are becoming privy to it. We’ve seen recently in The Mandalorian that the Empire had been involved in some…iffy cloning projects. In season two of The Bad Batch, we’re getting more information regarding that iffy stuff. We still don’t know exactly what’s going on, but it can’t be good if Omega is being kidnapped (spoilers) and brought to a super-secret location. Personally, my money is on all this having to do with the creation of Snoke (or what will eventually be Snoke), and if so, The Bad Batch is going to be a massive strength to The Last Jedi and even, possibly, The Rise of Skywalker.

In fact, the next—and final—season of Bad Batch is sure to uncover loads of secrets, Easter eggs, and, most likely, heartbreak. Something tells me Clone Force 99 isn’t going to survive an extended campaign. Tech is gone (spoilers), Crosshair looks to be on the verge of death, and it’s difficult to see a happy ending. Clone Wars ended in heartbreak, and I expect the same with Bad Batch. Part of me hopes that Hunter and the crew settle down on Pabu (the Polynesian-like island) with Omega. She deserves happiness, and she certainly seemed happy there. Without the crew, however, it just won’t be the same. I have a sinking feeling that Wrecker will be the next casualty, as he seems to be the closest to Omega, and it would have the biggest impact. But, only time will tell. Fingers crossed that there won’t be too many tears.

The Star Wars universe is expanding more so than ever with the new TV shows, and The Bad Batch is proving to be a valuable source of information for those in need of all the details. Sure, there are some fluff episodes, but they’re still fun and do provide some valuable character development. Besides, you never know when those “fluff” moments will take a 180 turn and become more meaningful than first expected. I am eager to see The Bad Batch series play out, as it is becoming more and more apparent that Clone Force 99 is heading toward secrets that have been only minimally hinted at. There’s always another secret (Thanks, Kelsier), and I need answers.

Beyond "Let It Go"

(Guest post by Alex)

One night, I walked in on my parents, my niece and my nephew watching Frozen. Viewers may know that this is a story about a princess who has special powers involving snow and ice.  She struggles to control these powers, as they are closely related to how she is feeling, and it sparks fear in people of Arendelle.  She gets taught, or eventually learns, to “conceal” and “not feel.”  Eventually she leaves Arendelle and heads into the mountains, in part, to protect her sister and others she loves.  There’s an element of shame and self-hatred for this part of her.  There in the mountains, she “lets go” and creates several things made out of ice and sees what she can do.

It’s pretty much common knowledge that the story of Elsa was compared to “being yourself” and “letting go” of all restraint, no matter the moral consequences.  Some people loved it for that reason.  Other people were opposed.  However, I was shocked at how much I resonated with her story this time.  I’d like to share a slightly different take on it

“Don’t feel…” Being raised in the Church I knew what “not to do” by way of the commandments, but I accidentally learned to fear my own humanity, as if my being was somehow opposed to God and His laws.  I had inclinations and habits that I was ashamed of and I tried to stuff them away in order to be “good enough” for God.  I reckon all of us might have aspects about ourselves that we are ashamed of, whether they be temptations, our body image, or simply passions and desires that go along with being human beings.  We attempt to hide them from God out of shame…as if He doesn’t already know every aspect of our being.

“Let it Go” is a song that I know was problematic for some people, as I mentioned. The thing is, many different interpretations are understandable.  For me this song was an example of Elsa “letting go” of the things people said about her and her powers and that expectation to “not feel.” This could be any sort of unhelpful and unintentional cultural baggage that Latter-day Saints and other people of faith might pick up on their journeys trying to follow the Savior. It’s “letting go” of the negative views of one’s self and his or her attributes.

This “letting go” might look different in a variety of ways…it’s a process I’m still going through, but I’m also learning more about what a personal relationship with Christ can be like and that I can trust myself when I’m in alignment with Him on the “little things,” like scripture study, temple attendance and fervent prayer.  I am “letting go” of various expectations that were unintentionally put upon me by others and finding a deeper moral compass.  I am “letting go” of the “should’s” and “shouldn’t’s” and finding a more earnest desire to follow Christ.  I am opening my heart and allowing Him to see and love all of me.

This next part is the part that I often feel gets left out when creating an analogy to Elsa’s powers.  Elsa eventually learned to appreciate her powers and use them for good. This is parallel to when I think of using my own gifts, attributes and passions “within the bounds the Lord has set.” My covenants with Him are still important. And I believe those boundaries have helped me to understand myself from a place of safety…and yet I know the Atonement is there for me too if I do make mistakes, and I didn’t appreciate it enough before.

Just as Elsa released herself from the shackles of what other people thought and expected, I too am learning to discern between what other people think versus what God thinks.  Knowing that He loves me fully and perfectly…that He understands my every desire and inclination…and that His love will be there no matter what I choose to do with my life…that kind of love makes me want to stay as close to Him as possible.

Who is Vincent Valentine?

(Guest post by Rob)

The popularity of video game characters is a funny thing. Some fans get a kick out of trying to argue who is the best character in the party, why their favorite is stronger, more relevant to the plot, cooler than the others. I’m personally not one who can stick with any single character for long. It depends on the day who I’ll answer is my favorite.

Today I wrote about Vincent Valentine because, well, he is cool enough to be in the top three most days.

Vincent Valentine is one of the nine-member cast of playable characters from the original Final Fantasy VII video game, released in 1997 on the PlayStation. This game included two optional characters, Vincent Valentine being one. To recruit him, the player must complete a side quest involving hidden combination lock numbers, a bipolar boss, and a locked dungeon tomb. Despite the fact that one could complete an entire playthrough of FFVII without ever recruiting him, Vincent has become notable within the franchise as the only character from FFVII to be featured in his own release, a (rather poorly reviewed but nevertheless worthwhile) first-person shooter called Dirge of Cerberus. 

Like everybody else in the party, Vincent can divide his life into the time before, and after his life was ripped apart by Shinra Corp. The main quest of the game for a time revolves around stopping Shinra from destroying the entire planet. Vincent joins the team when it is revealed that the devious scientist, Hojo, is still running amok, along with the infamous Sephiroth.

Vincent is unique because long before his downfall he held a high rank as an agent of Shinra. Things went south when he was rejected by his love interest, Lucrecia, and the devious and extremely unethical scientist, Hojo shot and then experimented on him. Vincent recovers due to Lucrecia’s intervention. But when Vincent awakes, he discovers that not only has Hojo impregnated Lucrecia, but injected the fetus of their child with an experimental serum. 

When the player recruits Vincent, he awakes from thirty years of slumber beneath the Shinra mansion. He stayed in this sleep state intentionally (because, you know, fantasy game) as penance for not saving Lucrecia from her sorry fate. Incidentally, the player can find Lucrecia hiding in a crystal cave, and experience dialogue between the former lovers if you find her at the right time. Vincent, however, withholds the sad truth about Lucrecia’s child (and I’ll withhold the truth about the major spoilers here too).

The side effects of Vincent’s non-consensual lab testing result in him transforming into monsters during battle. It occurs as part of the mechanic FFVII terms ‘limit breaks’. Once Vincent receives a set amount of damage in battle, he shape-shifts into various different creatures who use overpowered attacks and are out of the player’s control until Vincent dies, or the battle ends. As an additional aside, Vincent is the source of two important glitches for both speedrunners, and other enthusiasts of FFVII, an overflow glitch, and what FFVII expert @deathunitesus calls the Vincent Muglitch.

At the core of Vincent's psyche is his fractured nature. He is both a man consumed with regret and a recovering lab test subject. Despite being an optional character, his actions and history are pivotal to the story of FFVII.

The primary theme in Vincent’s life is somewhat of a cautionary tale about holding on to past mistakes, or failures. The critics of Vincent are usually perplexed by his 30-year sleep in a tomb. The real-life effects of trauma, broken dreams, or dashed hopes can be devastating to the point that we can become a shell of our former selves. Forgiveness, it turns out, especially self forgiveness, can be so hard we literally spend years trying to avoid the past rather than facing it, and moving on. A counterpoint to this plotline can be found in the relationships of other characters in the main plot, when Tifa and Cloud work together to reconcile conflicting memories of the past that result in a dramatic healing that revives crippled-and-bedridden Cloud.

And despite the mixed reputation of Dirge of Cerberus, Vincent’s journey through that game provides yet another dramatic transformation, this time with Vincent as a one-man army preventing a fantastical apocalypse. And I would have to mention the very satisfying scene available to players if they include Vincent in their party at the final showdown with our favorite corrupt researcher, Hojo.

Like I said, I don’t name Vincent as my all-time favorite character from FFVII’s cast, but I can appreciate the rationale of fans who do. His mystery, broodiness, and numerous characteristics reminiscent of a vampire all mix together in a very memorable and fun way. It will be even more fun to see how he is treated in the approaching installments of FFVIIR, and other additions to the franchise. 

Thanks for having me on the blog, and feel free to shoot me a message if you ever want to geek out about FFVII, VIII, IX, or the Chrono series! Later!

Princess Jasmine: A 30th Anniversary Tribute

(Guest post by David T)

On November 25, 1992, “Aladdin,” Walt Disney Pictures’ 31st animated film premiered in theaters. Loving Disney feature animation, I was excited to see the newest addition to their canon. However, these feelings were tempered by the preconceived idea that I wouldn’t love it like “Beauty and the Beast” released the previous year. When I watched Aladdin on the big screen for the first time, I was immediately drawn in by the gorgeously detailed hand drawn and computer animation and the music by Alan Menken, Tim Rice, and the late Howard Ashman. Surprisingly the movie surpassed Beauty and the Beast in becoming my favorite Disney film. The moment was the appearance of the Sultan of Agrabah’s daughter, Princess Jasmine.

In the Princess’ introductory scene, I learned that she was being required to marry a man of the same social status by a predetermined date (Jasmine’s “next birthday”). In addition, the royal remained in the palace confines by her loving yet overprotective father. Like Belle, I quickly related to Jasmine. As a thirteen-year-old boy, I wasn’t royal, and marriage wasn’t even near the horizon. However, I began feeling the constraints of my parents’ rules. I was growing older and wanted to decide how to live my life.

Since my first encounter with her, I’ve been inspired by Jasmine’s characteristics exhibited in Aladdin and its adaptations to Broadway, television, and live-action film. In the original animated feature, I admire Jasmine’s independence. From the beginning, the princess is willing to utilize it and reject Prince Achmed as a potential husband. She is unafraid to vocalize to her father that she wants love to be the reason she marries and not because a law demands it or to satisfy the Sultan. Jasmine demonstrates her autonomy when she condemns Aladdin (disguised as Prince Ali), the Sultan, and Jafar for debating what’s best for her life. She states, “I am not a prize to be won!” When Aladdin offers the royal the chance to leave the palace via magic carpet, she willingly accepts. After Jafar takes over the kingdom, the deposed royal defies the evil new sovereign by refusing to bow and later rejects his offer to become his queen to end her enslavement. The most powerful moment where Jasmine exercises her independence is when the Sultan alters the marriage law to which she happily declares that Aladdin is her choice. 

I like the observing and introspective nature Jasmine displays in the Broadway version of Aladdin. In her solo, the princess expresses frustration with specific demands of her royal station, especially the requirement to wed a man she doesn’t know or love. She knows that her suitors are only interested in her wealth. As the royal and her handmaidens sing about her situation, Jasmine recognizes that if she doesn’t listen to her heart and change course, she’ll end up bitter and unfeeling. This self-realization cements for the princess that she needs to leave the strict security of the palace and find what she is yearning for.

In the retelling of Aladdin in the television series Once Upon a Time, I love how Jasmine’s leadership is exhibited. Determined to end Jafar’s control over her father and Agrabah, the princess seeks out the mythical “diamond in the rough” which turns out to be Aladdin. When the evil sorcerer re-emerges as a threat after initially being stopped, Jasmine rejects the Sultan’s proposed plan for protection which would require her marrying a prince who possesses a military. Instead, she searches for Aladdin (who has disappeared) to enlist his help again. The royal is ready to make the sacrifice and willingly marry her people’s enemy when it appears her options have run out. Even though Jasmine faces setbacks, the princess perseveres. In doing so, Jafar is ultimately defeated and Agrabah is free and safe.

I’m affected by Jasmine’s self-advocacy in the Aladdin live-action remake. The possibility of succeeding her father as Agrabah’s ruler is questioned by Jasmine’s handmaiden, Dahlia, and dismissed by the Sultan and Jafar. This doesn’t stop Jasmine from expressing herself. The most dramatic moment of this is when Jafar usurps the throne. The princess powerfully persuades Hakim, the Captain of the Guard to continue supporting the rightful royal family. Through this demonstration and Jasmine’s subsequent willingness to stand up to their enemy, the Sultan realizes that his daughter is capable of reigning. He abdicates allowing the princess to become a female Sultan. 

Since seeing Aladdin during the 1992 holiday season, the Princess of Agrabah has been and continues to be an inspiration. I had the unbelievable opportunity to meet her speaking voice, Linda Larkin and share how Jasmine has influenced my life. In honor of the 30th anniversary of Aladdin’s theatrical release, this post is dedicated to one of my most beloved Disney Princesses. Happy 30th Anniversary, Jasmine! Thanks to you, “I’m like a shooting star. I’ve come so far. I can’t go back to where I used to be!”

My Favorite Christmas Episodes

(Guest post by TJ)

If you know me, you know my birthday is Christmas Eve. Also, you’d know that I love the Christmas season and Christmas movies are some of my favorite things. But a good Christmas episode is equally compelling to me. Today, I’m going to share seven of my favorites from some of my favorite TV shows (along with honorable mentions.)

I Love Lucy - The I Love Lucy Christmas Show: Season 6 - Episode 11
Another thing you may wish to note about me is that I deem I Love Lucy one of the greatest television series of all time. Unfortunately, I think they only have this one Christmas episode. Unfortunately, this is a clip episode, which are sometimes full of nostalgia. The goal for the main four characters is to make a good Christmas for Little Ricky. This leads Lucy, Ricky, Ethel, and Fred dressing up as Santa Claus. At the very end, they dance around the tree and suddenly there are five people in the room…This is just a fun episode and hits a strong classic tone. But it’s also a reminder that Christmas is definitely about sharing what’s special with others.

The Simpsons – Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire: Season 1 – Episode 1
This is one of those moments where I get to say, “I was there.” I watched this episode with my brothers and cousin when it aired the first time. This hooked me to the Simpsons, a show that changed many times over the years while being the same. There’s an anti-Gift of the Magi theme going on here where both Homer and Marge believe the other has Christmas money saved up. But of course, a series of events leads them to not having any money, a sign of the show that this is about a family who struggles financially. In the end, Homer ends up bringing home a dog, saving the dog from being abandoned. Something that everyone loves. As much as Christmas is about presents for everyone, sometimes it’s about doing what you can for those you love. 

Friends - The One with the Holiday Armadillo: Season 7 – Episode 10
First of all, this is the episode where Monica says, “…Santa, the Armadillo man and I will have a talk in the kitchen. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.” But this is a pretty interesting episode. All Ross wants to do is help his son understand a different holiday, one that’s important to him. Being half-Jewish myself, I have appreciated my heritage and have been looking for ways to celebrate Hannukah with my kids to help them understand their heritage as well. But the humor of the random costumes between Santa, the Holiday Armadillo (seriously who came up with that) and Superman is what makes this episode such a holiday joy. 

Community – Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas: Season 2 – Episode 11
Community, at its heart, is such a diverse show, even in its holidays. In season 1 we learn that everyone at the table has a different belief system. But for this season 2 we suddenly have a Claymation episode because Abed has jumped into a delusion. We go through this Winter Wonderland in Abed’s mind as he searches for the true meaning of Christmas. (Gotta be honest, my 6-year-old loves this episode for one specific reason: she loves the Christmas pterodactyl.) Now, while I agree with Shirley’s statement that Christmas is about the Savior, the group does realize that Christmas has another point to it: the longest, coldest, darkest nights can be the warmest and brightest as long as you have those you love around you. This message becomes clearer as the study group sits and watches Rudolph together. 

Doctor Who – The Runaway Bride – Season 3 – Episode 0
This in-between episode that introduces Catherine Tate’s snarky Donna Noble has very little to do with Christmas…or does it? She gets married on Christmas…kind of. It’s the humor that makes this episode so great for me. (See the meme that goes with this.) But I digress. What is interesting in this episode is the Doctor remarks that there is nothing special about Donna, an insult to the fastest temp in Cheswick. But the real point is that Donna is special…not only that, we’ll see how important she is much later. Regardless, Christmas can be a time where we don’t worry about whether or not we’re special. The joy in seeing someone else feel special is part of what the Christmas spirit is.

The Big Bang Theory – The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis: Season 2 – Episode 11
This was Big Bang’s first Christmas episode and honestly is still my favorite. While Penny has gifts for the guys, this causes Sheldon to be extremely Sheldon-like and goes on a rampage at guessing how much Penny’s gift is worth. On the flipside, Leonard loses his new BFF to Penny and shows his jealousy when to the guy who’s attractive and super-intelligent. Of course, that relationship fails quickly. For me, this episode has the strongest chemistry between Penny and Leonard. But of course, when Penny gives her gift to Sheldon, he has a plan to make her go first. Of course, she kindly does and Sheldon is absolutely flabbergasted. He has no idea what to do since the gift that cost the struggling waitress $0 is worth more to Sheldon than the dozen gift baskets he purchased for her. So, he hugs her, showing that Sheldon can exhibit real personable emotions…in this case…gratitude. 

Frasier – Frasier Grinch: Season 3 – Episode 9
The Christmas episode from season 1 is probably one of the best episodes, but the character arc that Frasier goes through is removed by the next episode it seems. And even though this episode starts in a way I don’t necessarily appreciate, it has one scene that makes me cry every time. Frasier fights to get his son a specific toy and fails. Martin tries to cheer Frasier up, but it’s not working. Finally, Martin gives Frasier his Christmas present: the toy Frasier wants to give Freddie. In the end, this episode breaks Frasier’s recurring theme of “let me live my life my way alone and I’ll do what it takes to get there” to “I don’t care about anything else besides making someone I love happy.” Seriously, writing about this moment on Frasier makes me cry a little.

Thanks for reading! Alien abductions are involuntary, but probings are scheduled.

Don’t Watch Pinocchio. Watch Pinocchio Instead!

(Guest post by Kobe)

These days, it feels as if every new movie needs to be connected to some previous film to be successful. Prequels, sequels, remakes, and spinoffs plague the movie theater screen and every single streaming service. So far this year, the top three grossing movies at the box office have been Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Jurassic World Dominion, and in first place, Top Gun Maverick. What do they all have in common? They’re all sequels. Even though these movies are occasionally decent or even good, the industry’s growing dependence on franchise films and remakes and the growing departure from original stories and unique films is enough to make a movie lover, such as myself, very cynical. If you’re anything like me, you get upset every time the next live-action Disney remake gets announced or released. No movie has done that quite like Pinocchio has.

Disney’s Pinocchio (2022) is a bad movie. At this point most, if not all, people can agree on that. It earned an abysmal 27% on rotten tomatoes, with it earning a similar 29% audience score. Critics gave the movie generally unfavorable reviews, with Alex Godfrey from Empire Magazine saying that “[Pinocchio] feels like an exercise. It exists because it can.” I watched the movie to see what all the fuss was about, and yes, the film completely deserves all the negative criticism it’s received. The movie feels lazy and passionless. The CGI looks gross and unpolished, the voice acting is passable at best, and the emotion and meaning of the story falls incredibly flat. You would think that with all this negativity surrounding the movie that nobody would bother watching, but the film did quite well and has a relatively large number of views on Disney Plus. Disney’s iron grasp on the entertainment industry means that they don’t need to be making quality content to be successful. Slap the Disney name on basically anything and people will watch it. This proves to be a big problem in the film industry, especially to movies like Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio.

Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) is destined to be a great movie. It’s also a movie that is predestined to have much less viewers than Disney’s latest version. Esteemed Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro has been working on this passion project, a stop-motion version of Pinocchio, since 2008. Lack of funding delayed the movie inevitably until Netflix decided to acquire the project. This movie, releasing December 9th on Netflix, recently had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and first reactions have been incredible, with the movie currently holding a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The trailer oozes magic. The stop-motion animation and the character and set design looks very charming. The movie also boasts an all-star voice cast including Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, Ron Perlman, Tilda Swinton, and Cate Blanchett. So yes, the movie looks great, has an amazing cast, and has great reviews. Comparing it to Disney’s Pinocchio, Del Toro’s version looks to best it in almost every way, but with less advertising and no notable brand name attached, the movie is doomed to have much lower viewership numbers.

Basically, the point of all this is to say that we should be supporting and championing movies like Del Toro’s Pinocchio, not another Disney remake. Disney could make quality content, they have the money and talent, but what incentive do they have to work harder when the low-quality content is already so successful? Time and time again people complain about these remakes that Disney keeps feeding to us on Disney Plus’s conveyer belt, but we watch them anyway. What does that say about us and the media we consume? Are we watching the type of media we want to support? Please, go watch the trailer for this new Pinocchio. Get excited. Get your friends and family excited. Most importantly, watch the movie when it releases. Maybe I hope for too much. Maybe this article is nothing but a Jiminy Cricket acting as a conscience to anyone who reads it. After all, Collodi wrote in his book, Pinocchio, that “a conscience is that still small voice that people won’t listen to.”

Andor: Returning to the Heart of Star Wars

(Guest post by Ben)

The following article contains spoilers for Andor.

What makes Star Wars…Star Wars? Is it the Force? Laser swords? Or perhaps it’s huge space battles with galaxy-wide stakes? Since Star Wars first came to us in 1977, we’ve been enamored with the Darth Vader, awed by the flashing of lightsabers in the heat of battle. We’ve also made the subconscious connection that these things are Star Wars. But it’s more than that. Star Wars is about high-stakes and triple salchows over molten lava, true, but it’s also about individuals. And in the Andor series on Disney+, we get to see just how important individuals are to the saga. It shows us that we don’t need mystics and space-magic to have a good time. It shows us that lightsabers don’t need to be brandished to stimulate awe and wonderment in the viewer. And, perhaps most importantly, it shows us that the Star Wars universe does some of its best storytelling when focused on the little guy(s). 

Smoke and Mirrors

The first season of Andor was a whopping 12 episodes which, by today’s standards, is nothing to balk at. Throughout those 12 episodes, we were able to see the inner-workings of the Empire and how it became necessary for ordinary people to push back and to join a cause many didn’t know they were joining. Part of the magic of Andor was seeing the day-to-day, routine lives of both Imperial supporters and those who wished they had not lived to see such times. What makes that important? We see the struggle, and it connects us to the characters.

With Jedi and Sith doing quadruple salchows and performing incredible feats, it’s easy to separate ourselves from those characters. After all, quadruple salchows are basically impossible for someone like me (so is just a single, but that’s beside the point). However, when it comes to the routine, to the heavy burdens and difficulties of life…we feel that. We live that. And so it becomes more real—and more important—for us.

Showcasing the Grandiose

And, yet, despite the day-to-day antics keeping things interesting, there is awe and there is wonderment in this show. The celestial event during the payroll heist. Cassian Andor’s backstory of how he left his home planet. The massive anvil that acted as a bell for the people of Ferrix. The worldbuilding in Andor was wonderful, and it helped pull the viewer in to the main events of the show as well. 

For the People

What made Andor so engaging, I think, is because it focused so much on the little guy. Cassian himself started out as not much more than a budding tribal warrior. But then there was Syril Karn, the former deputy inspector who fell from grace due to his over-zealous approach to apprehending Andor. Syril’s life went from something he believed in—the pursuit of order and justice—to a space-office worker. In a cubicle. Isolated. But his struggles are compelling. I mean, I’ve been there! Okay, maybe not been fired for trying to apprehend a known killer in his jurisdiction, but I’ve felt the monotony of work, the desire to be more, and the crushing weight of defeat when my professional plans didn’t work out. (But don’t worry, all is well now.) He is the Everyman, in a sense, of the Star Wars universe.

But let’s not forget Kino Loy, the vocal taskmaster of unit Five-Two-D on the impregnable prison-factory on Narkina 5. All he wanted was to work his days off until he would be released. No antics, no talk of revolt, just work and be released once his time was up. As we got to know him, though, we recognize that he’s torn. He knows he should do more, but his time is almost up, so what’s the point? Best not try and rig the system, right? But when everything falls apart, he’s the one that leads the inmates to overthrow their Imperial overlords. He fights tooth and nail to get his comrades out—as many alive as possible. However, once the mass of escapees reach the edge of the installation, it’s jump into the churning water and swim to shore—or remain on the floating fortress and be tortured before being killed. We recognize Kino’s deep sacrifice when we learn he can’t swim. From his all-in performance in this role, Kino pulled at our heartstrings time and again, then ripped them right out when the truth dawned on us, the viewers. Kino knew—all while leading the charge and getting everyone out—that he would not make it out. He knew this fight was 100% for others, and that he had to sacrifice himself in order to free the (likely) innocent inmates.

Kino’s final episode, “One Way Out,” is, perhaps one of the best Star Wars moments we’ve seen yet. Heart, grit, and emotions through the roof. There were no mystical powers doing the rescuing, no laser swords for show, and not even a mention of higher stakes. It was an individual level, with characters using their own instincts and knowledge to escape. The stakes were high, yes, but we didn’t need to know they were helping build the Death Star to give us a reason to cheer for them as they escaped. The truth is, it was the individuals we were cheering for, with or without any knowledge of a planet destroyer in the works.

There are countless others I could mention that played a huge role in my love for Andor: Cassian’s mother, Bix, Lonni Jung (the Rebel spy in the ISB), and Karis Nemik (the rebel idealist part of the payroll heist). Even the higher-ups in the organizations Each one of these individuals sheds additional light to the inner workings of not just the Star Wars universe as a whole, but to the deeper reasons why people fight, why they live, and why they die. 

In Review

Gosh, I love Andor. The episodes are engaging, even when it’s mostly just different parties talking with each other. Everything feels so tense, like every word matters. Come to think of it, I find the dialogue so tightly written that every word likely does matter. The dissonant music adds to that tension, and the action is everything I love in a Star War. From beginning to end, Andor is a storytelling masterpiece. Sure, it might veer from the traditional Star Wars as we have come to know it, but everything combines to create a five-star visual meal that demands coming back for seconds. 

Stranger Things: The Lies of the Devil

(Guest post by Kenton)

Fear, pain, horror, doubt, corruption, betrayal, weakness, failure, loss, sorrow, depression, death; these are conditions and feelings that are all addressed in season 4 of Stranger Things. That it is able to cover so much in one season shows the strength of the planning and writing that went into the show, but it doesn’t end there: faith, hope, love, miracles, courage, joy, strength, and even healing are all here. This is a season of light and dark, good and evil, and my personal favorite season to this point. Notable was its terrifying portrayal of the villain, Vecna: he manipulates and twists everything to his purposes, and it’s miraculous that our heres, at least partially, hamper his evil machinations. I could write a series of essays, but hopefully I can cover this topic appropriately, even if this one has to go a bit long. There are significant spoilers here, if you haven’t seen season 4 yet, so you’ve been warned!

At his very core, Vecna is not just bent on achieving a goal: he thrills in the hunt. His powers allow him to kill psychically, which also opens portals into his realm in the Upside Down. He doesn’t just track down and kill, however: in the case of all of his victims, they are demoralized, and beaten down mentally before they are taken. He says his victory is inevitable; so he relishes in the buildup to his final triumph. They say hubris is the downfall of all people and civilizations, but there are few things as terrifying as an evil who is as powerful as their pride and hubris believes it to be.

Even with that power and ego, there is something Vecna fears: Eleven. In all his power he acts methodically, trying to draw her out. He fears his inevitable defeat. His speeches all boast that his final conquest is inevitable, but he wouldn’t have been exiled to the Upside Down without Eleven’s intervention. Up to that point, nothing stopped him before Eleven–except for his own weakness. Seeing someone exercise more power than him truly terrified him. We’ve yet to see his full power, but everything he worked for to this point has only delayed the “inevitable,” and resulted only in small, incremental successes. Even his plan to kill Max succeeded because he was aided, unwittingly, by the head of the basketball team, Jason Carver. This is all my opinion, but it ties very deeply into the gospel, even if my comparison may seem a bit ham-fisted.

You see, the devil is under the same limitations. He knows, deep down, that his defeat is around the corner. Sure, he has power, exhibited in a fallen world which serves his ends. War and corruption and famine and death and sadness plague us, and are only worsened by those whose complacency, greed, and evil perpetuate those painful results. There were individuals in Jesus's day afflicted directly by the devil, but we can see less direct interventions even in this day, and they are mirrored so much in Vecna’s methods.

When Chrissy, Vecna’s first victim, is tormented by him, his way of gaining enough power over her to take her life is to degrade and demean her through her memories. Haunting recollections of her mother shaming her body, and the visions he makes her see not only terrify her, but make her think she’s going crazy, making her feel completely alone. He shamed her to death.

His next victim, Fred Benson, is accused of being a murderer for something we know very little about, but involved him witnessing a car crash. When a conversation with a police officer turns into a rant of “Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!” He is snapped back to reality, but he doesn’t admit anything happened. He endures incredible pain, because he feels he deserves it. Satan works in this way, too. Instead of getting us to commit evil, he will instead shame us into believing that we have to be perfect, accusing us of being evil ourselves. He will bombard us with toxic and negative self-talk, intrusive thoughts, and evil ideas. He’ll even take advantage of mental illness and make us think that we can’t ask for help. One of the roles and titles of Satan is “the accuser,” and one of his many tactics is to accuse and shame us for things that aren’t true, to the point that we believe that we are “useless,” that we are “irredeemable,” that we can only stand still and give in. Isn’t that how evil wins? When good people can do nothing?

This is how Vecna had hoped to gain his supremacy, by instilling a spirit of fear into Eleven so demoralizing that she felt powerless. Vecna had overpowered her mind to the point that she could do nothing but watch Max gruesomely die in front of her eyes. Seeing that something was wrong from their end , Eleven’s boyfriend Mike was able to speak to her, and give her hope. I think that’s a speech that we should all come back to, at least once:

 “I don’t know if you can hear this; but if you can, I want you to know I’m here, okay, I’m right here! And… I love you! Do you hear me? I love you! I’m sorry I don’t say it more—it’s not because I’m scared of you—I’m not, I’ve never felt that way, never! … But the truth is El, I don’t know how to live without you! I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods: you were wearing that yellow Benny’s Burgers t-shirt … I knew right then and there, in that moment, that I loved you, and I’ve loved you every day since. I love you on your good days, I love you on your bad days, I love you with your powers, I love you without your powers, I love you for exactly who you are: you’re my superhero! And, I can’t lose you! Okay? Do you hear me, I can’t lose you. You can do anything: you can fly, you can move mountains. I believe that, I really do; but right now, you just have to fight, okay? … You need to fight!” (Episode 9, “The Piggyback”, Stranger Things Season 4, Vol. 2)

This speech is how Mike redeems himself from being a punk. All during this, El is restrained. More powerful than that were the shackles of doubt and fear which kept her from acting. But Mike’s speech was filled with the truth he’d held back and the truth gave her power to free herself, and prevent Vecna from killing Max and El. Mike had faith, and belief, and hope, and love, and these things cannot fail in the truth.

For us with the never ending tirades and doubt and shame that come from Satan, it is much the same. Learning and seeking the truth will give us power and faith to overcome. As Jesus said:

“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32, KJV)

Satan, the father of all lies, will try to intimidate, to shut down, to paralyze, and to force us to give up. He will convince us that we are weak, faithless, and irredeemable. And that we should accept it! Our accuser will even convince us that our lives aren’t worth living—but it’s not true! We can be forgiven:

“Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18, KJV)

We can overcome our weakness through Jesus:

“…my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” (Ether 12:27, The Book of Mormon)

His power can redeem:

“But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord.” (Helaman 14:17, The Book of Mormon)

Even when we don’t think it’s possible:

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, KJV)

While Vecna has literal power over his victims, and relishes in his temporary victories, he fears the power of Eleven, and knows that she can, and inevitably will, defeat him. Satan doesn’t have that same physical power over us. Even knowing full well that Jesus Christ will have the ultimate victory, Satan still relishes in the opportunities he has now to fight against it. It’s exhausting! But there is hope. Jesus said:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; … and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30, KJV, emphasis added)

Notice how he says that His yoke is easy. What does he ask? That we join with Him in pulling his load, and then we will find rest. It’s that impossible, yet simple truth, that the things which Jesus did, we can faithfully follow. President Russell M. Nelson said it himself, when he quoted our Savior in his recent Sunday Morning address in General Conference, which we should come back to, at least once:

“‘In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33, emphasis added)

“Subsequently, Jesus entreated each of us to do the same when He said,

“‘I will that ye should overcome the world.’ (D&C 64:2, emphasis added)

“Dear brothers and sisters, my message to you today is that because Jesus Christ overcame this fallen world, and because He atoned for each of us, you too can overcome this sin-saturated, self-centered, and often exhausting world.” (“Overcome the World and Find Rest”, Russell M. Nelson, Sunday Morning Session, October 2022 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

I’ve written a veritable essay here, and the depth I could plunge on this subject isn’t even close to being fathomed. It took a few years for this season of Stranger Things to come, and it was worth it. The depth and detail of it is worth rewatching (which I’ve done). I didn’t even cover the power of music and friendship, the effects of mental illness, the lengths people will go to help those they love; the list goes on, and on. I couldn’t possibly cover it all! What I hope is that we’ve gained insight into the methods of our adversary, Satan; that we can find faith and strength to overcome his demoralizing tactics. In closing, I think we can find comfort in the closing words President Nelson in his Sunday Morning address, which I leave with you:

“With the power of the holy apostleship vested in me, I bless you in your quest to overcome this world. I bless you to increase your faith in Jesus Christ and learn better how to draw upon His power. I bless you to be able to discern truth from error. I bless you to care more about the things of God than the things of this world. I bless you to see the needs of those around you and strengthen those you love. Because Jesus Christ overcame this world, you can too. I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.”