As a Star Wars fan, I was excited about being enrolled in the course Topics in Cinema (INGL-3345) in which I had to re-watch the saga as homework. To my surprise, I was embarking on a journey with Dr. Nancy “NanVan” Vicente, an alumni and professor at UPRM. What makes her so unique is her spirit, happiness, and positivity. NanVan is never afraid to be herself, is always willing to listen to you, and offer words of comfort.
Aside from seeing Star Wars from a different perspective in this course, I also learned to apply lessons from the sagas to my personal life. Re-watching the sagas will no longer be as a simple way to entertain ourselves. From now on, we would be comparing it with a famous theory called The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell. It is very interesting to see how when the movies first came out in 1977, they changed the whole world and how we still see the effects in 2018.
I’ve always considered myself to be a powerful woman, but it wasn’t until I hit rock bottom that the perspective of myself changed. Yet when going deeper into the Star Wars movies, I learned a few things about myself. One of them being that I am a badass woman and how I should own that.
Within all the movies we see the different stages of Leia. First as Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode IV — A New Hope, showing us to be brave and willing to fight no matter what. It is shown how she would simply take a blaster without fear in order to protect not only herself, but also her friends from the stormtroopers. Clearly she was no damsel in distress. She protected the Rebellion no matter what, as she was fearless and tough woman.
Additionally, in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back, she was also brave enough to show vulnerability, to which I believe is a courageous thing to do. Not being afraid to show how you feel is braver than being brave itself. This is one of the many things that make women amazing. But most importantly is to have faith and trust the Force. No matter what she may encounter with the Empire, Leia always had hope that the rebels would defeat them because hope will always be stronger than fear. She is a true example of what every woman should strive for in life; I know I do. I will always be grateful that I’ve managed to find myself in this course and was reminded that just like Princess Leia, I am a total badass.
By December 2015, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released. Leia Organa was no longer a princess, but a General. Even if she was never an ordinary princess, seeing this version of Leia was truly revolutionary. She was just as passionate and committed to the rebellion, but far wiser. She knew how to stay calm and think in moment of crisis. There is something to learn from every single movie of the Star Wars saga. I, for one, always do, but as a woman I am always on the lookout in what can take away from powerful woman such as Leia Organa. I strive to be just like her, and I owe this all to both my professor Nan Van and Carrie Fisher (RIP).
May the force be with you!