A New Hope Will Emerge
Finding hope in the stories of A New Dawn, Ahsoka, and Queen's Shadow.
Order 66 and its aftermath is possibly the most tragic event documented in Star Wars history (see also: The Great Disaster). Out of that tragedy, however, came one of the most important messages ever communicated to those who remained of the Jedi Order after the fall of the Republic: “In time, a new hope will emerge.”
The Star Wars novel A New Dawn includes an additional line from Obi-Wan’s hologram recording: “Stay strong. May the Force be with you.” The book goes on to chronicle Kanan’s journey from lost, hopeless man to becoming a Jedi with purpose after many years of believing he no longer had one.
Ahsoka undergoes a similar journey in the novel sharing her name, finding herself wandering aimlessly while also trying to hide from her past. Ahsoka’s healing, her discovery of newfound direction in a struggling galaxy, is shown through the purification of two once-devastated kyber crystals.
The epilogue of Queen’s Shadow features an angry and reeling Sabé trying to process the sudden and unexplained death of Padmé following the same catastrophic event. She is devastated. But she is also determined not to let someone else’s legacy die with them.
For all these characters, tragedy becomes a catalyst for positive change—it isn’t that they had to suffer to become better, but instead that they emerged better equipped for survival despite what they endured.
If these survivors of a galaxy-wide tragedy can face the aftermath of the worst moments in their lives and emerge stronger than before, can we, too, overcome the losses and tragedies that bring us to our knees?
What does it take to find hope where none seems to linger? Selflessness—acting with the knowledge that your worst thing may be devastating, but someone else’s is for them too. Bravery—a willingness to face the things that terrify and endanger us no matter the cost. Community—finding support and purpose through those willing to accept and care for us.
Kanan, Ahsoka, Sabé all took their grief and used it to better a broken galaxy. It wasn’t fair that Kanan lost everything he cared for, that Ahsoka was betrayed by the institution she fought for, that Sabé was forced to mourn someone she had come to live for. But just because it’s unfair doesn’t mean it cannot be avenged. Injustice breeds revolution. Pain, anger, devastation, when used for good, are not barriers. They are tools.
And how does suffering become fuel? Through hope for better things.
If there is only one thing we take away from the stories of Star Wars, it must be that no matter how hopeless the present feels, hoping for a better future is the lifeline to reach for when giving up seems the simplest option.
Hope can be found anywhere. In a person, whether living or gone. In a message, in an object. In the light of twin suns setting in the distance. In a memory. A feeling. A promise.
The fastest way to lose a war is to lose our hope. The best way to guarantee an even worse future is to let ourselves believe light will never, in time, overpower the dark.
We have to keep moving forward, fueled by our sorrow and anger and pain. There is no other path that will lead us out of suffering.
The only way to heal is to think of the days to come—days when all of this is a memory, not one to be forgotten but instead one to remind us how far we have come. Every hero has overcome tragedy. You do not have to be a hero, but you can follow the journey of one.
We all can. We all must. If it is the only hope we have of survival, then it is, in fact, enough.
Look at how, despite Kanan and Ahsoka and Sabé’s stretches of mourning and questioning and unraveling, they all went on to fight for a better galaxy. For better lives. They all found hope in something. It was the thing that got them through.
There is always a way through. It will not be easy. But it will also not be forever.
There are brighter days beyond. A new hope will emerge. You will find it. I will find it. Stay strong. May the Force be with you.
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