The Empire Struck Back, But the Jedi Will Return

Happy Star Wars Day, rebels! At its core, Star Wars is about hope, resistance, and the fight against tyranny, but it's hard not to notice some eerie parallels between the Galactic Empire and the modern-day variation in our own galaxy—the current Trump administration. 

Just like Trump, Emperor Palpatine didn’t seize power overnight—he manipulated fear, dismantled democracy, and promised to “...make the Republic great again.” 

Sound familiar? The GOP’s relentless attacks on voting rights, the courts, the environment, and the free press mirror the Empire’s exact playbook. 

Darth Vader’s infamous force-choke on dissenters who ‘lack faith’ feels a lot like Trump’s demands for absolute loyalty—whether from members of his Cabinet or his MAGA followers. Remember when Trump said, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody” and not lose voters? 

That’s Sith-level arrogance. 

Corruption is another cornerstone of how the Galaxy transformed from a peaceful Republic to a brutal empire. From selling crypto meme coins and Bibles to Jared Kushner’s $2 billion Saudi contract, corruption is at the core of both galaxies. The swamp may be where Luke Skywalker trained to be a Jedi, but in Washington, the swamp is not nearly as cool. The Democrats, much like the Jedi Council, failed to see the Sith in front of them—their arrogance and refusal to act led to darkness taking over. 

Star Wars teaches us that tyranny never wins as long as the people fight back together, and that’s exactly what this current political moment calls for. The resistance is counting on all of us. Let’s fight back, together. 

May the force (and facts) be with you.