Heroes
George Lucas changed the rules of the Star Wars universe to make this boy unbelievably happy.
"To be a Jedi is to truly know the value of friendship, of compassion, and of loyalty, and these are values important in a marriage."
05.01.15
We're only seven months away from the new Star Wars movie being released. It's an exciting time to be alive.
But did you know that in the Star Wars universe, Jedi can't get married? It's sad but true. And 7-year-old Colin Gilpatric isn't having it.
At his young age, Colin is already pretty certain of two things:
- He wants to be a Jedi.
- He wants to get married.
(This is exactly two more things than I knew about myself at age 7.)
So what did this young Padawan do? He wrote a letter to the one man who could change the rule: George Lucas.
The letter reads:
Dear George Lucas,
I don't like that a Jedi cannot get married. I want to get married without becoming a Sith. Please change the rule.
P.S. I want to come to Skywalker Ranch, please.
Love,
Colin.
The best part? Lucas wrote back.
The people at Lucasfilm replied to his letter, and Colin's reaction is priceless.
They could have let him down easy, stifling his imagination. But what they did was so much cooler.
Here's the video. It's 100% worth a watch:
Lucasfilm's letter reads:
Dear Colin,
Thank you so much for writing to us with your question. It sounds like the Force is strong with you, and you are showing great wisdom by asking your question. To be a Jedi is to truly know the value of friendship, of compassion, and of loyalty, and these are values important in a marriage. The Sith think inward, only of themselves. When you find someone that you can connect to in a selfless way, then you are on the path of light, and the dark side will not take hold of you. With this goodness in your heart, you can be married.
We enclosed a few gifts that we hope you enjoy. Thank you again for writing.
May the Force Be With You!
Your friends at Lucasfilm
Now, why is it that Jedi aren't supposed to get married?
The simple answer is that Jedi believe emotion clouds judgment, and the easiest solution is simply not to make personal attachments.
Yeah, Yoda, you would say that, living all alone in the swamp on Dagobah.
After all, one of the reasons Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side was because he thought he could save the woman he loved. It's serious stuff.
But rules are meant to be broken, and 2015 seems like a pretty appropriate time to start shaking up some of the outdated rules we have about marriage.
In both in fictional universes and reality.