Daisy Ridley Teases Her Return to Star Wars & Shares Her Opinion on the Franchise: “They’re All Political”

Daisy Ridley, known for playing Rey in the ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy, recently shared her thoughts on the political themes found throughout the Star Wars movies. While the Star Wars franchise is famous for its action, adventure, and epic battles, Ridley and many fans believe the films also have a deeper message about politics and society.

Ridley commented on the themes while promoting her latest movie ‘Cleaner.’

I feel like [the Star Wars films] are all political. I feel like it’s the individual versus the big corporation or the big group, so I think they always have been. And ultimately I think the films are emotional in that it’s good and evil, which we all can relate to very specifically in our day-to-day lives. But yes, I do feel those conversations are woven within the story, and I’m very excited to see what George does.

The themes of good versus evil in Star Wars are clear, but Ridley points out that these struggles often reflect real-world issues.

In addition to the characters’ personal battles, the ‘Star Wars’ saga also explores ideas like dictatorship, rebellion, and freedom. These political themes can be seen through the rise of the Empire, the rebellion against it, and the fight for justice and equality. Ridley’s comments show that the filmmakers have always woven these deeper ideas into the stories, making them more than just action-packed adventures.

Ridley’s sentiment reflects that of George Nolfi. The writer is currently working on the latest iteration of ‘New Jedi Order’ taking over from Steven Knight who recently left the production.

Nolfi explained that Star Wars is deeply rooted in political themes, inspired by concepts like the rise of the Empire, the collapse of democracy, and the shift from order to oppression. He believes George Lucas used science fiction to explore these deep issues in a way that feels engaging, not like a political lecture or philosophy class.

If you think about George Lucas, the six movies that he did, and the universe that he created, it’s actually very steeped in broad notions of politics. It’s not talking about today, per se, but there’s the Empire’s Nazism slash Roman Empire. The democracy of the Roman Empire collapsing and becoming an empire and the perennial story of human beings organising themselves and against chaos, and then the tools that help human societies tamp down on chaos becomes oppression. 

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