There’s always that one character that you connect with better than anyone else. One that kind of speaks to you in a way that surprises, makes you almost feel heard. And, admittedly, that character can change over the years as your situation changes and you life takes different paths and we grow into new people. There’s a lot that can resonate no matter the type of film and sometimes it’s just a character that makes you smile no matter what’s going on. I’m looking at you, Bruce Campbell as Ash.

For me, this is an area where I have to go back to my childhood and to see how the one from then still resonates but how my views have changed over the years. While my friends were loving Star Wars like I was, they were more all about Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett. I enjoyed them as well and had lots of figures of each. But the one that clicked for me the most at that point was Luke Skywalker. The wanting to get away, to be a part of something bigger, to grow beyond the small provincial life that I had at the time.

I was definitely curious as to how the character would be handled in the sequel films. I really didn’t care for a lot of the expanded universe material because it was just so much, so contradictory, and so without a consistent voice. I know the hate is strong by a vocal group for The Last Jedi, but “growing up” with the character and coming at it from my own age now, reflecting on the past, choices made, and that desire at times to just retreat from the world, it was something that resonated just as much as the youthful idealism of A New Hope did. I want to see more of his path but he continues to be my favorite character that I can engage with and see more of because of just how complicated his path is.

Who’s your favorite character?