After the smashing success of Star Wars in the late 1970s, everyone—of a certain age—was looking forward to the release of The Empire Strikes Back, which occurred in 1980. Everyone wanted to see what those plucky rebels would do for an encore after destroying the Death Star. I feel the excitement of those days this winter, as we head to the theaters to watch the latest installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Several recent writers have noted what is sometimes lost in the shuffle when we watch the Star Wars saga: the films are about war. Read more