Last week Disney confirmed its plans to release a new Star Wars movie every year, alternating between trilogy films and origin stories. Disney confirmed that the first origin story movie would center on Han Solo and be released in 2016.
I’m all right with origin stories but I would prefer to see Disney explore other aspects of the galaxy far, far away like Wedge Antilles and his Rogue Squadron or the period of the Old Republic.
Here are some of my favorite biblical origin stories.
Jesus
Obviously Jesus’s origin story is the best because it set in motion the complete redemption and transformation of the universe. It’s also the one that most people know the best since we spend an entire month celebrating it every year. Jesus’s origin story is and has been the stuff movies are made of. It has a miraculous birth, conflict in Nazareth, an arduous journey to Bethlehem, angels singing in the sky and a flight to Egypt when Jesus was a toddler. I love Han Solo but I can’t imagine his origin story being nearly as exciting. Some of that excitement could be tempered, though, because Jesus’s origin story is so well known. Who would want to remake an origin that has been told over and over again? I mean other than the producers of The Amazing Spider-Man.
Hosea
Hosea’s origin story is different. Hosea is a prophet of God and God tells him to marry a promiscuous woman. I wonder how Hosea’s decision to marry Gomer went over with his friends. Do you think when Hosea’s accountability partner saw Hosea’s status change from single to in a relationship with Gomer he was concerned?
Friend: Hey, I noticed that you’re hanging out a lot with Gomer…
Hosea: Yeah?
Friend: Well, it’s just that she has a reputation and I don’t know how it would look for a prophet to be spending so much time with her.
Hosea: God told me to marry her as an example of Israel’s unfaithfulness.
Friend: Look man, you don’t have to lie to me. If you crossed some boundaries physically and are trying to cover that up, you can tell me. I’ll still love you.
Hosea: No, God really told me to marry her.
Friend: All right, if you’re not going to be honest with me then I don’t think we can hang out anymore. I’ll be praying for you, though.
I’m not saying Hosea had it as rough as Bruce Wayne, but I wouldn’t want my origin to start with a suspect marriage to a promiscuous woman.
Josiah
Josiah is easily one of my favorite characters in the Bible. He is one of Judah’s few faithful kings and goes to extreme lengths to pursue God wholeheartedly. Josiah’s origin story plays out like a Shakespearean play with conspiring officials and regicide. Josiah’s father, Amon, was an evil king in Judah and his officials had him assassinated. The people then had the conspirators killed and Josiah was made king at eight years old. When Josiah was 16 he started to seek after God wholeheartedly and by the time he was 20 Josiah was purging Israel of all its idolatry. Like Bruce Wayne, Josiah went to work cleaning up his hometown and acting as a symbol to inspire his people.
I’m not that excited for a Han Solo origin story, though I can’t imagine I won’t be in the theater to see it on opening weekend. I suppose a lot of it will have to do with casting and, as Gamma Squad pointed out, whether or not Disney gives us the “snotty teen version of Han Solo.”
What’s your favorite biblical origin story?
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