





I have to admit, it’s hard to be the Good Guys of the Star Wars galaxy.

People flock to stormtroopers and Darth Vader. Merchandise seems to mostly feature villains. Being stubborn, I always look for items with the Rebel symbol or an X-wing, or anything with a good guy on it. Most of the time I’m disappointed. Yes, I know not ALL the merchandise is dark side centric and there is plenty of Rebel merchandise, but take a walk down the aisles of the local Target, WalMart, or a toy shop, and I bet the “bad guy” merchandise outnumbers the “good guy” merchandise 3 to 1. We can’t even get a good guy on an Easter Basket.

Several years ago I asked Star Wars artist Matt Busch why there were so few good guy images from him and the other Star Wars artists I knew. His answer: “The bad guys sell.” Fans buy stormtrooper, Vader, and Boba Fett artwork. Jedi, not so much. Fantasy artist Sue Dawe created an incredible piece of artwork featuring Obi-Wan Kenobi but no one will buy it. What is worse is, I’m a die-hard Qui-Gon Jinn fan and there is very, very little artwork to be found of him. Despite the fact that there would be no Force Ghosts if not for Qui-Gon!

But, like Episode IV — the one us old fans call Star Wars because it was the only movie at that point — there is hope. Despite the trend towards the dark side, there are still people who support the good guys. There’s a whole new set of good guys in the new animated series Star Wars Rebels. A new generation of heroes are waiting to join the fight with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Why wouldn’t anyone want to be a good guy? Good guys have spirit, honor, heart, passion. They fight for what they believe is right. They fight for the freedom of all the people in the galaxy against the Empire. Though they are less in number, they can’t stand by and watch tyranny rule in their once-peaceful home. The American people started our nation on the very same principles, as well as many other countries.

The Rebel Legion has always tried to embody this spirit. This honor. This duty. We are currently celebrating our 15th Anniversary in 2015 and we have stepped up our efforts to bring the Star Wars good guys alive for fans everywhere. The Jedi, the Rebel Troopers, the Senators, the Wookiees, the Scoundrels and Smugglers, the X-wing/Y-wing/A-wing/B-wing Pilots, and even the citizens of the Star Wars galaxy. We may not have the numbers as other organizations, but we have HEART.

To members of the Rebel Legion, Star Wars is about the little guy overcoming the odds against him and winning. And the Rebel Legion will continue to move forward in our efforts to create movie-accurate costumes dedicated to the good guys and the galaxy. We are Rebels and we are PROUD.

A fan since 1977, Donna didn’t discover fan groups until 2000 when she found an online Star Wars community called The Order of the Grey, a site dedicated to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. In spring 2002 she joined her local FanForce and volunteered as Secretary. In fall 2002 she joined the Rebel Legion and helped rebuild the Southern California Rebel Base in 2004.

Donna is currently the elected Legion Commanding Officer of the Rebel Legion.