Immortality, in one form or another, is a common theme in science fiction and fantasy. There are the immortal “mortals” of Highlander. Then there are the immortal dead of countless vampire films (which is probably more the remit of “Monsters, Inked” – except we don’t usually write commentaries for those strips). And, of course, there are the spirits of fallen heroes who, rather than going on to frolic in the fields of Elysium seem to prefer hanging around their former comrades offering distracting words of advice at inopportune moments.

In the Star Wars universe this latter role is ably served by the “Force Ghost“. Yes, you may well have grown up thinking that the whole Obi-Wan chatting to Luke after his death thing was either a metaphor, an indication that Luke was losing his marbles, or just a bit of a MacGuffin, but that’s never stopped the hardcore of Star Wars fans from trying to retcon a whole mythology behind the event.

But few tales deal with the real problems of immortality. Yes, Highlander and even Buffy The Vampire Slayer had moments of angst as the principal immortals had to deal with the reality that they would outlast all their loved ones. Assuming they kept their heads on their shoulders and, in the vampiric case, avoided really strong garlic bread and tanning booths. However long after the loved ones are gone, and their descendents, and the rest of the human race, the implication is that the immortals, vampires and ghosts will still be hanging around as the universe itself collapses around them.

So if life and death is a journey, there’s only one thing left to do when all other options are exhausted: Play “I Spy”.

“Who wants to live forever?”, indeed.

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