Have you watched Star Wars Rebels?
I know not everyone is as much of a star wars fan as myself, though some people are much larger fans.
The main idea is that we have the good guys fighting the evil empire about 5 years before the first Star Wars movie A New Hope where Luke Skywalker finds out he is to be a Jedi with Obi Wan. However, these are a group of freedom fighters we have not met before.
The main bad guy is the Inquisitor, see the movie clip below that sets up his job.
In case the video link goes bad, what happens is that Darth Vader gives the Inquisitor his instructions to destroy any Children with force ability as well as any surviving Jedi that are training them.
Where have we heard this story before?
Matthew 2:1-5,7-16:
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea;
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.
Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”
So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.
We have the story of King Herod scared of the challenge to the throne a prophesied baby could pose. So he thought he could end the challenge by having all male children age 5 and younger killed. Of course that did not derail God's plans; he just had to warn Joseph to escape to Egypt with his family.
Normally we stop the Christmas story with the birth of Jesus, or the later visit of the Magi. However there are many other fascinating events that happened later. Interestingly enough, the same story line is used to create the back-bone of a new popular cartoon.
© Vivian P. Kirkpatrick, 2014