Almost everyone loves Star Wars and is excited for the release of The Force Awakens. But, even the most die-hard fans have to admit the the politics of Star Wars is a galactic mess. Those of us who were Political Science majors know that the writers of Star Wars never let accurate (detailed) political structures get in the way of good story telling! This NPR piece about the politics of Star Wars is fun, but it also highlights some of the ways that political scientists use stories like Star Wars to consider real-world politics.