Nick Hughes
Opinion Editor
Star Wars, to many, is a movie franchise that is popular right now. To many others, it is
something far more special. To the guys who founded the charity, Rebel Cause, it has become
something far more than simple fandom. Kaden Stetler, Alex Pugh, and James Farbo came
together to form this charity based out of Lancaster county. The charity has done things that few
lone Star Wars fans could have done.
On Friday, February second, Rebel Cause had a charity stream on
Facebook. On this stream they were auctioning a Stormtrooper helmet donated by Star Wars
Geek Girl. Which is another Star Wars podcast show. The bidding for the helmet was fierce and
the eventual winner, a man named Steve Kirk, won the helmet.
Kirk, from the San Diego Sabers, a lightsaber instruction academy, had this to say when
asked for a comment, “I already have a Stormtrooper helmet, so I didn’t personally need a
second. However, as I saw another fellow bidding on it, I started coming up with my idea. We
had a great time trying to out-bid each other.” Kirk called Stetler during the stream and informed
him of his intentions for the helmet. Those intentions to donate an extra 250 dollars to Rebel
Cause Lancaster and let the guy Kirk outbid have the helmet. In total, 500 dollars was raised for
homelessness by Rebel Cause Lancaster that night.
Stetler is an avid Star Wars fan and cares about the community. When asked about Stetler
and tacking on the extra 250, Kirk had this to say, “Kaden and his dad do such great work with
their charity it simply felt like a good and worthwhile thing to do. And I like surprising good
people! They have such a positive approach and attitude to everything they do, I couldn’t see
NOT doing something good for them in return.”
Stetler, when asked about the charity that they do referenced the motto of Rebel Cause
Lancaster, which is as follows, “Rebel Cause is a group of Star Wars fans dedicated to uniting
the fandom and doing good in our community.” It is easy to say they are doing good, as majority
of the proceeds they receive from their various events go to the Water Street Rescue Mission in
Lancaster.
Reflecting on the stream the following day, Stetler called it Scariff for them. Their Death
Star is still coming. This is in reference to Rogue One, which is a Star Wars movie. Scariff was a
huge step for the rebellion, but the Death Star was the goal for the rebellion at that point in the
movies. That is where Stetler feels that Rebel Cause is at this point. They are still in their infancy
as an organization, but like the rebellion in Star Wars, there is more to come.
Stetler himself is a passionate Star Wars fan. When talking about Star Wars it is easy to
see that he is a dedicated fan. He is knowledgeable about the continuity and is a avid theory
crafter. During a Facebook stream on Monday, February fifth, Sterler and Farbo analyzed parts
of the Solo teaser trailer that debuted during the Super bowl and the actual trailer that premiered
the following morning. Referencing obscure Star Wars lore from the expanded universe (EU)
such as the Maw installation and Abeloth. Both of which come from comics and books that were
dumped by the Disney acquisition of Star Wars.
His passion is leading him down roads in the future that will gain his charity some
publicity. Rebel Cause plans on being at the Lancaster Barnstormers Star Wars day on May
fourth. Which is also known as National Star Wars day. They invite Lancaster Star Wars fans to
come to the game to not only celebrate Star Wars, but to enjoy a good baseball game.
Stetler is also host to a podcast called Rebel Chatter, an affiliate with Rebel Cause. This
is the podcast that streamed the auction for the Stormtrooper helmet. Joining him that night was
fellow podcaster, Fode and Beed from the StarBQ podcast. Which is a Star Wars cooking
podcast that Stetler is sometimes apart of. Stetler has reached out to the Star Wars community as
a whole and has a lot of contacts and it is looking like there might be some amazing guests on
their podcast.
Look for more Rebel Cause content on their Facebook page and look to participate in
events they hold at Issei Noodle and The Comic Store in Lancaster. Follow them on Facebook
and Twitter. Also the website, www.rebelchatter.com is a great site to find out more about the
charity.