Every Star Wars fan has dreamed of being a Jedi. From pretending to move things with the Force, or imagining how heroically we might solve a problem, the fandom courses through our veins like midichlorians. Luckily, few of us ever have to test our merit, but Riley Howell, now credited as one of the greatest Jedi historians to ever live, posthumously proved he is more than worthy of the rank of Jedi Knight.
North Carolina college student Riley Howell gave his life for his classmates in 2019 after a gunman opened fire in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Kennedy building. One student was killed, while four more were injured in a shooting that police warned could have been much worse – if it hadn’t been for the 21-year-old hero.
According to his parents, Howell was shot three times while charging the shooter. Two rounds struck his torso as he sprinted for the attacker, and, according to his trauma nurse father, who recognized the burns near the entry wound, once in the head as he tackled the gunman to the ground.
Authorities allegedly told Howell’s parents that Riley hit the gunman so hard that he complained to the first responders of internal damage. The hit took the gunman out, ending his shooting spree and saving countless students and teachers. His parents say he died the same way he lived, “headlong and helpfully.”
There is no denying the anger that the death of a young person instills, but those who knew him were unsurprised that he had acted so decisively, and with no regard for his own wellbeing. The father of his girlfriend of five years told The New York Times, “As soon as we heard, we thought – of course he did.”
Like many Jedi shown throughout the series, Howell was a jack-of-all-trades. An avid handyman, car guy, and collector of Star Wars facts, he was beloved by nearly everyone who met him. His funeral was attended by nearly 2000 people, and he was buried with military honors.
After the service, one attendee reached out to Lucasfilm to share the story of Riley Howell’s courage. In their response, the studio lauded Howell’s heroics and promised to preserve his legacy in Star Wars lore.
Lucasfilm made good on its word, and a fictionalized rendition of the very real hero was first mentioned in The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary. Riley is forever immortalized as Jedi Master Ri-Lee Howell, historian of the Jedi Order. The Jedi collected early accounts and codifications of the Force, compiling them into Aionomicum I and II, the same sacred texts that Luke uses to teach Rey in the Sequel series. Even better, he’s seen wielding the iconic orange light saber, indicative of perfect balance.
After the book was released, Howell’s girlfriend posted numerous TikToks applauding Lucasfilm for the commemoration. In the years since, the young lady has deactivated her account, but is very active on Instagram where she promotes the Riley Howell Foundation, which supports victims of gun violence.
Even without her dedicated posts, Howell’s legacy regularly circulates on the app, and plenty of users are regularly devastated by the history behind Jedi knight Ri-Lee.
One commenter remarked, “He died a hero’s death it’s only right he’s remembered that way in every timeline.”
While some users were able to make it through the video without tears, most of us were less composed, one noting, “I don’t even like Star Wars and I’m bawling my eyes out because you just know he would’ve been so excited.”
But all were in agreement that the tribute was a beautiful way to remember a man who was willing to give everything to help those around him.
“They gave him a heroic afterlife and immortality. This is no different from a poet writing an epic about him, for our ancestors.”
The memorial is a tiny piece of Star Wars history, but it lends itself to the series’ future. The real Mr. Howell might not have lived to see his contributions to a galaxy far, far away, but the future of the series will forever be colored by the actions of Master Ri-Lee.
Lucasfilm has seen a lot of misses with its latest projects, but they couldn’t have been more on point when they wrote to the grieving Howells, “Riley’s courage and selflessness brings out the Jedi in all of us.”
