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STAR
WARS
Episodes IV, V, VI
20th
Century Fox
Lucas Films, Ltd.
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Theme:
Luke's Story
E-mail to a friend
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Insights:
"No
amount of film theory can explain the extraordinary appeal
the Star Wars saga has for millions of people all
over the world. For many, it has all the force of an
alternative reality. To understand Star Wars'
lasting attraction, we must look beyond thrilling action and
special effects to a very rich and universal source:
the power of the myth and legend. The Star Wars
universe draws on a common stream of mythic tales which are
rooted deeply in our own life stories."1
Myth
If
the Star Wars saga is so powerful because it is a modern day
myth, it is important to understand what a myth is and the
"common stream" that flows through it. Myths
are legendary stories about gods and heroes; stories where
the characters are superior in kind both to other men and
the environment.2
They are tales that include beauty, intimacy, and adventure;
all of the things that touch the human heart.
Every
culture has its favorite heroic myths. The
"common stream" that seems to run through them is
often misconstrued and is taken to mean that there is no one
source or any truth in them. In fact, it is just the
opposite. JRR Tolkien, one of the greatest authors of
the 20th century, realized that there is a level beyond
myth, which he called "evangelium" or true myth,
gospel, revelation.3
He realized that men's small stories come from a much larger
story. Below is a comparison between the "Common
Stream" of myth and Star Wars with the
"Source" of all truth, the Gospel.
|
COMMON |
STREAM |
SOURCE |
|
The
Myth |
Star
Wars |
The
Gospel |
| The Setting |
Once upon a time... |
A long time ago in a galaxy
far, far away..... |
In the beginning...
(Genesis
1:1; John
1:1) |
| The Hero |
The hero is in an obscure
place with nothing extraordinary about him. |
Luke Skywalker is living
with his Aunt and Uncle on a remote planet called
Tatooine. |
Jesus Christ, a carpenter
from a tiny village named Nazareth, in a remote
province called Galilee. (Mark
1:9) |
| The Call |
The call to adventure
usually comes through a herald and requires the hero
to separate and begin his journey or quest. |
Two droids are purchased by
Luke's Uncle. One droid, R2D2, has a hidden
message that changes Luke's life and begins his
adventure. |
The forerunner, John the
Baptist, prepares the way of the Lord. He
identifies Jesus as the Son of God. (John
1:23-34) |
| The Wise Guide |
The hero is given a wise
guide. |
Luke is given Obi Wan Kenobi
as his wise guide |
At Jesus' baptism, the Holy
Spirit descends and comes upon Him. (Matthew
3:13-17) |
| The Powerful Weapon |
Usually the hero receives a
powerful weapon to help him in the battles he must
fight. |
The Jedi light saber |
The Sword of the Spirit, the
Word of God (Revelation
19:15) |
| Hero Partners |
The hero is given partners
to help him on his quest. (They begin a journey of
their own.) |
Han Solo and Chewbacca |
12 Disciples
(Matthew
10:1-4) |
| Rescuing the Princess |
Usually there is a princess
being held in a castle or labyrinth that the hero must
negotiate in order to set her free. |
Princess Leia held captive
on the Death Star; also held captive on Tatooine by
Jabba the Hut |
Jesus Christ came to earth
to rescue His Bride and set her free.
(Ephesians
5:23-27; Luke
4:18-21) |
| Hero in Battle |
The hero has to go through
many battles usually against terrible beasts and evil
forces. |
Luke engages in battles
with beasts and his evil foe, Darth Vader. |
Jesus Christ came to
destroy the evil trinity of sin, Satan, and death.
(Hebrews
2:14-15;
I
John 3:8;
Revelation
17:11-21) |
| Sacred Groves |
The hero must leave and go
to a special place alone to be taught and tested. |
Luke goes to Dagobah to be
trained by Yoda. (Note his emersion in water just
prior to leaving for Dagobah.) |
After His baptism, Jesus is
led by the Spirit into the wilderness alone, where He
is tempted for 40 days.
(Matthew
4:1-11) |
| Mystical Union |
Usually there is some sort
of a mystical union with a woman. |
Luke's quest is a spiritual
one to become a Jedi Knight. He discovers that
he has a twin sister, Princess Leia. Han Solo, who has
begun his own journey, is more earthly. He enters into
and is transformed by his love relationship with
Princess Leia. |
Jesus Christ lays down His
life in order to establish a "New Covenant"
with His Bride.
(Hebrews
10:12-18) |
| Sacrifice and Betrayal |
The hero often is betrayed
and must suffer a type of "death". |
Luke experiences a betrayal
of sorts when he learns his father is Darth
Vader. He would rather "die" than join
him; he jumps into the abyss. Han is betrayed by
his friend, Lando Calrissian, and experiences a type
of death when frozen in carbonite. |
Jesus Christ was betrayed
by His disciple, Judas Iscariot. Jesus was
crucified, dead, and buried. He rose on the
third day.
(I
Corinthians 15:3-7; Luke
22:47-48) |
| Return of the Hero |
After rescuing the Princess,
the hero returns home. |
Luke returns to Tatooine
dressed as a Jedi Knight; rescues Han and Leia. |
Jesus Christ returns to His
Father's house.
(John
14:1-6) |
| Descent to the Underworld |
The hero usually has to make
a visit to the "Underworld". |
Luke's encounter with Darth
Vader on the Death Star. |
Jesus Christ descends into
the "lower parts of the Earth".
(Ephesians
4:9-10) |
| Reconciliation with the
Father |
The hero needs to be
reconciled with his father. |
Luke is reconciled with his
father, Darth Vader, because he chose love rather than
hate. |
Jesus Christ, separated
from His Father on the Cross, is restored to His
Father's side.
(Philippians
2:5-11) |
| Final Victory |
When the journey is over and
the quest has been obtained, there is a grand
celebration. |
Celebration on Endor after
the destruction of the evil Emperor and his forces. |
Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
(Revelation
19:7-9) |
The original Star
Wars Trilogy: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and
Return of the Jedi all revolve around the heroic quest
of Luke Skywalker. "Luke's Story" parallels
"The Christ Story". Luke is like the
"Last Adam or Second Adam"; and, as it turns out,
he is the one who was prophesied to come and return balance
back to the Force. In order to fully understand his
story, one must understand his father's story. The
Phantom Menace and The Attack of the Clones is
the story of Anakin Skywalker, a man very much like the
"First Adam", and sadly, very much like us.
Notes:
1. Quote
from Star Wars - The Power of Myth by Dorling
Kindersley
(The general outline of myth is
taken from this work.)
2. In his book, An
Anatomy of Criticism, Northrop Frye lists five general
literary modes defined by the nature of
their characters:
1. Myth - characters are
superior in kind both to men and environment.
2. Romance - characters are
superior in degree; not kind to other men and their
environment.
3. High Mimesis - level
characteristic of tragedy or epic; characters are superior
in degree to other men not
environment
4. Low Mimesis - level of
classical novel.
5. Irony - see ourselves
looking down on weaker or more ignorant; heroes turn into
anti-heroes and
treated comically.
* From JRR Tolkien by
Tom Shippey
3. JRR Tolkien by Tom
Shippey, page 223. Tolkien is the author of the Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings
Trilogy.
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