It was my goal when I started Popgun Chaos (nearly three weeks ago) to create an atmosphere where others could submit their essays and I would put them up on the site as a guest column. Steven King is the first to answer the call. I’ve known Steven for a few years now but this was the first full essay I’ve ever read from him and I must say that it is impressive (and when it comes to Star Wars, it takes a lot to impress me). Enjoy his essay and feel free to continue the discussion in the comments section!
So it seems to me that the plot of the entire Star Wars saga pivots around a slow scene in Revenge of the Sith between a digital Muppet and a teen heartthrob that failed to be. Anakin Skywalker meets with Yoda to discuss some disturbing visions he is having in which Anakin’s wife Padme is dying. Anakin holds back his wife’s identity as well as why he is so concerned about her death. Yoda quickly launches in to his Dark Side rhetoric, telling Anakin that “death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the force…attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is.” Both characters talk, but they aren’t really talking to each other. It is a microcosm of nearly every conversation you will have with someone that you haven’t known for at least five years. People talking at each other, neither really listening. What makes the scene more frustrating is Anakin’s lack of trust and unwillingness to be honest. Anakin genuinely wants help and advice, but he doesn’t want to confess that he has broken one of the cardinal rules of the Jedi Order—no attachments. Anakin is married and about to have a child. He hides his secret and this decreases the urgency of the situation. Yoda then misinterprets Anakin’s fears and gives advice that only serves to exacerbate them.
Mace Windu having just walked in to his surprise party.
Anakin’s unwillingness to be open and honest is particularly telling of the Jedi order. For a group that cites communion with a mystical Force, they are surprisingly insular and unconnected. The only Jedi Master that we see smile or crack a joke is Obi-Wan. The halls of the temple are stark and cold. They only seem to talk about their business and muse on The Force. To be fair, they are a religious order that is running a war, but they seem to be taking life so seriously as to miss any concept of humor, satisfaction, or joy. The only scenes in which we see Jedi even starting to have fun are when Obi-Wan goes to a greasy dive to visit an old friend and get information and when we see decapitations. The Jedi decapitate a lot of people in these movies. One could get the impression they enjoy it. However, clogged arteries and decapitation won’t work for everyone.
Mace Windu at the 427th Annual Jedi Order Life Day Celebration
So, the Jedi have difficulty relating to one another and to non-Jedi, they don’t seem to have fun, and they claim an almost Gnostic knowledge, a connection to a knowable but exclusive spiritual energy. It seems rather obvious that The Jedi Order is a symbolic representation of the American Church.
Anakin Skywalker is The Christian Pilgrim and he’s having a crisis of faith. He knows that he is not supposed to question because it seems that in addition fear and hate, just about everything leads to The Dark Side. Constant chastisement will inevitably lead to reluctance to be honest. It can be a form of subtle abuse to be told that your feelings are irrelevant in the face of a greater Truth. Perhaps if there were more genuine relationships within the order, Anakin wouldn’t have had to turn elsewhere for advice, guidance and relationships.
Darth Sidious suddenly seem a viable option.
The obvious ports in this spiritual storm are sex and over-compensatory power. Thus: Padme Amidala and Senator Palpatine. Padme Amidala is obviously a representation of the lust of the flesh, while Palpatine is the struggle for acceptance and power. Both are attempts to find genuine needs (love and respect) in illegitimate ways. The fact that Anakin’s master is unaware of his disciple’s needs and desires shows great ignorance and blindness.
As the Sith rise to reclaim the galaxy, the power structure of the Jedi Order is shaken and destroyed from within due to its isolation, sitting on high and judging instead of being among the people and helping. Sure, a few passionate believers go among the masses and fight for justice and good, but the leaders have tendency to sit in their comfy chairs debating philosophy and criticizing the government.
We have reached a time in the history of our nation where Christianity finds a similar shaking of the power structure. No longer the molders of culture, the church in America seems to be struggling to catch up and make itself relevant. Like Anakin Skywalker before them, the youth (teens to 30s) who grew up in the church are drawn to other teachings that are either subtly different or diametrically opposed. Like the Jedi trying to preserve their order from The Sith, sectors of the American church are trying to hold back the hemorrhaging of family and conservative values, while never quite confronting if they are attempting to preserve tradition or listening to The Force itself. Seen through this particular lens, George Lucas seems to be a corpulent John The Baptist, crying out from his million-dollar mansion a warning to the Church that Anakin is turning to The Dark Side and The Purge is coming. A Yoda here and an Obi-Wan there may survive, but how many other Christians will stand true? How many will become apostates under the persecution of Order 66 (or 666)?
Another example of Lucas's command of subtlety
In the end, the flirtation with the Dark Side destroyed Anakin on Mustafar (which is the thinnest veiling of Hell I have ever encountered outside of Dante’s Inferno). Like Anakin, the youth of the church may be destroyed by the fire and the loss of limbs. But there is hope. There is still good in them so long as they reject the false doctrine of Darth Sidious. Redemption may still be achieved since even Anakin was redeemed in the end by Luke Skywalker. But Luke’s coming of age is still far away. Anakin has not yet turned. Perhaps if we learn from Yoda’s and the other masters’ mistakes and attempt to show concern instead of constant judgement, guiding culture and politics instead of demanding and accusing, and embracing love and concern for the living (a tenant that is sorely lacking in Jedi philosophy), the church may provide a place for Anakin where he feels safe and cared for even when he disagrees.
I’ve never been able to ponder the meanings behind much in Star Wars because I haven’t been able to understand the characters very well. I don’t know enough about them and they seldom reveal significant information.
But I’m sure that the question that all the Star Wars fans will want answered is this:
“Where does R2D2 fit into this analogy?”
My initial thoughts are that R2D2 is Jesus. This is due in part that his level of competency seems higher than most of the other character, indicating some sort of divine spark. He also acts as a guiding influence to various characters, even accepting the prayer of Leia to find Obi-Wan. He has given his life multiple times to save others (Death Star I, Endor) and has resurrected each time. Finally, he is the only character who really seems to know what is going on at any given time, much like Jesus who had a different perspective on what was really going on in his own life.
Steven, this is a very interesting concept and I like the comparisons you draw between aspects of the movies and contemporary Christianity. The problem I see is the analogy only applies if there is one Church. While Jesus considers all Christians to be members of His one Church (which is drawn from each ‘earthly church’), the constructs of organized Christian faith built by humans have taken hundreds (if not thousands) of forms. If you are referring to the largest singular representative Christian ‘Church’, the Catholic Church, then I see the strong connection (though knowing little about the operational nature of the Catholic Church it is hard for me to truly determine that the analogy rings true). However, outside of the Catholic Church there are dozens of Protestant and Evangelical denominations and hundreds of ‘sub-denominations’. Many of these decentralized ‘churches’ are deeply connected to their communities. Over the long run, even though there is not a one-to-one correlation, these ‘churches’ grow and die based on their ability to impact their communities. This multifaceted ‘church’ composed of the members of many denominations actually becomes the antithesis to the Jedi Order: flexible, evolutionary, compassionate, involved, etc.
That doesn’t take away from the message, though, that those of faith should be compelled to engage humanity instead of merely judging it. Just that it encourages a deeper analysis than the one Church / Jedi Order connection. Thanks for the great thoughts!
Great comments! Yes, the analogy tends to work with significant generalization. While the analogy is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, it comes from a place of genuine criticism. One of the current critiques of evangelical Christianity is the over-emphasis on conversion at the expense of discipleship. As a whole, American evangelicals focus more on “winning people to Christ”, but don’t always do so well at guiding people to be Christ-like. They focus more on external moral behavior, which doesn’t necessarily reflect a change in a person’s heart. Many evangelicals are recognizing this deficiency and are attempting to confront it. At least, it seems that way. I work in a Christian book store, and it can be quite fun to see the trend in popular titles and a renewed emphasis on discipleship is emerging.
Thanks for the great comments.
So c3p0 is the reason the church hates gays?
Possibly, but the bigger question is whether Anakin created him that way, or did C3PO DECIDE to be gay.
Pass the doobie man… ***inhales deeply*** Whooooaaaaaaa!
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