At another point in the movie, Han Solo tells Luke that “hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.” But the rest of the series affirms the message that the significant battles are the mystical, intimate fights between the Sith and the Jedi who use medieval-ish weaponry, not the Empire’s planet-sized technological marvels. Recall an early scene in A New Hope, where Darth Vader dismisses the Death Star as “insignificant next to the power of the Force.” When mocked by one of the generals who notes how Vader’s “ancient religion” has failed to locate the rebel base, Vader deems his “lack of faith disturbing” and underscores the point by using the Force to choke the doubting officer into submission. Star Wars also weighs in on more contemporary religious questions, especially the tension between the material (or scientific) world and the spiritual domain. The prequel trilogy likewise tells the story of Anakin Skywalker’s virgin birth, the prophecy of the “chosen one,” Anakin’s fall to the dark side, and his eventual resurrection (though it is as evil incarnate in the form of Darth Vader). It doesn’t take much to see how classically religious themes pervade the early Star Wars movies, which feature an intergenerational narrative of temptation, sin, and redemption that recalls several biblical story lines. Rather than being brought into the tradition, Rey, Luke’s would-be trainee, must find the Force within herself. But in The Last Jedi, a grizzled Luke Skywalker dismisses the Jedi mythos, and presents a more modern take on theology that accords with the “ spiritual but not religious” trend that finds younger Americans to be less interested in organized faith but more open to spiritual experiences. From A New Hope through The Force Awakens, learning to master the Force required faith, ritual, and ancient wisdom-all of which are hallmarks of institutionalized religion. In the latest Star Wars film, though, the theology of this secular belief system shifts. Throughout the series, the Force is a stand-in for a divine power that draws on a number of mystical traditions, representing the balance of good and evil, the promise of an ultimate unity, and the notion that those learned in its ways can tap into the infinite. This story contains spoilers for T he Last Jedi.įor at least two generations, the Star Wars saga has served as a kind of secularized American religion.
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