Myth of Star Wars 19
(Lucas, 1983). Arguably, it is Luke’s compassion for his friends and his father that end up
restoring the balance of the Force initially undone by compassion. Ultimately, it is Darth’s
compassion for Luke that is Darth’s undoing but Anakin’s restoration. It is also Luke’s salvation
and the downfall of the Emperor.
The Religion Menace
The first trilogy, episodes IV through VI, presents a clear distinction between good and
evil. Interestingly, the late 70s and the 80s were part of an era of well-defined heroes and villains
in the Western culture. The United States of America was the hero to the villainous Soviet
Union. Villains were less clear during the 90s so homebound cultural battles came to the
forefront. Religion became an even hotter topic from praying in schools to the value of “under
God” in the pledge of allegiance. Usama bin Laden’s declaration of war against the United States
gave us a new enemy, but religion was still a primary focus as many wondered if Usama’s form
of Islam was the norm. With religion taking on more than just the Protestant reformation in
Western culture, it is no wonder that Episodes I and II went beyond the mere allusion to the Jedi
Order as a religion. Lucas moved from Han’s denunciation of “hokey religions” such as “the
Force” in A New Hope to a replication of the Christ story in Phantom Menace.
The Christ story evolves in Episode I as the Jedi Knights find themselves on the desert
planet of Tatooine. There they find Anakin Skywalker. A blood test confirms that the Force is
strong within Anakin. They also find out that his birth was an immaculate conception, an
obvious allusion to Christianity’s birth of Jesus. Just as Jesus, Anakin is suspected to be the one
who will fulfill prophecy. In this case, the chosen one will restore balance to the Force. Christian
mythology similarly aligns Jesus with balancing the sins of man with God’s grace. While the
Star Wars saga leaves us guessing what it means for the Force to be in “balance,” religion as an
Convention