Sarah once asked me, “What is it about Star Wars? You can watch those movies over and over again, why?” I gave her a simple answer, “Because I like Anakin’s storyline. For me, all six movies are really about Anakin, not Luke, not Leia, just Anakin. His journey fascinates me.” Besides, I have a childhood attachment to the first movie.
Star Wars, 1977
When I first saw Star Wars in 1977, I was only 14 years old. It’s hard to believe that was 28 years ago. I remember being with my mother in Seattle at the time. She took me to the Cinerama Theater that has a massive, 90-foot-long, 30-foot-high screen. All I remember from that day is my excitement going into the theater and seeing the large screen; the opening credits, the opening music by John Williams; and the movie posters and soundtrack that my mother bought me on that trip.
The Simple Reasons
But back to why I still love this movie series today. I like good versus evil movies, heroes overcoming villains, etc. Yes, my political science major comes out in me when I analyze how the Old Republic falls as the Evil Empire rises. Yes, I have a Dark Side that I’ll always have to keep in check, so I especially enjoy watching how not keeping your dark side in line is dangerous and destructive. From my perspective, it’s all about Anakin’s journey as a 9 year old, who eventually transforms into Darth Vadar because of his issues of attachment driving him to control everything. But, there had to be more to my own attachment to Star Wars than just these simple reasons.
Star Wars and Philosophy
My answer is simple on why I love Star Wars; however, the real answer is complex and multifaceted, since Star Wars can be deconstructed into “philosophy; ethics; metaphysics; truth, faith and a galactic society,” according Kevin Decker and Jason Eberl. Decker and Eberl’s book Star Wars and the Philosophy: More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine is the perfect read for someone like me who knew there were deeper reasons for loving these movies so much.
Destiny: Freedom and Predestination
What I’ve always been fascinated with is the idea of free will versus destiny in Star Wars. I think this is one of the reasons why I enjoy watching Anakin and even Luke’s story lines. We know that Anakin is “the chosen one” to bring “balance back to the force,” but he seems to exercise free will all along the way, making selfish choices that eventually lead him down the path to the Dark Side of the Force. The key selfish choices include leaving his mother to become a Jedi, choosing to save his mother and disobeying his mandate to protect Padme, and marrying Padme although it violates the Jedi code. Are these events caused by Anakin’s free will or is this how his destiny was to unfold? Mind boggling…
The Problem of Evil: All those Shades of Grey
Sarah will be the first one to tell you that I hate ambiguity and shades of grey. To me life should be black and white because life is simpler that way. However, contrary to this, I love the shades of grey in Anakin. I have empathy and compassion for Anakin as does what he does. I always feel that Anakin’s justified in why he should save his mother or choose to be with Padme. I even understand his frustrations with the Jedi Council who continues to distrust him that may ultimately contribute to driving him down the path to the Dark Side. I understand Padme’s weakness of her unconditional love of Anakin despite his killing spree of the Tusken Raiders or other forthcoming events in Revenge of the Sith. For some reason, I get all these shades of grey, just not in my own life.
Moral Ambiguity
Darth Vadar’s evil is complex in the Star Wars universe. It’s complex because we can understand how Darth Vadar came to be Vadar from that little boy in Phantom Menace or rising Jedi star in Attack of the Clones. Can his evil be considered “pure evil” since he got there through his love for his mother or Padme? I enjoyed Richard Dee’s argument and summary about moral ambiguity and Anakin. He argues that moral ambiguity can appear in a number of surprising places. It can emerge from basically good characters like Han Solo who must get outside his egotistical tendencies. Or that it can also be found in evil characters like Count Dooku who pretends to be good to use that goodness of other against them. Lastly, it appears with Anakin, who we empathize with. Anakin can and will do horrific evil as Vadar, but good manages to eke its way out of Vadar when he saves his son Luke.
Why I Really Love Star Wars
Our lives are much simpler than the Star Wars universe, in terms of free will versus destiny or good versus evil. But at least these movies can make you reflect on own lives, in how we make choices, potentially suffering from the consequences of those choices. So my answer to Sarah should really be: “I love watching the Star Wars movies, because I enjoy watching the healthy tension between free will and destiny. I get Anakin’s moral ambiguity and have empathy for Darth Vadar after I realize that something really bad happened to Anakin on the way to becoming a Jedi…”
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