Star Wars has religious themes

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2005)

There's no doubt that a large part of the appeal of 'Star Wars' for me was the special effects and action-packed scenes. However, the movie was also a classic battle of "good versus evil" with many religious undertones and spiritual themes. Many topics such as greed, temptation, and redemption are debated in the film and I've read that George Lucas admits that he injected religion into the 'Star Wars' films (see Time magazine, April 26, 1999).
Luke is told to let go of his everyday perceptions and stretch out with his feelings, to act on instinct. He is taught that some of what he sees may be like an illusion and that his perceptions can lie. When he comes to realise this, the Force will open to him.
For me the whole idea of the Force is fascinating and I suppose there are various ways in which it can be interpreted -- as God perhaps, or religion itself? Or could it simply be some profound level of meaning beyond our everyday reality; this is the interpretation that makes most sense to me.
At a very basic level, the movie portrays two levels of reality: our everyday existence and a deeper, more significant, underlying reality (the Force). This is very much like the Two Truths in Buddhism: relative truth, in which everything is perception, and ultimate truth which is the way things really are (objective reality). Breaking through relative truth to make direct contact with ultimate truth represents a high spiritual attainment, and perhaps a Jedi knight could be seen as a spiritual warrior?
There are many more examples of Buddhist philosophy in 'Star Wars' and I look forward to reading a recently-published book on the topic by Matthew Bortolin, called 'The Dharma of Star Wars'.
May the Force be with you...