Star Wars Spirituality: Conclusion
By: Meade Adams
Tags: Star Wars, Spirituality, Film, Faith, Religion

Episodes 7–9

Star Wars saw a resurgence in 2015 when Disney purchased Lucasfilm and vowed to put out another trilogy, Episodes 7–9, that would introduce a new generation of characters and wrap up the stories of the Original Trilogy. These films also introduce us to some new Force-powers and new ideas about spirituality.

The Force Awakens

One of the realities of the Force in the Star Wars universe is that there is an ebb and flow. It comes like a wave and then returns to balance. Thousands of years before the events of the Original Trilogy or the Prequels for that matter. took place, there was what is referred to as the “Old Republic.” This was a time of peace and prosperity in the galaxy. Then darkness arises in the form of the Sith, and then Jedi arise to counter that darkness. Eventually, the Jedi overtake the Sith, and peace reigns again for a thousand years until the rise of Palpatine and Darth Vader. Then light again rises to counter that darkness in the presence of Luke and Leia Skywalker and their friends. The point is that there is a cycle. “Darkness rises, and light to meet it,” as Supreme Leader Snoke says. In this first installment of the new trilogy, darkness has again risen, and light is rising to meet it. The Force is “awakened” throughout the galaxy yet again. What this tells me about spirituality is that darkness is not something that can be avoided, but that must be expected. Darkness is a reality of the universe. Evil is a reality, at least as far as we know, of humanity. Will it ever be exterminated? That depends on your religious tradition, but for now, we can say no. It comes and goes, rises, and falls.

I could make many societal comments about the ebb and flow of light and darkness, but I will stick to the individual. Within our own selves, there is an ebb and flow of light and darkness. No one is pure light or pure darkness. If there is anything that was revealed through the narrative of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, it is that no one is beyond redemption. We find the same narrative in this new trilogy except this time with Vader’s grandson, Kylo Ren/Ben Skywalker. His actions seem irredeemable, but the running thread throughout the trilogy is that there is possibly still light in him. Another thread runs counter to this through the character of Rey, who is representative of the light, but also has elements of darkness in herself as well. We are a combination of both. This is represented in every major faith tradition on this planet. Evil and goodness exist in all of us, and whichever side we feed is the one that will grow.

The Last Jedi

In the second installment of the trilogy, we really get into the whole balance idea. Snoke makes the quote mentioned above, and Luke, who has isolated himself on a sacred Jedi island, seems to be frustrated by the futility of it all. He is frustrated by the seemingly endless cycle of darkness and light. The Dark Side rises, the Light rises to meet it. Then darkness rises again to counter the light. It seems to never end. So he says the Jedi must end because the cycle will continue with or without them. Kylo Ren also says, “Let old things die.” In other words, they can end at least one version of the cycle. What if we could embrace the cyclical nature of good and bad in our own lives? If we could accept that bad is a part of the deal, then perhaps we can be a step closer to contentment and happiness. This is what Yoda tells Luke when he appears in this film. He tells Luke to stop worrying about the future and about trying to end the cycle of good and evil. Rather, focus on what’s right in front of you. What is happening right now? This is the question that confronts all of us every day. Will we be slaves to the past or the future, or will we be present in the moments that we have?

Rian Johnson’s idea behind this second movie was clearly that the Force does not belong to anybody. It doesn’t belong to certain powerful families but is a part of everyone, and anybody can become sensitive to it. This is the point of “broom boy” at the end of the movie. Will “broom boy” grow up to be a Jedi? Probably not. But again, the Force doesn’t belong to the Jedi or the Sith. In the same way, God does not belong to Christians or Muslims or Jews or Hindus. God is not limited to our contrived ideas about God. As soon as we have used language to describe God, we have limited God; we have boxed God. Star Wars shows us in this particular film that the Force/God/Mystery/The Divine can belong to anybody.

The Rise of Skywalker

The Rise of Skywalker, the final installment in the Skywalker saga, continues the idea of redemption, inner conflict, and a balance between light and dark. Kylo has seemingly fully committed himself to the dark, and yet Rey still believes there is light in him. Conversely, Rey has fully committed to the light but discovers that are strong traces of darkness within her. How do individuals deal with these realities? If there’s anything that the spirituality of this recent Star Wars trilogy tells us, it is that we are not defined by our family lineage or by destiny but by choice. No matter what Kylo Ren has done, there is still light in him because there is light in all of us, and therefore a chance for redemption. No matter what Rey’s lineage is, she does not have to be defined by that. She is free to choose her own path.

Finally, in the Rise of Skywalker, it is the collective voices/presence of the Jedi of the past that ultimately help Rey accomplish her mission. So while her biological lineage oppresses her and seeks to pull her to the dark, it is her spiritual lineage that frees her and keeps her grounded in the light. This idea is present in several faith traditions — that one’s commitment to God/The Divine takes precedence even over one’s biological lineage. The problem and question that Star Wars raises for us then is what is our spiritual lineage? What is the lineage that keeps us grounded in the light within us? Even if our DNA is pulling us toward the darkness, we still have choice, and we have “a cloud of witnesses” around us that can help bring us through our darkness back to light. This is Star Wars spirituality. Indeed, this is the task of all spirituality. As we watch these films, perhaps we will hear the call toward a greater depth of spirituality in our own lives.

May the Force be with you.