Star Wars & The Mythology Around Us

Have you noticed something? We seem to have a lack of myths in the modern world. Don't get

me Wrong there are a lot of stories coming out that incorporate mythologies of various cultures.

(Marvel and dc come to mind.) But most of these mythologies are products of franchises that

were created decades before if not almost a century before modern day.

The last true modern myth to really take off in the 20th century seemed to be the likes of Harry Potter Percy Jackson and the slew of young adult fantasy that came out in the ya boom of the late 90s and early

2000s. But even then Percy Jackson was just a reinvention of Greek mythology and Harry

Potter borrowed from the stuff DC was doing with their Vertigo title books of magic in the early

and mid 90s. Even the last truly original epic film trilogy the matrix which borrowed a lot from

gnosticism, was more a deconstruction of the modern world than a dissertation on the chosen

one and the archetypal hero. One thing you start to notice about these films and stories is that

they all seem to take ideas from Star Wars.

A franchise that needs no introduction being that it

has taken up the collective pop culture conscious public’s interest for the past 48 years. And you

might think well yeah what story in the past half a century hasn’t directly taken from Star Wars in

that way? And while you are correct in saying that. What you might miss is that it goes much

deeper. Look at the plots of these films a young child or an adolescent boy grows up in a boring mundane world. (In Harry Potter it’s the non-magical world and in Star Wars its the deserts of Tatooine) I know he is not a kid but Neo in the Matrix also fits working a boring office job.) and they find out they are a part of some grand destiny that has been prophesied for over a

millennium. Now you might think this is just the basic plot structure of the hero’s journey and that

they are all just taken from the stories that inspired them. But what if I told you these stories are

all expressing ideas that have existed for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years. That

Star Wars is more than just a fun story of the chosen one.

But a dissertation on the history of man and the modern myth. A story not just of the archetypal hero or the battle of good and evil. But a meditation on the world and the metaphysical contrast of light and dark. Of the contrast between yin and yang. A modern account of the dual nature of reality. And of the nature of humanity to personify this in stories. Not just in literature or fiction but in the religious and

cultural customs we tell and uphold in our children. In this essay, we will be using Star Wars and the writings of Joseph Campbell. To see how Lucas was able to tell a story. That didn’t just turn a whole generation into fans of science fiction and fantasy. But exposed them to ideas and concepts that has provide guidance and inspiration to millions if not countless people. This isn’t going to be an endowment of any particular religion. Nor a deep dive into the history of every culture. What I aim to do is just provide a short insight into these cultural myths and how Star Wars uses and remixes elements of these various religious and cultural practices. And tells a

story that resonates with millions around the world. I will admit I might have some bias due to my own cultural and religious upbringing. But I hope that won't get in the way of this essays goals to provide a better look into George and his philosophical approach to storytelling. So now that that is out of the way lets start with this analysis.

You probably already know that Star Wars was inspired by the works of Joseph Campbell. Particularly his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Now manyow most people only use that as a footnote in any analysis of star wars using it more as fun fact of Tim bit as a part of a larger analysis of ether the as a look at the history of the film’s production or as a look into the sociopolitical themes of the story. While those do provide a good lens to look at Star Wars i think it mostly misses the forest for the trees. As fascinating as those lenses are for looking at Star Wars they tend to miss the core philosophical and spiritual themes which are just as important if not more to the story. This is what I plan to do with this essay. Explore the symbolic and spiritual themes of all 6 films. This is partially inspired by Rick Worley’s video about the wells so I will credit him at the end of this essay. And while I know it's a daunting task to analyze all 6 films of an interconnected saga. Especially in a short article like this. I will try to keep each section brief and expand on these themes in a corresponding video on YouTube. So to start this analysis we must look at the themes discussed in Campbell’s Power of Myth and how they relate to Star Wars.

The first one that comes to mind is the concept of the chosen one which obviously is represented in Anakin and is ultimately fulfilled through his son Luke. One thing i dont think people realize about this chosen one theme is that the prophecy is not completely fulfilled by Luke but through anakin who finally returns to the light. But that is a pretty easy thing to understand if you pay attention to the films. A theme that might be less obvious is the concept of

a virgin birth something associated with many religions particularly Christianity. You see this theme in Anakin's mother who claims the force impregnated her with Anakin. This plays into themes of Christdom and further emphasizes his role as a chosen one. As in many religions, a savior is immaculately conceived as proof of the savior's divinity. You also see themes of self-sacrifice throughout the films particularly in the original trilogy when Obi-Wan sacrifices himself to get Luke and crew off the Death Star. To Han Solo turning himself into carbonite. To

circle back to Anakin and his journey he sacrifices himself to defeat the emperor. This theme plays into the mythological narrative of sacrifice present in most mythology particularly in the Christian and Eastern traditions.

Transformation is also a theme of these movies from literal transformation like Han Solo going from a smuggler to hero. Anakin’s tragic downfall into Darth

Vader and eventual redemption is a theme that works in tandem with transformation to paint a

deeper picture of human nature. You can see this theme even in the world of film watching as the world goes from a democratic system to a fascist dictatorship. This plays into common religious beliefs of radical change being necessary to truly ascend this material world. Present in a lot of eastern cultures like Hinduism and Buddhism. But also present in western occultism and Gnostic beliefs. The film's main theme i would say is that everything is connected and even the smallest or most insignificant of things have a profound impact on the world around it. Like Qui-Gon Jinn says “there is always a bigger fish”. This theme is explored more in Rick Worley's video so I recommend you check it out. But if where to pin down what Star Wars was really about id say it's about love. From the love of lovers to familial love to the bond between brothers in arms partners and master and student.

The films are about how love connects everything. Like Obi-Wan says” the force guides us it penetrates us and and binds the galaxy together “The force is a metaphor not just of love but of a force that binds every living thing together. You can call this force god, consciousness, empathy, or anything, really. But I think that is the central theme of Star Wars the idea that everything is connected and that the force is inside everyone. Something various religions but Christianity in particular empathizes as it says the kingdom of god is inside every living thing. I hope this analysis while brief is able to open your mind to how these themes intersect with the film's overall messages. I just barely scratched the surface of this topic. But I hope it was an interesting read. Anyway im going to rewatch these films again.