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A Deeper Look At Star Wars
When (what is possibly) the most wide-reaching and popular piece of pop culture began in 1977, it means that at this point, there is over 40 years’ worth of writing and thinking on the subject. Due to this, it would be easy to think that there is little to nothing left to say about it. But as with anything, you can always benefit from a fresh set of eyes, or looking at it through a new lens.
I have liked Star Wars for as long as I can remember. My parents would rent the Original Trilogy from the library for me and I would sit and take it all in. But my real introduction to the series – and the genesis of my love for it – came with the Prequel Trilogy. I was three years old when The Phantom Menace first hit theaters, so I was of the generation who grew up with Star Wars in a whole new way.
Now before you completely write off my opinion because I grew up more on the Prequels than I did on the Originals, I like to say that I only like about 50% of the totality of those films. This number includes Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, and Darth Maul in The Phantom Menace, the action and humor of Attack of the Clones, and all of Revenge of the Sith. I recognize their flaws.
I also recognize that without the prequels, I would never have gotten into Star Wars the way I did. Because of that, I tend to recognize the positives of these movies more than I do the negatives. I also love each installment in the Original Trilogy, absolutely adore The Force Awakens, and like a whole lot about The Last Jedi.
What I’ve never quite thought about, though, is the messages and life lessons these movies share. The spaceships, lightsaber fights, and characters are what attracted me to the galaxy far, far away, and not what it has to say about religion or family dynamics. It is right up my alley because I’m always interested in series that establish a world with lots and lots of lore. This is the reason I love The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, and Harry Potter. But as with many things in my life these days, I wanted to look more deeply into this massive series.
Just from sitting and thinking for a little bit about what Star Wars tries to say about life, there is so much that comes to the forefront. It obviously has a lot to say about spirituality and religion, it dwells on family, specifically relationships with parents and siblings, and brings moral quandaries to the forefront.
Say what you want about George Lucas as a filmmaker or director, but one thing is for sure: he has big ideas – specific ideas, too. Even though the series is filled with things like Jar Jar Binks, Dexter Jetster, and Ewoks, he was going for something very specific. Even though midichlorians resulted in huge backlash and the Whils would have done the same thing, they are a part of a singular vision, and I think this vision is worth taking a deeper look at, one film at a time.
So in the weeks leading up to the release of The Rise of Skywalker, I’m going to be taking a deep dive into the Star Wars universe, one episode at a time. I want to learn new things about life and about the fabled galaxy through these movies that I’ll be re-watching for the hundredth time each.
Instead of laughing off midichlorians, I’ll ponder what they mean about human spirituality. Instead of joking about the total lack of chemistry between Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman, I’ll see if maybe there is something profound being said beneath the surface about forbidden love. And instead of yelling online about Rian (Ruin) Johnson, I’ll explore the deep spiritual themes present in The Last Jedi.
So get ready for this weekly look at the most popular pop culture artifact of all time, because it’s time to take a deep dive into Star Wars!
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