Star Wars Religious Scripture Theory

This summer I took a course on the Old Testament. Around the same time I wrote a series of blog posts on Star Wars for which I had to rewatch the films. As I rewatched them with the course fresh in my mind, I began to develop a theory. Let’s say hypothetically that the Star Wars universe is real. Let’s say the events of the saga happened a few thousand years ago (they do all begin with “a long time ago”). Let’s say this is a universe where film is a easily edited as written word and nobody can know which of the events of the saga really happened. Let’s say that in this universe you can just tell a droid a story and it can turn the story into film. In this hypothetical universe, Jedi is a very prominent religion. The Jedi Order used to operate the way they are portrayed in the saga but things have since changed. The Old Jedi Order fell during the rise of a dictatorship called The Empire. Before the fall, there was a Jedi called Anakin Skywalker who the Jedi revered as “the chosen one” in much the same way Jesus and Muhammad’s followers revered them, but for some reason he chose to side with the Empire. This would have been a blow to the Jedi faith in much the same way the execution of Jesus was a blow to his followers. Just as Jesus’ followers say he was resurected, Jedi say Anakin redeemed himself before death. Perhaps Jesus was resurected and perhaps, in this hypothetical universe, Anakin did redeem himself. The point is there is no way we can tell for certain. In this hypothetical universe, the Star Wars saga might be a religious scripture akin to the Bible, Ramayana, or other narrative religious scripture. Other spinoff films and tv shows would be the equivalent to books that didn’t make it into the Bible or scriptures that are less important than the main one.

In this hypothetical universe, some of the events of the saga would likely be supported by historical fact. It would likely be historical fact that after the Empire took over, there was a purge against the Jedi which only a few survived. Anakin Skywalker had a secret relationship with Senator Amidala, who died in childbirth. Anakin either died in the Jedi purge or became the Emperor’s right hand man. There would probably be historical evidence of his close friendship with the Emperor and the Emperor’s plans to make him his “apprentice” and most historians would agree Anakin and Darth Vader were likely one and the same. The children were kept “hidden” from Anakin. This would be problematic for historians since Luke was raised by close relatives of Anakin, making it seem like there was little effort to hide him. On the plus side, Luke being raised by close relatives of Anakin would make for little doubt he was really Anakin’s son. Leia is also most likely Anakin’s daughter since she was adopted by friends of Padme. This isn’t supported by the saga but I’m going to say Leia always knew Padme Amidala was her mother. Both Anakin’s children played a part in the rebellion and became Jedi after the defeat of the Empire. Luke restarted the Jedi order and is presumed to have been trained by the few Jedi who survived the purge. Luke himself claims, naturally, he was trained by Yoda on a remote planet. He also says the Darth Vader was Anakin and it is considered unlikely he would make that up about his father, but slightly possible because for Anakin to have died in the Jedi purge would contradict him being “the chosen one”. Luke, having restarted the Jedi Order, would be the Jedi equivalent to St. Peter or Paul.

Who would be believed to be the one that recorded the tale and passed it along? R2-D2 of course. This is my theory so I am allowed to make up wild ideas. Artoo could be programmed to record things in case of future historical or religious use. It is still improbable Luke got his Jedi learning solely from Artoo because the Jedi would have to have forseen the purge and known of Luke’s existence to program Artoo to do that. When the focus of the narrative switches from Anakin to Luke, the transition is told from the point of view of the droids because Artoo is the alleged narrator. Why did Leia’s adopted father erase Threepio’s memory but leave Artoo’s intact? When Artoo had been by Anakin’s side all the way through Anakin’s fall to the dark side? Because the information stored in Artoo had potential to be useful for understanding Anakin’s fall in the future. Artoo is there for many important parts of the saga such as Anakin’s romance, Anakin’s turn to the dark side, Luke’s training on Dagobah, and the battle of Endor. Even in scenes where we don’t see Artoo, we can say he might be there. What about scenes we know he isn’t there for? Some of it, for instace the Han-Leia subplot of Episode 5, Threepio may have filled him in on because they are buddies. Some, such as the Obi-Wan subplot in Episode 2, he could have gotten info from R4. Other parts he wasn’t there for? Three words: City central computer. He pumped information on how to fix the Millenium Falcon from a computer, what other information might he have pumped from computers? Perhaps Threepio never uttered the line “you know better than to trust a strange computer” and Artoo simply put that in as a cautionary word not to believe everything we see. Or Threepio did say it (it does sound like somethig he would say) and Artoo left the line in there for that purpose. Other parts could have been told to Artoo by other characters such as Yoda, Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, and Luke. Yoda probably talked to Artoo about it on Dagobah and Obi-Wan probably did between episodes 3 and 4. Both wanted to coach him on how to tell the story of Anakin. Luke, being the last Jedi alive at the end of the saga, would get the final say on what went in and likely wanted to honour his father. What of scenes that none of the above explain? That might just be one of life’s little religious mysteries. The Ramayana is allegedly told to its authour by the character Sita even though there are parts she shouldn’t logically know about. Also, maybe Artoo, who was good friends with Anakin before he turned evil, had a chat with Anakin’s ghost after the saga.

Why can’t modern Jedi have a chat with Anakin’s ghost whenever they want? Because most people don’t see force ghosts in this hypothetical universe. Force ghosts, like miracles, are a fantastic element in the scripture which makes the story difficult to believe. Only great Jedi masters claim to actually see them in modern times. Artoo having talked to Anakin when putting the saga together would be considered likely by Jedi, but unlikely from a non-theological standpoint.

What purpose would the saga serve to these hypothetical Jedi as a religious scripture? Well most religious scriptures have three purposes: 1) to answer theological questions (eg. what is God like? what happens after you die?) 2) explain how one should behave morally and 3) explain why things happened the way they did.

The Jedi believe in something called “The Force” which is comparable to the Hindu concept called Brahman. Brahman is not to be confused with Brahma, the god of creation. Brahman is not a god. Brahman is an ultimate reality, a force that binds together all living things. “The Force” in Star Wars is a simmilar concept, except “the force” is something the Jedi can use like magic and they seem to regard it as a deity (saying “may the force be with you” to each other). The force is explained a few times in the saga. It is explained in biological terms by Qui-Gon but in more spiritual terms by Obi-Wan and Yoda. The explanations don’t technically contradict each other if you think about it but if it realy bothers you, allow me to point out that real life religions have teachings that are seemingly contradictory. Christians believe Jesus was somehow both fully human and fully divine, and that God is one and yet a trinity (some muslims and jews have a problem with Christians having too many gods). Theologians debate over these things. It is one of life’s little oddities. Deal with it.

What are “sith” is this hypothetical universe? Maybe they are a religion, in which case the saga has some unfortunate implications. Maybe they were a religion but have now died out, in which case the saga would still have unfortunate implications but nobody would care. Maybe they are the Jedi equivalent to demons or raksasas. Instead of believing their deomons are spiritual beings, the Jedi in this hypothetical universe believe anybody can become a sith by falling to temptation. The “dark side of the force” is their equivalent to Satan, and the Emperor is so evil that the Jedi believe him to be a human embodiment of Satan who tempts Anakin. The Emperor would be a real historical figure in this hypothetical universe, so this portrayal would be slightly problematic. However, the Emperor would have been regarded as very evil like we regard Hitler. Plus by now he would have been dead for a few thousand years, so it wouldn’t matter too much. Some people are convinced Hitler was the antichrist, so this wouldn’t be too farfetched.

Hindus believe that one becomes a part of Brahman when they break the cycle of rebirth (the Hindu equivalent to what Buddhists call enlightenment). The Star Wars saga tells us it is possible to become part of the force when dead. We see in the saga that after death, some Jedi can return as ghosts to give guidance to others. It sort of reminds me of the Bodhisatva, people who a branch of Buddhism believes have reached enlightenment but choose to keep being reincarnated to help others reach it. The saga does not make it clear what happens to everyone else who dies but Yoda tells Anakin to “rejoice for those around you who transform into the force” so unless he assumes Anakin is worried about a Jedi dying, the implication is everybody becomes a part of the force when they die. Notice how when Han expresses disbelief in the force, Obi-Wan doesn’t tell him he’s damned or even seem particularly offended. Of course the force does have a dark side and sith are people who have been overcome by it. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that sith go to a kind of hell when they die. One of the last things Anakin says before his death is that Luke has “saved” him, which may mean that if he hadn’t redeemed himself he would have gone to “hell”.

In Episode 3, there is an epic battle between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader on the planet Mustafar. Perhaps in this hypothetical universe, the battle really happened there. Or maybe it is symbolic, of where Anakin’s soul is. Mustafar is a visual representation of torture and emptiness and symbolises that Anakin’s whole world has fallen apart. The saga shows them battling there to show Anakin is lost to the dark side.

What ethics might this saga teach future Jedi? Part of it might be that the old Jedi order were wrong about some things. There was a time when Jewish people believed in more than one god. This is why the TaNaK (Old Testament) goes to the trouble of denouncing gods such as Baal. The old Jedi order forbid attachments, a rule Anakin must have broken in order to have children. Perhaps Luke feels that the Jedi forbidding Anakin’s love for Padme is part of why he turned to evil, and ammends this rule. Also, at the end of the saga Leia is in a relationship with Han Solo and Luke would probably not want to take that away from her in order to train her to be a Jedi. Anakin is also one of few Jedi who had a chance to get to know his mother before being trained as a Jedi. The Jedi seem to have little sympathy for him worrying about his mother. Things like that might be in the saga to help explain/justify why Anakin turned to the dark side. However, figures like Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Mace Windu would also be important figures for Jedi and they could not be painted in too negative of a light. Scenes like Yoda mourning over the deaths of Windu and the other Jedi masters could be to show a side of the Jedi that Anakin may not have known about. I have always believed that after Anakin’s turn to evil, Yoda and Obi-Wan regret not doing a better job of guiding Anakin and showing him they love him. Yoda probably views exiling himself to Dagobah as a form of penance.

UPDATE: it came to my mind months after writing this. The jedi using genetically engineered clones as soldiers may be something they felt conflicted about. The saga shows them being punished for it by ultimately having the clones turn against the jedi.

Although Anakin’s turn to evil is partially justified by the things the Jedi did wrong, his actions still aren’t condoned. He allows the dark side to overtake him and loses everything he was trying to save. He lets his thirst for power and control get the best of him, and goes against his own morals. The story is told in such a way that makes his actions understandable and we can see how he justifies them to himself, but his actions still aren’t condonable. The saga condemns his actions that are driven by a need for power and done in anger. Yoda even says something to the effect that a Jedi needs to have control over his emotions and not crave power. The second half of the saga shows how Luke is like Anakin, and how he is different. By the end of the saga, Luke learns to love but prevent his emotions from controlling him. He is likely to teach future generations of Jedi that they are allowed to have families but must learn to control their emotions. The saga provides a contrast to Anakin and Padme’s unhealthy romance in the form of Han and Leia, who love eachother but are far less codependant, and more cautious, than Anakin and Padme. The purpose of this in the saga could be to show the Jedi the right way to handle emotions, even though Han isn’t a Jedi and Leia, while she does use the force a couple of times in the saga, does not become a practicing Jedi during the saga.

If Anakin is a religious figure he is an unusual one. Jesus, Rama, Buddha, and Muhammad are all looked at by their respective religious groups as people we should look up to and aspire to be like. Jesus is even said to be sinless. Anakin is most comparable to the imperfect heroes of Judaism. For example, King David whose story can be found in the Book of Samuel. David was a great king who the Jewish people mourned for but he had flaws. At one point in the story he steals another man’s wife and then has the man killed so he won’t find out. David is punished by God and soon runs into a lot of problems with his children. The purpose of stories like that is probably to show that God rewards good behaviour and punishes sin. Anakin could be seen like David, a great hero who sometimes gives into temptation and suffers for it. The Jedi in this hypothetical religion would admire the man Anakin was before he turned evil and learn from what happened when he succumbed to tempatation, that there are consequences for allowing one’s emotions and thirst for power to control one’s actions and there are consequences for Anakin going against his own morals. Notice how Anakin’s return to the light side happens in a scene that directly mirrors his initial turn to the dark side, choosing between the sith and the Jedi. This paralellism is symbolic of the choice between good and evil. Anakin loses himself by choosing what he knows deep down is wrong but finds himself again by choosing what is right. The good side of Anakin possesses many admirable qualities. He is driven by love and friendship and cares deeply for others. In the end he brings “balance to the force” by becoming a sith, defeating the sith, and leaving Luke to restart the Jedi order. Another moral comes at the end of the saga when Anakin redeems himslef. The message is that no matter how far you fall, redemption is still possible. Luke has to teach Anakin this in order for Anakin to realise it isn’t too late for him. Anakin could be important to the Jedi because he demonstrates that it is never too late for redemption. This also makes Luke importat because he “saves” Anakin.

Luke would be an equally important figure for these hypothetical Jedi. He restarted the Jedi order, which makes him akin to Peter or Paul. More importantly he saved the chosen one from the dark side, allowing the chosen one to fulfill his destiny and defeat the sith. It is very important that the saga shows the kind of person Luke is and why Jedi should aspire to be like him. The saga contrasts Luke with Anakin in order to show why Anakin fell and Luke didn’t. What ways Luke is in better control of his emotion than Anakin.

As we have established, R2-D2 is the alleged narrator of the saga. His portrayal of Anakin is based on his own observations coupled with what he is told by others. From a non-theological standpoint it would be considered unlikely Anakin’s ghost had any input, but the other Jedi may have. Luke would have the final say on what goes into the saga, being the only Jedi alive at the end of it, and would likely want it done in a way that honours his father. The only Jedi who doesn’t seem to like Anakin is Mace Windu, some of the nagative aspects on Anakin’s portrayal could have come from him. Also from Obi-Wan who is notouriously critical of Anakin. After Anakin’s turn, the stories Obi-Wan and Yoda tell about him would probably be more positive because they are mourning for who he used to be. The first part of the saga focuses on Anakin as a young boy and shows his innocence and giving personality. He wins the podrace for his friends, not knowing he has anything to personally gain (aside from the satisfaction of beating his rival, but he has always had that motivation and never won before). By Episode 2, Anakin has become a bit more selfish and angry but still motivated by love. The second part of the saga focuses heavily on his romance with Padme because 1) Artoo was there and 2) Luke would want everyone to know how much Padme meant to Anakin in order to partially justify his turn to evil. This would also be reason for the emphasis on Anakin’s love for his mother and anger at her death. It makes us care about Anakin and see him as admirable while partially justifying his turn to evil. Episode 3 focuses on why Anakin turns evil. The first part of Episode 3 shows Anakin as a caring person who also has anger issues that will tragically lead to his downfall. The factors leading to his fall to the dark side are presented in a way that makes us care about him and understand why he succumbs to temptation, but the saga does not go as far as to condone his evil actions. The Jedi would probably see becoming a sith as one of the worst things that can happen to a person, and a consequence for Anakin’s actions along with him losing everything else that is important to him. Artoo is by Anakin’s side for much of Episode 3 but is helpless to stop what he sees happening. Thus the episode focuses heavily on explaining why Anakin turns evil. Simmilar to how part of the TaNaK (Old Testament) is an explanation for why the kingdom of Isreal fell. After Anakin turns evil, the narrative shifts focus to Luke. Artoo accompanies Luke to Dagobah for his Jedi training. The second half of the saga focuses on showing us what kind of person Luke is, what makes him like Anakin, and what makes him different. Luke is someone for Jedi to aspire to be because he learns to control his emotions in a way Anakin didn’t. Of the three films about Luke, Episode 6 is the one where Artoo is away from him most. It is also the one where Luke’s dark side is most prominent. This could be a reflection of the fact that Artoo is remembering what happened to Anakin and is very worried about Luke.

There are points in the saga that Jedi theologians would debate on. For one, the seemingly contradictory views of the force. Another one is whether Anakin was born of a virgin mother. It is implied in Episode 1 that Qui-Gon believes Anakin was concieved by the force. However, Sidious implies in Episode 3 that Anakin was created by a sith lord. Could that be true? Could it be something Sidious said to tempt him? What does it mean for his status as the chosen one? The most important point would be whether or not Anakin had to become a sith to defeat the sith. Non-Christians are uncomfortable with the story of Jesus becasue it is hard to understand why Jesus, an innocent man, had to go through all that suffering to fulfill his destiny. Non-Jedi in this hypothetical universe would have a simmilar problem with Anakin having to turn evil. It’s the old free will debate all over again, is it fair that Anakin had to suffer for actions he was predestined to commit? Theologians would debate on whether there was another way he could have fulfilled the prophesy. They would also likely deabte on this simmilar problem: if we assume his turn to evil was the only way he could fulfill the prophecy, can the ole Jedi order be held responsible for their mistakes that led him there? It seems thay may have just been doing as they were supposed to. Also, can we hold Anakin responsible for his actions if they needed to be done?

Other than Anakin and Luke, the rest of the characters can also be important religious figures, especially the Jedi. Qui-Gon, Yoda, and Obi-Wan would all be people the Jedi admire and revere in a simmilar way real life religions revere certain people. Mace Windu would be an interesting one. There was much antagonism between Windu and Anakin. In Episode 3, Mace Windu is clearly losing his faith in the Jedi religion when he more or less denounces the prophecy of the chosen one. Right before Mace Windu dies, he is about to go against the Jedi moral code in his desperation to end the war. Mace Windu can be seen as a figure who is a Jedi master, who is one of the most learned in the ways of the Jedi, but still loses faith and suffers for it. A cautionary tale about how even the greatest Jedi fall.

In Hinduism, Rama’s wife, Sita, is someone women look up to. The women of the Star Wars saga, Padme and Leia, could be the same. Although Padme isn’t a Jedi and Leia isn’t yet a practicing Jedi at the end of the saga, Padme is the wife of the chosen one (and Luke’s mother) and Leia is the daughter of the chosen one(and Luke’s sister). Both women have admirable qualities for strong Jedi women to follow. Let’s not forget the chosen one’s mother, Shmi. She could be revered by Jedi in the way Christians revere the virgin Mary. Here we have a trinity of non-Jedi women who are the mother, wife, and daughter of the chosen one. Potential for a lot of meaning for Jedi women. In the Clone Wars tv series, which could be a scripture of lesser importance than the saga, Anakin even has a female apprentice.

The Star Wars saga is a beautiful saga that carries a lot of meaning. I have talked about it in this blog from both a psychological and religious standpoint. It is a lot of fun to imagine it could be a religious scripture to a hypothetical religion, and anayse why it would be put together the way it is and meaning it would have for this hypothetical religion. There is much we can learn from it even in real life. I think the Star Wars saga is almost perfect and has a beautiful beginning, middle, and end. Everything ties together perfectly. In 2015 when Episode 7 comes, it has potential to either support my theory or shoot it right to Mustafar and I’ll say “well that was good while it lasted”. I wish moviemakers would leave well enough alone. In spite of this, i’m probably still going to like Episode 7 and even if I don’t I’m probably going to see Episode 8. Don’t get me started on movie series that don’t know when to stop………………………………………………..

UPDATE: regarding the part where I said the Jedi would have theological debates over whether we can blame the Jedi or Anakin for their actions when they were doing what needed to be done to fulfill Anakin’s destiny, there are simmilar real-life debates involving the actions of Kaikeyi (the Queen who had Rama banished) and, of course, Judas Iscariot (Jesus’ friend that betrayed him).