Top 4 Christian Moments in 'Star Wars'

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“Star Wars” is a cultural phenomenon across multiple generations. The original trilogy that began in 1977 revolutionized special effects and made actors such as Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill household names. Though far less popular among fans, the prequel trilogy that ran from 1999 to 2005 allowed a new generation of moviegoers to experience Lucas’ galaxy far, far away on the big screen. The currently incomplete sequel trilogy that began in December 2015 reinvigorated previous fans of the movies and allowed for parents who grew up watching the original and prequel trilogies to expose their own children to Lucas’ galaxy of telekinetic Jedi Knights and cruel, cunning Sith Lords.

Although “Star Wars” has billions of fans, the franchise is recognizable even to those who have never seen the movies. Brightly glowing laser swords, the original villainous father and the mysterious Force are all hallmarks of Lucas’ universe that almost anyone can recognize as associated with “Star Wars.” What most people may have missed, however, is the Christian references and moments that are peppered throughout the series. There has always been a great deal of talk about how the Force is based on Taoist and Buddhist thought, but that does not mean that Christianity did not find its way into a galaxy far, far away. Here are 4 Christian moments in “Star Wars” you may have missed.

Anakin Has No Father

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In “The Phantom Menace,” the first movie of the prequel trilogy, viewers are introduced to a young Anakin Skywalker. Anakin is the father of Luke Skywalker who is the hero of the original trilogy. Anakin is a slave on a desert planet called Tatooine. The planet is far from the Republic and is ruled by a long-lived species called the Hutts who are known for dealing with outlaws, smugglers and slavers in an effort to continue their hedonistic lifestyle. Anakin, however, is shown to be a boy with a good heart as he offers to help the fugitive queen Padme Amidala and her Jedi protector, Qui-Gon Jinn, with no expectation of anything in return. The two stay the night at Anakin’s small home, and Qui-Gon strikes up a conversation with Anakin’s mother. In it, Qui-Gon learns that Anakin was conceived miraculously. He had no father. This, combined with Anakin’s incredible abilities, leads Qui-Gon to suspect that Anakin is the Chosen One referred to in a Jedi prophecy. A prophesized savior with no father should sound familiar to any Christian who knows the Christmas story.

Redemption and Forgiveness of the Fallen

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“Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you, it will!” This is the warning that Jedi Master Yoda gives to Luke Skywalker when the latter finally begins his Jedi training. The idea is repeated over and over in the “Star Wars” universe. Those who fall to the Dark Side of the Force, the portion of the Force that is powered by hate, greed, rage, suffering and fear, are lost forever. When Anakin Skywalker falls to the Dark Side, Yoda tells Obi-Wan, Anakin’s mentor and father figure, that the boy Obi-Wan knew is gone. Obi-Wan later uses this same logic to tell Luke Skywalker that Anakin is dead, even though he lives on as Darth Vader. Luke, however, does not believe that his father is lost forever. Luke, like his mother before him, insists that Anakin can be saved. Luke turns out to be correct. When Darth Vader is faced with the choice of continuing to follow his cruel teacher and master, Emperor Palpatine, or saving Luke, Darth Vader chooses to abandon the Dark Side and rescue his son. Light triumphs over darkness, and Darth Vader becomes Anakin Skywalker once again. Just as Paul went from persecutor to evangelizer, the oppressive agent of evil, Darth Vader, is redeemed and becomes the protective Anakin Skywalker.

Power of a Willing Sacrifice

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There are few ideas more deeply associated with Christianity than the idea of a person who is willing to lay down their life and who does so without a fight. “Star Wars” has multiple moments like this. The first, and one of the most memorable, is when Obi-Wan Kenobi willingly sacrifices his life to Darth Vader in order to give Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia time to escape. Rather than continuing to fight Darth Vader, Obi-Wan holds up his lightsaber in surrender, but not before warning Darth Vader, “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” Darth Vader, of course, ignores the warning and kills Obi-Wan. This, however, is not the end for Obi-Wan. His sacrifice allowed Luke and his friends to escape, but it also allowed Obi-Wan to become one with the Force and continue guiding Luke until Luke reached Yoda who could truly train Luke.

In the sequel trilogy, Luke Skywalker follows in his mentor’s footsteps. He gives every appearance of fighting his own fallen apprentice, Kylo Ren, and seemingly allows Kylo to kill him. This, however, is revealed to be an illusion. Luke projected his appearance across the galaxy, knowing it would likely kill him, in order to give the last members of the Resistance who fight the evil First Order a chance to escape.

The Ever-Present Temptation of Evil

20th Century Fox

In “Star Wars,” both the righteous Jedi and the evil Sith have unique and dangerous powers. Their powers are different in many ways and rely on different emotions. They both, however, pull from the same ultimate source, the Force. Sith, however, pull from the sinister Dark Side of the Force.

Throughout the “Star Wars” storyline, the Dark Side is shown to almost have a mind of its own. It is an ever present threat to any Force user and is known to trick and seduce the unwary into its clutches. It is associated with fear, greed, hate and suffering. It is commonly believed that those who succumb to the Dark Side are lost forever. The Dark Side is not stronger, Yoda insists, but it is “quicker, easier, more seductive.” It feeds off negative emotions and reduces once good men into twisted shadows of themselves. It is constantly looking for openings to exploit and tempting any Force user it can. This should sound rather familiar to most Christians.

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“Star Wars” is one of many secular movies that has a large number of Christian themes and references. Many of these are not particularly well hidden, but they often get missed due to the mystical language used to describe the Force. That does not, however, mean that they are not there. The Force may be based on Buddhist and Taoist thought, which is what gets a lot of attention when religion is discussed in relation to “Star Wars.” The story, however, is a Christian tale. It is the story of redemption, sacrifice and hope. The Force may be more Taoist, but what the characters do with that power is straight out of Christianity. It is then up to the viewer to decide which matters more, where the power comes from or how people choose to use it.