In this time of real pain, real war, writing about fictional war can feel tone deaf, even ill-advised. One would never want to trivialize the heartbreak and tragedy that’s going on in Ukraine or in the Middle East by comparing them to stories with robots and rubber puppets. I’m a writer, nothing more, so I won’t pretend to understand how to resolve the unresolvable.
I think, though, it’s a good time to note that Star Wars is, perhaps ironically, an anti-war story. It’s a story about resolution through redemption, not victory through vengeance.
Star Wars might not seem like a natural messenger for an anti-war ideology, but it’s in the plain text of the story. Star Wars is a saga about how evil creates conflict in order to gain power; how war compromises the best in us; and how the only way to truly triumph over darkness is to reject hatred. Control is not the path to peace, it’s the path to oppression. Peace cannot be imposed by force, it must live within each of us, we have to choose it. Hatred leads to the figurative death of the self; and the literal death of others.
The Clone Wars, for example, exist to corrupt the Republic and transform it, willingly, into the Empire. Even though there are seasons upon seasons of stories of heroes in the war, George Lucas understood that, in the Clone Wars, if there are Heroes on Both Sides, Evil Is Everywhere. The war, in and of itself, is evil. It’s an invention of the Sith, secretly guiding both sides of the conflict. Even good people, participating for what they think are the right reasons, are diminished by joining in the fight.
That’s what Luke realizes when he throws down his weapon and refuses to let his anger define him.
That’s why Rey defies the Emperor with the words “All you want is for me to hate but I won’t. Not even you.”
It’s why Queen Amidala did not want to condone a course of action that could lead her people to war; and why Senator Amidala fought the Military Creation Act.
That’s what Rose means when she says “It’s not about fighting what we hate. It’s about saving what we love.”
The most daring thing in the Star Wars ethos is the insistence on redemption for the irredeemable. It’s not easy to forgive those who have done unspeakable harm, or hope that there is a good person somewhere underneath an adversary. “There’s good in him,” says Rey, says Luke, says Padme, of characters that have tried to kill them, that have caused terror. In real life, this can feel impossible. Some people feel unforgivable. But without an honest, radical attempt to see the humanity in everyone, we can never find resolution or peace within ourselves.
That’s what these stories are all about. If we love the stories, I hope we’ll let their hope for peace be ours, too. And, if you’re reading this, I hope you’re taking good care of yourself, taking breaks, and taking care of others.
THIS....so much this: "Star Wars is a saga about how evil creates conflict in order to gain power; how war compromises the best in us; and how the only way to truly triumph over darkness is to reject hatred. Control is not the path to peace, it’s the path to oppression. Peace cannot be imposed by force, it must live within each of us, we have to choose it." Great piece. Thanks for sharing.
your last line reminded me of the legendary George Carlin (the standup comedy GOAT in my book). he ended his 1992 special "Jammin' in New York" with, "Take care of yourself! Take care of yourself...and take care of somebody else." it's such a lovely, simple, and powerful message that's easy to understand, but difficult to do.