For generations the “Star Wars” saga has been an influential part of American culture. From comic book recreations, novelizations, action figures and so forth, “Star Wars” has popularized itself in ways creator George Lucas could have only dreamed of.

To some, the epic saga is a fantastic story filled with love, hate, vengeance and loyalty, but to others the resonance that “Star Wars” makes goes much deeper. On the surface, it is just a great story, but by peeling back the layers of stylized action and fantastic creatures, one can see that the story is a commentary on the religious structures of society using classic characters and archetypes in order to present them with a new light so that we may view these things with a different perspective.

Religion and The Force Ben Asper

According to most Christian religions, the Antichrist is a being that is said to bring chaos throughout the world before the second coming of Christ. While it is not immediately apparent, there are many allusions to the Antichrist in the “Star Wars” films through the films’ main protagonist, Darth Vader. Upon studying the signs and characteristics of the Antichrist, it becomes difficult not to draw the comparison between the two.

Antichrist Has both political and religious power. Will receive a deadly wound which later heals. Will make war with the saints. Will force Christians into hiding. Is thought to be a savior for the people at first. Thought to be born of a virgin. Darth Vader Is one with the force and leader of the Empire. Nearly burns to death, but is saved by the Emperor. Wages war with the Jedi. Forces Jedi into hiding. Was supposed to bring balance to the force. Born of a virgin.

By seeing the allusions to the Antichrist through the series’ antagonist, Darth Vader, we are able to insert our personal beliefs into the film about the allusions, making “Star Wars” more personal and enjoyable to audience members.

Like his father, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker has been, for years, suspected of being symbolic of a religious character. Instead of the antichrist, however, Luke can be compared to Christ, Himself. Aside from the obvious comparison, that they’re both good, one can draw the conclusion with the help of the other characters and symbols throughout the films.

Just as Christ uses the power of God to perform miracles, Luke uses the force to fight for the good of the universe. As the description of the force is given in the films, it is everywhere and exists in all living things, which is similar to the description of God in many religions. It is also explained after Obi-Wan Kenobi is killed, he becomes “more powerful than you could ever imagine” by becoming one with the force, or, in the comparison, becoming one with God. Because Luke uses the force to restore peace throughout the galaxy by defeating Darth Vader, and because he is the opposite to Darth Vader (the antichrist) the comparison between Luke and Christ become quite clear. Because religion is such a fundamental part of humanity, giving Luke Skywalker Christ-like characteristics provides viewers a sense of familiarity to the character, which allows a more enjoyable viewing experience as opposed to a vague, unfamiliar protagonist.

Christianity is not the only religion at work in the “Star Wars” series. As Yoda shows us, Buddhism is also alluded in the films.

The allusion to Buddhism begins with Yoda’s introduction in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Luke is told to go to the Dagobah system where he will find a Jedi master to train him in the force. The name of the planet in which Yoda lives is almost identical to the word “Dagoba” which is a memorial said to contain the relics of Buddha (Dictionary.com). As the series continues, Yoda teaches characters about the path to becoming a Jedi, which is infused with Buddhist teachings. In the fifth and sixth movies, Yoda teaches Luke to meditate in order to become one with the force. Meditation is a large part of both Buddhism and becoming a Jedi, as both believe it will take them down the path to enlightenment. One of Yoda’s most memorable quotes happens in the first film, “The Phantom Menace.” He tells Anakin Skywalker that fear is the path to the dark side: “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.” This quote reflects one of the most fundamental parts of Buddhism, which is to eliminate suffering (zenmasteryoda.com).

Combining both the aspect of Christianity and the teachings of Buddhism in the world of “Star Wars,” we can see how close the beliefs really are. By using these characters and beliefs in such a subtle, yet profound way, Lucas is able to create a new appreciation for said religions and showcase the melting pot that is the American culture.

Although a formalist approach does an excellent job at explicating the "Star Wars" saga, a psychoanalytical approach would help shed a different light on the series, showing just how complex the films really are. A psychoanalytic critic "attempts to establish the unconscious motives of characters in literary texts" (Howe p. 192). Using this approach, a critic would be able to uncover what makes the characters tick, why they do what they do, and, in doing so, better understand not only the story, but the statement the films make about the human condition.

Because formalism stays within only the text, a formalist critic might miss the intrigue creator George Lucas admits to having for psychoanalytic theory and Jungian archetypes, so even if a formalist was familiar with these archetypes, they might not even know to look for them.

Carl Jung, a Swedish psychologist who specialized in the subconscious, noticed different archetypes that dwell both within the human mind, and the world we live in. Examples of these archetypes would be the trickster, the hero, the shadow, the anima and animus, and so forth. Knowing that Lucas showed interest in these archetypes, one might immediately begin to look for them in his work, just as a psychoanalytic critic would, and the archetypes would surely be found, especially in the fourth, fifth, and sixth movies. Identifying these archetypes helps to clarify the characters and their motivations, as they each embody some part of our subconscious and further the complexity of the films.

Jung was not the only psychologist to father a branch in the psychoanalytic tree. Freudian critics would be able to unfold the "Star Wars" saga as well, perhaps with Freud's theory of the Id, Ego, and Superego, or the Oedipus complex.

Freud believed that our subconscious could be divided into three parts: the Id, the Ego, and the Superego. The Id is, for lack of a better word, chaos. “The Id consists of unconscious drives and is the individual’s reservoir of sexual energy” (King p. 342). The Id is what drives us to survive and maintain the human race. Everything the Id requires is either, in some form or another, sex and aggression. If we gave into the Id, chaos would reign and we would become savages unable to control ourselves. (Sound like a particular Dark Side we know?) As we grow, we realize that we must eat, drink, and live in an acceptable manner. This realization comes with the development of the Ego.

The Ego knows that we must live in a civilized manner in order to get what we want, so it pacifies the Id, telling it to wait for the next meal, and keeping it away from our conscious mind. As we continue to develop, we develop the Superego, which is the direct opposite of the Id. It is in the Superego that we store our morality and conscience. The Ego is then used to mediate between the two impulses and decide between the two. These three pieces of the subconscious play a gigantic role in the Star Wars saga, as the Id is generally identified as evil (the Dark Side), the Superego is identified as good (the Light Side) and the Ego is identified as us as a conscious entity, choosing between the two (The Jedi/Sith). Explicating this text with a psychoanalytic lens could consist of identifying each of these parts and the role they play in the films, which would explain how the films reflect even the darkest corners of the subconscious mind, and why they do so.

Freud’s theory of the Oedipus Complex is quite difficult to explain, but simply put, “the Oedipus complex involves children's need for their parents and the conflict that arises as children mature and realize they are not the absolute focus of their mother's attention” (Brizee & Tompkins). As the children grow with this realization, they develop the desire to kill their same-sex parent in order to become the focus of their opposite-sex parent’s attention. Being that Darth Vader is Luke’s father, and that the last three movies in the saga focus on their development and desire to kill one another, it is safe to say that at least half of an Oedipus Complex is at work here. If a psychoanalytic critic also looked at the comparison between Luke and Christ, and Vader and the Antichrist, they might be able to even further analyze the implications Lucas makes toward both religion and the human mind.

Neither formalism nor psychoanalysis are right or wrong for explicating the “Star Wars” saga. Instead, I think taking the best of both worlds works best for the piece. As the text is rich in allusions, symbols and so forth, both formalist and psychoanalysis critics have more than enough to use without having to leave the text, so both lenses can be implemented.

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