2 of 2

The ironic part of my longing to live in a supernatural world with so much adventure, meaning, and battles of good vs. evil is this: I already did. I was drawn to these ideas for a reason far greater than George Lucas. In fact, this is part of what makes Lucas' vision so popular: His storytelling taps into something deeper than how cool lightsabers were. And that wasn't by accident. It was something Lucas methodically worked at.

Before writing Star Wars, Lucas studied the works of scholar Joseph Campbell, author of several books analyzing the connections between various cultural myths and world religions. In a documentary about the making of the original trilogy, Lucas says, "I did research to try and distill these myths down to motifs that are universal. I attribute most of the success [of the films] to the psychological underpinnings, which have been around for thousands of years. People still react to those stories as they always have."

In Star Wars, you see traces of Arthurian legend, Shakespeare, The Odyssey, Beowulf, the Bible, Eastern religions, and other old histories, stories, legends and myths. Lucas took the classic good vs. evil morality tale, mixed in universal themes—father versus son, technology versus nature, student versus teacher, the allure of evil, youthful adventure, faith, redemption, friendship and betrayal, and the journey from zero to hero—and sprinkled in archetypal characters like the unlikely hero, the damsel in distress, the reluctant hero, the wise old teacher, the ominous villain and the comic relief. Then, he added spaceships and Wookiees.

All of these motifs, archetypes and psychological hooks provide a buffet of connection points. Can't relate to the father-son tension? Then maybe you'll get caught up in the heroic journey of a boy with big dreams. For me, the biggest pulls were always the idea that there was more to life than what I saw out my front door and the belief in something bigger surrounding us, guiding us and driving us in a very real battle against evil. Of course, both of these draws tie into my Christian beliefs, but I won't argue that Star Wars taught me anything about our God. No, Empire Strikes Back didn't supplement my Sunday school flannel graph lessons.

But I do think there's a connection. George Lucas purposely pulled universal motifs, story devices and legends that had captured human hearts for centuries. By doing so, I think he pointed to something far larger than just cultural mythology and psychological underpinnings. I think he looked at the question of "What universal themes do we all relate to?" I, however, think the far more important question is: "Why do these motifs pull on our hearts?"

The truth is, the draw of these themes in pop culture or ancient myth shows the power of the void we all have engrained inside us, a void that, for each of us, thirsts for the same things—a sense of adventure, a belief that there has to be something bigger than all this, and a desire to overcome evil. These thirsts lead to our Creator.

Yes, Star Wars is a great story that has stuck with me my whole life, but only because it happens to tap into the questions only truly answered in the Greatest Story—the one calling us to a God not so far, far away.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

first page |  2 of 2

Related Elsewhere:

Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones	Printer view
Christianity Today Movies did not review this film, but here's what other critics are saying ...

---

Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith	Printer view

---

Star Wars: The Clone Wars	Printer view