Star Wars as Church History Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Paper

Star Wars as Church History Koenrad Kuiper, writing in the Journal of Popular Culture in the mid 1980s suggests that "[the] Star Wars trilogy creates and recreates imperial myths which serve to sustain imperial culture" (77). He goes on to contend that the Empire of George Lucas’s long ago and far away world recreate these myths for us now as, essentially, a form of social control. Since Kuiper was writing, however, we have been graced with the first in the Star Wars series, The Phantom Menace. The Phantom Menace has opened to tepid reviews and the expected box-office success. Its staying-power has been perhaps a bit disappointing for all at Lucasfilm, but the film has definitely made a cultural impact. Interesting in light of Kuiper’s thesis is that this latest addition to the Star Wars mythology concerns itself with two beginnings: the beginning of the evil Empire of the other three movies, and the beginning of Anakin Skywalker, father to Luke Skywalker and the future Darth Vader. The genesis of both the Empire and Darth Vader in one film is more than coincidence. Rather than Star Wars sustaining an imperial myth, the new film argues for an interpretation that the series, taken as a whole, represents an intricate commentary on the history of Christianity, from its pure beginnings to its ultimate corruption as a quasi-political entity controlling much of Europe. The first and most striking suggestion of this is the fact that Anakin Skywalker’s is a virgin birth. When Qui Gon Jinn, the Jedi master who trains Obi-Wan Kenobi, asks Anakin’s mother who the young prodigy’s father is, she responds: "There is no father." Young Skywalker is later described by Jinn as a "virgence": a virgin birth. The conclusion that ... ...ica: is there reason to believe that the Religious Right will become that new Empire? Will the new war for liberation be right now in a galaxy quite close to home? Addendum It has been brought to my attention by many an astute reader that Darth Maul should more accurately symbolize King Herod. They are correct, of course--an oversight I should've caught. I appreciate the input, and should take the opportunity to note that the Darth Maul/Herod connection still works symbolically, representing the pathway toward an institutionalized and therefore corrupt Christianity. Works Cited Kuiper, Koenraad. "Star Wars: An Imperial Myth." Journal of Popular Culture 21.2 (Spring) 1988. 77-86. Lucas, George. The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm Ltd. 1980 —The Phantom Menace. Lucas. 1999. —Return of the Jedi. Lucas. 1983. —Star Wars. Lucas. 1977.