There is no denying that George Lucas’ Star Wars is one of the greatest film franchises that will ever exist on the big screen. The Force Awakens, the newest film, has been criticized by some fans for copying the story of the original 1977 trilogy. Although there are some similarities between the two films’ plots, the story of the original films can be connected to the heroic plot traditions of Lord Raglan, and Luke Skywalker’s character reflects the virtues outlined in Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue. There is also reason to believe that Luke’s story will have a tragic end, much like the stories of ancient Greece. This paper will make references to the original Star Wars trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi),
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Assuming that Padme had the same views on Jedi-Senator relationships, and had no other secret partners during this time, she would be a royal virgin (1). Luke’s father is Anakin Skywalker, who secretly marries Queen Padme, technically making him a king (2). Anakin Skywalker has no father, and is the son of a slave woman on Tatooine, so it is unlikely that he has any familial relation to Padme. However, Anakin was a Jedi in training – forbidden from both love and marriage – and unbeknownst to the Jedi Council, married and impregnated Queen Padme, only to Force choke her to near death in Revenge of the Sith after turning to the dark side of the Force and getting his legs lopped off by Obi-Wan only to become the Sith Lord Darth Vader. These events are unusual (4), even for the Star Wars universe. Finally, Luke’s father Darth Vader has the ability to control objects and people with his mind, because he a master of the dark side of the Force. This telekinetic ability could be interpreted as God-like (5). In the Star Wars universe, we know little to nothing about Luke’s past, making point six impossible to …show more content…
We learn from the prequel trilogy that Jedi are trained from a considerably young age; ten year-old Anakin was rejected for being “too old” in The Phantom Menace. For Luke to learn all of his training in the few months before he destroys the Death Star with no formal childhood training is incredible, and thus his rise to power between leaving Tatooine and becoming “king” needs to feel long for the audience. Exposition in modern storytelling is much different than it was in Sophocles’ time; the viewer must watch the story unfold, not simply hear about or be told as much. In addition, Luke’s training with the Force is more mental than physical, and takes more time that simply becoming muscular or agile. After training to sense blaster bolts with his eyes closed, and controlling his emotions after the death of Obi-Wan, he is able to destroy the Death Star using the Force. This is the first win for Luke over “king” Vader (11), and we see the beginnings of a relationship between him and Leia, although we find out in Return of the Jedi that they are siblings (12). Luke is hailed as a hero after the Death Star is blown up, and is a competent Force user, much like Vader was (13).
Three years pass in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and we know nothing of the events during this time. If something eventful happens, we hear nothing of it (14). Here in the story, points 11-15 are repeated six times across the following two films:
Assuming that Padme had the same views on Jedi-Senator relationships, and had no other secret partners during this time, she would be a royal virgin (1). Luke’s father is Anakin Skywalker, who secretly marries Queen Padme, technically making him a king (2). Anakin Skywalker has no father, and is the son of a slave woman on Tatooine, so it is unlikely that he has any familial relation to Padme. However, Anakin was a Jedi in training – forbidden from both love and marriage – and unbeknownst to the Jedi Council, married and impregnated Queen Padme, only to Force choke her to near death in Revenge of the Sith after turning to the dark side of the Force and getting his legs lopped off by Obi-Wan only to become the Sith Lord Darth Vader. These events are unusual (4), even for the Star Wars universe. Finally, Luke’s father Darth Vader has the ability to control objects and people with his mind, because he a master of the dark side of the Force. This telekinetic ability could be interpreted as God-like (5). In the Star Wars universe, we know little to nothing about Luke’s past, making point six impossible to …show more content…
We learn from the prequel trilogy that Jedi are trained from a considerably young age; ten year-old Anakin was rejected for being “too old” in The Phantom Menace. For Luke to learn all of his training in the few months before he destroys the Death Star with no formal childhood training is incredible, and thus his rise to power between leaving Tatooine and becoming “king” needs to feel long for the audience. Exposition in modern storytelling is much different than it was in Sophocles’ time; the viewer must watch the story unfold, not simply hear about or be told as much. In addition, Luke’s training with the Force is more mental than physical, and takes more time that simply becoming muscular or agile. After training to sense blaster bolts with his eyes closed, and controlling his emotions after the death of Obi-Wan, he is able to destroy the Death Star using the Force. This is the first win for Luke over “king” Vader (11), and we see the beginnings of a relationship between him and Leia, although we find out in Return of the Jedi that they are siblings (12). Luke is hailed as a hero after the Death Star is blown up, and is a competent Force user, much like Vader was (13).
Three years pass in between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, and we know nothing of the events during this time. If something eventful happens, we hear nothing of it (14). Here in the story, points 11-15 are repeated six times across the following two films: