Somehow this reads as an allegory to where we are now.
I love that. I love this story. I was always seeing myself in Chewy myself, as a Deaf child who was not much spoken to or given opportunity to talk.
I don’t remember when I watched this movie for the first time, or if it was captioned or not. I will admit I didn’t give much thought to the movies until our family started watching them in order on Disney+ streaming earlier this year. Rogue One is really my favorite I think.
I was also 7 when Star Wars came out. For me, it was all about Ben Kenobi. I also saw Luke as a whiny kid who needed to listen to Ben more. Here's a guy living in a cave on a desert planet for some reason, but this obviously ”good” princess thinks he is the only hope for the galaxy, for some reason.
From there, Kenobi shows why he is the boss of the galaxy and Vader’s superior. I was obsessed with the sequence between Kenobi allowing Vader to cut him down and then reappearing to guide Luke in destroying the Death Star. Or was he acting through Luke rather than just guiding him?
At the time, I saw parallels between Obi-Wan and Jesus Christ. At the end of the film, I understood that Kenobi was immortal and got that way without God. Later, I distinctly remember wondering to myself whether the Force was real. If memory serves, I understood that it was fiction—the characters, lasers, spaceships, Chewie…but the Force stuck with me for a while. So I asked myself, ”What did Ben Kenobi do to achieve immortality?”
The answer I came up with shook me. The movie showed me a different concept of immortality. My way was following the Ten Commandments and saying my prayers. This was different and involved other people, and there was no clear set of rules. I had equated the Force to the holy spirit and Kenobi to Jesus. Where was God in all of this?
Star Wars started me questioning the concept of God. That, and just thinking about the idea of dinosaurs having been a real thing.
“Or was he acting through Luke rather than just guiding him?”
Mind. Blown.
No sarcasm. I saw the first film—for the first time—I’d go on to watch it again many, many more times—as a child myself, and it’s no exaggeration to say it’s been a through line across my life. Who might I have become if I hadn’t seen it? When a movie meets the moment of who you are, when you are, it can’t help but influence not just then-you, but now-you, too.
That all said, it has never once occurred to me that Obi-Wan was using Luke as a tool—I mean, never! And that’s an exciting thing to consider, all these many, many years later. Thank you!
Okay, I watched the first film -- which came out when I was an adult -- and was dismayed at the sadism of making the princess view her world being blown up. I like my bad guys served with some subtlety sauce.
Same with watching the first Batman film and seeing the Joker's mutilation of that woman's face -- like, are these films meant for kids? For anyone?
Studying psychology gave me at least two explanations for what was happening.
1
When we watch cruelty, part of us unconsciously identifies with the more powerful figure -- a vestige from our survival responses when we are very young. The Stockholm syndrome in adults is an exaggerated example.
2
We also are always subconsciously rehearsing what we view -- thanks to 'mirror neurons'.
I.e., watching any activity leaves us more subconsciously practiced in that activity. Great for sports, prosocial heroes and activities -- socially detrimental if cruelty.
So I'm happy for everyone who got past the first films enough to find helpful inspiration. Childhood often needs all the heroes/success it can identify to survive the more emotionally rough stuff.
Except that THE FORCE AWAKENS has Chewie as a bit of a big baby who whimpers while the medic at Leia's base (or was it Maz Kanata's?) is bandaging up his arm....
Somehow this reads as an allegory to where we are now.
I love that. I love this story. I was always seeing myself in Chewy myself, as a Deaf child who was not much spoken to or given opportunity to talk.
I don’t remember when I watched this movie for the first time, or if it was captioned or not. I will admit I didn’t give much thought to the movies until our family started watching them in order on Disney+ streaming earlier this year. Rogue One is really my favorite I think.
I was also 7 when Star Wars came out. For me, it was all about Ben Kenobi. I also saw Luke as a whiny kid who needed to listen to Ben more. Here's a guy living in a cave on a desert planet for some reason, but this obviously ”good” princess thinks he is the only hope for the galaxy, for some reason.
From there, Kenobi shows why he is the boss of the galaxy and Vader’s superior. I was obsessed with the sequence between Kenobi allowing Vader to cut him down and then reappearing to guide Luke in destroying the Death Star. Or was he acting through Luke rather than just guiding him?
At the time, I saw parallels between Obi-Wan and Jesus Christ. At the end of the film, I understood that Kenobi was immortal and got that way without God. Later, I distinctly remember wondering to myself whether the Force was real. If memory serves, I understood that it was fiction—the characters, lasers, spaceships, Chewie…but the Force stuck with me for a while. So I asked myself, ”What did Ben Kenobi do to achieve immortality?”
The answer I came up with shook me. The movie showed me a different concept of immortality. My way was following the Ten Commandments and saying my prayers. This was different and involved other people, and there was no clear set of rules. I had equated the Force to the holy spirit and Kenobi to Jesus. Where was God in all of this?
Star Wars started me questioning the concept of God. That, and just thinking about the idea of dinosaurs having been a real thing.
“Or was he acting through Luke rather than just guiding him?”
Mind. Blown.
No sarcasm. I saw the first film—for the first time—I’d go on to watch it again many, many more times—as a child myself, and it’s no exaggeration to say it’s been a through line across my life. Who might I have become if I hadn’t seen it? When a movie meets the moment of who you are, when you are, it can’t help but influence not just then-you, but now-you, too.
That all said, it has never once occurred to me that Obi-Wan was using Luke as a tool—I mean, never! And that’s an exciting thing to consider, all these many, many years later. Thank you!
Okay, I watched the first film -- which came out when I was an adult -- and was dismayed at the sadism of making the princess view her world being blown up. I like my bad guys served with some subtlety sauce.
Same with watching the first Batman film and seeing the Joker's mutilation of that woman's face -- like, are these films meant for kids? For anyone?
Studying psychology gave me at least two explanations for what was happening.
1
When we watch cruelty, part of us unconsciously identifies with the more powerful figure -- a vestige from our survival responses when we are very young. The Stockholm syndrome in adults is an exaggerated example.
2
We also are always subconsciously rehearsing what we view -- thanks to 'mirror neurons'.
I.e., watching any activity leaves us more subconsciously practiced in that activity. Great for sports, prosocial heroes and activities -- socially detrimental if cruelty.
So I'm happy for everyone who got past the first films enough to find helpful inspiration. Childhood often needs all the heroes/success it can identify to survive the more emotionally rough stuff.
Thanks for sharing an old piece of writing. This was heartwarming even for someone who's never seen any of the Star Wars movies or TV series.
wow! you've never seen any of star wars! I am impressed!
Except that THE FORCE AWAKENS has Chewie as a bit of a big baby who whimpers while the medic at Leia's base (or was it Maz Kanata's?) is bandaging up his arm....