Since the first Star Wars blockbuster movie first appeared on the big screen in 1977, avid fans of new age adventure have come to regard the mysterious tempest of Jedi, Sith, and the mysterious "Force" as an innovative philosophy, perhaps explaining humanity's struggle for survival in new terms of light versus dark. For many people, the Star Wars philosophy has almost reached the level of religion. Yet, this philosophy, inspired in the imaginative writings of George Lucas, and touted by thousands of people, offers little substance beyond top-notch entertainment.
At the core of the movie's theme is an unending battle between good and evil, the good embodied in the ancient order of the Jedi, the evil in the form of the mysterious and dark Sith. The main precept of George Lucas' movie series is that a mysterious unseen power, referred to as the Force, determines the path life will take, including the outcome of life and death struggles on even the grandest of scales. The Force is a form of continuously shifting predetermination, if you will, affecting all, but especially those sentient beings that are sensitive to it, as are the Jedi.
The movie's theme of unimaginable powers wielded in the battle of good vs. evil has captured the imagination of millions. The problem is that the fundamental or core beliefs of the Jedi are vague and inconsistent. The obscure Jedi code offers little more than dim guidelines for passive-aggressive behavior. The counterpoint Code of the Sith, not entirely revealed in the movies, points towards aggression and domination. Yet, the spinning of the yarn continues unabated through the production of more movies, documentaries, books, and after-market paraphernalia aimed mostly at children.
Those people that identify with the Star Wars philosophy are mostly fascinated by the behavior of most powerful of the Jedi: Yoda, Obi Wan, and Darth Vader. Yoda, the ancient Jedi Master, is obviously not a human being, and yet he serves as the philosophical, and often confused, guide. His quotes about the mysterious Force attest to the arbitrary outcome of the continuous struggle for survival, a message that goes unheeded by the movies hero, Luke Skywalker. Lost in the fascination with the Force, is the fact that there were many other sentient beings with powers equal to those of Yoda. Luke Skywalker, the heroic figure and redeemer, is the last of his kind, the last human being with certain biological characteristics that render him a force-sensitive.
Other Jedi, referred to as "Knights" for their role as guardians and protectors of inter-galactic society are powerful practitioners of the powers of the Force, as well. Only in a few instances, mostly in aftermarket books by inspired science-fiction writers are their powers explored. Some stories are quite intriguing, offering interesting insight and concepts into the Jedi psyche as well as that of their various opponents. Far too often, however, the writers leave us with only vague explanations of the Jedi's actions, without a sufficient explanation of the motives and reasons underlying the conflicts they become embroiled in.
The so-called Star Wars philosophy is a throw back to ancient Greek philosophy. The ancients believed the outcome of human life is subject to unseen powers, the ancient gods that often seemed to toy with man. The whimsical Fates and Furies and many other deities each had a hand in the role and life of man, some coming to humankind's aid, like Prometheus. In the Greek philosophy, there were many gods, each responsible for some particular aspect of life. In Star Wars, the Force embodies the same principles.
Luke Skywalker may have been the last of the Jedi in the movie versions, yet in the after-market books, the Jedi line reemerges and once begins to influence the outcome of conflict between entire species of beings. Sometimes the stories are interesting, yet rarely are they as inspiring as the any of the Star Wars movies are. Nevertheless, they always leave us wanting more.