Last week at Star Wars Celebration Orlando, attendees and millions of eager viewers on the web took their first steps into a larger world. “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi” debuted its long-awaited teaser trailer, and we saw a glimpse of where Star Wars plans to take us next. While this saga is for many an escape from the bothers of the real world, for others the series is undeniably linked to the history and politics of the last 40 years.
Star Wars at its core is a story of good overcoming the forces of evil. It’s light versus dark and right versus wrong. What George Lucas offered us with the original trilogy was a sense of moral clarity, a world where your choice is the white robe or the black robe. The series debuted in 1977 with “A New Hope” and dominated popular culture until 1983, concluding with “Return of the Jedi.”
After more than a decade of silence, Star Wars came roaring back with the prequel films released from 1999-2005. In the new trilogy, Lucas delivered on-the-nose commentary about war, executive power, and democracy endangered in a society gripped by fear and political uncertainty. In the midst of the War on Terror and the Iraq War, the political messages were not lost on viewers and film critics. This period in Star Wars history touched on a different kind of real world politics, but the binary choices presented to characters and audiences were largely the same as in the original films. You can be a Sith, or you can be a Jedi.
Today, the United States might recognize that dichotomy. The country is more polarized than it’s been since the end of the Civil War. Politics’ middle ground has all but evaporated, while partisanship and tribalism has consumed American life. Two sides dominate the debate, both claiming the mantle of moral clarity in a battle against the forces of darkness.
The final prequel film, 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith” includes a line that speaks to 2017. “Good is a point of view,” Chancellor Palpatine assures Anakin Skywalker. While this line is delivered by the clear villain, the point rings true. Bad people don’t view themselves as bad.
In a 2016 Pew Study, researchers found that more than half of Republicans and Democrats say they not only disagree with the other side, but are actually frightened by them. About 49 percent of Republicans say they fear the Democratic Party, while 55 percent of Democrats fear Republicans.
Binary choices in an increasingly-polarized climate has created resentment and distrust in the system. It’s not clear if American politics is making people more extreme, or if it’s the other way around. What we do know is that in 2016 Americans ended up choosing between two of the most disliked candidates for president in our history. We’ve reached a new low in our politics, and it’s not a stretch to say most Americans probably want to do what Luke Skywalker did somewhere between “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens” –– walk away from it all.
Enter, “Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.” Legendary Jedi Luke Skywalker, in a self-imposed exile, is confronted by Rey, a young woman strong in the Force and eager to learn. It is safe to assume that she is seeking to be trained by Luke, a man she grew up thinking was a myth. Luke, however, isn’t going to indulge her as an adoring fan. The cast and crew of The Last Jedi discussed the film’s tense dynamic at the Star Wars Celebration.. What’s more interesting than an eager wannabe Jedi being rejected by Luke Skywalker is an exchange presumably between Rey and Luke shown in the teaser trailer.
“Reach out. What do you see?” Luke asks.
Rey answers, “Light, darkness, the balance.”
“It’s so much bigger,” responds Luke.
If you have watched Star Wars, this dialogue is monumental. Fans and audiences are looking at the future of Star Wars and, finally, it may not be all black and white. Luke has walked the traditional path, one where the Dark Side must be confronted by the Light, but now he appears to be searching for something deeper and long-lasting: resolution.
It’s worth asking, if Star Wars has always been political, what are the politics Disney and Lucasfilm hope to bring to the eighth chapter in the series? Luke and Rey searching for the middleground of the Force should be viewed as the next step not only for Star Wars characters, but for viewers as well.
If the architechts behind Star Wars go down this path, one of balance and a largeness to the Force, they should expect pushback. Part of Star Wars’ appeal has always been the clear-cut lines between good and evil. There will be vocal pockets of fandom that decry the loss of such clarity. Critics on both the Left and the Right will accuse Disney of offering cover to those they consider to be their enemies, accommodating and rationalizing evil.
What we should be wondering as Star Wars fans is, what has all the Light Side versus Dark Side conflict accomplished for the galaxy? The characters live in a world of extremes, where the pendulum swings hard and has devastating effects. Sound familiar?
The Last Jedi should be exciting to Star Wars fans, not only because Luke is on a journey to break the cycle of dogmatic war between Sith and Jedi that has roiled the galaxy, but because the series might be trying to tell us something about ourselves once again. Partisan politics is at a breaking point in the U.S., and with the kind of cultural power that Star Wars wields, a strong message of balance could be just what this country needs.
Stephen Kent (@Stephen_Kent89) is the spokesperson for Young Voices and host of Beltway Banthas, a Star Wars & politics podcast in D.C.
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