Every epic story needs a central character and he has to come from somewhere.<\/p>\n\n
So the key moment in the cosmos of mythmaker George Lucas is when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn asks Shmi Skywalker to identify the father of her mysterious young son, Anakin, who will someday become the evil Darth Vader.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cThere is no father,\u201d she replies, in Terry Brooks\u2019 novel \u201cStar Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace,\u201d which is based on the screenplay by Lucas.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cI carried him, I gave birth to him. I raised him. I can\u2019t tell you any more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
It seems the slave boy was \u201cconceived not by human contact, but by the essence of all life, by the connectors to the Force itself, the midi-chlorians,\u201d a form of life living in the blood. \u201cComprising collective consciousness and intelligence, the midi- chlorians formed the link between everything living and the Force,\u201d explains the novel.<\/p>\n\n
This leads to the final details in this nativity story. The priestly Jedi have long pondered an ancient prophecy that \u201ca chosen one would appear, imbued with an abundance of midi- chlorians, a being strong with the Force and destined to alter it forever.\u201d The chosen one would \u201cbring balance to the Force\u201d \u2014 balance between the darkness and the light.<\/p>\n\n
Once upon a time, Star Wars raised one big question for parents and clergy: Is the Force the same thing as God? Now, the first chapter of the saga that many scholars believe has shaped a generation is raising more questions, even if Lucas scoffs at believers who dissect his work.<\/p>\n\n
Why use the title \u201cchosen one\u201d? Was this a miraculous conception? Is Qui-Gon a John the Baptist figure? Perhaps Anakin Skywalker is the Moses who will liberate his people? If the Force is God, and the midi-chlorians help channel the Force, then what are the midi-chlorians? Did Lucas shred the Holy Spirit and then inject the results into his characters\u2019 blood streams?<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWhen you look at literature you find myths and messiahs and saviors everywhere. That\u2019s fair and everybody does that,\u201d said Alex Wainer, a Milligan College colleague of mine whose doctoral work focused on mythic archetypes in popular culture, including Star Wars. \u201cThe problem isn\u2019t that Lucas is creating a heroic myth and using religious symbolism. But he has taken all of the religions, put them in a blender and hit the button.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
While many critics will say that the gospel according to Lucas is too vague, the problem for many traditional believers will be that his story has become too detailed. The use of the virgin birth motif, and the title \u201cchosen one,\u201d may even cut through the entertainment fog that envelopes most consumers when they enter a movie theater.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cLucas is getting so specific that his work is losing its metaphor quality,\u201d said Wainer. \u201cHe isn\u2019t just using an occasional religious theme. He is creating a whole religious system and the more questions he raises, the more he\u2019s going to have to answer. He\u2019s on the verge of de-mystifying his own myth and he may end up killing the whole thing. It\u2019s like he\u2019s trying too hard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
For years, Lucas has said that his goal is to create a framework in which children can learn about good and evil, right and wrong. However, he also is painting a picture inside this frame. While he clearly believes that children need moral guidance, he also urges them to follow their emotions, not religious dogmas.<\/p>\n\n
As Qui-Gon tells the young Skywalker: \u201cConcentrate on the moment. Feel, don\u2019t think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cI see Star Wars as taking all the issues that religion represents and trying to distill them down into a more modern and easily accessible construct \u2014 that there is a greater mystery out there,\u201d Lucas told Bill Moyers, in a recent Time interview. \u201cI remember when I was 10 years old, I asked my mother, \u2018If there\u2019s only one God, why are there so many religions?\u2019 I\u2019ve been pondering that question ever since, and the conclusion I\u2019ve come to is that all the religions are true. Religion is basically a container for faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every epic story needs a central character and he has to come from somewhere. So the key moment in the cosmos of mythmaker George Lucas is when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn asks Shmi Skywalker to identify the father of her mysterious young son, Anakin, who will someday become the evil Darth Vader. \u201cThere is no […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":610,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n