Saturday, March 8, 1997

"Star Wars" full of religious symbolism

By GREG JAKLEWICZ Entertainment Editor

"May the force be with you" may not translate exactly to "Go with God," but religious symbolism in the "Star Wars" triology is as hard to miss as an in Imperial star destroyer dropping from hyperspace.

Dwayne Van Rheenan, provost of Abilene Christian University, found enough intergalactic and spiritual connections to recently deliver a communion meditation based on the popular science fiction films.

"Star Wars" is celebrating its 20th anniversary in re-release.

During services at Highland Church of Christ, Van Rheenan related the age-old battle between good and evil to the big screen showdown of wills between youthful Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

"It's a universal theme," says Rheenan, noting the unmistakable visual elements of light and darkness. "I related it to the Eucharist."

Van Rheenan, who moved to Abilene last August from California's Pepperdine University, emphasizes that "the conflict of good vs. evil crosses all faiths. It is not a solely a Christian world view."

He also believes this theme - good struggling against but ultimately conquering evil - is the soul of the movie. More than ground-breaking special effects, the light sabre duels and romance, its the moral lessons of "Star Wars" and its two sequels that have led the trilogoy to unprecedented popularity.

"It's 20 years old now," he says, "but it has perhaps more appeal now because of our emphasis on values."

Director George Lucas in interviews has affirmed his belief in God, but says he didn't intentionally travel a righteous path in his moviemaking. Goodness, integrity, faith and perseverance, after all, are upstanding elements of human nature that have been championed in spoken tales and written about in books for centuries.

Van Rheenan says that Lucas was familiar with religious leader Alexander Campbell's works. It shouldn't be surprising, then, if strong Campbellesque images of light and dark appropriately illuminated and shadowed the primary characters in Lucas' trilogy.

Van Rheenan agrees religious themes abound in the films, though to specifically match scenes and characters with Christian ideals is difficult.

More intriguing perhaps than the enthusiastic and innocent Skywalker is worldly mercenary Han Solo, Harrison Ford's reluctant hero. In it more for the money (to pay his debts and keep himself alive) and for the adventure, he's a hired hand who dismisses the force and keeps out of the politics. Tugged by guilt and prodded by love, Solo finally comes around to save the day.

Solo's decision to join the fight against Vader's troopers suggests man's struggle to do the right thing.

The force for years has can be compared to trusting in God's powers. Luke's fears and apprehension fade when he lets the force work through him. Many Christians see God as a similar force whose power can be tapped, once a person moves his own human doubts out of the way.

"Let go, Luke," Obi-Wan Kenobi encourages his student.

Van Rheenan agrees with this positive analogy, though he stops short of marrying Jedi philosophy with Christian beliefs.

Is Vader a symbolic Satan? Frighteningly dressed head to toe in black, he seems to represent the most powerful and merciless enemy.

But Vader, an admired Jedi warrior beforce choosing the Dark Side, is only an agent of Emperor Palpatine. While Vader tries to seduce Skywalker, much like Satan tempts Christians on earth, he actually caring out the mission of the emperor who's more comparable to the devil.

And we see in the two sequels Vader edging closer to the good side. Vader's gradual journey back to redemption shows that man, however evil-natured, can be redeemed. This scenario, however, never will happen with Satan or, in the case of "Star Wars," the emperor.

"Satan is damned to hell forever," reminds Van Rheenan.

Like "Star Wars" trilogy buffs, Van Rheenan views the cantina scene in "Star Wars" with interest. Confronted by a bounty hunter named Greedo who demands the money Solo owes Jabba the Hut, Solo winds up shooting his adversary.

In the original, Solo fires away after only being threatened; in the anniversary edition, Greedo shoots first, meaning Solo kills him in self defense.

"Lucas has sanitized it a bit," Van Rheenan says. "Star Wars" purists have attacked the change, noting Solo's original actions were typical of the space pirate he was.

The ACU provost notes with some concern the shoot 'em up, explosive violence of the three movies, having taken his three children to the movies years ago. The violence, he says, is justified by most, though, as a necessary means of good defeating an even more violent evil.

Van Rheenan good-naturedly admits he views the movies more with the critical and educated eye of someone in the field of communication than as one of the millions of "Star Wars" faithful.

When he views movies or reads books, he asks the questions: "What does it say about who we are as humans? How are spiritual issues confronted?"

He says his son, who as a third-grader wrote for and was mailed Princess Leia's autograph, accuses him of taking movies too seriously.

"Of course," he jokes in response, "his favorite movie usually is the last one he has seen."

Ultimately, Van Rheenan cannot call "Star Wars" a Christian film.

"But it does deal with important spiritual values," he says. "I wish it could have plunged to a deeper level with these issues."