Certainly, at the premiere of the first Star Wars film, no one imagined what it would really mean for film history, or that in mid-2018 this saga would continue to captivate new fans, gain new generations of fans and reap success. Today, Star Wars has legions of fans of all ages and from all over the world.
Star Wars marked a before and after in the history of cinema, everything changed, although cataloguing it as the best saga in the history of cinema depends on tastes, what can be said is that the way of understanding it has changed. , if we decide to review the whole saga, we will immediately notice the number of continuity errors that there are errors that we forgive and understand as a result of the passage of time and because the original idea was not as long as the end result.
- Star Wars marked the rise of mass cinema.
- Science fiction and the implementation of special effects at a time when techniques were still very rudimentary.
- Even director Brian de Palma compared it to junk food and was partly right.
- But that doesn’t stop us from enchanting.
- Fascinating and training in the nearest cinema every time a new episode appears.
- In addition.
- Star Wars has brought real marketing lessons.
- Turning the act of going to the movies into a massive social event.
- Event; not to mention the universe he created.
- Which goes far beyond the limits of the screen: novels.
- Comics.
- Games.
- Series.
- Etc.
Star Wars is the beginning of modern cinema, of a new era, but in addition to all the contribution to the history of cinema, it also brings us important lessons in philosophy, and that’s what we’ll talk about in this article. We will not talk about a particular film or one of the trilogies, we will not focus on certain characters, plots or scenarios, but we want to analyze, even a little, the context of the saga, the philosophy on which it was built.
What is strength? That’s the first thing we need to think about to understand this context, the Force is defined as a ubiquitous energy field that connects all the beings in the galaxy, this idea of an energy that connects everything, from a ubiquitous entity, or a power that governs the world, may not seem very innovative and really isn’t. Since the beginning of humanity, man has tried to explain the creation of the world and everything that happens there: why plants grow, why it rains, or why we exist are issues that are still being discussed.
To give an explanation to the world, religions, philosophy and science have created many myths, as in the real world, this fiction must be plausible and, therefore, must give a real explanation to this world that presents us. More philosophical and spiritual, in its original and more scientific trilogy in the prequel trilogy: the explanation is in the Force.
This definition of the Force is very close to some of the explanations given by the Presocratic philosophers, but also by Buddhist philosophy, by Plato or by stoicism, who needed to seek a principle, an origin or a source, something that could explain life, the universe.
“My ally is the Force, and it is a powerful ally. It creates life and makes it grow. It’s the energy that surrounds us and connects us. Are we luminous beings and not this hard matter?
In this way, the idea of to archaeology appears as the beginning and source of everything. For some philosophers like Tales of Miletus, this toy is water; for others like Aristotle, the arch needs nothing to exist, it is something one cannot perceive, but creates the whole. At this point, you could say that the Force is the arc of this sci-fi universe.
In addition, there are individuals more sensitive than others, individuals able to perceive this strength and connect with it in a very spiritual way, so arises the Jedi Order, an ideological or religious current followed by individuals whose sensitivity to the Force is very strong. The life of these Jedi will revolve around the discovery and knowledge of strength, the pursuit of peace and harmony for all beings. It is a totally spiritual path that, at the same time, recalls certain philosophical currents, but also certain religious orders.
Strength is the basis of this fictional world, the principle of unification, the arc, but the Force is not only that, it goes further: the Jedi must live in harmony with the Force and acquire knowledge, yet this Force also has a backhand darkness, a sinister side that can be very tempting.
Throughout the history of philosophy, we have seen many theories and arguments that talk about overcoming temptations and how to do good. The same is true in religions and also in Star Wars. The force has two faces: one dark and one bright. , they’re both there. Yin and yang, good and evil, heaven and hell, reason against passion, light and darkness, opposites that cannot exist without the other, an eternal duality.
The Jedi will follow the path on the right side and will have to seek tranquility, stability or, as the Greeks would say, ataraxia. On the other hand, the Sith will be carried by the dark side of the Force, being the dark side defined as the part of force related to fear and hatred. Jedi ataraxia can be associated with stoic philosophy, which departs from pleasure and passion in search of knowledge, but accepts everything as it is and as it is.
“Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hatred, hatred leads to suffering and suffering on the dark side.
Stoic ethics brings us to a state of acceptance. We have no control over what happens and we cannot change anything, so we accept everything with ease. Jedi act the same way, even if it’s not easy. How can I accept the death of a loved one without being disturbed? ? It is something that will deeply affect some characters, such as Anakin Skywalker who, overcome by fear, will fall to the dark side.
Evil can be very tempting and more when there is suffering; Something Master Yoda defines very well. It is a kind of Plato of this universe that, with its particular way of speaking, makes us think every time he utters a sentence. Overcome temptations, seek balance, succeed? All of this may seem very Aristotelian, but it may also be related to certain religions such as Christianity.
The Siths get carried away by passions, break with platonism, but is all this really bad?It seems that good may be more of a point of view, as seen in Anakin/Darth Vader’s character and his conversion to the dark side: a character who, as Nietzsche would say, goes beyond good and evil.
Star Wars has become an inescapable saga that quickly identifies by its soundtrack, lightsa sabers and unforgettable trilogies (including the original), but it is also an example of how to unite cinema and philosophy, to make us think of a world of science fiction.
? May the force be with you!?