Lam: The Star Wars Trilogy

Two Heroes

                Luke and Han both serve as a hero in the Star Wars trilogy in my opinion. Luke obviously is the contemplative hero by taking the more spiritual side of the hero, while Han is the civic hero who stays within the confines of the society. By evaluating three steps in the hero's journey, one can find that both Luke and Han fulfill the steps but in different ways. The three steps to be evaluated will be the departure's call to adventure, the initiation's road of trials, and the return's rescue from without.

                Firstly, let us evaluate the Call to Adventure. In the departure, Luke's call to adventure was both a physical and mystical sense. At first, he is hesitant to leave his home planet, but upon seeing his family's home and his family destroyed, Luke was left with nowhere else to go. However, Obi-Wan Kenobi also offered him the extra incentive of learning the ways of the Force if he left. In a way, destiny summoned the hero via Obi-Wan Kenobi (Pfeiffer 58). However, Han's call to adventure is different as he leaves for different incentives. The original incentive for Han was money, something that is very linked to society. Everyone in society uses money, but very few used the Force.

                Secondly, we can evaluate the Road of Trials. It may seem very evident for Luke that his road of trials came in the Episode V, when Luke underwent Yoda's training in order to attain mastery of the Force. However, if one were to search for Han's road of trials, it can be argued that it is a little more difficult. I believe that Han's road of trials comes when he finally gets turned in to Jabba the Hut. His capture and inprisonment are both manifestations of society's confines of money. Meanwhile, Luke's road of trials is obviously a spiritual one.

                Lastly, the Rescue from Without is evident for both Luke and Han in Episode V and VI. Luke's rescue occured after his first encounter with Darth Vader and was hanging on the pole, in which Leia proceeded to rescue him. Leia's natural intuition with the Force and the world saved Luke, thus again symbolizing the supernatural context. Meanwhile, Han's rescue from without occurs on a more physical and societal level when Luke and Leia come to rescue him from Jabba the Hut.

                Luke and Han both become a hero in the trilogy, but the means and context by which both do so differ and makes an excellent side-by-side analysis between the contemplative and civic hero.

O'Connell: Star Wars Trilogy

Try as I might, I cannot help but see Luke as the traditional hero as per Campbell’s archetype. Han, while certainly heroic, doesn’t follow the format closely enough to be interpreted the same way, instead fulfilling a more modern concept of the hero, complete with flaws and some less-than-heroic traits. Though I’m sure a convincing argument could be made for his fulfillment of the role, I personally don’t believe Han has enough backstory or motivation to make a complete claim to the position as a Campbell Hero. Han is much too earthly in his journey to consider it akin to Luke’s spiritual journey. Han is instead a realist, the civic hero to contrast with Luke’s otherworldly priorities of the struggle between good and evil, more concerned with the here and now, the lives of the common people, and his own human concerns.

However, Luke’s claim to the role as Campbell’s hero is glaringly obvious, as the format of the trilogy so directly utilizes the format of The Hero With a Thousand Faces. He fills all four characteristics of the hero, in that he is male, of lowly birth, orphaned, and bears a nobility of purpose. As we’ve already looked at in the past, Luke’s Departure for his journey has a distinct Call to Adventure in A New Hope as Obi-Wan informs him of his potential, and begins the journey after Luke’s refusal, and subsequent resolve to defeat the Empire. His Initiation also takes place in A New Hope, as he progresses on the Road of Trials in his first encounters with the Empire on the Death Star, and discovers his true powers of the Force as his Supernatural Aid and succeeds in destroying the Death Star. From a narrative perspective of the entire trilogy, the climax of The Empire Strikes Back acts as The Belly of the Whale. Luke is almost defeated, and things are looking their darkest as he loses to Vader, but it is also the point of rebirth as Luke finally learns the truth about his father, and is physically altered with his new robotic hand.

Return of the Jedi finally gives us a true conclusion, wherein many of the loose ends the previous films have left us with are resolved. Most importantly is the Atonement of the Father, as good triumphs over evil in Vader’s final hours, redeeming both he himself, and by extension Luke as his son, struggling to come to terms with the dark inside his heart, granting both Skywalkers clarity they were previously missing. As the reading states in startlingly appropriate terms, “[The Hero] beholds the face of the father, understands -- and the two are atoned” (Campbell 147). Finally, Luke has his Return, perhaps slightly morose, but spiritually fulfilled and gratified by the end of his journey, finally awarded the enlightenment and self actualization pursued by the contemplative hero.

Oria, Heroes of the Trilogy

         While watching the Star Wars trilogy, one may be inclined to assume that the only hero is Luke Skywalker.  One may come to this conclusion considering that Luke is ultimately the one to bring an end to the leaders of the Empire.  However, Han Solo is also the hero in this trilogy.  The difference between the two is that Luke is a contemplative hero while Han is a civic hero.  Luke accepts and understands his role as hero from the start, while Han grows and develops into his title. Although their respective goals differ, one cannot exist without the other in this particular trilogy.

         Luke is the contemplative hero.  This type of hero brings salvation by achieving a higher goal.  Luke seeks salvation for his community through restoring the balance to The Force.  After training and learning the ways of The Force, Luke spearheads the battle against the Dark Side.  His conflict is more of a spiritual journey as opposed to a physical battle.  This can easily be seen at the end of “Return of the Jedi” when Luke is battling the Emperor and Darth Vader.  Throughout the scene, he duels with his father, but the real battle occurred within Luke.  Luke must withhold the urge to protect his friends and suppress his anger in order to defeat the Dark Side like a true Jedi Knight.  This moment leads Luke to a vital part of the Hero’s Journey: The Atonement with the Father.  After the emperor is killed, Luke achieves his greater goal of restoring the balance and returning his father to the good side. Thus Luke returns to his friends as The Master of Two Worlds.  Luke’s journey is complete.  In doing so, Luke becomes a master of the Jedi world and the real world.  This occurs when the spirits of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Anakin appear to Luke.  It is validation and a confirmation for Luke that he has resorted the balance, saved his father, and become the last Jedi Knight.

         Before “Return of the Jedi” was filmed Harrison Ford was skeptical of reprising his role as Han Solo.  His reservations stemmed from him his fear of becoming an irrelevant character. Ford was quoted saying, “I didn’t think I was really involved in the story, so I had no idea of what to do with my character,” (Pfeiffer, 130).  Despite his sentiments, Ford signed back on as Han.  In doing so, the character became a vital aspect of the trilogy.  Han is the civic hero of the story.  Unlike Luke, Han needed the trilogies to grow into his role as a hero.  The civic hero is one that is imbedded in the community.  With civic heroes, there is a movement of focus from the self to the community.  For Han, this is solidified in the third film.  Han goes from only looking out for himself to an important component of the battle.  While Luke lead the battle against the Emperor and the Force, Han became the head of the battle on land.  The civic hero overcomes his connection to the material world and realizes the value of friendship.  Han achieves this shift and ultimately becomes a critical part of the community.  By the end of the third film, Han is willing to give up his Ultimate Boon for his friend.  Han’s Ultimate Boon is his relationship with Leia.  When he thinks that Leia may be in love with Luke, Han is willing to stay out of the way even if that means loosing his love.  His relationship with Leia also fulfills the role of the romantic hero.  Luke could not have fulfilled this role given that Leia is his twin sister.  Thus Han Solo becomes an equally important aspect of the trilogies.  Luke could not have succeeded without Han, and vice versa.

Kunzig – Star Wars Trilogy and the Campbell hero

Both Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are heroes in their own ways, and a good argument could be made for either as the Campbell hero. But Han Solo's role as a civic hero makes his story a little less traditional than Luke's, whose journey does seem to fit better into Campbell's description. Whether we consider the journey to take place throughout the whole trilogy or in only one movie, the first three steps can be found in the first one, and they are just as Campbell says.

The first step in the departure, the call to adventure, occurs when R2D2 projects the image of Leia asking Obi Wan Kenobi for help in front of Luke. Luke is immediately infatuated with her and wants to save her, but first needs to find this Obi Wan Kenobi. As Campbell explains, destiny has called on Luke, and his center of gravity is no longer his own, small society, but off in the unknown, on a quest to save the fair maiden.

The second step of the departure, entitled the refusal of the call, can be found in the scene with Luke and Obi Wan Kenobi. Luke has just found Obi Wan, and learns that this is not the Old Ben he thought it was, but a jedi warrior, who after learning of Leia's message, expects Luke to accompany him. In a sudden panic, Luke refuses, saying he has responsibilities here.

Unfortunately for Luke, all his responsibilities are gone when he returns home to find his adoptive parents' house destroyed. This allows him to move on to the third step in the departure, the Supernatural aid. Campbell says that the hero is aided by a protective figure, often an old man. This figure is Obi Wan Kenobi, who begins to teach Luke how to be a knight.

These first three steps in Campbell's description of the hero's journey fit the beginning of Luke's journey perfectly.

Luke also fits Campbell's description of the hero's character perfectly. Luke is male, which is the first of Campbell's requirements. He is also seemingly of lowly birth (he lives on a farm), but is secretly of higher birth (his father is a great but evil jedi knight). Luke's mother is dead, and his father is absent (though Luke believes he is also dead). And last of all, Luke has a nobility of purpose, and is willing to risk his life for his ideals.

Han Solo could fit some of these, but his history is a mystery, and his nobility of purpose can be disputed – it is noble at some times, not so much at others. 

While they are both great heroes, in my opinion Luke is the more typical one described by Campbell, even though Han gets the girl.

Oria, Star Wars Episodes V & VI

            The biggest attraction to the dark side is the sheer power that comes along with joining.  Those who have joined the dark side use their anger, hatred, and rage to fuel their power.  It has been said that hate and anger are easy, while love, compassion, and patients take more effort.  It would be easy for any character to slip into the Dark Side for this very reason.  The Dark Side also presents a sense of freedom, which may seem desirable to some.  On the contrary, those who join wind up loosing more than they gain.  There are several characters that come into contact with the Dark Side.  In episodes V “The Empire Strikes Back” and VI “Return of the Jedi” the Dark Side tempts Luke on multiple occasions.  The moments when he comes into contact with the Dark Side are the moments where he faces his father.

         Yoda says, “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. Never for Attack.”  This is where the difference lies between Jedi and those on the Dark Side.  He warns Luke to practice control and concentration.  The moment that Luke allows his anger to over take him is the moment when Luke crosses over to the Dark Side. When Luke first arrives on Dagoba, he is skeptical that Yoda is the true master.  At first Luke resists the training; allowing his doubt and lack of faith to inhibit his ability.  This is the first moment where Luke comes in contact with an aspect of the Dark Side.  The Dark Side thrives off of negative emotions.  Even Yoda warns that his feelings may lead him to the Dark Side.  Towards the end of his time on Dagoba, Luke cuts his training short by running off to safe his friends.  He does so despite the countless warning from Yoda and Obi-Wan.

         Luke’s first encounter with Darth Vader in “The Empire Strikes Back” leaves him feeling lost and confused. As Luke confronts Darth Vader, he winds up clutching the railing for his life.  This is the moment when Darth Vader reveals that he is Luke’s father.  As Luke hangs on for his life, he is presented with a choice: join the dark side and rule along side his father, or fall to his death.  Throughout his whole life, Luke has longed for a relationship with his father.  However, he chooses to let go and fall than to join the Dark Side.

         Luke is put to the final test during the battle scene between Luke and Darth Vader at the end of “Return of the Jedi.”  Luke is presented in front of the Emperor and give an option: given into the hatred and anger he feels and join the Dark Side, or watch his friends perish in front of him.  Try a he might, there are moments where Luke gives in.  When he gives into his hatred and anger, he takes a step closer to the Dark Side.  He winds up battling against Darth Vader once again.  If he were to kill his father, Luke would forever be a part of the Dark Side.  He is pushed when Darth Vader mentions that he will go after Leia and Luke gives into the anger and fights back.  In the end however, Luke puts down his weapon and chooses to potentially die rather than joining the Dark Side.