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.