Smith - The Dark Side

The Seduction to the Dark Side

The Dark Side is seductive and can be corrupting to any character that is having an internal conflict. This dark side is the side of aggression, anger, and hatred, which empowers the Emperor and his apprentice, Darth Vader. In my opinion The Force (Dark or Light) provides a spiritual dimension to the action of the trilogy and makes me think about the careful wording and explanations on the characters’ part about explaining what The Force is. The Force is a vague entity on purpose, serving primarily as a vocabulary for good and evil and as a way to explain the “magical” powers of the Jedi. 

Freedom, jealousy, revenge, and personal justice is what makes the Dark Side of the Force so inviting. Freedom is what made Anakin Skywalker so drawn to the Dark Side but now that he is the servant of the Dark Side he has literally become just that, a servant. While he has power,

            The first scene that struck me as a scene that showed the seduction of the Dark Side occurred during Luke’s stay Dagobah while training with Yoda. Luke is tested when he enters the cave and had a duel against Darth Vader. He managed to strike down Vader and severs his head. He is attracted to the Dark Side because he has to use his anger to defeat Vader, which is a big aspect of the Dark Side of The Force. However, when Luke looks under Vader’s Helmet and is astonished at the image of his own face under the mask. I think that this could be one of the ways the force is telling Luke that Vader is his father, however, it is also showing the reality of the Dark Side and how easily one can become corrupted by The Dark Side.

The Second task that shows the true temptation of the Dark Side is when Luke decides to leave Yoda’s training because he feels that his friends are in danger. Luke ends up leaving and walking straight into the trap that Lord Vader had set for him. It is another belly of the whale and cave-like scene. He is inside the chambers of the spaceship. As his mentors Obi-Wan and Yoda warned, Luke proves to be no match for Vader and his nemesis severs his right hand, causing Luke to lose his father's weapon. Vader then reveals his true identity as Luke's father, which is a tempting factor to the Dark Side. Vader offers him the chance to turn to the dark side of the Force and rule the galaxy at his father's side. Luke is able to refuse and chooses to embrace death instead of Vader and the Dark Side because he didn’t want to need his father, and everything he thought was true was actually a lie.

            The third task that shows the seduction is the final battle in Episode VI where Luke surrenders to try and turn his father back to the Light Side of The Force. He saw the potential for good when Vader had the opportunity to kill him and didn’t. When Luke gives into his anger and begins the fight, the Emperor is happy and believes he has already won, then Luke calms and severs Vader’s right hand as well. Luke saw the potential to become Dark and be like his father, but then he realized that doing that would have no benefits for him or his father. By doing this he declares his dedication to The Force.

            Han Solo had his own temptation to the force which also stuck out to me because Han solo and Boba Fett were both originally bounty hunters and both had no loyalty to anyone. They worked just for profit and for themselves. It made the dark side more appealing because there is no validation or justification for actions taken. Han overcame this by understanding the importance of friends and the obligations that come with friendship.

 I agree with Pfieffer about the legendary musical score. It is inconceivable to imagine watching the Star Wars trilogy without the superbly styled score (Pfieffer 72). I believe the score adheres to both sides of The Force. You can hear the good and bad in the music and the music appears during the good and bad scenes in the movies. The different styles of music in the score show different elements of the force. The recurring musical themes evolve as the characters evolve, and shows their development in the force.