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.

Kellogg: The Dark Side

Throughout the Star Wars trilogy, there have been multiple instances where characters have rubbed shoulders with the Dark Side. Luke in particular has had many close encounters where he has nearly succumbed to the powerful grip of the Dark Side.

At the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke almost dies due to the freezing temperatures of the ice planet, Hoth. In what appears to be Luke’s final moments, he has a vision of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Obi Wan instructs Luke to travel to the planet of Dagobah, so that he may train under the guidance of Jedi Master, Yoda. Luke follows up on Obi-Wan’s advice and makes a crash landing on the planet of Dagobah. It is here that Luke trains vigorously with Yoda, working hard to hone his skills of the Force. While Luke does make significant improvements, there is a moment where Luke’s brush with the Dark Side stunts his progress. Yoda puts Luke to the test by setting up a simulated fight with Darth Vader. Luke is triumphant and successfully decapitates Vader. However, when Luke pulls of Lord Vader’s mask, he sees his own face staring back at him. This scene forewarns Luke that Dark Side is powerful and is not something to be toyed with. Soon after, Luke leaves the planet of Dagobah without having fully completed his training.

Later in the film, Luke again almost falls victim to the strong hold of the Dark Side. Luke finds himself battling Darth Vader face to face while on Cloud City. According to Pfeiffer, “The film climaxes with a thrilling light saber duel between Luke and Vader, in which the latter reveals that they are father and son” (Pfeiffer 108). Lord Vader reveals this information moments after cutting off Luke’s hand, which restricts him from using the Force. Powerless with his back against the wall, it seems as though Luke has no choice but to give in to the temptation of the Dark Side. However, Luke gathers his thoughts and throws himself down a shaft, demonstrating his loyalty to the rebellion and freedom from his father.

In the third and final film, The Return of The Jedi, Darth Vader has an internal struggle regarding his belief and participation in the Dark Side. Luke surrenders himself to Darth Vader to preserve the safety of Leia and the others. Once aboard the Death Star space station, Luke tries to persuade his father to return to the good side of the Force, insisting that it is not too late. While Vader seems unmoved by Luke’s claims, he eventually realizes that he has been a slave to both Emperor Palpatine and the entire Dark Side. His loyalty to the Emporer has caused him to lose every bit of his human individuality. Darth Vader saves his son by throwing the Emperor over a guard railing to his death. In his final moments, the newly reborn Anakin Skywalker tells Luke that he was right, and that there was still good left in him.

O'Connell: Star Wars - The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi

Though he does not consciously recognize it, the Dark Side tempts Luke throughout the films whenever he becomes consumed by ideas of revenge. The Force as Yoda teaches emphasizes balance and inner peace, whereas the Dark Side allows for passion, emotion, and the temptation of the great power those create. In the climactic final fight between Darth Vader and Luke in Return of the Jedi, Luke overcomes Vader by submitting to his rage at the idea of Leia coming into harm’s way. Though it’s not immediately obvious, the Dark Side gains it’s power from love, which nearly allows it to consume Luke entirely before he lets go of his hate and embraces the principles taught by Yoda and Obi-Wan.

Revenge is the driving force behind much of Luke’s action in Return of the Jedi, as he is impatient to resolve his conflict with Vader. Though it is necessary, it goes against the way of the Jedi and pushes Luke closer to the Dark Side. The previous title of the third film was Revenge of the Jedi, and as Pfeiffer states “Lucas was reminded by many fans that Jedi knights do not give in to feelings of vengeance. Therefore, the word ‘Revenge’ in the original title was at odds with the Jedi philosophy of peaceful coexistence” (133). It is only in the climax of Return that Luke realizes the direction his thirst for revenge is taking him, and he rebels against the hatred, instead forgiving Vader and absolving him of his sins as he in turn rebels against the Emperor.

The memento of the Dark Side with which Vader leaves Luke

Luke’s inner conflict between his passion and his sense of justice is the root of his character development, and we see it reflected in different ways. The same battle between light and dark is represented by the contrast of the natural and the mechanical. Vader has very little of his physical body remaining, and we see only small glimpses of flesh, much in the way we see small glimpses of the good left in him, such as having mercy on Luke in The Empire Strikes Back. Luke presents a mirrored version, as he is almost entirely human, but for one mechanical hand that is only ever visually noticeably when it is first installed, and when his artificial skin is injured by a blaster shot in Return of the Jedi. Throughout Return, Both Vader and Luke are attempting to strengthen that small iota of conflict in each other, and though Luke hangs precariously over the penumbra of the Dark Side, it is finally Vader who returns to the side of light, both leading himself to salvation, and redeeming the Dark in Luke.

Lam: Star Wars Episodes V and VI, The Dark Side

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

The Dark Side

                The Dark Side has the ultimate attraction of power and security for weak beings. Because these people feel weak, they feel that they must become stronger in order to live a fulfilling life. The Dark Side draws from emotions that are relatively easy to invoke, such as anger, rage, hatred, fear, aggression, and passion. To appease these emotions, users of the Dark Side seek attention and recognition that they are the most powerful beings and asserts their strength over others. Even during production, Lucas leaked a keyword about the film: "revenge," which pointed towards the Dark Side's reference and overall theme in the final movie (Pfeiffer 133).

                In particular for Luke, I believe it is worthy to note that Darth Vader offered the chance for Luke to join forces with him, thus giving both a mutual feeling of family. Luke has always longed to know about his father, and inherently, Darth Vader almost gives off the feeling that he also wanted to bond with his son by extending an offer to Luke to finish his training for him. In Episode V, Darth Vader tempted him for a slight moment before Luke decided to jump off the railing after having his hand cut off by Darth Vader. Luke sensed compassion in Darth Vader, and this ultimately saved him. Darth Vader had many chances to strike down Luke, but Darth Vader kept attempting to turn him towards the Dark Side instead of destroy him.

                In Episode VI, the Emperor also extends an offer for Luke to strike him down in his anger. Here, we see Luke conflict within himself and ultimately does give into the Dark Side for a brief moment when he force-pulls the lightsaber into his hand and tries to strike down the Emperor, only to be blocked by Darth Vader's lightsaber. Momentarily, Luke succumbs to the Dark Side in a furious attack on Darth Vader after his provoking comments about Leia in an epic battle scene where Luke overpowers and defeats Darth Vader. In Luke's first strike, it can be noted he takes the attack stance of the Ataru lightsaber fighting style. Ultimately, Luke remembers the compassion in Darth Vader after noticing that he cut off his hand, just as his father did to him previously.

                Most accounts of the temptations of the Dark Side occur from the standpoint of converting a good character to the Dark Side. However, Darth Vader shows an internal struggle with the Dark Side at the very end when the Emperor was in the process of killing Luke. If Vader gave into the Dark Side at that point, Luke would have died. Darth Vader would have remained as the right-hand man for the Emperor, and this would have been the temptation. However, he also toyed with the notion of the Light Side, in which his soul would have been redeemed. Ultimately, the good inside of him wins out, even at the cost of his own life. 

Darth Vader's internal conflict as noted by his head tilting down in this close-up.