Pandora Bov

When we think of the multibillion-dollar epic Star Wars sagas, including Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith currently
playing in theaters, we need to look beyond the cutting-edge special
effects and the merchandising empire of countless toys and product
promotions to identify a subtle recurring theme.

Director
George Lucas shows that we can’t judge people (or otherworldly
creatures) by their appearance. In his films, the most unlikely
characters emerge as heroes. Old Ben was seen as a washed-up has-been,
but he emerged as an unlikely hero. For Obi-Wan Kenobi, old age
disguised the fact that he was once a powerful man, as it does for many
older people living today. Like Obi-Wan, former high school principals,
business executives and scientists may now be patronized as incompetent
because the conditions of old age disguise who they once were.

In the original Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a slightly
senile, old hermit. Most people didn’t know that he was once a powerful
Jedi knight. He showed that he was still competent as a brave warrior
when he held off the villain Darth Vader in a light saber duel so that
Luke Skywalker and his allies could escape.

There are many other improbable Star Wars heroes.

Yoda first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back. When Luke
Skywalker, the farm boy, was told by Obi-Wan that he could learn all of
the secrets of being a powerful Jedi knight from Yoda, Luke assumed
that his teacher would be physically strong, muscular and tall. When
Yoda appeared, Luke was disappointed to see a tiny, green gnome
anchored to the swampland where he lived.

Yoda was the size of a 2-year-old child, but with big, hairy ears
and a scratchy voice. Luke quickly learned that while Yoda was
physically weak, mentally he was capable of accomplishing great feats.

Another unlikely character was Princess Leia. Traditionally,
beautiful princesses are helpless creatures who need to be rescued.
Dressed in a beautiful white flowing gown, Leia belied her fairy tale
costume to combine beauty, intelligence and bravery. Even though Luke
came to her rescue, it was Leia who engineered their escape from the
prison bay of the Death Star. It’s worth noting that Leia came to the
big screen at the height of the women’s rights movement.

An old hermit, a beautiful princess, a naive farm boy and a tiny,
green swamp-dwelling gnome each accomplished heroic exploits. No matter
how unlikely it may appear, the Star Wars sagas demonstrate
that we all have the potential to emerge as heroes. Age, race and
gender are never adequate ways to measure a person’s worth. At the very
least, Star Wars taught us that.

Lois Hatton is a columnist and writer who lives in Brookings, S.D.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 4th, 2005 at 11:57 pm and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.