Looking closer at theStar Warsmovies, it’s clear that George Lucas’s vision was an absolutely essential through line – even into the modern era. One of the biggest areas where this is the case is how the prequel trilogy interacts with the original trilogy. Their stories are parallel, and comment on each other in some really specific and prolific ways across theStar Warstimeline.
Lightsabers are the weapons of the Jedi Knights, and are one of the most iconic symbols ofStar Warsin existence. This is reinforced inStar Wars: Episode II -Attack of the Clones, when Anakin Skywalker loses his lightsaber in a speeder chase onCoruscant. Obi-Wan retrieves it, and returns it to Anakin, telling him “this weapon is your life.” The biggest revelation of the original trilogy, though, is that Obi-Wan is completely wrong here.
George Lucas' Prequel Jedi Are Warriors At Heart
Jedi Generals Of The Republic’s Grand Army
Despite later proving itself false, Kenobi’s lesson to young Skywalker was indeed very true for the Jedi of the prequels. They were warriors, and eventually rose above just being keepers of the peace, becoming generals in the Clone Wars. These conflicts were extremely detrimental to the Jedi and their usually peaceful ways, serving a government secretly commandeered by dark and mysterious players.
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Jedi have always ridden the line between warrior and monk, and the Clone Wars nudged them completely in one direction. They became much more attuned to fighting and conflict, and this type of distraction was used by a malevolent Sith to betray them all. Not to mentionAnakin Skywalker falling to the dark sideafter spending three years commanding troops and fighting on the battlefield.
The Warlike Ways Of The Jedi Are Why They Fall
War Can Bring Out The Dark Side
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine sufficiently manufactured a conflict that put the Jedi into a position that they never should have even been in. The war was forcing them to dominate in ways that Jedi should not, and they began to fall from grace. Some Jedi like Dooku, Pong Krell, andBarriss Offeenoticed the Jedi serving theGalactic Republicabove all else during this era, and reacted very harshly.
Mace Windu is another example of this, as by the end of the Clone Wars, he was absolutely ready to kill the Chancellor of the Republic. Yes, he was secretly a Sith, but that was still quite a change for Mace. To have him go from saying, “You know, m’lady, that Count Dooku was once a Jedi. He couldn’t assassinate anyone. It’s not in his character” inAttack of the Clonesto attempting an assassination himself is a far cry.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Showed A Better Way In A New Hope
The Acceptance Of Death
The idea of a lightsaber being one’s life was not eternal. Years later, during the reign of theGalactic Empirehe had personally seen rise, Obi-Wan Kenobi demonstrated that he had changed his ways following his exile. When facing down his former apprentice, he was met with a choice: to fight, or to raise his lightsaber, rising above his foe.
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Obi-Wan taught Luke the basics of lightsaber combat, and his experiences with dueling enemies as a Jedi Knight made him the perfect teacher.
During the climactic battle on the Death Star, to distract Darth Vader from the escaping Luke, Leia, and Han, Obi-Wan raises his lightsaber and refuses to fight Vader. In doing this, he is showing a better way.He invalidates his previous lesson, showing how much he’s learned, and does indeed become more powerful than Vader would ever imagine, as he claimed. His lightsaber, in the end, was not his life.
Luke Skywalker Saved The Galaxy By Rejecting War - & Becoming The Ultimate Jedi
Return Of The Jedi, Return Of The Peacekeeper
Obi-Wan demonstrated this toLuke Skywalker, who went on to learn this lesson in another intense situation on the second Death Star. InReturn of the Jedi, Luke is egged on by the Emperor to dip into his dark side against his father, culminating in Luke chopping off Vader’s hand. Looking down in horror, Luke realizes how his anger got the best of him and made him act so violently, and does the same thing Obi-Wan did.
Luke even went a step further, throwing his lightsaber away, refusing to hurt his father more than he already had. This enraged the Emperor, who wanted more than anything for the young Jedi to strike in anger, exactly what a saber would allow. This was Luke being a true Jedi, choosing compassion for his father over action - and this single choice arguably saved the galaxy.
Luke Skywalker
The son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, Luke was brought up on the desert planet Tatooine. Initially mentored by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke fired the fateful shot that destroyed the Death Star, and he became a rebel hero. Despite the fears of Obi-Wan and Yoda, Luke’s faith in his father was proved well-founded when Vader returned to the light. With the Emperor defeated, Luke dedicated himself to bringing back the Jedi; his first attempt ended in tragedy due to Palpatine’s manipulations, but Luke’s legacy lives on in Rey.
Luke didn’t save the galaxy because he had a lightsaber and fought with it.The lightsaber was not his life; it was almost his undoing. This return to the light was enough to bring his father back from the dark side, as a demonstration of love. It even parallels the earlier showdown between Mace Windu, Palpatine, and Anakin, but with a totally different outcome, as Anakin is motivated to save a life out of love, not fear.
The Last Jedi & The Lightsaber
The Power Of Not Striking
This is shaken up a bit with the introduction of the sequel trilogy, and a cinematic future for Luke Skywalker beyondReturn of the Jedi. In his first appearance, Luke has lost faith in the Jedi, and tosses his lightsaber away. This was later revealed to be the result of a major mistake Luke made, igniting his lightsaber after having a vision of the future atrocities his nephew Ben Solo would commit, like the death of his father Han Solo.
This use of the lightsaber, the defaulting to his weapon, led to the destruction of Luke’s Jedi Order in theNew Republic era. The event even parallels Luke standing over his father on the Death Star II, with similar cinematography reflecting the similar situation Skywalker was in. This causes him to completely reject a lightsaber, something that should be good – but is not, as Luke has also lost his hope.
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After a meeting with theForce ghostof Yoda, however, and prodding from the young Rey, Luke realizes the error of his ways. Just because lightsabers and the violence they can cause are an issue doesn’t mean they should be completely abolished. Thus, Luke projects himself returning to Crait to savethe Resistance, without a real lightsaber. Still, without a physical blade, Luke faces down Kylo Ren and does the same thing as his master Obi-Wan did. Once again,Star Warsis poetic.
Luke showcases the true power of a Jedi with a lightsaber – the symbol of it. Even if a lightsaber can lead to violence, it is still the historical and iconic weapon of a Jedi; it’s just about how it’s used. In order for a Jedi to truly serve the light, they must use a lightsaber like they do the Force: for defense, not attack. Luke doesn’t strike Kylo Ren on Crait, and still saves the entire Resistance. Just as Obi-Wan proved with Vader inStar Wars,a lightsaber is not one’s life – and not using it is infinitely more powerful.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
