Children of the Universe

A uniting theme throughout the universe, even in a galaxy far far away, is that of family. Family can be defined in many different ways and there are many different types of families to exist. In the Star Wars universe, this is apparent in characters’ backstories and actions. The effect of family is different for each as they all experience different forms and types of families. Each family has its own set of members, style and energy. Through the films and stories, each character’s experience of family changes them and the story.

There are many factors to family and the impact of family on life. These factors are evident in both the Star Wars and the real universe. The similarities and differences between Star Wars families and those found in our universe can provide insight to both realms. Drawing comparisons between the two will allow for further understanding of both. This essay aims to understand the relation of an individual and their family in both realms. By looking into the youth development of characters and the role of family on youth and how it affects choices later in life and the story. The lack of parental guidance and the loss of youth to the darkside, families ripped apart by galactic war, the fluid definition of families, and the effects being raised without parents are all issues in both the Star Wars canon and the reality of today. Comparing the cases in both the real world, Star Wars, and other forms of media this essay will investigate the effect of family on youth and character development.

In the Star Wars universe, Leia Organa married Han Solo and together they had a child, Ben Solo. As the galactic war continued to divide the galaxy it also pulled their family apart. Ben Solo was apprenticed to Luke Skywalker in hopes of continuing the Jedi legacy to fight the forces of evil in the galaxy. Luke senses darkness in Ben and turns on him in an effort to destroy the darkness. Ben experiencing this lack of familial support and belief turns him to the dark side becoming Kylo Ren (Star Wars The Force Awakens). This is similar to the effects of war and troubles on many families through the Star Wars saga and those in the current world. For Ben Solo, joining the First Order was a way of escaping and finding someone who believed in him. He was unable to be accepted and fit into any family he knew so he joined the First Order under Supreme Leader Snoke. This relationship is similar to relationships found in gangs or similar groups. For the youth of many impoverished parts of the world, the only way to survive and thrive is by joining a gang or similar group. A family’s inability to raise children or protect them leads the children to turn elsewhere for support and unity. The reasons listed by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry here are very similar to Ben Solo’s situation.

Growing up in an area with heavy gang activity. A history of gang involvement in the family (family members who are current or former gang members). A history of violence in the home. Too little adult supervision. Unstructured free time, particularly during after-school hours and on the weekends. A lack of positive role models and exposure to media (television, movies, music) that glorifies gang violence. Low self-esteem. Sense of hopelessness about the future because of limited educational or financial opportunity. (Gangs and Children)

Ben Solo’s story is the story of many children in the Star Wars canon who join the Empire or First Order to escape the circumstances that they live in. This is parallel to the children in many countries who join militant groups and become child soldiers. The UNICEF report from 1996 states clearly, “Indeed, in these circumstances, a military unit can be something of a refuge—serving as a kind of surrogate family…most of whom had been orphaned and who looked on the Army as a replacement for their parents.” (UNICEF).Children find themselves in situations where the only outlet is the “darkside”. By joining a group in power the youth become a collective in the darkness. Throughout the world, there are militant groups that recruit children or even abduct them for service (UNICEF). In states like Cambodia and Myanmar children join militant groups as a way to survive. These groups provide food, protection and even clothing to the children who fight for them. In The Sith and these groups are similar in function, bullying members into submission, demanding displays of loyalty and proving one’s worth. For Kylo Ren Supreme Leader Snoke challenges him to be “stronger” than his father and to prove himself in The Force Awakens. Kylo states “Your son is gone. He was weak and foolish like his father.” (The Force Awakens) This desire to prove himself leads Kylo Ren to kill his father. The cycle repeats itself in The Last Jedi as Snoke pushes Kylo Ren to execute Rey.

The push for the children in militant groups and the tasks necessary in proving their value and loyalty is even more horrific. “Much the same thing has been happening more recently in Sierra Leone, wherein 1995 the Revolutionary United Front has been raiding villages to capture children into its ranks and force them to witness or take part in the torture and execution of their own relatives.”(UNICEF) For the children affected, it is a struggle to survive and this comes at a great price. Survival is the main desire of all the youth succumbed to the darkness, the desire to live another day and the only outlet for them is the “darkside”. The main cause of these circumstances is that of war and unrest, in Star Wars the Empire and Rebellion, in the real world colonizers and colonized.

The Jedi and their role on families are huge in the saga. The Jedi take force aware and wielding children from their families to the Jedi Temple to pair them with a master to train them. The Jedi effectively take and raise children to be indoctrinated with their ideas and beliefs. This is similar to the boarding schools in America for Native American children. In the late 1800s government backed boarding schools opened around the U.S. to force assimilate Native Americans. The first school opened by Richard Henry Pratt modeled the many more that came after it. Little states their mission in her article “the Carlisle Indian Industrial School was a government-backed institution that forcibly separated Native American children from their parents in order to, as Pratt put it, “kill the Indian in him, and save the man.” (Little) Both the Jedi order and these U.S. backed schools forced children to form to their ideals. In Jedi, culture padawans have a specific haircut displaying their rank. (The Phantom Menace and The Attack of the Clones) This mirrors what schools did to the Native Americans. Traditional Native American hairstyles were forcefully cut off to make the Native Americans appear more “white” (Little).

The effect of the removal from their family was huge. “And by removing them from their homes, the schools disrupted students’ relationships with their families and other members of their tribe. Once they returned home, children struggled to relate to their families after being taught that it was wrong to speak their language or practice their religion.” (Little) The Native American children and their families were devastated by this act. Similarly, in Star Wars padawans are trained and taught the ideals of the Jedi, these do not always align with those of their family or species. The rift causes a disconnect between child and family. In these two cases, a group in power forcefully takes and changes children to fit what they desire. The effect of the “colonizer” or group in power on the future of the colonized as forced assimilation is detrimental to both child and family.

Along the lines of Jedi, an interesting character to follow in the discovery of family is Luke Skywalker. Luke in A New Hope lives with his aunt and uncle. He is told by Ben Kenobi that his father was killed by Darth Vader. This is the family that Luke knows, aunt uncle and war hero father. After the loss of his aunt and uncle, Luke begins his quest for revenge and justice. Little does he know that his major conflict within the trilogy would be with his father, Darth Vader. The famous line “I am your father” (Empire Strikes Back) informs viewers of their relation.

The battle of son and father is a theme in literature. From the mythology found in ancient Greece to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 intense struggle between father and son is a major component of the story. In Greek mythology, Zeus is raised by nymphs not his parents as Kronos, Zeus’s father devours the rest of Zeus’s siblings. Zeus grows up then rises up against his father Kronos defeating him to become ruler of the gods. In their battle, Zeus cuts Kronos up and casts his remains to Tartarus ending the struggle with the destruction of Kronos. (Cronos) This parallels Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 where Star-Lord is raised by Ravagers after he escapes earth. Star-Lord’s father also causes the destruction of many worlds which leads Star-Lord to rise against him overthrowing him. (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2). The fact that these children are the result of successful adoption shows how even in undesirable circumstances youth can be positively affected. These characters stories are much like the story of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was adopted by the king of Thembu after the death of his father. Unlike the characters tales, Mandela’s life was different, instead of fighting his father Mandela would devote his life to resisting oppression. Mandela faced many trials as all the characters in their stories. Yet like them he succeeds and rose up to achieve his goals and free the oppressed. Mandela became the first democratically elected president of South Africa and changed the course of history. In both post-colonial South Africa and tales from across the universe being raised well with support and encouragement can provide youth with the ability to resist the dark and fight for the light.

 

From Luke’s discovery about his father and sister to Rey’s continuous search for her parents the Star Wars plot revolves around family (The Empire Strikes Back and The Force Awakens). Some families are formed in the saga by choice of characters, characters adopt one another and form a familial bond. The original trilogy saw the formation of a “Family of Choice”. A family of choice is a collection of people who chose to view each other as kin. Luke, Han, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2, Leia, and “Ben” band together to form a family in Star Wars a New Hope.

In their new family, each plays a role in supporting and nurturing the others. It is only through teamwork that they can achieve their goals. Each started out as an individual alone in the universe. Chewbacca escaping the slavery of the Empire (Solo) and Han struggling to make it on his own (Solo) were the first united in Solo where they began their relationship as partners. R2-D2 and C-3PO served together for many many years and for many masters, together they formed their bond through shared experiences. Luke was a simple moisture farmer, Ben a banished Jedi and Leia the sole survivor of her people. Alone they are just small individual in the galaxy, together they become a family, a unit to take on the Empire. The fluid use of the term family can also be found in The Phantom Menace, Qui Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan adopt a young Anakin Skywalker from his single mother. They form a familial bond when the council refuses to let Anakin train. Together they return and save Naboo (Phantom Menace) All of these new families are integral to the story and provide insight into similar relationships in the current day. There are many “families” without blood-ties that are considered family. The formation of a “Family of Choice” has been found in many stories and in the real world. Harry Potter, Avatar the Last Airbender, and many other franchises showcase the successfulness of a “Family of Choice”. The characters in all of these stories have banded together for survival and common goals.

In the movie Attack of the Clones, the Clone Troopers are introduced as the Republic’s fighting force. They are special in the Star Wars universe in regards to family, or in their case lack of family. In Star Wars The Clone Wars episode one of season three, Clone Cadets viewers can see more into the life and training of clone troopers. In this, we follow Domino squad through their training and the life of a young clone. Clones are given personality traits and the relationship between their ranks is shown. Clones treat each other like brothers, communicating and compete and having empathy for one another.

They are not brainwashed and hardwired machines of war like the StormTroopers or First-Order Troopers. The brotherhood is shown in ARC Troopers, the second episode. In this episode, the younger clones are shown admiring the older more advanced clones and striving to become ARC troopers. The clones lack of “proper” family leads them to form their own within their ranks. They earn nicknames to go with their personalities and have ties to each other. The Clones all have empathy for one another. When a specific clone, Ninety-Nine, is killed in combat the clones grieve him. They have more attachment and loyalty to one another then the droid army they battle against. This makes them a formidable fighting force as they fight for each other unlike the conscripted armies of colonialism. In the Haitian rebellion, an army from France failed to defeat a smaller and weaker rebellion. The Haitian army fought for each other and a common goal (The Black Spartacus). The united front found in rebelling militaries can often be stronger than a colonial force. The larger Separatist army was battled by a smaller Republic force, the Rebels defeated the Empire and Haiti defeated France. The unity of a force can often out weight the brute prowess of another force. This can also be found in many examples in the modern military of today. Small SEAL teams are sent around the world on missions. These teams are made of sixteen people and are sent far from home deep into enemy territory (NAVY SEALS). The bond they share makes them effective as a unit. The brotherhood found in forces that are raised without family as shown in all these examples displays how even the lack of family can result in the formation of another family.

Family is an uniter on many fronts including the Star Wars and current day. The conflicts of war have driven families apart, formed new ones and displayed the importance of family. The similarities and parallels between the universes allow for a deeper understanding of family and the effect it has on life. The youth in this realm and those in others depend greatly on their upbringing and family surroundings. There are so many occasions and opportunities for a child to get lost to the dark side. The world and galaxy must grow to protect its future and that starts with families.

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