{"id":439,"date":"2018-11-20T08:37:08","date_gmt":"2018-11-20T13:37:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/postcolonialstarwars\/?page_id=439"},"modified":"2018-12-12T17:27:43","modified_gmt":"2018-12-12T22:27:43","slug":"nathan-logan","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/postcolonialstarwars\/anthology\/fall-2018\/nathan-logan\/","title":{"rendered":"Nathan Logan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nathan Logan<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Schultz<\/span><\/p>\n

MEDS 184<\/span><\/p>\n

12.12.2018<\/span><\/p>\n

The Force is the Unsung Hero and Accidental Rebellion in Star Wars<\/span><\/p>\n

Star Wars at its core is a very simple storyline that exists in a detailed and unique universe that it\u2019s practically effor<\/span>tless to dive deep and discuss the inner workings of the plot. The Force is one of these details that intrigues the audience and adds depth to the Star Wars universe. In the original trilogy, the Force is a mysterious power that only a select few has access to. Especially in <\/span>Star Wars: A New Hope<\/span><\/i>, the Force is only utilized by Luke, Darth Vader, and Obi Wan Kenobi. The prequels provide helpful background on the Jedi and Sith and how the Force operates between the opposing sides. It isn\u2019t until the sequel trilogy that the Force is explored and uncovered thoroughly. However, there is still more to be discovered about the eerie, obscure, yet awesome Force.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because Star Wars consists of such a vast universe, many individuals and communities that appear to be just aesthetic filling for the main characters to exist in are actually key to the storyline and are polished characters. They may not seem crucial to the core of the storyline but upon closer analysis are integral to how the films play out. These \u201cneutral\u201d characters in Star Wars who are exiled from conflict between the Empire and Rebellion relate strongly to themes of subaltern knowledge. <\/span><\/p>\n

Subaltern literally means of lower statues, however literary theorist Gayatri Spivak defines the subaltern as individuals and communities that are so isolated and oppressed that they have no voice. In Star Wars however, the Force complicates this narrative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Though subaltern communities are not physically present in the imperial conflict, they are able to influence the institutions in power in subtle ways. Specifically, subaltern characters accidental rebel against the Empire in Star Wars. Accidental rebellion may appear as actions and decisions that coincidentally undermine the Empire\u2019s agenda, however if so then the Rebellion\u2019s success was just lucky. Upon deeper investigation, the Force\u2019s purpose in the films can be interpreted as an underlying energy that influences decision making in all characters. The current Star Wars scholarship lacks analysis and exploration on the relationship between the force and subaltern characters. On surface level, the Force appears to be a key power that Luke, Darth Vader, and a select few other characters utilize to achieve the respective goals in the war between the Empire and Rebellion. <\/span>Star Wars From a Certain Point of View<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>Star Wars: The Force Awakens<\/span><\/i> however, help uncover that the Force actually intertwines with all living beings and is a postcolonial tool that provides power to the powerless and a voice to the subaltern in Star Wars.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unrivaled in military and political power, any act against The Empire in <\/span>Star Wars: A New Hope<\/span><\/i> could be considered rebellious. However, rebellion occurs accidentally in Star Wars<\/span> and those whose decisions inherently assign them to a side of the war are unaware of the influence of their actions. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are several examples of accidental rebellion that <\/span>Star Wars From a Certain Point of View<\/span><\/i> exposes to the audience. Arguably the most prominent example comes from the Jawas in the chapter \u201cStories in the Sand.\u201d In the film, the Jawas are conveyed as mysterious beings that are strictly neutral to the war between the Empire and Rebels. <\/span>Star Wars From a Certain Point of View<\/span><\/i> provides the audience with the Jawa\u2019s perspective and how their actions are more impactful than anticipated. Jot, a particularly small Jawa, discovers an astromech droid due to his misfortune of being bullied into scouting the excavation site for the sandcrawler. Jot projects the memory core from the droid and for the first time he sees the \u201csoft curvature of Tatooine\u201d and the enticing scene of a starship crashing (McElroy 42). These images flood Jot\u2019s eyes with \u201cstinging tears. Seeing this story\u2014seeing stars, and flight, and the only planet he\u2019d ever lived on from kilometers above\u2014his eyes would not dry for some time\u201d (42). Jot\u2019s intense reaction to such unprecedented visuals convey the humbling sense of his size relative to the galaxy he just received.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jot\u2019s exhilarating experience with the astromech droid leads him to keep R2D2\u2019s memory intact, completely oblivious to how influential his decision is in deciding the war between the Empire and the Rebellion. Jot gains a stronger perspective on how grand and frightening the universe is by examining each memory unit of the droids the Jawas discover. However, none of the memory units are as alarming as R2-D2\u2019s. When Jot puts R2\u2019s memory core into Storyteller, he is \u201cmystified\u201d and \u201cenraptured\u201d because he sees \u201cswords made of fire\u201d and \u201cpeople who could <\/span>actually use magic\u201d<\/span><\/i> (47). When Jot views Leia\u2019s message, he can\u2019t understand her but he can \u201cread the concern on her face as plain as day. This was a warning\u201d (48). The combination of Leia\u2019s concern and the astonishing images of the Death Star and Jedi instill a notion of responsibility in Jot; Jot understands that he isn\u2019t just \u201ca passive observer of the story of his life. He [is] a <\/span>participant<\/span><\/i>\u201d (49). It is vividly clear that Jot should not get involved in the conflict he witnesses in R2\u2019s memory. He feels responsible to keep R2\u2019s memory because it obviously contained crucial information. Jot however, is completely unaware of how important his choice is in keeping the Rebellion alive in the war; in a sense this is accidental rebellion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jot\u2019s decision is not accidental in that he is attempting to aid the Empire and fails resulting in helping the Rebellion; it is accidental because he has no idea that he is supporting the cause of the Rebellion or participating in the imperial conflict at all because he is so far removed from the conflict. The neutral \u201cspace\u201d characters like the Jawas exist in is an important aspect in the concept of accidental rebellion. In the <\/span>Star Wars<\/span><\/i> universe there are many communities and individuals who identify neither with the Empire or the Rebellion, but the neutrality of the Jawas comes from their lack of voice and poor status. These neutral groups and people though are still very much intertwined and influenced by the imperial project through the presence of the Force. <\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Star Wars: A New Hope, <\/span><\/i>Obi Wan Kenobi first introduces the audience to the Force when he explains to Luke the truth of his father. Obi Wan recollects that Darth Vader was \u201cseduced by the dark side of the Force.\u201d Luke doesn\u2019t recognize the term and Obi Wan elaborates that the Force is \u201cwhat gives a Jedi his power, it\u2019s an energy field created by all living things, it surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together.\u201d Though Obi Wan implies that only the Jedi harness the power of the Force, he reveals that the Force is a binding power. Obi Wan Kenobi is illustrating that Force instills balance in the galaxy between the dark side and is more than a Jedi power.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/pUaxXsqGeFI?t=119<\/a><\/p>\n

Boba Fett\u2019s death in <\/span>Return of the Jedi<\/span><\/i> is an example of the Force operating as a correcting mechanism when the balance between the dark and light sides is broken. Boba Fett\u2019s death is remarkably ludicrous, however the details to his death reveal implications of an interference from the Force. Relying too heavily on his nifty gadgets are what cause his death, which doesn\u2019t seem to be a very important aspect, however they fail at a critical moment when Luke Skywalker\u2019s life is in jeopardy. Boba Fett\u2019s death aids Luke\u2019s heroic escape and return to the Rebellion. The severity of the situation in a sense implies that the Force played a part in causing Boba Fett\u2019s death. Especially because Luke has obtained his full powers as a Jedi.<\/span><\/p>\n