My son claims that he remembers that experience years later.

I didn’t allow him to watch it again until he was five. He LOVED it. He asked for more, dancing around the room, wielding anything that could pass for a lightsaber.

So we let him see Episode 1 (which he called “Epee-sott One”) when it came out on video. He watched Qui-Gon and Darth Maul’s deaths fearfully through his fingers…but he watched. Galadriel’s little “postal” moment at the mirror (“In place of a Dark Lord you would have a Queen…”) terrified the snot out of him literally for years, but he quickly recovered from seeing Qui-Gon being skewered and Darth Maul being julienned, both by lightsabers. Before the credits rolled he was whipping around the room, battling Sith Lords with the best sound effects a young boy could muster. (Did I mention that my son has ADHD?)

So went the pattern after each of the final two movies was released on DVD: begging, pleading, watching (sometimes through his fingers), and dancing around the room like a manic little padawan with his toy lightsaber.

He’s now ten and an avid (rabid?) Star Wars fan. His uncles have further contributed to his condition by sending him Star Wars magazines and memorabilia. The last two Halloweens he’s dressed up as young Anakin. In the last week he’s seen “The Empire Strikes Back” and “The Return of the Jedi” both for the first time. “The circle is now complete.”

Star Wars arguably has a much more vivid hold on my son than anything he experiences at church. Considering the fact that I’m the pastor as well as his father, I find that to be disturbing.

Also, in the films (I’m not so sure about the expanded universe) the original stormtroopers were clones, but they were all destroyed at the end of the clone wars. There isn’t necessarily anything conclusive that proves the second generation stormtroopers were clones. Finally, like all stories (especially religious ones) we bend and mold them to suit our purposes. So, in my son’s world, stormtroopers have mommies and daddies — at least until he grows into enough of a fanboy in his own right to challenge me on the point, which I’m sure he will!

Ginger: I read the post and then got absorbed in the comments on the original guardian article and didn’t have time to respond. I’ll try to do so shortly. Of course I’m interested in the subject and would love to dialogue .

Juan Carlos, I haven’t seen the History Channel special (since we don’t have cable), but I’m pretty familiar with the history of Star Wars, and have followed much of it as it actually “became” history. I was my son’s age when the very first film came out, and have been a fan ever since my dad took me to see “The Empire Strikes Back” in the theater. Although there are certainly symbols in the films that harken to Christianity (especially in the prequels), my understanding is that Lucas was influenced more by Joseph Campbell, and the idea of mythological archetypes that are universal to all cultures and faiths. Of course, I would argue (as your former English teacher, of course) that all great literature does this.

John heard a radio show the other day discussing the differences between Harry Potter and Star Wars, and how each iconic myth reflects on British and US culture. You can guess that it came down to violence. Makes me feel a lot better about their relationship with Harry Potter books and movies. I wasn’t able to find that discussion online, but I did find some other fun comparisons:
http://www.mugglenet.com/funlists/lukevsharry.shtml
http://static.flickr.com/8/9378038_3b4c759e18.jpg

I think a Star Wars philosophy discussion is exactly what bonded Rich and my English friend, Mark, together. After that conversation I kind of felt worried about my marriage for some reason..

Hey, I could really use your input, if you have a sec, on the Face to Faith post on my blog. I think you are much better than me at debate and Biblical knowledge and could therefore offer some insight that seems to be missing in that discussion thread and in the one going on on Michelle’s blog (under a post with the same name). In other words, this same Mark is being a bit intmidating to all of my blogging buddies with all of his Star Wars type questions and activist lingo. I’m not sure how to moderate it well.
I have a feeling you would be more wise in your response than I know how to be.

But more importantly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEAL!!

We should all hang out soon..

But…wait…I’m not enough of a fanboy to know this definitively, but aren’t Stormtroopers just supposed to be clones? They’re grown in pods to fight for the Empire. They don’t technically have a mommy or a daddy.

My boys also have been reared with Star Wars in the background, and while they chase each other around the house with blasters, they also gather their stuffed animals together for “daycare.” So…they’ll be empathic nurturing warriors.