A blogger over at HuffPo has posted his theory that Luke Skywalker actually turned to the Dark Side at the end of Return of the Jedi and will be the villain in the new movie.
It’s a fun read.
The commenters do a good job of ripping his argument to shreds. (It’s the sort of argument that wants to be ripped to shreds.) The movie, after all, was titled Return of the Jedi! If Luke turned to the Dark Side at the end, then the Jedi didn’t return. And if Luke turned evil, why did the ghosts of Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi smile at him in the end?
Luke was tempted by the Dark Side. He went right up to the edge. But he didn’t succumb, and in resisting the Emperor, he not only saved his own soul, he saved his father’s. That was the whole point–not just of Return of the Jedi, but of the entire series. Star Wars is about redemption and the power of sacrificial love.
Many people say The Empire Strikes Back is the best film in the series, and those same people complain about all the problems with Return of the Jedi, and they’re probably right. But for me, the most poignant moment in all of Star Wars is this moment in Jedi:
Luke: No, you’re coming with me. I won’t leave you here. I’ve got to save you!
Anakin: You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me… Tell your sister… you were right.
That scene reduces me to tears every time.
Luke was able to see the germ of goodness even in the blackest heart in the universe. He risked everything, everything, on the absurd notion that Darth Vader, the poster child for evil, still had goodness in him. And, GODDAMMIT!, he was RIGHT. He walked right into the lion’s den–not to kill or destroy, but to save Anakin. He defied the Emperor. He overcame his hatred and the temptation to use evil to gain power. He threw down his weapon. And he brought his father back from the Dark Side.
Corny? Sappy? Mawkish? No. Not at all. It’s beautiful and powerful and profound.
Lucas set out to create a mythology, and he succeeded. Myths (according to PBS.org) “are sacred tales that explain the world and man’s experience.” Myths aren’t mere escapism. They are fictions, yes, but fictions that tell us greater truths. That’s where Star Wars surpasses most other sci-fi.
I’m sure J.J. Abrams will give us a Star Wars film that’s as gritty and gripping as we want, and that will far surpass Episodes I, II, and III in every measure. But I hope he doesn’t put style before substance. Making Luke the villain might be deliciously dark and gritty, but that shouldn’t be an end in itself. The goal should be to get at those greater truths.
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