I will never forget the first time I saw the very first Star Wars movie, now known as Episode IV: A New Hope. I was five years old and I saw it in a theater in a suburb of Charlotte, NC with my mom. It was her choice, one she made even as I insisted that Disney’s Peter Pan was a better option, but when I sat there in the theater as the last credit rolled and final notes of John Williams’ score faded out, I knew my life had changed forever.
When I saw The Empire Strikes Back with my dad, he told me it was one of the most powerful movies he had ever seen. At the time I didn’t fully grasp what he meant. I knew it MY favorite movie of all time, which it remains to this day, but when I was a kid watching the movie that would become the first VHS tape I ever owned I just knew it was a riveting story that I couldn’t wait to watch over and over. The ending was also agonizing, as it left us hanging waiting for the next chapter.
Reflecting on the film later, when Dad and I were having more adult conversations, he began explaining what he found to be so profound about the story. The quotes that are now iconic, like “Do or do not, there is no try,” carried deeper truths that were worthy of study. When Luke Skywalker enters the cave on Dagobah, Yoda tells him he won’t need his weapons. Luke asks what’s in the cave and Yoda replies, “only what you take with you.” Later, in Return of the Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi would explain to Luke that “many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” Talk about a powerful message!
During my formative years, Dad had a way of helping me wrestle with the tough issues of adolescence and young adulthood by using Luke’s Jedi training as a frame of reference. He would tell me that I could accomplish anything if I was willing to work hard and not take “no” for an answer. Years later, when the NBA journalism company I helped found was the third-largest in the world and I had a coveted league-wide credential, I took him out to center court at American Airlines Center and told him the only reason I could stand on that spot was because he taught me to “do,” not “try.”
I often struggle to understand people who believe in bizarre things, things that seem absolutely insane to me. I don’t get a strict adherence to ancient religious doctrines, I don’t understand people who consistently vote against their own best interests, and reality TV … well, don’t get me started. At the end of the day, people are clinging to truths that makes sense (only) to their own point of view. Thanks, Dad. Thanks, Obi-Wan.
How about that cave scene on Dagobah? Luke expects to find Darth Vader inside, so he straps on his weapons and, sure enough, he finds Vader in the cave. When he cuts the Sith Lord’s head off in the ensuing lightsaber duel, Vader’s mask explodes, revealing Luke’s own face inside the helmet. Luke found exactly what he was looking for. We often do that in life, prejudge situations that then play out exactly as we expected. We create those outcomes, even if we actually wished for something else. The power of the mind is remarkable, and if we are not intentional we can harm ourselves with our own power.
As a final example, let’s talk about the scene where Luke tries to raise his X-wing fighter out of the Dagobah swamp. He tries, starts to make some progress, but then ultimately fails. He tells Yoda it’s impossible, but the Jedi master simply does it himself to prove his point to Luke. “You must unlearn what you have learned,” Yoda says. This, too, is an incredible lesson. How often do we get set in our ways, stuck in the beliefs of our parents, and never challenge ourselves to explore new possibilities? This is where true growth occurs.
My daughter was five years old when Episode X: The Force Awakens came out and I am delighted to say that she is every bit the aspiring Jedi Knight that I was at her age (well, and still am). I have also taught her important life lessons using Star Wars as a context and watching it work for her as it works for me is truly magical. She wanted to see Episode I: The Phantom Menace on May the 4th as it returned to theaters for its 25th anniversary, so naturally we did. No, it’s not a great movie, it desperately needs significant editing and Jar Jar is just as annoying as ever, but still … I’m not going to miss a chance to see the epic lightsaber duel between Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan on the big screen. There’s also the incredible podracing sequence, R2’s introduction to C-3P0, Obi Wan’s fateful introduction to Anakin Skywalker and plenty of other delightful aspects to enjoy. More than anything, there’s sitting there in a theater watching a Star Wars movie with my own little Jedi Knight and experiencing her passion for the story that has long been a driving force in my life.
Halloween is our favorite holiday, followed by Christmas, but equally important are May the 4th and Revenge of the 6th, two days in a month designated for Star Wars fans to set aside other differences and just bask in the glow of lightsabers. The fact that it leads to deeper conversations about life down the road … that’s just the blue milk on the cereal.
May The Force – and the 4th – Be With You!
-B
Ishmael's Legacy 