Star Wars Might Be More Relevant Than Ever Before

Star Wars is a cult classic that hopefully everybody has watched, but if there are people who haven’t seen it yet, you better watch it as soon as possible because not only are you missing epic lightsaber duels, but also the core message of Star Wars, which is relevant in today’s world more than you might think.

What do the Original Trilogy (1977–1983) and the Prequel Trilogy (1999–2005) warn us about? To find out the answer to that question, read below!

The Original and Prequel Trilogies explore many different themes throughout the movies, and the ones that caught my eye are hope, redemption, choice, the struggle between freedom and tyranny, the danger of fear, and the moral ambiguity of power. What sets the two trilogies apart is their core message: the Original Trilogy is fundamentally optimistic, while the Prequel Trilogy is a tragic story.

The Fall of Democracy

The Prequel Trilogy happened before the events of the originals, and it deals with the Empire’s rise, the Jedi’s fall, and Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the dark side. The trilogy essentially teaches us that democracy can collapse legally and that fear of loss can lead to tyranny. The latter refers to Anakin’s journey. His fall was caused by fear of losing loved ones and feeling powerless.

The Phantom Menace is fundamentally a story of the discovery of Anakin and the return of an ancient evil. It represents the Jedi’s flaws and their obsession with rules, which led to detachment from ordinary people. That indifference caused the Jedi Order to be unable to perceive corruption within the system, which led to Palpatine’s election as Supreme Chancellor. That example proves that sometimes evil doesn’t have to come violently; instead, it arrives silently, through legal acts.

Attack of the Clones questions Anakin’s morality when he massacres an entire village after finding out his mother was killed by Tusken Raiders. At the same time, the film portrays the beginning of Padmé and Anakin’s love story. However, their love is rooted in Anakin’s fear of losing loved ones instead of trust and balance. During Anakin and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s duel with Count Dooku, Anakin loses his arm and Dooku escapes. The loss of the arm symbolizes Anakin’s loss of humanity, identity, and innocence, as well as his confusion, anger, humiliation, and constant reminder of failure. It is the beginning of his transformation into Darth Vader.

Revenge of the Sith begins three years into the Clone Wars, with Anakin as a Jedi Knight. Although he is appointed to the Jedi Council by Palpatine, he is denied the rank of Master, which causes him to become bitter and angry, and those emotions fuel the Sith. Furthermore, after Anakin helps Palpatine kill Mace Windu, he pledges loyalty to Darth Sidious (Palpatine), becoming Darth Vader.

Order 66 is also a pivotal moment in the last part of the trilogy because it symbolizes institutional genocide, when Sidious orders clone troopers to kill their Jedi commanders across the galaxy. The duel on Mustafar is a fight between Anakin and his former mentor, Obi-Wan. Mustafar, a lava planet, mirrors Anakin’s rage and symbolizes his complete surrender to the dark side. It also breaks his familial relationship with Obi-Wan and destroys his connection with the good. The fall of the Jedi and the Republic’s destruction leads to the birth of the Empire.

The Rebirth of Hope  

The Original Trilogy follows Luke Skywalker and the Rebels’ journey to defeat the evil Emperor and fight for a better future. In A New Hope, the destruction of the Death Star shows how a united effort can defeat the Empire and symbolizes hope and faith. It ultimately tells us that hope can overcome oppression when small individuals come together and that great evil is not indestructible.

The Empire Strikes Back had an unforgettable scene with Darth Vader and his famous line, “No, I am your father.” But aside from the funny memes, the scene was significant because it provided viewers with a major mythical revelation and shattered heroic certainty. That certainty is shown in Luke’s naïve black-and-white worldview, which is questioned and disrupts the hero’s archetype of good versus evil.

Luke’s failure at Cloud City represents the loss of naivety and innocence. Vader severing Luke’s hand is a direct parallel to Anakin losing his arm, but the main difference lies in their ultimate choices. Vader’s victory symbolizes the path to his redemption because the earlier revelation of being Luke’s father shifts the nature of the conflict. Now, there is a familial bond that creates emotional struggle and forces Luke to make a choice. In the end, Luke’s unsuccessful battle marks his growth through defeat.

Return of the Jedi continues Luke’s inner conflict of choosing compassion over destruction, and the last installment as a whole explores the concepts of love, redemption, restoration of good, and humanity. We see Luke choosing mercy and compassion by refusing to kill Vader and thus rejecting the Sith logic. This opens a window for redemption, depicted through an act of love when Anakin saves Luke and returns to the light side by destroying Palpatine. In the end, Luke restores the Order of the Jedi with new empathy, understanding, peace, and humanity.

Why This Matters Today

Though rebellion was the first step against tyranny, it wasn’t the main reason for the tyranny’s collapse. And even though Luke’s personal journey restored peace in the galaxy, the Empire’s downfall lay in its own internal weakness, arrogance, and cruelty - and that is what ultimately destroyed it.

What can be seen is that the two trilogies mirror each other. The Prequels explore the rise of the Empire, while the Originals depict the fall of the Empire. The fall of democracy is one of the Prequels’ themes, while the Originals give us the rebirth of hope. Meanwhile, the Prequels show us Anakin’s corruption, but the Originals provide Luke’s moral clarity. And finally, fear and control are the main topics of the Prequels, while compassion and trust define the Originals. Together, they make one tragic but hopeful story.

How are these two trilogies relevant today? There may be several answers, but it is clear that Star Wars teaches us an important message: it is easy to manipulate people when they are afraid or insecure, and bad things happen when good people compromise.

Which trilogy is currently happening in your society? Write in the comments!

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Sources:

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Return of the Jedi (1983), The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), Revenge of the Sith (2005)