by Jasmin Carroll

Mr. George Lucas is hardly the first producer of culturally iconic universes to desecrate on his own creation with follow ups and re-imaginings. He is however the most heartbreaking among these creators because of the depth of feeling buried in the belly of his sensitive and faithful followers.

This is interesting, because his fans may have been annoyed by the ewoks in Return of the Jedi but, they were hardly ready to dethrone him for that slight in the Star Wars universe. They were, however; pissed after Mr. Lucas revisited his imagined world with two prequels, the "un-watchable" Episode 1 and Episode 2. They then turned their loyalties toward an idea that happened to be carried out by Lucas and looked at Lucas as though he were a betrayer; a temple priest who had brought a religion to the masses only to have him pee on the alter in the end.

On this day ladies and gentlemen, as an appreciator, but not follower of this particular world of imagination, I’d like to congratulate the Star Wars creator for his dramatic comeback. Revenge of the Sith: Episode 3, with the intensity of the final dramatic moments of Return of the Jedi, marks a return to what the faithful, the fans and the people who eeny-meeny-mini-mo their movie choices, want to see. It is engrossing, exciting (one of Lucas’ biggest problems used to be pacing), surprisingly strong in its political stance, and for this reviewer (who actually knows within which movie Darth Vader proclaims his force tested paternity), it successfully marries what we know of the original trilogy with what was left out (but not necessarily missed) about the characters until now.

Episode 3 also does something quite surprising for a 30 year old prequel; it refrains from taking an easy way out in the dissention of the world’s most beloved dark father. Though not talked about by most enthusiasts since the “final” episode closed, the issue of Vader’s ultimate submission has been reduced to his only wanting to save and control his wife’s fate, as well as his own happiness. This is true but, I would be lying if I didn’t say that I had expected the susceptible and recovering whiner, Anakin to be ultimately fooled by the future Emperor. But though he was manipulated he was not fooled when he eventually bowed down.

The Emperor turned out to be more hardcore than was first perceived in the original. His rise to power and ability to cloak [himself] from the light side of the force was almost laughably simple. He came to absolute power by creating threats and rising up two armies in order to play both foe and hero to the vulnerable galaxies and their representatives. He did these things under the noses of the Jedi, presumably because there is an imbalance in the force.

Darkness does not always lure disguised as light. The future Emperor, after winning the admiration of a certain young Jedi and solidifying said Jedi’s place among the Jedi council, reveals himself as the powerful Sith Lord, Darth Sideous, to Anakin. A tactic that put things into place, and as a result shows that evil can be ushered in by certain truths. The devil may be its father but he does not always lie.

The Emperor may have fooled Anakin by promising security for his wife and their future. He may he have whispered about the doubt in the Jedi that was already at the back of Anakin’s mind. But, what he did not have to do was misrepresent the true extend and intent of his power; and when Anakin saw what it was he had always wanted in this man (because what little boy sold into slavery and then orphaned wouldn’t want the type of power offered), there was no veil over his eyes, only acceptance and weakness.

For anyone who has cared even a little bit about the idea and characters behind Star Wars, this episode is heartbreaking for many reasons. Betrayal, manipulation, disappointment, and mismanagement of prime Jedi talent (is it really insightful to tell an ambitious Jedi with an ear of a Chancellor you don’t trust to sit in the corner while the adults handle it?), are what populate this prequel. However, our fallen hero’s dissent ultimately brings up the true version of what he was supposed to be. His son Luke, who needed to be hurt by him in order to be stronger than him, was offered the dark side in the truth of what it was and said no.

"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)

Luke Skywalker took his father with him to the light side of the force in the end. His triumph is proof that though evil works hard and works intricately, God’s victory is preordained and simple. His grace is already there, so a generational curse means nothing if you seek His face. Luke was struggling with darkness and light, power and weakness. These are the types of suffering that can only bring about true strength.

"But where sin increased, grace increased all the more." (Romans 5:20)

The sin of the mother are never cast down, only that of the father. What happens next is continued in the Stars Wars: A New Hope, the original of the series. In it Luke turns his curse into a blessing by getting to it at its root. He identified the curse by identifying himself. What good would it have been to Luke if he had lived out the rest of his life believing that his father was a fighter pilot killed by a dark lord? Understanding one’s self to the fullest, including the good and the bad, can only aid in the digging out of a generational curse. With the knowledge that his father was not killed by Darth Vader but was Darth Vader, Luke was then able to take on his armor of light and righteousness. His was equipped to face his father by being trained in his ways. He was not unprepared.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

Luke cast down what his father took upon himself. He was susceptible to pride but did not make space for it just so the emperor could start getting in there too. His anger was provoked to make him a stronger fighter but, he turned it into anger toward the one who stirred it up. Whatever greed he had in him was not easily used as he was only greedy for his father’s love. This love brought him down to weaknesses, but instead of giving in and asking for power he let it make him vulnerable in the eyes of his father who, in the end, could not resist his pleas and ended his suffering by showing that he loved him back.

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." (1 Corinthians 1:19)

Continuing on with the prequels after the close of the original series showed us, if nothing else, that instead of being all wise Yoda was just plain wrong. He was wrong to allow Anakin to be trained. He was wrong to trust the senate enough to fight along side their army, and he was wrong about the Chancellor. But all these wrongs weren’t nearly as damaging as his being wrong about Anakin being dead, killed by Darth Vader. He told this lie to Obi-Wan and Obi-Wan in turn told this to Luke. But Luke took this lie and acted in a way that his “masters” were not strong enough to do in all their wisdom. A man whose tears bring him to the dark side is not a man replaced; he is only a man in bondage. Not knowing any of this, and despite what he had been told, Luke acted in faith. And his faith was that his father was indeed alive.

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground …take up your shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." (Ephesians 6:13-18)