Some people have said that Star Wars is one of the greatest movies of all time. I happen to be a huge fan of The Star Wars Trilogy. However, some Christians find it offensive to our religion. They think that it depicts life without a God and the worship of a powerful spiritual sense known as the Force. I am going to write about how Star Wars does tie in some way to our religion, and that way is through Jesus Christ.

First of all, I must define what Christology is. Christology is the study of Jesus Christ in our daily lives. Our main source to find the details of Christology is in the Bible. The Bible tells us of Jesus’ birth, preaching life, death on the cross, and his glorious resurrection. It gives us these major events in his life to us in great detail.

There are numerous qualities that make Jesus a role model to us all. One is how he gave up his life to free us all from sin. Despite his human side fearing the pain and suffering he knew he must bear, Jesus went along and carried out his Father’s will. He then came back and showed us that there is more to life after death, and how we can join the Father and Jesus in heaven if we do what our Father tells us to do. We are also instructed to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and his example to live a full and prosperous life.

I believe that Luke Skywalker is the Christ-like figure in Star Wars (although no one can really be compared to Christ). He helps others save others lives in a physical matter, but he also does it in a spiritual and emotional matter. He helps others to understand that they should never give up and always persist, because eventually that will lead to glory in your life. He is one of the main characters in Star Wars, and he is one of the most complex people to understand in the movie.

One of the similarities between Jesus and Luke is how they save people’s lives. Luke saves his friends Leia, Chewbacca, and Han physically (he also saves Han’s spiritual self by turning him from a smuggler to a nice, kind, gentle guy), and Luke saves Darth Vader (Anakin Skywalker) from the life of the Galactic Empire and using the Force for evil just before his father dies. Jesus saved all of us from our sins by hanging on the cross. Jesus helped people to achieve spiritual happiness and healed numerous sick and dying people. He cured people with leprosy, blindness, and resurrected a few people from the dead. He healed many more people spiritually, such as Saul, and helped others realize the importance of life.

Another factor that is very similar between the two is how they each resisted temptation. Jesus resisted temptation from the devil many times, such as when he was in the desert and while he hung on the cross. Luke resists the temptation by the Emperor, whom I consider the "devil" of this movie. The powerful Emperor tells Luke such things like "It is your destiny," "It is unavoidable," and "You, like your father are now…mine." Just when Luke is about to give in, the Emperor tells Luke to kill his father and take his place at the Emperor’s side. At that moment, he tells the Emperor he has failed and that he won’t join the Dark Side. (Return of the Jedi)

The last similarity I found was how each of them did something that they had to do, but didn’t want to do. Jesus tells his Father in the Agony in the Garden how he doesn’t want to die on the cross, but he knows that he must fulfill his Father’s wishes. When Yoda tells Luke that Darth Vader is really his father, and that he must confront Vader in order to be a true Jedi Knight. Though Luke doesn’t want to, he is persuaded to do so by Yoda and Obi-Wan. (Return of the Jedi)

As I watched the trilogy for the umpteenth time for this project, I stopped to think who each of the characters was similar to in the Bible. As I mentioned previously, Luke is Jesus and the Emperor is the devil. I feel that Darth Vader is like Saul because he realized that he was wrong and turned to good after a confrontation with Luke, just as Saul turned to good after he saw an apparition of Jesus. Yoda is similar to the Father because he instructed Luke in the ways of the Force and to use his powers to save others, like Jesus is helped by God in using his miraculous powers to save other people. Obi-Wan is similar to the Holy Spirit, in my opinion. My reasoning is not only because of a "three-in-one" relationship between Yoda, Luke, and Obi-Wan, but also because he inspires Luke to become a Jedi just like the Holy Spirit inspires each and every one of us.

Another factor in The Star Wars Trilogy is the use of an unexplainable power given to some people known simply as the Force. Unlike the heresies during the early life of the Church, the people who have the Force feel that they aren’t any better than others, but they know that it is a great help to others if used for good, but a devastation if used for bad. The Force is not something that they worship; they don’t really have a religion, or there is at least no mention of one. The Force seems to be a way of life for those who are spiritually at peace.

Perhaps the Force is best described by Yoda when he says to Luke, "For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you—here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere! Yes, even between the land and the ship." This occurs after Luke fails at the cave and to get his ship out of the murky water on Degobah. At the time, Luke thinks that it is just babble and simply states, "You want the impossible." However, in time and after more training, Luke realizes the true meaning of these wise words of Yoda. (The Empire Strikes Back)

The theme of The Star Wars Trilogy is a simple factor used commonly in all movies that have a conflict between good and bad, which is how in the end, the good guys triumph over the bad guys and peace is restored to the galaxy. This movie has many confusing plots, and few understand it the first time they watch it. However, the main storyline of these three films is how Jabba the Hutt, an evil gangster, is killed by the good guys (Leia, Han, and Luke), the destruction of the Galactic Empire by the Rebel Alliance, and the termination of the Emperor by an evil person who turned to good.

This factor can be applied to the Bible in stating that in the end, the forces of God will finally conquer Satan and all that is evil and, at last, peace will be restored to our world. There will be no more war, famine, or poverty, and we will all finally be able to live in harmony as one.

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