When I was getting into my teenage years, I had two passions, both fairly geeky: Star Wars and philosophy. So why not get into both of those right now?
We all know about Star Wars as a modern-day mythology, where good and evil are expressed through a mystical universal energy called the Force. George Lucas used Taoism, Buddhism, and a little Judeo-Christian lore as the foundation for said mythology, but I’m looking at the saga through another school of thought: the postwar French philosophy known as Existentialism.
The central premise behind Existentialism is “Existence precedes essence.” That is to say, there is no inherent human nature or cosmological ideal at work in the universe. We are all born into an indifferent world, conscious beings free to create our own values and meaning. However, as thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir point out, few people are willing to embrace their own freedom and choose to stick to a set of values they deem “absolute.”
I want to try an existential interpretation of Star Wars, looking at the actions and choices of a few key cast members. I’ll be using selections from Simone de Beauvoir’s essay The Ethics of Ambiguity as a reference point for my arguments. In it, she outlines four responses that human beings have to the condition of their own freedom. I’ll define each type and the character I believe best exemplifies it.
I. The Nihilist
“Nihilism is disappointed seriousness which has turned back upon itself.”
The Archetype: The nihilist is someone who sees the lack of meaning in life, but refuses to make use of their own freedom. Rather than be empowered to take action, the nihilist would rather retreat into their own lives, taking shelter in conventional morality or seeking annihilation for its own sake. Life for a nihilist is simply a veil drawn over absolute void.
The Character: As a villain, Darth Vader is hardly lacking in power, wielding both authority over a galaxy-spanning empire and the deadly power of the Force. Yet as a fallen hero, Vader has let go of the freedom he once knew as a Jedi Knight. His idealism has been burned out of him, leaving him embittered and antagonistic to everyone—including his own son. Unable to find justice in the galaxy, the Dark Lord of the Sith retreats into the tyrannical order that the Empire provides. Vader also believes that he lives in a predetermined universe, as opposed to an indifferent one. He speaks of destiny, unwilling to accept the possibility of redemption until the very end. It is this existential despair that Luke is trying to break him out of in the final film.
II. The Adventurer
“He throws himself into his undertakings with zest… but he does not attach himself to the end at which he aims; only to his conquest. He likes action for its own sake.”
The Archetype: The adventurer is a step above the nihilist, accepting his inherent freedom and meaningless existence as a basis for constant action. He is, however, indifferent to creating any real meaning in his life. The only things that matter to him are fulfilling his own pleasures and seeking out his own glory.
The Character: There’s little about Han Solo that isn’t adventurous. He’s a fast-talking, free-wheeling smuggler with a heart of gold. When we first meet him, he cares only about money and being in the middle of a good fight. And unlike the nihilistic Vader, Han has no illusions about the lack of meaning in his life. As he tells Obi-Wan, “There’s no mystical energy field that controls my destiny.” Over the course of the trilogy, Han slowly becomes more concerned with genuine freedom. He could pack up and fly away with his reward at any time, but he chooses to trust in his new friends and their cause, even when it seems impossible to believe in the Empire’s eventual defeat.
III. The Passionate Man
“The passionate man is not only an inert facticity. He too is on the way to tyranny. He knows that his will emanates only from him, but he can nevertheless attempt to impose it upon others.”
The Archetype: Unlike the adventurer, the passionate man that Simone de Beauvoir describes is someone who puts his passion or goal at the center of his life. He takes a step forward in creating his own meaning, but he fails to take into account the freedom of others. All that matters to the passionate man is his own interest; everyone else is merely an object to be used in the pursuit of that interest, nothing more.
The Character: The Empire, for the most part, consists of countless men devoted to ideals of law and order by any means necessary. But for the Emperor himself, the only pursuit he’s interested in is greater power. For Palpatine, the whole galaxy exists only to serve his needs. He has accepted that there is no inherent justice or sanctity to the universe, so he feels no shame about oppressing whole planets or ordering the deaths of millions in order to secure his dominion. But despite his all-consuming passion, the Emperor is guaranteed to never be satisfied. When his plans for gathering power by turning Luke to the dark side are thwarted, all the Emperor has left is rage and spite, leaving him blind to the consequences of his own choice—namely, Vader’s betrayal and redemption.
IV. The Free Man
“To will that there be being is also to will that there be men by and for whom the world is endowed with human significations. One can reveal the world only on a basis revealed by other men.”
The Archetype: The genuinely free man is what the existentialist aspires to become. When faced with the indifference of the universe and his own existence, he embraces his freedom and recognizes his relationship to others. By acknowledging their right to create meaning in their own lives, he affirms his own freedom. The free individual does not separate himself from others like the passionate man, nor does he live only for his own gratification like the adventurer. He faces the void and casts his own light.
The Character: Luke Skywalker is the unquestionable hero and protagonist of the Star Wars saga, but he does more than simply fight for justice and protect his friends in battle (his faithful droid R2-D2 does as much every time he’s onscreen). The difference with Luke is that, time and time again, he’s continually forced to let go of his preconceptions about the world and accept existence as it is, whether it’s in seeing the charred remains of his aunt and uncle, watching his mentor die, or facing the terrible truth about the father he’s long idolized.
But even after all that, he still chooses to find meaning in life. Even when Obi-Wan and Yoda say it is his destiny to strike down Vader, Luke chooses to create his own justice and believe in the possibility of redemption. When he says to the Emperor, “I am a Jedi, like my father before me,” Luke is affirming his own freedom and the freedom of his father’s existence. This is what Vader acknowledges when he says “You were right about me.” Everyone else sees Vader—and by extension, the whole Empire—as an absolute, unmovable and irredeemable. Only Luke is willing to acknowledge his father’s freedom, and once he does, his father—and by extension, the whole galaxy—is saved.
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If you have any thoughts about existentialism or the philosophy behind Star Wars, feel free to let me know in the comments below.
Mr. Rhapsodist 