Star Wars Geek

I think that I've seen each of the six Star Wars movies about 50 times each.  When I was teaching Jazz Band, after our concerts we would play the Star Wars Trivial Pursuit game.  I had a few "kindred spirits" in the group. :)

Some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around watching movies with my family.  We love movies, and I think we all enjoy the Star Wars movies.  The Empire Strikes Back was in theaters when I was going through my cancer treatments, and I remember my mom and I stopping to watch it late one night when we were on our way home from the hospital.  It was a special treat, as we didn't have a lot of money, and seeing a movie in the theatre was a big deal.

George Lucas is a genius, and I've always believed that if he were to learn about the LDS religion, he would find that his movies have a lot in common with our faith.  One of my favorite scenes is in the Empire Strikes Back when Yoda is training Luke on how to recognize the dark side from the good.  It is exactly how you recognize the Spirit--when you are at peace.  There are too many parallels to mention, and it would all be the "gospel according to Amie," so I won't elaborate any further. :)

I remember seeing all three of the prequels in the theaters.  I think we took Ian to see the first episode when he was still in a car seat.  He sat very still and watched the entire thing.  (Well, at least it looked that way...)  While the first two episodes were visually stunning, and helped to flesh out the story of how the characters in the last three episodes came to be, I was rather underwhelmed.

The third episode affected me very much.  In fact, I think I cried in the theater the first time I saw it.  To watch a person go down that slippery slope to the dark side was difficult for me.  It was especially difficult to watch this character I had grown up with go from being an innocent child to someone so evil. 

This movie was on TV today and I was again affected by it.  What hit me today was how much the Chancellor/Emperor is like Satan.  He gained Anakin's trust and then used that friendship and exploited it for his own purposes.  He flattered Anakin into believing that his power was the only way to bring peace to the galaxy.  In this way the Chancellor was able to get Anakin to turn his back on the good and to do his bidding in destroying the Jedi.

 In the Book of Mormon, we learn more about how Satan does this:

2nd Nephi 2:22-23

22 And there are also secret ^acombinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the ^bdevil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and ^cworks of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.

23 For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in ^adarkness.

In the Doctrine and Covenants, section 10, we learn how he flatters us and leads us to do evil for him. 

25 Yea, he saith unto them: ^aDeceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy; behold, this is no harm. And thus he flattereth them, and telleth them that it is no sin to ^blie that they may catch a man in a lie, that they may destroy him.

26 And thus he ^aflattereth them, and leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to ^bhell; and thus he causeth them to catch themselves in their own ^csnare.

Am I comparing the gospel of Christ to a Star Wars movie?  Absolutely not, but the paralells are interesting and to me are an example of the power of the "dark side" in our lives.  It starts small, but soon we are trapped and are led by that flaxen cord down to hell.  Recognizing the Spirit in our lives and avoiding those things that would allow us to become ensnared is what will keep us from becoming someone we don't want to be.  Happiness is temporary; true joy is forever.