The Communion of Saints in Star Wars

Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi contains the greatest ending in the series and arguably one of the greatest in all of cinema. Luke Skywalker has defeated the evil Emperor Palpatine by laying down his lightsaber and being willing to lay down his life. This inspired his father to be a true father by laying down his life to save his son, thus being redeemed from the Dark Side so that he once again became Anakin Skywalker. After escaping the exploding second Death Star, Luke arrives on the moon of Endor and is reunited with his friends Han Solo and Leia Organa, whom he now knows is his twin sister, as well as other comrades from the Rebellion, including Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles.

In a reflective moment during the celebration, Luke looks behind him and sees the spirits of his Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi watching over him and smiling at this victory. Suddenly, there appears next to them the spirit of Anakin Skywalker, in Jedi robes. The two Masters, who were so wounded and betrayed by Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side, welcome him. Having died as Anakin, not Darth Vader, he is free to join the Jedi in their afterlife. (My biggest problem with Hayden Christensen being digitally added as Anakin in this scene, is that Sebastian Shaw, the actor who originally played Anakin in this scene, looks like Anakin would have looked if he had never fallen. Rather than resetting back to before Anakin fell to the Dark Side, the original scene completely eliminated the effects of the fall, as true redemption does.)

I think this scene has always touched me because it is such a good, visual lesson in the power of grace, and how even the worst sinner can be redeemed at the last moment. “Greater love than this no man has, than a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) As such, it is also a powerful metaphor for the communion of saints.

In Episode IV: A New Hope, when Obi-Wan and Darth Vader meet again for the first time since the fateful duel on Mustafar nineteen years earlier, Kenobi tells Vader, “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” Kenobi does not fear death but accepts it. In fact, while it appears, especially from Luke’s vantage point, that Vader kills Kenobi with a slash of his lightsaber, when Kenobi lifts his lightsaber he actually disappears before Vader’s lightsaber strikes him. He “becomes one with the Force” and his physical body disappears. Later, just before Luke’s final battle with Darth Vader, Yoda will “become one with the Force.” Although it also appears that he dies before he disappears, one can see Yoda here willing himself to become one with the Force as well.

Kenobi’s bravery and resolve in the face of evil is reminiscent of the courage of martyrs who are unafraid to lose their earthly lives. As Catholics, we know that even the most powerful of miracle-making wonder-working saints, like St. Padre Pio, are more powerful as intercessors now that they are in Heaven, in the presence of God. Heaven is beholding the Beatific Vision of God while also becoming one with Him. The disappearance of Kenobi’s physical body is reminiscent of the Old Testament figures of Enoch and Elijah (who are prophesied to return in physical form to earth in the End Times to preach against the Antichrist) and the bodily Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Just like Kenobi appears to Luke as a “Force ghost” to guide him along his journey to become a Jedi, the saints guide and aide us and have been to, in extraordinary circumstances, physically appear to offer aide and deliver messages.

Unfortunately, this aspect of the Star Wars mythos was one of many damaged by the need to explain and/or retcon so many things in the prequel trilogy. Many fans were confused when Qui-Gon Jinn did not disappear after being killed by Darth Maul in Episode I: The Phantom Menace. It was commonly believed that Jedi simply disappeared when they died. Although he never appeared as a Force ghost, it is hinted that Qui-Gon was still watching over Anakin, as his voice is heard yelling, “No, Anakin. No!” when Yoda senses the pain felt by Anakin as he massacres the Tusken Raiders in Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

This apparent plot hole is resolved in the denouement of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, when Yoda tells Obi-Wan that “In your solitude on Tatooine, training, I have for you.” Yoda then explains that Qui-Gon has “returned from the Netherworld of the Force” and has learned how to maintain one’s consciousness after death and thus manifest as a Force spirit. Yoda then tells Obi-Wan, “How to commune with him, I will teach you.”

Sadly, with language such as “communing” and the ability to become a Force spirit and appear to and communicate with the living being a technique that is learned from other Masters, this all starts to sound very New Age. In the real world, deliberately communing and attempting to communicate with spirits is a very bad idea, and can easily lead to extraordinary manifestations of the demonic.

Although the Jedi dress like medieval monks, their philosophy, vocabulary and some of their techniques have much more in common with “warrior monk” traditions of Eastern religions. Although the evil “Dark Side” is always seen as a corruption of the Force in the original trilogy, the prequels introduced the ideas of a dualistic “balance” to the Force and the sequel trilogy appears to be doubling down on this idea. Nevertheless, the original lesson of redemption that is seen powerfully illustrated in the ultimate fate of Anakin Skywalker is still a worthwhile and powerful one, that is fundamentally Christian.

*SPOILERS for Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker follow*

One of the better parts of Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, was the return of Yoda as a Force spirit. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker opens with Rey floating in the air while meditating, saying the phrase, “Be with me,” over and over again. She helpfully explains to Leia, who is completing her training, that she is not able to connect with the Jedi of the past. This is a rather obvious foreshadowing of what is to come at the climax of the movie.

Later in the film, Kylo Ren reveals what most people already guessed. He was not being completely truthful when he told Rey in The Last Jedi that her parents were “nobody.” Her father was the son of Emperor Palpatine a.k.a. Darth Sidious and his parents went into hiding, left her on Jakku and gave up their lives to keep Palpatine from taking Rey.

Rey then travels to the Kef Bir, the ocean moon of Endor (The Battle of Endor in Return of the Jedi occurred on the forest moon of Endor) to find the Sith Wayfinder that points the way to the hidden Sith planet fo Exegol. While exploring the ruins of the second Death Star that have landed there, Rey enters the ruins of the throne room where her grandfather was first defeated by Luke and Anakin Skywalker and, like Luke on Dagobah, has a vision of a Dark Side version of herself. After dueling, mortally wounding, then healing him, she travels to Ach-To, where Luke, who became one with the Force in The Last Jedi, appears to her as a Force ghost. He tells her she must face Palpatine and says, “A thousand generations live in you now. But this is your fight.” He then gives her Leia’s lightsaber and tells her to take both that and their father Anakin’s blade to confront Palpatine.

This is a statement that reflects the idea of tradition and reinforces the idea of a communion of saints. This concept is further reinforced in the climax of the film, when Rey finally makes it to Exegol. She confronts her mysteriously resurrected grandfather, who siphons off the Force power of her bond with Kylo Ren, now redeemed as Ben Solo, to rejuvenate himself. Broken and on the verge of defeat, Rey repeats her mantra from the beginning of the movie “Be with me,” and hears the voices of Jedi from the past including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Mace Windu and both Anakin and Luke Skywalker encouraging and strengthening her to stand up and destroy Palpatine.

*SPOILERS end*

More than a thousand generations of holy men and women, saints of God, live in us as part of the communion of saints. By passing through death, they have become more powerful than we can possibly imagine and can aide us if we ask.

But they are the Church Triumphant. We are the Church Militant, and this is our fight, now. But they will “be with us” if we call on their intercession as we stand and fight against evil.