As a consumate fan of "Star Wars" and a devout acolyte of history and mythology, this History Channel production held the promise of containing special appeal for me and, in this regard, it did not disappoint.
The stellar nature of "The Legacy Revealed" was due in no small part to the fact that it was directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Burns in close association with Lucasfilm, Ltd. as well as the History Channel and contains generous helpings of interviews with numerous experts and scholars in the fields of mythology, religion and history. In addition, it was nominated for three Emmy Awards in Non-Fiction: "Outstanding Special", "Outstanding Writing" and "Outstanding Direction".
As most of us were able to discern from the very beginning, the "Star Wars" collective has always represented a rather broad exposition of the timeless struggle of good against evil; however, "The Legacy Revealed" pointedly connects specific dots between characters and events in classical mythology, actual events in human history and the George Lucas series of films for us in an eminently understandable and easy-to-follow progression.
For avid students of mythology like myself, "Revealed" points out specific parallels between typical, ancient "hero's journey myths" such as those expounded by Dr. Joseph Campbell in his book "The Hero With a Thousand Faces" and the characters of Luke and Anakin Skywalkers. Like the Sumerian Gilgamesh, the Greek Achilles or Odysseus, the Jewish Moses and even the Christian Messiah Jesus, the young Skywalkers begin as common, humble -- even oppressed and enslaved -- children who, pressed by circumstance and the universe-shattering events around them, eventually rise up to become consumate warriors only to have their respective paths to power diverge at critical junctures in their lives. While the slaughter of his adoptive family spurs young Luke toward his fateful role as a Jedi knight fighting to see the triumph of the good side of The Force (a metaphor for the cosmic or divine energy prevalent in the teachings of many religions), the murder of his mother puts young Anakin on the road to his eventual conversion to the "Dark Lord", Darth Vader (which is also faintly reminiscent of Satan's Fall from Grace).
As a Baby Boomer himself, George Lucas' familiarity with the themes of WW II and his coming-of-age in the turbulent times of the Sixties are, as "Revealed" points out, evident -- right down to the Empire's Army's use of the iconic Nazi colors of black, white and red -- throughout the "Star Wars" series of films. When we see the nearly never-ending, tightly grouped, precision-drilled ranks of the Evil Empire's "battle droids", we cannot help being reminded of those huge quadrants of Hitler's goose-stepping troops we have seen march past the lens in the jerky, black and white images of vintage newsreels. (Lucas even calls them "storm-troopers".) With the historical theme also of the Republic of Ancient Rome (the peoples' representatives are even called "senators") sprinkled generously throughout -- right down to the "Ben Hur"-like pod races.
Of course, in each and every hero-myth, there must be a "villain" and "Star Wars" has no shortage of them. From the Evil Emperor to Darth Vader to the "Sith" to Jabba the Hutt, we are treated to a vast array of characters whose ultimate goal is the destruction -- or conversion to evil -- of our heroes. "Revealed" delights us when it points out the similarities between Jabba and the dragons of many Celtic myths. In such myths, it is the dragon's job to hoard both the damsel and the gold. Who could forget the scene in "The Return of the Jedi" of Carrie Fisher in that metal bikini?
The mentor (a word first coined in reference to "Mentor" who watched over Odysseus's son, Telemachus, in Homer's epic tale "The Odyssey") relationship -- a near-fixture in hero myths -- is well represented in "Star Wars" by the roles of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Qui-Gon Jinn and carry all of the necessary elements. The mentor must not only instruct the hero in the ways of warfare, philosophy and politics, it is the mentor's duty to present to the young apprentice the object that represents his destiny. For King Arthur, of course, this object came in the form of the magic sword "Excalibur" but, for the young Skywalkers, it is a light saber -- the tool of a Jedi knight -- which Obi-Wan calls "...an elegant weapon of a more civilized age...". And, as in any hero-myth, the mentor must, before the greatest test the hero must face, also necessarily vanish or die (which all of the above-referenced mentor characters in the "Star Wars" films eventually do) -- leaving the young apprentice to carry on the essence of his mentor's teachings within himself ("Use the Force, Luke...").
Another element present in a vast majority of hero-myths is the role of "jester", "hanger-on" (or "chorus" as in the tradition of the Greek tragedies), whose job it is to provide comic relief to the intensity of the dramatic plotline and/or make observations/comments on the events being portrayed. These roles are well-satisfied in "Star Wars" by the characters of Jar-Jar Binks, C3-PO and R2-D2 (a duo which resembles to a great degree the comedy teams of old such Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello or even [Dean] Martin and [Jerry] Lewis).
There are, as "Revealed" points out, however, themes within the "Star Wars" series that are unique and specific to comparatively modern (and nearly exclusively American) culture:
Tom Brokaw observes that character of Han Solo (a "loner type", as his name implies) is an archetype of the "cowboy", outlaw or gunslinger and calls all of the "Star Wars" movies "Westerns of the future". The Cantina Scene in the first episode also speaks to this interpretation.
After the battle on the fiery, lava-filled planet Mustafar (a place straight out of the Hell of the pages of Milton's "Paradise Lost"), a mature Anakin Skywalker is virtually raised from the dead by an extensive operation that makes him more machine than man -- a theme immediately reminiscent of Mary Shelly's monster in "Frankenstein".
A particularly pleasing (to me as a woman, anyway) modern "spin" that runs throughout the series is the fact that the "damsel" characters on the far-flung planets of "Star Wars" are neither helpless nor weak (as is so often the case in traditional mythology). In the very first episode, it is Princess Leia who -- when she, Luke, Han Solo and Chewbacca are pinned down by enemy fire -- grabs Luke Skywalker's blaster and blasts a hole in a grate covering an access panel to the Death Star's garbage elimination system, saying to Han Solo: "Someone has to save our skins. Into the garbage chute, Flyboy." The "evil empire" is conspicuously devoid of women: The reason being, "Revealed" asserts, because there are none of the elements that the female archetype usually represents -- such as "life", "nurturing", "grace" or "light" -- in it, Even the name of Queen Abudahla's planet, "Naboo", is mythological in nature: Nabu was a Babylonian goddess of wisdom and, so, she is the "Queen of Wisdom".
"Revealed" also draws a parallel between the brother and sister characters of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia and the Greek mythological twins Apollo and Artemis.
A large part of the impact of "Revealed" upon the viewer is due to the calibre of the professional experts who add their thoughts to the documentary by way of short interviews or vignettes throughout. A very partial list reads like a virtual "Who's Who" of academia, media, politics and literature:
- Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Stephen Colbert, Linda Ellerbee
- Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich
- Joan Breton Connelly -- American classical archaeologist and Professor of Classics and Art History at New York University
- Steven Galipeau - Marriage and Family Therapist
- Mary Henderson - Author of bestselling books on American Theater
- Edward L. Hudgins - Director of Advocacy & Senior Scholar for the Atlas Society
- Dr. John C. Lyden - Editor of "The Journal of Religion & Film" and author of "Film as Religion"
- Dr. Carl A. Rubino - Computational Linguist, Typologist and author of "Alternative Universes: Literature, Ethics, and the American Dream"
- Joss Whedon - Screenwriter, Director, Producer, Actor, Composer
The insights that "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed" brings to even the most "Star Wars"-savvy among us are truly fascinating but, even for those who have never attended a Star Trek Convention, the subject matter shows us the direction -- in a broader sense -- of modern theater and film and is very much well worth the watching...
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