3 Reasons a Christian Can Relate to 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'
We have had nearly two weeks to digest the most recent entry in the "Star Wars" franchise, "The Last Jedi". And while professional reviews tend to be very positive, many longtime fans have been quite critical of some of the story elements of the movie. Some fans insist that some parts of the story were a waste and were pointless. Some have claimed that the movie ruined the iconic hero of Luke Skywalker. These criticisms might very well be valid. But I would like to consider a few of the unpopular elements of the story, and what I believe is an important theme that ties them together. It is a theme that should actually resonate with imperfect people who follow a perfect Savior in Jesus Christ.
My blog, Walking With a Limp, is about life and faith from the perspective of brokenness, imperfection, weakness, and a past full of mistakes. We walk through life and our faith journey with a metaphorical (and sometimes literal) limp. I especially relate to stories of humble beginnings and ongoing struggles, chronic impediments, epic failures, victories that come from huge underdogs, and unexpected heroes. So, wouldn't a "Star Wars" movie be the last place I would go for inspiration?
If you haven't seen the movie, SPOILERS AHEAD, so turn back now. What follows is not a proper "review" of the movie. I am just considering what I believe is an important theme in the movie that should resonate with us as Christians.
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One of the important themes to understanding the movie (although it was only explicitly stated once in a surprise cameo from a famous green puppet) was the value of failure. We learn and grow the most from failure. But failure is not popular and does not sell well; watching failure on the big screen does not make us feel good. To see a lot of failure in a movie from a franchise built on cosmic-level successes is surprising, and from my perspective, refreshing. Here are three examples of failure in "The Last Jedi"...
1) Finn and Rose
A lot of reviews of "The Last Jedi" criticized the entire mission of Finn and Rose as being out of place. At 2.5 hours in length, the movie may have been much more succinct without wasting so much time on side missions attempted by Finn that didn't work. Finn and Rose attempted a risky, daring, multi-step "swing for the fences" mission to infiltrate Snoke's ship. Their attempt to find the right codebreaker at the casino failed. They picked up another guy who would ultimately betray them. Their attempt to break in to the enemies' ranks and shut down their tracking devices failed. Everything completely failed! It wasn't even that they got caught, had a battle, escaped, and managed to make something good happen. They failed, and it resulted in a lot more damage and lives lost.
2) Poe
Poe's attempts at playing the big-time hero, and staging a mutiny within the Resistance, failed. We all expected his brave heroism would save the day. I believe it is because we tend to idolize those big, splashy successes. But in the end, Poe's efforts were not brave and heroic; he failed and was reckless, leading to more damage and lives lost. It ultimately didn't help at all.
3) Luke Skywalker
We see ways in which Luke Skywalker had failed miserably. In flashbacks, learn the fate of Luke's Jedi training school. He tried to play hero and change Ben Solo when he noticed evil rising up. He thought he could change and save Ben. And after he realized it was too late, he contemplated murdering Ben. And then the chaos really began. We see Luke quitting, cynical, and not caring that other people are threatened. This legend is embarrassed and ashamed, and admits that he just ran away to die. Everything transpiring after his great victory in "The Return of the Jedi" was all an epic failure. And he was content with letting the Jedi Order just die out, and calling it a failure for the galaxy.
What I like about the story, and all of the little converging stories, is that sometimes, the good guys don't wiggle out of a failure to salvage some kind of success. That happens all the time in movies, even previous "Star Wars" movies. A plan goes into action, something goes wrong, tension builds, but the good guys are still able to make something good happen against the odds. Those scenarios cannot be called total failure. But Poe, Finn, and Rose just failed, period. Luke's school failed, and it put the galaxy at risk. The grandiose stuff didn't work. I don't think we needed to see, for example, Finn and Rose's mission succeed on some level for it to have any value in the movie. I think we needed to see total failure and how they responded, because that is a huge theme in the movie, and in life.
The lessons that Leia tried to impart to Poe, and Yoda to Luke, being humble and wise, and learning from one's mistakes, ruled the day. A character that didn't learn from mistakes (Poe) ended up needing to be hit with the stun gun. The one who learned from failure (Luke) ultimately saved the day.
I know in my own life that if I spent nearly as much time reflecting on my failures as I do patting myself on the back for successes, I would be a far wiser person. I would be a better husband, father, and follower of Jesus. I am grateful for these reminders in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi".
"The greatest teacher, failure is." - Yoda
