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For die-hard fans like me, Star Wars is not just a film franchise we immerse ourselves in, in order to escape reality. Instead, Star Wars is a modern mythology from which we gain inspiration in our individual lives; it is a story that presents important themes which can profoundly impact one’s character, spirituality, and even their own relationships.

I first saw the original Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes IV, V, and VI) as a child and, as I grew older, I came to love the films more and more. I also came to appreciate the philosophies and ideas that the films carry. And, for me, one of the most significant elements of the films is the role of father figures in our lives.

Star Wars shows us that biological fathers are not always the only significant “fathers” in our lives. Grandfathers, teachers, friends, brothers, and men of many other roles can serve as father figures. Through these “fathers,” we learn and we grow– We learn from their mistakes and limitations and we are inspired by their successes and strengths. Father figures can have a profound impact on our decisions and the people we become. This is just as true for Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

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1.) Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi: The Supportive Father
As most of us are well aware, Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s father. But the first major Star Wars father/son relationship fans are exposed to is that of Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi and Luke.

Ben is probably the most nurturing, positive, supportive, and encouraging of Luke’s father figures. Based on the bond they share and the love they clearly have for each other, I would argue that Ben is the perfect father for Luke.

Luke is, arguably, the most devastated by Ben’s death, out of all of the deaths of father figures that he experiences. And, even after he passes, Ben continues to guide Luke as a Force Ghost. Ben helps Luke in his journey to become a Jedi and save the galaxy.

In real life, we could see Ben’s ghost as a metaphor for Luke’s cherished memory of him. In our own lives, the memories we hold dear of people who have passed away, and who we loved and looked up to, guide us in life just as Ben’s ghost guides Luke. Also, because Ben was probably the best of Luke’s father figures, he is someone Luke tries to emulate the most. This is reminiscent to when we remember what we learned from loved ones who are no longer with us and are inspired to live by their example– Ben is the father Luke loves, admires, and tries to live up to.
However, Luke eventually becomes disillusioned when, in Empire Strikes Back, he discovers that Vader is his father—Luke cries out in agony and later says, sadly, “Ben, why didn’t you tell me?”

To protect Luke, Ben had sheltered him from the truth about his father’s identity which hurts Luke.

This is an important and honest example of how the parent/child relationship changes and develops over time. Star Wars is illustrating here what is often true, in our real lives, with our own parents and loved ones who are good people like Ben—When those we love make decisions we do not understand and/or agree with, whether their intentions are noble or not, we are initially shocked and hurt. And that experience changes our perception of them, as well as our perception of ourselves and the world around us.

But, eventually (and hopefully), we are able to realize they did the best they could out of love for us. For Luke, this is a major developmental moment in his life and in his sense of self because he is able to forgive Ben, which, I would argue, teaches him the value of that kind of forgiveness and helped him segue into being able to forgive Vader.

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2.) Yoda : The Nothing-Is-Ever-Quite-Good-Enough Father
Another incredibly important father figure to Luke, is Yoda. And Yoda is very different than Ben.

It’s not just because he is a little green, pointy-eared alien who talks strange and sounds kind of like Fozzie the Bear. (Shout out to Frank Oz!)

Yoda is a teacher to Luke just as Ben is, but, unlike Ben, he is more harsh and impatient with Luke. Yoda is an idealist and pushes Luke to strive for perfection. In Luke’s first encounter with Yoda, Yoda seemingly does not even want to teach Luke to become a Jedi because Luke exhibits a lack of patience. (Which is ironic considering Yoda’s initial frustrations.)

“I cannot teach him,” Yoda says. In this scene, Yoda is coming up with reasons not to teach Luke because he is trying to get Luke to realize that his attitude towards becoming a Jedi needs to be changed. This shows that Yoda is the type of father figure who pushes Luke to take responsibility for himself and not make excuses. Yoda will not coddle and is certainly not as protective of Luke’s emotions as Ben was.

Yoda is similar to a father who, when you show him something you have been working really hard on, he looks over and says, “Good, now do it better.”

Having a father like this, who pushes and wants you to be very independent, can be difficult for many people. It can leave a child feeling angry and that they are not good enough. However, there is something positive to be said for a father like Yoda; whenever Yoda pushes Luke to go farther, it’s because he knows Luke can do better. It means that Yoda has faith in Luke and wants him to be the absolute best he can be, to meet his potential.

Throughout his time on Dagobah, Luke gives his all to improving himself because of Yoda’s teaching. And, while he probably realizes that Yoda will never be fully satisfied with his accomplishments, he keeps going because he has learned that he can always excel. Even on Yoda’s death bed, when Luke declares himself a Jedi, Yoda tells him he is not yet a Jedi.

Aside from wanting Luke to fulfill the task of defeating Vader, this could also be because Yoda wants Luke to maintain the attitude of always trying to improve.

Though it is difficult, Luke is able to look beyond the staggeringly high standards of Yoda and learn a great deal from him. This takes a significant amount of strength on Luke’s part but it could be argued Luke found some of that strength from the positive reinforcement he received from Ben. To summarize the effects of Yoda’s teachings, it seems the Luke Skywalker of Return of The Jedi does not half-ass anything.

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3.) Uncle Owen: The Over-Protective Father
And what about Uncle Owen? Uncle Owen doesn’t get much screen time but it is important to acknowledge him. In reality, Owen would probably be the closest thing to a father for Luke because he is the one who raised him.

Owen is the one who tells Luke to stay on the farm because he needs his help during the harvest season. And, flashing back to real life, a lot of people can relate to this situation — Many fathers want their sons and daughters to go into the family business and have guaranteed security when they grow up.

Furthermore, Uncle Owen doesn’t want Luke to leave because he doesn’t want him to end up like Vader. Fair enough.

This shows that Owen is the protective sort of father who does not want to push Luke outside his comfort zone. But he does it out of love and concern for his overall well-being and safety.

Owen serves as a father who values a simple life, hard work, and family. This is an important thing for Luke to be exposed to. — Luke is already a good person when the audience is introduced to him because he comes from humble beginnings and a household of love and strong values; we can thank Uncle Owen for that. (And, in no small part, Aunt Beru!)

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4.) Vader: The Seemingly All-About-His-Career Father
Vader is Luke’s biological father. His heart is full of anger and pain and he puts the expansion of the empire and his ascension to the throne above all else.

This is much like a father who is career-driven or simply consumed by other things in his life which can result in unhealthy relationships with his family. Luke clearly opposes Vader; Luke fights for the Rebellion and believes in the light side of the force. He is against everything his father stands for.

Some people are very different than their fathers. And, needless to say, that can create conflict. Sometimes, fathers make their children feel like they do not understand them and hurt them or make them angry.

I think this can be said for Luke in that Vader values power over good and Luke fights to be a champion of good.
This relationship is so significant because it illustrates that, as challenging as differences can be between father and child, the love is still always there–

In the end, Vader puts his son first and saves Luke from being killed by the Emperor. This shows that Vader, despite his beliefs and devotions, loves his son. This can be true in real life when, in spite of all the disagreements and differences of personalities between a father and child, most often, a father still loves his child, whether the child doesn’t see that love or has faith that it is there.

Granted, if one’s father were a psychopathic killer, it would be more than just a feeling of, “Gee, my father doesn’t understand where I’m coming from when I tell him it is wrong to murder people.” But, again, it should be pointed out that Star Wars is a modern myth, and in myth, we find truths for our own lives. And the symbolism of a father and son in conflict is important to acknowledge.

The significance of Luke’s father/son relationship with Vader is not just that the two clash; it is also that Vader, the father, is a flawed human being.

It is a hard moment when we realize this about our own fathers. As children, we tend to view our fathers as superheroes just as Luke probably imagined his father as a heroic pilot before he learned his father was really Vader.

However, like Luke, one day, we all see that our fathers are not always right; they’re not always the superheroes we want them to be. This doesn’t mean that all dads are Sith Lords bound on galactic conquests. But it does mean that our fathers can make bad decisions in response to the imperfections of their own lives. And that’s just part of being human.

Despite the differences of Luke and Vader, they are similar because of their feelings– Luke’s love for him saves Vader from darkness and, in response, Vader’s love for Luke saves Luke from death.

It is hard to say how Luke grows through his interactions with Vader because the story does not continue past Return of the Jedi. But it is safe to say that it is something positive because Luke chose to spare his father out of love for him and his father chose to embrace love for Luke. Whether he learned the power of unconditional love, forgiveness, faith, something else, or all of those things, Luke experienced great growth by developing a brief yet loving relationship between himself and his father in spite of their differences. This is something we should all hope for in our relationships with our fathers with whom we, undoubtedly, share differences and have disagreements with.

In the end, Luke does not become a farmer as Owen wanted, he does not follow all of the guidance that Ben and Yoda provided him with, and he does not join the Dark Side as Vader wished him to. Instead, Luke absorbs the influences of all his father figures and becomes his own man and an extraordinary individual; he takes in what is positive for his personal growth and rejects what he knows goes against the character of the person he wants to be.

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Jacob Sangiorgio

Jacob Sangiorgio (Jake to his friends) is a philosopher, filmmaker, and all around swell guy. He is a Star Wars and Star Trek enthusiast who believes in having fun when you are not supposed to. Most people like Jake because he is funny and nice to talk to so if someone doesn't like Jake, that means they are evil. Jake thinks Legion of Leia is awesome and is honored to provide periodic commentary.