In this Chapter Master Knotty Waxes Serious

I’d like to get a little serious here for a moment. I was watching “Empire” the other day and a particular scene struck me with a lot of power. Remember when Luke is whining to Yoda? “Oh, I can’t pick up the rock. I can’t pick up R2. I can’t raise my ship out of the mud. Darth Vader’s my dad, and Leia might be my sister and she’s hot, whine whine whine. . .” Well, remember when Yoda shows Luke that raising the ship out of the muck is possible?

“I don’t believe it,” says Luke.

“That is why you fail,” is Yoda’s reply.

Now, for all the fun that I poke at “Star Wars” and everything related to it, this is what being a fan is all about. That line has got to be one of the most profound lines in the entire series, if not movie-dom in general. And if you disagree not only are you stupid, you’re wrong.

See, underneath it all, “Star Wars” movies are essentially about the struggle between good and evil. That is what is great about them; all extraneous material is distilled away. Good vs. Evil. There are simply wrong things that people can do, and there are simply right things that people can do. “Star Wars” movies also touch on the concept of faith, as evidenced by the quote. Faith is believing in things which are real, but are not seen; notice how Yoda closes his eyes? I think that that was an intentional act: his eyes weren’t closed as a matter of exertion, they were closed because of the belief that he held in the force and in himself.

On the surface “Star Wars” is a simple sci-fi/fantasy story for kids. But on a deeper level it is a myth for our time. It underscores important values: friendship, service, faith, and sacrifice. “The Odyssey” has a pretty simple story too: man heads off to seek riches and stuff, has adventures, tries to get back to his wife. . .and finally does. The most complicated story doesn’t necessarily translate into good cinema. Sometimes the simplest approach is the best.

This isn’t a very long article; but believe me, if I wasn’t as tired as I am, I could write pages about this stuff. I just want to close with this: the “Star Wars” movies are modern myths and important films. Do not let others brain-wash you into believing otherwise! This is Master Knotty, signing off.

May the force be with you. . .