The Problem of Redemption in the Star Wars’ Universe

I was scrolling through my Facebook the other day when I saw a meme referencing the scene in the prequels when Anakin Skywalker murders all the Jedi including young children. If you are unfamiliar with the overall story of Star Wars [Spoilers Ahead!] then you might not know that it is Anakin who becomes Darth Vader, possibly one of the most iconic villains every created. You also might not know that this villain’s story actually ends in redemption. As soon as Luke Skywalker (Anakin’s son and hero of the original triliogy) finds out that Darth Vader did not kill his father but actually was his father he begins to insist that there is still good in Anakin. Indeed at the end of Return of the Jedi when the evil emperor, who Darth Vader serves, is about to kill Luke, Vader kills the emperor himself at the cost of his own life. We then see him in the Jedi “afterlife” with other heroes who had died.

Now I love the Star Wars series. I can still remember being a kid and being so excited to see them for the first time. I was hooked. I even enjoyed the three prequels more than most, and I’m very excited about the new movies. I think there are legitimately some great themes that are woven throughout the whole narrative of Star Wars. However, I think some of these themes are flawed at their core, and when I saw that meme it reminded me that the theme of redemption in Star Wars is a good example of a flawed theme. Redemption in the Star Wars’ metanarrative is flawed because it is something that someone earns themselves, and often it is through one good act that somehow erases all the heinous acts that came before it. Even though Darth Vader turned to the dark side, giving into his anger and hate, and became a truly evil person (even though he has become a very likable villain culturally), he is able to redeem himself by killing someone more evil than himself. Even in The Force Awakens [More Spoilers!] it is implied that Kylo Ren will be redeemed even after all the evil he has done including killing Han Solo, his own father.

I hope you can clearly see the problem with a Star Wars’ understanding of redemption. In the Star Wars universe, redemption is earned, often through one sacrificial act. This actually is not too far from the truth except that Darth Vader earned his own redemption. His own act saved himself. This is not how redemption works in the real universe in which you and I live. You cannot earn your own redemption, it was earned for you. You cannot give up your own life for redemption, rather another had to willingly give up his own life for you. You see, compared to God’s holy and perfect standard we are all evil. Romans 3 says there is no one who does good, no not one. We are all separated from God deserving his wrath, so we all need redemption. We have no hope to do anything worthy of redemption. Nothing we do can make up for how we have already fallen short of God’s perfect standard. Jesus Christ, God himself, had to take on our frail flesh and die for us. It was his one sacrifical act that earns our redemption. So my prayer is then that if you do not know Christ that you would not try to earn your redemption. You would need to travel to a fictional galaxy far, far away for that. Rather I pray that you would find redemption the only place it can be found — at the cross of Jesus Christ.