The Theme of Duality and Balance in the Star Wars Universe

Since discussing the meaning of "The Phantom Menace" when it was first announced, I have been facinated by Lucas's strict construction of these films from the title, down to the characters, settings and actions. I seek to delve into this somewhat in this topic. Much of it will doubtless be a redundant rambling of ideas that have been discussed throughout the years of this forum, but I seek to combine this discussion into a more comprehensive form (and am hopeful to gain your help through your participation in discussion).

The films are commonly classified into two trilogies. This is obviously the first duality to this epic saga. The movies within these trilogies, as compared against each other, both paralel and contradict each other. To illustrate this, lets look at the "pairings" of movies within the trilogies. We should see a common theme of duality and balance.

The Phantom Menace vs. A New Hope

The Titles and Characters
The titles for these two movies not only provide a description of the movies themsleves, but go further to set the direction for their respective trilogies. "The Phantom Menace" is an unseen force that will destroy the world. As the movie progresses, we can see that each of the characters have the potential to be a "phantom menace" to the story. Anakin is the obvious choice, as we already know what he will become. Palpatine/Sidious is perhaps the best answer because he is both the phantom and the menace. Qui-Gon proves something of a meance to the Jedi Council in his ideological differances. Obi-Wan is a menace to Qui-Gon as he provides a foil to his master's ideas, constantly reminding him that the Council will not approve of them. Later, Obi-Wan can even be seen as a menace because he agrees to take on Anakin as an apprentince, thereby unwittingly ("phantomly"?) sending him on the path of the Jedi's destruction. Padme is only a menace in the same way that Obi-Wan is in unknowingly leading Anakin to his downfall. The Republic itself is a phantom menace, as we get the idea that it is too big, too bureaucratic, it is ripe for a fall. We see that there is not really one phantom menace, but everything involved is a phantom menace. It is this phantom menace which disrupts the theme of balance or lack thereof ("He will bring balance to the force" assumes that it currently is out of balance).

"A New Hope" likewise provides a story full of new hopes. Luke is the obvious "New Hope" to bring the Jedi back to the universe and turn Anakin back (does he also then put the force back out of balance?). He is new, in that he is not only young, but the "newest" Skywalker, and he is "hopeful" ("I believe," "It's not impossible"). Obi-Wan is reborn as a new hope himself. He now seeks to atone for his failings with Anakin by teaching his son. Han is a new hope for the struggling rebellion by providing a leadership and friendship after he turns from his more selfish intentions. Leia is a new hope in her leadership for the rebellion. The rebellion is a new hope for a galaxy suffering under an oppresive empire.

Settings
There isn't much significance in the settings aside from them illustrating the very tight construction Lucas has acheived in the movie. Both movies start in space with the dominant "force power" in the galaxy entering the ships of some troublesome, but minor, antithesis. In "A New Hope" we see Vader entering the rebel Blockade Runner. In "The Phantom Menace" it is Qui-Gon and ObiWan entering the Trade Federation Ship. Lucas shows us through the setting who the dominant "force" in the force is. In the prequels, it is the Jedi, and in the Classic trilgy, it is the Sith, Both movies then move to a terrestrial planet, also ecoing the state of the galaxy. Naboo is a lush environment full of life (life is a common "power source" for the good side of the force). Whereas Tatooine is barren, echoing the desolation of the galaxy under the Empire. Also showing duality, both films end in a space battle.

Duality and Balance

The theme of duality and balance a

 

Revenge of the Sith vs. Return of the Jedi

Titles
This is the only thing we can truly discuss at this point. The titles complete the themes introduced in the first movies. The "New Hope" is now a Jedi who returns to disrupt the balance or lack thereof, while Anakin is a "Sith" who seeks to do the same.

ROTJ also could mean the return of the Jedi ways that Luke is now going to pass on, and the Return of Anakin Skywalker, the real Jedi who finally brought balance.

The rest looks good, but I just thought I should add this little part.

 

I believe BALANCE is the key to the whole Saga. If we were to view episodes in chronological order, we would see that the balance is upset. That the reason Anakin is born is to bring balance. Therefore with Anakin going to the darkside there is no balance to the force. Not until Return of the Jedi does the galaxy achieve balance.

Like YTAP has stated there could be different meanings to each title. I believe that Return of the Jedi is stating the Return of Anakin Skywalker.

Jag29

 

nice job ytap.
balance in star wars seems to reflect another reference to eastern religions - the yin and yang of it all. it's like our adage "all things in moderation" but the irony is - that statement itself is an oxymoron, in that it speaks of extremes, as in "all".

 

I believe Lucas transcripts a new definition (or perhaps, in a way, an excisting one), of Duality, Good versus Evil, to, basicly, the western world (eventually to the whole world ofcourse). I believe Lucas is giving us a vision which fits within the modern age, which is part of our 'modern times'. Here goes.

Traditionally, the western world her idealogy is based upon identifying with the good in order to defeat, the other, the evil. The question, ofcourse, rises then, what is good and what is evil?
Well, for now, that will be left to see.

Lucas tells us that every individual has a light and a darkside, a good and a bad side. If you follow this idea towards it's conclusion, this means this dualistic ideology is, eventually pointed towards itself; it is fighting itself. This goes hand in hand with the symbiotical principle, which had a prominent place in TPM.

-The Square vs the Circle
The world today is no longer a totality of independant elements (countries) which have limited influence upon eachother (Newton his vision upon reality), but rather a cyclic whole with elements which continually influance eachother. (Lucas his vision upon reality).

-Conclusion
I think Lucas is saying were all one, and whe should stop fighting eachother, cause in the end, were only fighting, and hurting ourselves.

Who makes the first step? Everything starts with trust.

I don't believe it will be a country, I believe it will be a human, a free, balanced individual, who's prepared to take a risk, who understands the laws of the universe, and one whom can say no to power, and therefor can lay down his weapons and reach out a hand. Peace!

 

This forum has the BEST threads! I love you guys!

 

Upping for new discussion.

 

Attack of the Clones vs. The Empire Strikes Back

Settings
I find it interesting that Kamino and Cloud City both look similar and share somewhat of the same plot. First, there are of course a few differences. Obi-Wan arrives at Kamino to find out more about who wants to kill Padmé. Han, Leia & co goes to Cloud city to escape the empire. And yet, both settings is not what they seem to be. On Kamino Obi-Wan learns about the clone army, on Cloud city Han and friends are betrayed and later Luke learns that Vader is his father. In other words, it is at these two settings that treachery and deceptions are revealed. There's also a visual parallell I see because to me both Kamino and Cloud city comes off as very clean and sterile. Kamino seems suspicious right from the start (there's something very omnious about those dark clouds and stormy water) Cloud City achieves the same affect by moving from light clouds to a darker setting as the Falcon lands at the platform.

 

Endings

The Phantom Menace/A New Hope

Both endings are subversive. On the surface, they appear to be celebrating victory for the "good" guys, but beneath the thin veneer of jubilance, they are actually stressing defeat - a political one in the case of TPM and a moral one in the case of ANH. Although john Williams denies the intent, some people claim to hear the Emperor's theme either transposed or played at a higher tempo at the close of Episode I. Even if this is pure fantasy, no one can deny the presence of Palpatine at centre frame (or thereabouts). Likewise, some people cite Lucas' framing of the Rebellion award ceremony as eerily similar to that of Leni Riefenstahl's framing of Hitler et al in her seminal propaganda film "Triumph of the Will". This might be Lucas suggesting that victory through aggressive means is a hollow victory - even for people fighting oppression (which is consistent with much else in the saga). Considering Lucas' extensive knowledge and appreciation for the medium of film, he's almost certainly seen "Triumph of the Will" numerous times (in his draft scripts, he even referred to an artificial construct that he called "Journal of the Whills").

Attack of the Clones/The Empire Strikes Back

Both endings are framed over enormous vistas (one land-bound, one space-bound) and suggest ambiguous futures. R2-D2 and C-3P0 - the noble peasants and virtuous storytellers of the Star Wars saga* - also share a significant piece of the frame. Where will Anakin and Padme's forbidden love and secret union lead? What will become of Luke now he's gained an artificial hand, like Vader, and learnt of his true parentage?

* The droids are the implicit storytellers of Star Wars. They help frame the narrative in A New Hope and even TELL the narrative in Return of the Jedi (Threepio's audio-based summary of Episodes IV and V to the Ewoks). R2-D2 keeps a "vigil" of sorts on Anakin in the prequels and does the same with Luke in the original trilogy, and in Lucas' original conception for "Journal of the Whills", it is Artoo that survives one hundred years into Episode VI's future and recounts the tale of the entire Star Wars saga to the mysterious Whills. In a certain fictional sense, the opening text scrolls and films are derived from the Whills' interpretation of Artoo's memory.

Revenge of the Sith/Return of the Jedi

Both endings appear to stress human bonds and hopefulness. At the close of Episode III, Yoda and Obi Wan do something unprecedented - they give Luke and Leia away and entrust them to non-Jedi parents. Unlike previous Jedi, Luke and Leia will know the warmth of human kindness, human compassion and human relationships. At the close of Episode VI, Luke returns to Endor - to his Jedi mentors and father in spiritual form and his flesh and blood family and friends. Luke can have his cake and eat it. Thanks to the warm upbringing begun at the close of Episode III, he has become a new breed of Jedi, poised to bring peace and justice to the galaxy. The Force is truly balanced.

 

This is my kind of topic

the strongest links to "balance", if you will, are from the following combinations of movies.

Apart from looking at the the overall balance of the saga- (Ep1-Ep4, Ep2-Ep5, Ep3-Ep6), and the blatantly obvious ways the story connects when in numerical order, a great deal of the meaning of the saga can be found through watching the following combinations, each of 2 movies.
I should add, if you know the movies well, it helps to try changing which of the two movies you watch first:

Revenge of the Sith >< The Phantom Menace: Between these two movies are the most frequent hidden links. Many are related to how the world is different in the time of Obi-Wan's and Anakin's training, others give much more depth to the the overall meaning of Revenge of the Sith and The Phantom Menace. Others are cool "easter egg" type fillers. But there are absolutely heaps of them, believe me.

Revenge of the Sith >< Return of the Jedi: This has arguably the most important hidden links (some of them not so hidden fortunately). They relate mostly to Vader's failure and redemption, the spooky similarity in the nature of Anakin's failure and Luke's success, and of course; Sidious's rise and fall. Plus, I think it is safe to say, heaven and hell comparisons, among several other topics, such as politics.

Revenge of the Sith >< A New Hope: These similarities are easier to notice than the other combos, but it goes deeper than many assume. These are great movies to watch together for balance.

The Phantom Menace >< Return of the Jedi
This one is the most confusing to pick up at first, but it is worth the time to think it through. Once you realise the interweaving nature of Ep1 and Ep3, and the interweaving nature of Ep3 and Ep6, the link between these is very strong. It seems mostly related to the "prophecy" of Anakin.
It may sound dumb, but think about, and I mean really think about, the similarities, yet total opposites, of the Gungan and Ewok battle. They may happen in opposites eras (during the most peaceful time of the Republic, and during the strongest reign of the Empire), yet they are so similar when you compare the two battles to the Wookie battle in ROTS. They all die. Suddenly the Gungans and the Ewoks have a reason to be in the saga - contrast.
It all links up.
TPM: Anakin innocently destroys the droid control ship (in space), so the Droids shut down. This saves the captured Gungans on land.
ROTS: Anakin turns. The Wookies die directly after, but not without a fight. Anakin goes and kills the Seperatists in cold-blood. The droids are shut down.
ROTJ: The Ewoks save the captured Rebels, and they deactivate the deathstar shield (on land). This helps the Rebels in space. This time, Anakin has no part in it. But he becomes Anakin again just before the deathstar is destroyed.


The Phantom Menace >< Attack of the Clones (Not balance, but many opposites.)
For one, look at the conversation Padme has with Palpitine before leaving Coruscant to return to Naboo. "Stay here, where it's safe!" he pleads. Think about that in the context of her return in ATOC's opening. BOOM! Safe indeed.

When I watched the movies with these links in mind, I realised the depth of Lucas's vision. You start to notice things tenfold. And there is ten times more in the movies to prove the links are meant to be there, than there is to prove it is made up. I've looked at it critically, there aren't flaws.
I'll post some proper examples in the next few days, I'm a little busy. (though you wouldn't think it from the length of my posts )

 

Some basic examples)

ep1 - Obi-Wan watches Qui-Gon die, unable to help him: "Noooo!"
ep4 - Luke watches Obi-Wan die, unable to help him: "No!"

ep2 - A spark of Vader exists in Anakin when he loses his mother.
ep5 - A spark of Anakin exists in Vader when he discovers his son.

ep3 - The Star Destroyers keep the Seperatists from escaping
ep6 - The Star Destroyers keep the Rebels from escaping

ep2/ep3 - Dooku force pwns Anakin and takes his right arm/ The next time they duel Anakin takes both his hands using his anger.
ep5/ep6 - Vader force pwns Luke and takes his right hand/ The next time they meet Luke takes his right robotic hand using his anger.

ep2 - Padme helps Anakin up and condoles him when he is dismembered.
ep5 - Leia helps Luke walk and condoles him when Luke is dismembered.

Ep3 - Anakin and Sidious kill a Jedi, Anakin has pretty much become Vader.
Ep6 - Anakin kills Sidious and "kills" Vader. Anakin has returned.

 

Don't forget that Padme was the one who, in a fit of anger and frustration, called for a no-confidence vote against Valorum in TPM - therefore opening the path for Palpatine to rise in power and become the new Chancellor.

 

Good point. If you watch that TPM scene, then watch the declaration of the Empire, you realise Lucas has based the ROTS scene off the TPM scene.
It's a total flip around. For example, Padme goes from a very strong role to a spectator. Palpitine isn't believed in the TPM scene, but the Senate believes every word in the ROTS scene, etc, etc.

 

Quite frankly I think Lucas is confused.

At least in the OT, the Eastern philosophy only comes into play between father and son. Until the story arc of Luke's relation to Vader is revealed, the Star Wars universe is literally black and white. There is pure good and pure evil. That's part of what makes the "I am your father" revelation so shocking. How could someone have fallen into the path of evil?

Even once that arc is revealed, the rest of the universe stays in the extreme polar opposite realm. Sure, there are occasional moments of doubt as to the true nature of some characters (Han in ANH, Lando in ESB). But we're never shown ANYTHING redeeming in any of the other bad guys, and never shown ANYTHING questionable about the rebels. Does anybody see any redeeming qualities in the Emperor, the Royal Guards, the human Imperials, even the faceless Stormtroopers? Any redeeming quality to the Empire as a whole? The answer is no.

 

But what Lucas is doing is breaking it down for us. At first the good and bad are clear cut. Towards the end of the OT things get a little shady, but we can still eaisly differentiate good from bad. In the PT, most things are gray. There is good and bad, but neither are pure.

 

Another duality is the nature of the two trilogies themselves. The OT is about individuals predominately, with any commentary on society taking a back seat. The PT is about societies predominantly, with the individual characters less well developed.

Contrast the parallel stories:

* in TPM, we understand how the politics in the republic operates, with minimal character introductions. (QuiGon is developed the most and he does not survive; we will also not see Anakin as a child again. Obi-Wan is a footnote) In ANH we know virtually nothing of galactic politics, except in one scene aboard the Death Star. Obi-Wan has more character in ANH than in TPM. The characters that are introduced will be around for the entire trilogy.

* In AOTC, the plot revolves around the society, and the middle journey is one of discovering a conspiracy (the Kamino cloners and the Separatist droid army); Palpatine gets emergency powers. In TESB, we only see the rebel society in the battle of Hoth and at the very end. The entire rebellion has been routed from Hoth yet the action is exclusively on Luke's training and Han and Leia's flight.

* In ROTS, there is a good balance between the individual character's journies and the fall of the Old Republic society. In ROTJ there is also more of a balance shown (except that we still know nothing about this emergent society.)

A lot is known about the Republic of the PT:

* It was structured as a formal representative democracy, similar to ours with a judicary, executive and a parlimentary body.

* The outer rim societies were disenfranchised and were ruled by crime lords and they conducted business with local currencies, and not the republic currency.

* It was a capitalist system where large conglomerates have a lot of power (the Banking Clan, Trade Federation, and Commerce Guild)

* The Jedi council served the dictates of the Senate and became slavish to the state, sacrificing their mandate to promote "peace and justice", and defending the status quo instead.

* There was a well developed "military-industrial complex" (the Geonosians and the Kamino Cloners) who had an interest in starting wars for profit.
Etc.,

However, not much is known about how the characters evolve in the PT:

* Obi-Wan starts out arrogant ("another pathetic life form") and mellows out to become a more compassionate jedi who will become Alec Guiness later, but we don't see how this takes place.

* We see Anakin as an innocent boy who "knew nothing of greed" in TPM to become an unstable youth in AOTC, but we don't see any of his early training, and don't know how the child evolved into the adolescent whiny Anakin.

* Yoda is rather conservative in the PT. He is also conservative in the OT, but not quite to the same degree and he regained the innocence which he lacked in the PT. Why? We don't know.

Compare the focus in the OT:

* There is a clear character progression from Luke's yearning for adventure, his training as a jedi, his experience in the cave and the confrontation with Vader. We know how Luke gets from point A to point B.

* Han Solo starts out as a greedy smuggler who and falls in love and I like to believe is also touched by Luke's innocence, so we know a little bit how his character evolves.

* In contrast we know virtually nothong about the type of society the rebellion wishes to create. They are opposed to Palpatine's dictatorship but have they thought about what they wish to institute? Is it another capitalist republic? A communist society? Will they give anarchism a whirl? Has their movement been co-opted by some greedy capitalists or another dark jedi in secret and are they all just pawns used by shadow forces to overthrow the old order? It i

 

Interesting observations. And... welcome to the board! A fellow Qui Gon fan is always a good thing to see.

While the PT seems excessively concerned with socio-political ideas and developments when compared to the OT, I don't entirely agree that reasons for changes in characters' attitudes aren't given. Nonetheless, the gaps between the films are fairly large and jarring in a sense - we're having to play "catch up" between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and even, to some extent, between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

I think Lucas is showing only what he feels it is thematically prudent to show; anything superfluous that isn't pertinent to his core idea base, including conventional character development, is out. Just take Dooku. We know he's a fallen Jedi - but HOW he falls isn't important. It seems only critical that we have some sense of the "why". And this, I believe, we get. Quite simply, Dooku was disillusioned with not only the nature of the Republic but the Jedi Order which is subservient to it. Stating within the film that Dooku mentored Qui Gon informs Dooku's past life as a Jedi more than reams of banal dialogue could have ever accomplished. And that's enough for George's and our purposes. Dooku thus exists, like practically all Star Wars characters, as an archetype that, if we understand in the correct manner, sheds light on greater thematic issues at play. Dooku reminds us of the corrupting nature of the Dark Side and how political idealism mixed with political egoism can be a potent catalyst for driving principalled men to do bad things. Lucas achieves an even greater economy of expression with an ancillory character like Boba Fett; in a single shot of Boba clutching his dead father's helmet in shadow while a harshly lit background shows the carnage and folly of battle, we are immediately aware of the silent choice he has made, and that with our foreknowledge of Episodes IV to VI, he will keep.