The Force in Star Wars is cosmic horror hiding in plain sight

The story

Star Wars: Rebels, Clone Wars, and Ahsoka have shifted from the "Light Side versus Dark Side" split toward more Lovecraftesque ideas about the Force.

From the source

Star Wars has always been rooted in cosmic horror — that element is only starting to poke through the seams now, 49 years after A New Hope . The catalyst for underlying dread is one of the franchise’s most popular narrative devices: the Force. Mystical and all-encompassing, it’s often framed as a metaphysical current running through the universe, or a natural energy that binds all things, balancing light and dark as part of a larger cosmic order.

For decades, the Force was framed through a spiritual system governing the rules and teachings of the Jedi Order. Essentially quasi-monks, the Jedi stood as protectors of the galaxy and embodiments of the Light Side. Opposing them were the Sith, who act as a perversion of that same philosophy, treating the Force as a means to attain power through fear, anger, and hate.

Image: Lucasfilm The original films put that duality front and center, with Luke Skywalker ultimately triumphing over Darth Vader and the Emperor’s evil. Years later, the prequel movie trilogy complicated that idea, exposing the rigid, institutional nature of the Jedi Order and the cracks that led to its collapse. For all the Jedi’s ideals, they never stood a chance against Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. These characters were early signs that something far more unsettling and sinister was at play in the Force, just out of view.

Who and what

Key names and topics in this story: Force, Star Wars.

Where to follow next

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