May the (Police) Force be With You!
More Jedi news - eight police officers serving with Scotland’s largest force listed their official religion as Jedi in voluntary diversity forms. All this after some guy taught the UK’s first Jedi course at Queen’s University, Belfast.
Why do these people do it? Is there any reason to take Star Wars so seriously?
First, there’s the Jedi census phenomenon of 2001 in which 0.7% of the population of England and Wales classified themselves as Jedi. This made it the fourth largest religion in the country.
Second, there was role of Star Wars as a ground-breaking film. Much of the stuff we take for granted today – special effects, surround sound, the franchise picture, trilogies, genre mixing, comic-book style movies with happy endings – began with Star Wars. And the music was cool too!
Third, there is the cultural impact of Star Wars. Many of the phrases and references are embedded into the public psyche. Ronald Reagan named a missile defence system after it. There was (is?) even a ‘Project Jedi‘ in the US military to create super-soldiers.
Beyond this, much could be said about philosophy and religion in Star Wars, and the meaning of the Force. It is a certainly a story with timeless, archetypal motifs and characters: an orphan, a magic sword, a princess to rescue, an evil wizard, a wise mentor, various strange monsters . George Lucas drew heavily from the “hero’s journey” structure of Joseph Campbell. Luke Skywalker or Harry Potter (or indeed Frodo Baggins or King Arthur) … what’s the difference?
I think there are also interesting ethical and political issues raised by the Star Wars story. Rebels or freedom-fighters; separatists or rebels? Weapons of mass destruction. Instinct versus technology. Genetics and cybernetics. Single mothers and fatherless families. Destiny and choice. Egoism versus altruism. Dark energy and a single, unified Force. The ‘father wound’ and the ‘shadow side’ of human nature. It’s all in there. And it’s not hard to see.
So why would someone classify themselves as a Jedi? Because abundance is not enough. We need meaning in our lives. Stories are one of the main ways of giving this meaning, perhaps the oldest way. We need to feel part of something bigger than ourselves. We need to identify with the stories. We need to feel the force of being alive.
This isn’t just for the nostalgic or the nerdy. It’s part of being human. Probably the greatest part.
Whether you call it Jedi or something else is up to you.
