A Piece of Sky

[swiftsnowmane]

Father,

 

I may be falling

through clouded skies,

broken

and bloodied,

weighted

with the horror

of unholy revelation,

but it is you

who fell long ago

from far greater heights.

 

Father, 

 

you may be standing

against the faded stars,

shackled

and suffering,

bowed

beneath the burden

of long-held darkness,

but it is I

who blaze

with undimmed light.

 

Let go

of your hate,

Let go

of your fear,

Let go

of your shrouded lies,

and I promise –

 

I will be there

I will catch you

 

and together

we will find 

our own piece of sky.

 

 

 

— t.f.b.c.

Comments

[makamu]

Glad to be of service! But I tend to speak as I find, and your poem really is something else...

As for your meta: I have to admit that I never cared that much for Luke or Anakin as a child watching these films growing up. When it comes to the Skywalkers, I have always been a Leia person, and apart from that, my primary focus has always been the Jedi and the larger-scale issues with the Order and the Sith. There is one thing I love about the prequels (dialogue flaws and characterisation issues not withstanding): I think by the end everybody in the audience has grasped that the "more civilised age" Obi-Wan reminisces about on Tatooine never existed and the Order of the Jedi never were the good guys (although the Sith are without a doubt a heck of a lot worse) in any simplistic sense. But it took your meta to make me see just how fundamental Anakin's arc is to bringing about that realisation and that he did balance the Force in the end because he was both Jedi and Sith and at the very end transcended both...

Though I have one other question: how do you feel about George Lucas retcomning the Force ghosts at the end of RotJ? Thanks to my uncle, I saw an original version of the scene first, and the change baffled and angeed me when I finally about all the films on DVD eight years ago. It just makes no sense to me for young! Ani to be there - Luke certainly wouldn't know who he is! I am sorry if I am opening any wounds here, but I'd love to hear your take on this. Thanks in advance!

[swiftsnowmane]

Hey there! Thank you again for your kind words!

[**I’ve written a response below, but it ended up much longer than I’d realized, so apologies in advance for rambling on.]

I completely understand and relate to what you’re saying—I grew up on the Original Trilogy, and Luke was always my fave. Leia, too, to an extent, but Luke was always my childhood ‘hero of all heroes’, and much of my admiration for him stemmed from the way in which he manages to save his father, instead of destroying him, as everyone had encouraged him to do. Back then, I already really loved the father-son dynamic in RotJ, and was always deeply moved by Vader’s redemption at the end of that film, but I never really thought too much about Anakin’s overall storyline. And even after the Prequels were released, I, like so many others, dismissed them on a surface level for a long time, and didn’t really take the time to understand what they were trying to convey. So, believe me, yes, I totally see their various flaws and whatnot, but over the years (and with the assistance of additional supplementary material like The Clone Wars animated series) I have been able to gain a deeper appreciation of the *story* that is being told in those films, and of the overall purpose of Anakin’s arc.

Many dismiss Anakin as a character simply because of his evil deeds during and after his downfall, without understanding that the Skywalker saga (the PT and OT, at least) is intended to be viewed, overall, as a myth. Infused as it is with elements of heroic epics and greek drama, it is a distinctively older type of tale, played out on a galactic level. There is, therefore, something beautifully Romantic about this story that many miss, especially in the current climate of tumblr-fandom that is so myopically focused on concepts of ‘social justice.’ The more I thought about it, the more I came to love this extremely misunderstood character—this deeply loving, tragically flawed, all-too human god trapped inside a machine.

You mention Obi-Wan’s view of the past, and yes, it is interesting—Obi-Wan in the Original Trilogy is this odd sort of blend of ‘romanticizing the past’ with ‘extreme disillusionment of it’. And he even fully admits, later in RotJ, that his views are biased (“many of the Truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view, etc.). So, yes, the entire Prequel story is meant to show that the Jedi Order was not entirely ‘blameless’, and was, by its blind participation in a Sith-run war (amongst many other things), at least partially responsible for its own destruction and downfall. The location of Coruscant itself is meant to symbolize the deep levels of corruption already extant in the Republic as a whole, and to show that the Republic’s veneer of ‘civilization’ in fact is built upon a decaying foundation, one that is, by this point, being steadily and secretly ‘devoured’ by the Sith from within.

That said, there is a bit of uncertainty in terms of what, exactly Obi-Wan means when he says ‘a more civilized age’. Because he says that this age came before ‘the Dark Times’. This is a phrase that is generally taken to refer to the age of the Empire, but I wonder…does he now perhaps view the era of the Twilight of the Republic (aka, the Clone Wars) as part of these ‘Dark Times’? Because, in retrospect, he must surely realize that this is exactly what they were. And there are many moments in the TCW animated series where Obi-Wan is indeed faced with painful realizations about his own limitations, as well as the limitations and effectiveness of the Jedi Order as a whole. So, imo, perhaps by that point in A New Hope, he already *does* realize that the Republic and Jedi Order during his time were not part of this ‘civilized age’, and is instead referring to even more distant eras in the past, such as the times of the Old Republic. (Either way, he’s definitely still romanticizing ‘the past’ with that line, but maybe not in the precise manner it first comes across.)

[continued…]

[swiftsnowmane]

[…continued]

Regarding the topic of Force ghosts, I will try my best to address this, but I just have to first explain a few things about my approach to Star Wars meta discussion in general:

- First of all, I prefer not to know too much about or dwell on ‘authorial intent’ with regard to these sorts of specific details, and especially not when it comes to trying to over-explain ‘how the Force works’, as it tends to detract from my own personal enjoyment. I prefer to view the Force in as mystical a sense as possible, and while, yes, there are certain technical aspects that have been explored in the films and related media, I personally just would rather not get into the inner workings of it all.

- Secondly, please bear in mind that I prefer to deal solely with the Prequels and the Original Trilogy (along with other supplementary media relating to those eras of the story), as I *personally* do NOT recognize or accept TFA and the Disney sequels as ‘canon’. Again, apologies in advance if this makes me a bit difficult to talk to on certain subjects, but I have to make this distinction for my own sanity, because TFA nearly destroyed my ability to enjoy Star Wars at all, and it took me the better part of a year to come to a place where I felt comfortable and happy in the fandom again. So, if it’s ok, I prefer not to discuss anything that is supposed to have taken place post-RotJ in the SW verse. For me, RotJ is the most natural and best possible conclusion to the Skywalker saga, and that’s how I will continue to view it. :)

Now, with that out of the way, I will try my best to explain my understanding of this subject. As far as I know, in the Original Trilogy, the whole ‘Force ghost’ thing was not initially part of the plan (as of A New Hope, at least), but was brought into the SW universe as a way to keep Obi-Wan’s character in the story. (Originally, I am guessing that GL had planned to have Obi-Wan ‘return’ in a way akin to Gandalf the White in LotR, but that this didn’t pan out for several out-of-story reasons, and so, the Force ghost was ‘born’, lol.) Again, this is just my personal understanding of how the concept originated that I’ve gleaned by reading between the lines, but please take this with a grain of salt, as I don’t actually know for sure (nor do I want to do know for sure).

But when it came to the Prequels, there had to be a way of explaining all of this, because it was kind of a complex issue. There had to be a reason why Anakin/Vader was not previously aware of the possibility of this happening (his confusion in ANH at Obi-Wan’s disappearance makes it clear that he had never really encountered anything like it before), and so it was something that could not have been widely known or understood as of the Prequels-era. This is where Qui-Gon Jinn’s character comes into it (‘Jinn’ meaning ‘spirit’). This part is a little bit odd and confusing, admittedly, as there wasn’t really enough time to cover it in the scope of the Prequel films, but there *are* some further little hints scattered throughout the TCW series regarding this (such as Qui-Gon appearing briefly in ghost/spirit/vision form to a surprised Obi-Wan and Yoda, at certain key points).

What I find interesting here, is how this entire concept ended up being integrated into Anakin’s storyline. Because one of the biggest overriding themes of his story is this concept of mortality, or rather, his struggle to *accept* mortality—from which stems his extreme Fear of Loss, and eventual downfall, after which point he, ironically, becomes the embodiment *of* Death to the entire galaxy. In the RotS novelization, there is this incredibly powerful recurring imagery of ‘the dragon of that dead star’—an ancient voice inside his head that whispers, “all things die, Anakin Skywalker, even stars burn out.” Anakin is himself compared to a dying star throughout the course of RotS, and then later, in the OT period, as Vader, it is almost like he has *become* ‘the dragon of that dead star’ (ie, of the ‘Death Star’). In other words, he feared Death…and so Death he became.

This is a huge part of Anakin’s arc, and is one of the main components of the Jedi Code that Anakin struggled with for almost his entire life. This concept of ‘Death…yet the Force.’ Anakin’s struggle with the concept of mortality is therefore a struggle with his own faith. During the Prequel-era, he is never able to fully *believe* in or accept this reality. And this aspect of his struggle makes a lot more sense if his story is taking place in a context where actual visible ‘proof’ of life and/or existence after death via the Force is not currently known (or has perhaps been long-forgotten). So, for this reason alone, it make sense that Obi-Wan would learn how to ‘become’ a Force ghost (or whatever) during the period between RotS and ANH, and would do so via the assistance of his own ‘dead’ master, Qui-Gon Jinn.

The technicalities of how all of this is supposed to occur don’t really concern me, as I am more interested in the symbolism of it all. And what is so beautiful about it is that Anakin’s return to his True Self occurs, at least in part, because he finally accepts his own mortality, and gives up his own life to save his son. Before removing his father's mask, Luke says to him, ‘but you’ll die’. Anakin's reply, ‘nothing can stop that now’ becomes even more poignant when we consider that he had struggled to accept this fact his entire life (first with his mother, and then with Padme, etc). It’s beautiful and symbolic and oh-so fitting to me that, in finally *accepting* his mortality and sacrificing himself to save his loved one, he is redeemed, and is also granted this sort of ‘immortality’ in the Force.

To me, *THAT* is what the final scene in Return of the Jedi is meant to signify—anything else is just a technicality, and one that I prefer not to concern myself with too much. My view of the PT and the OT is as forming together a ‘magnum opus’—aka, the ‘great work’ as defined in alchemy. And one of the intended results of the magnum opus is to discover and/or bring forth the ‘elixir’ or ‘philosopher’s stone’ that leads to eternal life, via a ‘Union of Opposites’. In the context of the Skywalker saga, this Union of Opposites is none other than Anakin and Padme’s forbidden love, the result of which is Luke (and Leia).

And so, what matters here is that Anakin Skywalker has finally, finally regained his faith and thus become a ‘True Jedi’ (as opposed to what the Jedi Order had defined ‘being a Jedi’ as during the Prequels-era). Because, in being saved by his son’s love, and by saving and demonstrating his love for his son above all, he has proven, once and for all, the Truth that he had long denied (because it had been so long denied *to* him)—aka, that ‘love (and thus personal attachments!) CAN save you’. And what is more, he has accepted that final aspect of his faith that had likewise eluded him for so long… Death…yet the Force.

[makamu]

Wow! Just...wow! Thank you for the detailed response (which makes a bucketload of sense). I am sorry I cannot reply as this deserves to be replied to right now (RL), but I'll try to do so as soon as I can (Wednesday probably). I hope that is all right with you. And again, thank you for taking the time to write this.

[swiftsnowmane]

You are so welcome - it's my absolute pleasure! :)

And no worries at all, there is no rush -- I totally understand how crazy RL can be. :D