Star Wars Insider – July 2019

64 / STAR WARS INSIDER

The Many

Mentors of

Star Wars

WORDS: JAY STOBIE

FATHER

FIGURES

arthVader’s

shockrevelation

inStarWars:The

EmpireStrikes

Back(1980)

horrifiedboth

LukeSkywalkerandthemovie’s

stunnedaudiences,whowould

questionwhetherVaderwastelling

thetruthuntilYodaconfirmed

Luke’sparentageinReturnofthe

Jedi(1983),threeyearslater.But

whiletherelationshipbetweenthe

SithLordandhissonmaywellbe

themostfamouspaternallinkin

theStarWarssaga—and almost

certainlythemostdysfunctional—

D

we have encountered several

other examples of father fi gures

along the way, each of whom has

bestowed advice and passed on

elements of their personalities to

younger charges.

To describe the relationships

between the Star Wars galaxy’s

mentors and their protégés

as ‘complex’ would be an

understatement of interstellar

proportions. Each m entor has led

their own unique journey and

left an indelible imprint on the

galaxy far, far away, sometimes

passing on lessons and traits

across generations, sometimes

embracing their calling as an

opportunity for redemption,

and sometimes falling short of

what was required from them.

No matter their differences, one

thing is clear—the actions of these

powerful fi gures had consequences

for the many and sent ripples

that would be felt throughout the

galaxy for generations to come.

When one ponders these detailed

and overlapping relationships as a

whole, a rich and coherent tapestry

emerges to bind the fi lms together

as vibrantly as the living Force itself

tethers the galaxy’s occupants to

one another.