Return of the Jedi is, after all these years, still my favorite Star Wars film. The redemption story of Vader as prompted and viewed through Luke is more powerful than anything else to me. The power of myth and Jungian archetypes working themselves out resonates with me. Luke was the only one whom saw redemption as a possibility. He placed himself at Vader’s mercy and continued to tell him he saw the good in him. He presented Vader the opportunity, and was willing to sacrifice himself for his faith in the lingering goodness in his father.
As some of you may know, I’m a therapist. Philosophically, the themes at work in ROTJ resonate with me deeply and are only enhanced by the slightly stilted, Lucas-esque direction style. I want to be Luke seeing the good in others and daring them to do what they choose.
I was so looking forward to seeing this Luke’s continuing story in TFA, and that is probably part of why I felt less than totally satisfied by what we got. (That and SKB.) My heart was racing once Rey landed on the island and began climbing toward our hero. I cannot wait to see what Luke is like in VIII under Johnson’s direction. It must be hell for him to have his apprentice, Kylo Ren, stab him through the heart with the inverted edge of his faith, and that is a story I so want to see Luke process and work his way through. I know Luke will be a supporting character at this point, but I will eat up as much of him as Johnson will give us.