🟎Medievalism in George Lucas's Star Wars🟎
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Star Wars is a widely known pop-culture phenomenon, spanning over years and years of time since it was first seen on the big screen. It is nearly impossible to describe the plot of this legacy, as it has a multitude of platforms, from the original trilogy to different scattered branch-off series. However, medievalism can be seen throughout the course of Star Wars' legacy through costume designs, "(Jedi) knights and their 'swords,' and even their code of conduct" (1).
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Similarities Between Star Wars and the Medieval European World
Star Wars does take inspiration from all sorts of outlets, but some things spark a connection to medieval culture. Brandon W. Hawk, a specialized medieval English professor at Rhode Island College pointed out parallels between Star Wars and medieval elements, stating that "In both trajectories, legends circulate as reminders of the past and people's connections to it: oral stories are the vehicles for memory as people seek to collect fragments of knowledge; people seek relics of the past to root themselves in a larger narrative" (3).
There are strong thematic roots between the two. Hawk draws on the notion that both medievalism and Star Wars look "back in time to make meaning of the present" (3). Also, traveling to different locations is a major part within every movie, every series, every piece of the plot within the Star Wars saga. The characters set out on a mission of some sort, like a quest, and carry on to fulfill the goals of the mission.
A location that is important to note is the island Skellig Michael within County Kerry, Ireland. A major part in both sequel films The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are filmed here---a secluded island that Luke Skywalker resides on during her hermitage away from the rest of the galaxy. The connection between this location and medieval culture is that a secluded monastery was founded on this island dating back to the early medieval period (3).
Some Other Medieval Connections
Medieval Style Duels
Lightsabers--weapons used for duels and battles---can be attributed to swords of knights. These lightsabers, however, seems to resemble medieval swords because of their structure and usage. Jedi knights would take pride in their weapons, as they had to earn the saber themselves, and would utilize them in combat (5).
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Relic Similarities
In the sequel trilogy, Darth Vader lives on as a memory within his grandson Kylo Ren's mind. A neat feature that is easily overlooked is how Kylo Ren harbors the melted mask of his grandfather. He keeps it on a pedestal like a relic, but also interestingly enough, it is located within a room filled with other "venerated objects" (3). Between Star Wars and medieval culture, it is clear that there are similarities with "the veneration and spiritual meaning" attributed to the medieval period (3).
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Works Cited
(1) Dahm, Murray. "The Medieval World of Star Wars." Medievalists.net, 16 Dec. 2019, medievalists.net/2019/12/the-medieval-world-of-star-wars/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
(2) Harris, Joseph. "Skellig Michael: Where Star Wars Was Filmed." JSTOR Daily, daily.jstor.org/skellig-michael-where-star-wars-was-filmed/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
(3) Hawk, Brandon W. "Medievalism in The Rise of Skywalker." Brandonwhawk.net, 23 Dec. 2019, brandonwhawk.net/2019/12/23/medievalism-in-the-rise-of-skywalker/. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
(4) Nichols, Declan. "Star Wars: The Republic’s Dark Age Shows the Jedi’s Medieval Roots." ScreenRant, 21 Nov. 2022, screenrant.com/star-wars-republic-dark-age-medieval-reinvention/. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
(5) "Were the Lightsaber Fighting Styles in Star Wars Inspired by Real-Life Sword Fighting Technique?" Quora, quora.com/Were-the-lightsaber-fighting-styles-in-Star-Wars-inspired-by-real-life-sword-fighting-technique. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
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You bring up some good points with the ties to the past and character's connections to it, the sabers and their significance, sight seeing through quests, and the relics. Given that the series has both the jedi and sith dedicate themselves to the Force in a religious sense, it would make sense for Vader's helmet to be seen as a significant relic. Plus, in many of our readings there is much travel along quests like Sir Gawain, and Luke's travel across the galaxy.
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ReplyDeleteThis is a very detailed post, Sierra! The use of lightsabers and duels is such a key part of Stars Wars, so I'm glad you spent some time focusing on that and its connection to medievalism.
ReplyDeleteI find it cool how you found a relation between the Star Wars franchise and the medieval world. This is something I have never really thought about, but after reading, I can understand where it comes from.
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