Star Wars Themes: A Cloud of Witnesses

(Spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker are included.)

A friend once said, “In science fiction, no one is ever really dead.” Through various plot twists and unique manipulation of natural laws, writers always find ways for deceased characters to return. The Christian faith affirms that we are physical beings with an eternal spirit. Christians affirm that those who have gone on before us not only live in our memories, but they are eternal beings who abide now with God.

Even though George Lucas was not attempting to reflect Christian belief in his original Star Wars trilogy, in several instances those who have passed are still present and manifest themselves to the living when necessary. The first to show himself was Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, but in subsequent films Yoda and Anakin Skywalker appear to our protagonists. These are called “force spirits” or “force ghosts.”

In Star Wars, force spirits are individuals who gained immortality through the preservation of their consciousness after death. “When lifeforms died, they became one with the Force. Through special training, however, deceased Force-sensitives could retain their identity and therefore, communicate with the living. By achieving spiritual immortality, a person’s physical form would vanish upon their death.” We see this with Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, Yoda in Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, and Leia and Ben in The Rise of Skywalker. They not only choose when they will die, but their bodies disappear as they are translated.

Even when not manifested as force ghosts or spirits, these Jedi are present. This is seen most significantly in The Rise of Skywalker when Rey faces Emperor Palpatine alone. He attempts to emphasize her abandonment by reminding her of her status as an orphan and referring to her as “the scavenger.” In this time of need, she hears the voices of those who have gone before. My grandson immediately recognized the voice of Yoda saying, “Alone, you have never been.” These witnesses provide the strength she needs in this time of confrontation and that fact that she is not alone.

In Hebrews 12:1, we read, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (NIV)

Christians believe in a cloud of witnesses, the believers who have gone before us. Even when we don’t see them, they are there. They are alive in our hearts and in our remembrance of them. We believe that they dwell in the presence of a God looking forward to a great reunion. This is our assurance and our hope.

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