Star Wars Themes: The Force and the Spirit

Qui-Gon Jinn checks Anakin's blood for midi-chlorians

The Star Wars films gave us a new pop-culture phrase: “May the Force be with you.” Christians should not jump to the conclusion that this greeting is equivalent to, “God with you.” This is one place that that Star Ways mythology and Christian theology do not intersect.

In A New Hope (Episode four) viewers of the Skywalker Saga are introduced to the Force. In the original trilogy, the Force is a spiritual, almost magical, power that the Jedi use to control objects and manipulate minds. Although others may experience the Force in some ways, Jedi are called to become masters of the Force and use it for benevolent purposes.

When the prequel series was developed, creator George Lucas felt it necessary to provide a physical and biological explanation for the Force. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn explains to young Anakin Skywalker:

"Without the midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to us, telling us the will of the Force. When you learn to quiet your mind, you'll hear them speaking to you."

The Wookiepedia (yes, there is such a thing) explains that midi-chlorians:

“are microscopic, intelligent life forms that originated from the foundation of life in the center of the galaxy, and ultimately resided within the cells of all living organisms, thereby forming a symbiotic relationship with their hosts. The Force spoke through the mid-ichlorians, allowing certain beings to use the Force if they were sensitive enough to its powers. In order to gauge an individual's potential in the Force, blood tests were used to estimate the number of midi-chlorians within the subject's cells.”

Some fans have never excused Lucas for this and find this biological explanation and the “immaculate conception” of Anakin through the power of the Force as just plain weird.

In the third trilogy, there is evidence that one does not have to be a Jedi to experience the Force. Finn, the reformed storm trooper, appears to be Force sensitive. We also see the healing powers of the Force in The Rise of Skywalker (Episode nine). This was foreshadowed in the Mandalorian TV series.

Some fans have seen in the Force something analogous to the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christian believers. This is too much of a stretch. In Star Wars, the Force is impersonal even though yielded by gifted individuals and, if you agree to the midi-chlorian idea, it is just the result of a biological symbiosis. It does not have a personality.

Christians believe that the Spirit is part of the Trinity along with the Father and the Son. Although some prefer to think of the Trinity as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer or even see the Spirit as Sophia, a feminine expression of wisdom, the Spirit is perceived by believers as a person not an impersonal force. The Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity. We further believe that the Spirit of God abides with all those who call themselves Christians. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit. “(I Corinthian’ 12:3, NIV)

The Bible also clearly teaches that, unlike the Force, the Spirit cannot be controlled. John’s Gospel says, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8) The Spirit convicts, promotes, acts, and sometimes controls.

The common thread in both the Star Ward universe and Christian belief is the existence of a power beyond ourselves that we cannot see or touch, but they are very different concepts.

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