I've been wanting to make a video exploring the parallels between Star Wars and world religions for a long time now. I'm glad I chose The Empire Strikes Back as the vehicle to do that, and I'm so excited that the video is finally out for everyone to see! What do you think? Did you know Star Wars was more than just mindless action in space? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
I have known about the mythology of Star Wars for a very long time, also Joseph Campbell and the "Hero's Journey", but this video puts perspective on all the spiritual elements - thanks very much indeed, very much appreciated!
Doesn't the fact that can make artificial machines that are conscious mean they understand consciousness. And isn't suffering a need for happiness isn't peace posits of live
I also love how he met Yoda. Usually a story like this takes the protagonists' success and lead him to the a higher path, where they meet their master that will guide them. In Empire, Luke and the Rebels just lost and he "descent", and he meets Yoda there because ultimately, he himself failed too in the prequels. They were both from failures, and are trying to help each other out.
He finds yoda on the descent because the swamp symbolizes luke's unconscious. Not because yoda failed in the prequels. There's no yoda, he's just a symbol. This video says to you that even han and leya are just representatives of luke's personality. Also there's no prequels at this point in the movie and no yoda failing anakin. Could you people just not?
@@hulking_presence plus... Yoda is literally there because he failed, he went into self-exile. Not everything needs to be metaphorical, it's just basically what the story was saying. & I don't think you know what materialistic means btw, look it up. how could it possibly relate to my comment...
So Lucas built Star Wars, inspired by Campbell's Hero's Journey, then years later, Campbell analyzes Star Wars in the context of his Hero's Journey. It's like poetry. It rhymes... LOL. I love it!
I thought there was a missed opportunity for commentary at the climax where Vader explains that he is Luke's father. This is where Luke has descended all the way to the bottom of his unconscious and he learns the ultimate truth about himself. This is Campbell's Atonement with the Father/Abyss, and I would like to have heard more about it, as it is the turning point of Luke's inner journey. And then I would like to have heard commentary on the rest of the Hero's Journey in Return of the Jedi. Other than that, there was a lot of great stuff in this video.
Perhaps there was a missed opportunity. When it comes to videos like this, sacrifices do have to be made for the sake of runtime and maintaining the "through-line." For this video, I was more intent on highlighting religious parallels than in presenting a *complete* breakdown of the Hero's Journey. Others have already done that before me and I'm more interested in adding something new to the conversation. Perhaps there is an opportunity to do breakdowns of specific scenes in the future. As for RotJ, that video will come. But like this one, it will explore a different through-line instead of merely presenting a dry-bones analysis of The Hero's Journey.
I don't know how you have only 2.5k subs, and I'm only seeing this video 3 years after the fact. YT should have rec'd this channel to me a long time ago. Love your stuff!
I was watching this as I was making a drawing when you started talking about the tao... I was never so in sync with a piece, I know it sounds crazy but it was like I could feel what IT wanted, and it could feel what I wanted. As if I blinked, and before I knew, it was well past midnight, and I had a piece I was so proud of in front of me
I love this. Thank you so much for sharing! The flow state is a powerful thing, a truly mystical experience when we can achieve it. I would love to see the piece my work was a part of if you felt like sharing, though I understand this can be a deeply personal experience as well. :)
Man, oh man, what a brilliant analysis. I've been interested in the subject as a kid - Star Wars, religions, universal truths, heroe's journey - but kinda forgot about it over the years and mundanity of the world intruded. And now I find myself with this video reinvigorating this old passion. There is a lot to digest (harhar) in here. I think I'm gonna read Joseph Campbell myself. Thank you, good sir. May the force be with you!
This video needs far more attention, I had an intuition about Stat Wars after many spiritual experiences, now it all makes sense! Thank you for the work that went into this! ❤️🙏
13:00 Thanks for another great video full of new insights :) I know it's usually attributed to "Djinn," and another commenter suggested the Chinese sword "Jian," but IMO the origin of "Jinn" is very likely the Chinese 勁 Jìn (sometimes Jìng, depending on dialect). Translatable as "power," it often refers to the "soft" power of remaining relaxed and using internal Qi (rather than muscular strength) to generate outward force (Fa jin, commonly just "jin"). Because Qigong is its foundation, they are closely associated. It is particularly employed by the more Daoist-affliated "internal" styles, to which the attitudes of Wuwei and "flow" are central. That's a MAJOR oversimplification, but in any case, wherever George saw the word "Qigong" and was struck with inspiration, "Jin" might well have been in the next paragraph.
I keep returning to this video. It's so well edited, with perfect music cues - and really, really smart script. It must have taken a lot of effort to make. Anyway, mad respect. :salute:
Hey dude. I’m making a Star Wars short film so I’ve been watching stuff about hero’s journey and SW. I’ve never seen anyone talk about Han being the devil on likes shoulder and also never noticed all the digestion stuff. You have some really good, interesting takes about Lucas’ storytelling.
Thanks for the latest video. I enjoyed how you explained about George Lucas' ideas of his creation of "The Empire Strikes Back". I personally don't like The Last Jedi, but I did like some things from that movie.
It seems that a lot of people miss the correlation between the cave scene and the end of Return of the Jedi. In the cave scene he needed weapons to face his fears. After he defeated his father, he finally realises he was letting anger take over. Throwing away his lightsaber as he no longer needed a weapon to deal with his fate. He had conquered his demons.He held no fear and needed no weapons to support his confidence and ego, therefore passing the initial test of the cave that Yoda had created. He was a Jedi.
one of the top yt channels ive seen in my life, 100% no bullshit thank u for being a youtuber. ur content is top shelf quality & the style, grace u have within them is awesome. it blends very well with the content, ur own flow & how both of those previously mentioned pieces work together, the rhythm of the entire videos. anyway im definitely subscribed & if u ever see this all i honestly got to say is thank u man. honestly u helped me in ways words have a hard time reaching, unless a common understanding is felt. I wish u luck, success, & good fortune my friend.
Thanks for checking out my channel! Hope you enjoy those Star Wars books. Feel free to swing back by the store anytime to chat about SW, and I hope you enjoy my videos!
Yoda takes the role of a trickster in his initial meeting with Luke. I found that interesting, even as a little kid. I'm sure Campbell enjoyed this little touch.
Your observation about Han and Leia being the devil and angel....how have i never seen this before? And about Dak being ike Luke's old self.....goddamn. I have watched the OT SO many times, and I STILL manage to find new meaning in it. Thank you. Please make more.
Hey man,just came across your channel and I'm blown away by the quality of your work,I'm surprised to see you don't have at least 100k subs.Keep it up!
Heh....this video came out on my birthday last year! I'm a film school student now and studying the fundamentals of storytelling. Star Wars keeps coming up in my reading so it is really fascinating to me to watch this video and the one you made on "A New Hope" to better understand Joseph Campbell's thoughts on the monomyth. (A topic that came up in my readings) Looking forward to more! I would love to see a third video explaining how Luke's journey concludes, and how he finally reaches the true "Return phase" of his journey.
That video will come, but it may not be for a while. There are some other concepts I need to establish before the real depths of Return of the Jedi can be explored. Thanks for joining me on this journey. :)
Hey man I just want to thank you so very much for this video. I have begun my spiritual journey not too long ago and consuming pop-culture that can keep me on the path while entertaining me has become increasingly important. I have begun rewatching Star Wars (a franchise I was never truly able to get into) because I KNEW that it had good accessible teachings, but even now I've had a hard time understanding it's message. This video have truly helped me with that! So thank you❤ I've been searching all over RUclips for videos like these but this is by far the best most thoroughly researched and enlightening one👁 I would absolutely love for more videos like these on the spirituality in Star Wars and other franchises (like DBZ?) But in any case this was exactly what I needed so thank you your work is amazing❤
I appreciate your kind words and I'm glad to connect with another spiritual seeker. I believe we all have something to teach each other! While not all content for Off Screen will be spiritual in nature, you can be assured it's a topic I will return to regularly. :)
My brother came home after watching Star Wars, very excited, and he would return to the movie theater to watch it over and over. After about the third time, his enthusiasm got my curiosity so I went to watch it. But for me only one character stood out, the James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader. His entrance amongst a group of white armored soldiers compelled me to hold my breath in anticipation as to what he would do next. And he seemed to crackle with uncontrollable raw electricity. And even when he was silent you couldn’t ignore him because of the breath sounds.
There are plans for a third installment, but a few concepts need to be established in other videos before we can have the deep conversation I want to have about RotJ.
This video is great! I've heard so many comparisons between the Force and Christianity, and Buddhism, but this is the first one I've seen that mentions Tao. To me Lucas' quote about the Force being the "distillation" of all religions is key to understanding the message of Star Wars, and the unknowable nature of Tao is the closest analogy to that, but it seems to get overlooked. Also, love Kershner's quote about anyone who needs guns being weak, followed by Lucas's affirmation about the importance of compassion. Luke wins when he stops fighting and gives his fate to the Force, every time. And the scene when Luke explains the Force to Rey is one of the few redeeming pieces of the sequel trilogy.
Thank you so much! It's really unfortunate (and ironic) to me that many Star Wars fans are so blinded by their hate that they overlook such a profound moment simply because the rest of the film isn't 100% perfect.
@@OffScreen well, the problem isn't just that the rest of the film isn't 100% perfect. The problem is that the sequel trilogy, each movie individually and as a whole, is not faithful to what star wars is about, and so the good scenes, like this one, feel like they happen almost by chance and they either don't feel "deserved" or they end up giving a false hope for substance that is never followed through. Anyway, good video!
You should learn about the Catholic Way to Perfection. The ascent of Mount Carmel By St John of the Cross or St Teresa of Avila’s work or St Catherine of Sienna’s work and the spiritual awakening and purgative phase then dark night of the senses then Illuminative phase followed by the dark night of the soul to reach the unitive phase with God. Those themes are very present in these films and most stories too.
I love you include Last Jedi.. only Last Jedi i consider as Star Wars continuation.. because why.. in the early young-adult Luke.. he always on positive side.. but Yoda already warn him about the Dark side.. because Yoda learned from his mistake..
Parmenides (the opposite philosopher of Heraclitus) gave the flow with respect to the laws of nature: Everything flows. The meaning is that the nature as well as human emotions tend to be dynamic and this gives the capacity of evolution (not in the Darwinian-another guy with bart- sense). Heraclitus speaks though ( unfortunately we have only fragments of his work, and two marble heads -and some made in Taiwan copies of them), about stability of nature but also about the dynamics of world: the war is the father of everything i.e. the struggle generates life. And if you read til here, you could have close the lights of your bedroom.
17:30 I know it would have ruined the mood but I'm unendingly sad that you didn't show the clip of Yoda yelling "CONCENTRAAAATE" as he's falling off of Luke from Empire for this section instead.
Letting nature take its course...as a hard core westerner, I'll point out that part of the serious issue with Some eastern philosophies is that you'll include things like pedophilia in there. Sure, that's one of the only things the West still agrees against morally but it's important that we recognise that "do what thou whilst" is diametrically opposed to western philosophy even though it's taken hold in the West.
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words. The RotJ video is still quite a ways out. I have some big ideas for the final installment in this series that go well beyond the scope of Star Wars or a simple Hero's Journey breakdown. I want to use the film to dive into a few of Campbell's more profound ideas, some of which are so "out there" I feel it's necessary to ease viewers in slowly. Lots of preliminary ideas to establish in other videos before we can have that discussion!
@@OffScreen Hey thanks for replying and your time, I did go to his SoundCloud and checked but couldn't find it. if you could share the name of the soundtrack it would be really great.
The track was provided with no name. If anything, it is the "Off Screen Ambient Theme". As of now, it is only available in these videos, though I may have plans to release the full track at some point in the future...
And these new films were shallow and purposeless. Missing all symbolism and subtext as well as a sense of adventure, wonder, and optimism. These six Lucas films tell a great and action packed story on the surface as well as these brilliantly layered metaphors that only academics and people who read Hero’s Journey can understand and codify, but that everyone even simple minded people and children all across the world in every language and walk of life can instantly understand in their gut and get the deeper meaning out of it.
George Lucas is a perennialist? That's a twist for me. Wish you talked more about the Atonement with the Father, but that's probably on the Return of The Jedi if you're planning on doing that, right?
There will certainly be an exploration of Luke's Atonement with the Father in part 3 of this series, though that will be some time out as I want to establish a few key ideas in other videos before diving into RotJ.
I have not read much Star Wars EU, though I have a trusted friend who grew up reading all the Legends books and knows a lot of that canon. For the sake of keeping my content accessible to a broader audience I will just be using live action Star Wars media for analysis in the near future (though I loved Clone Wars and Rebels). Regarding the upcoming videos that will tie in with my analysis of RotJ, they will cover other film properties, though I'll bring it back to Star Wars for part 3 of this series.
@@OffScreen cool 👍 These two videos are the best on Star Wars story and themes on YT. That's saying a lot but I'm sure I'm not far from objective truth here. Most only touch on the surface plotlines and never delve too deep into the Campbell, Jung and spiritual pillars. Thank you for this. The sequel trilogy stuff bring a bad taste on me but I'm open if it's interesting.
High praise, thank you very much. :) Some time after my next Dune video comes out I will be doing a Hero's Journey analysis for the sequel trilogy - equal parts criticism and reexamination. I think it will do a lot to recontextualize the disjointed story that Disney told.
Say what you want about the last Jedi but it's the one sequel that actually put a lot of thought about the force subtext and similar motifs into it. It's not perfect but it has a lot more depth to it compared to the others, especially episode 9
That documentary, "The Mythology of Star Wars," with George. Too bad the producers/writers of the sequels didn't take time to watch it. They didn't understand the hero's journey at all, or Rey would have been much more interesting. Instead of making a SW movie, they made a Disney movie with SW "notes."
Bringing Disney sequels into this was a bad joke, it has nothing to do with Star Wars and its ideas, only the brand name. Otherwise, great video, with quite useful introduction to Eastern culture.
This video was doing great untill Rey appears... You are reaching my friend. Rey comes seeking a master to guide her and she gets an old fart who teaches her 3 lessons on why the Jedi must end. That is the ANTITHESIS of what a master symbolizes. I get they were going for the fall of the hero, HOWEVER, even King Arthur from the Knights of the round table after falls sick says: *"We must find what it was lost. The Grail. Only the Grail can restore leaf and flower. Search the land, the labyrinths of the forests,to the edge of within."* Even in sickness king Arthur never gave up. Even with the land in misery, with wars and plague, he never gave up. To chose a concept DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY equates to good results. *Good concepts need a good execution. The Sequel Triogy fails at EVERY STEP of the Heros Journey.* Luke being a broken hero motif could be interesting but Luke would need to be the PROTAGONIST in order to have the *screen time* to explain this drastic change of character. Flash Backs and narration for CENTRAL PLOT POINTS is lazy writing. Flashbacks, narration and exposition are to be used like salt on the food. Too much will ruin it and the right dosage will give it more flavour. 90% of any movie must be “show, don’t tell”. Making him the wise master would take very little screen time and Rey would still be the protagonist which is the goal here. Cinema language 101. The master archetype is one thing and the broken hero archetype is another. In La’Morte d’ Arthur ( Knights of the Round Table ) you have 2/3 of the book showing what happened before Arthur (the protagonist) becomes broken. My point is that you need screen time to develop the broken hero story because the audience needs details. We need to feel and understand this change of character. *but the master archetype you don’t need much screen time because of 2 reasons.... first, the master is there only when needed. He is a supporting character. and second the master is by nature a misterious character.* *The master is never the protagonist and the broken hero is never the master. How can someone whose soul is broken be a master?* Sorry to say this my friend but if you leave this video as it is it will be a stain on your record and I feel for you because you did an amazing job, however like I said before when Rey appears on the screen you are like a midget in a supermarket... *You are reaching my friend.* *Rey is practically perfect... how can she follow the Heros Journey if she is perfect?* To say that she is afraid of her power and then KICK ASS and win every obstacle WITHOUT BREAKING A SWET .... well, THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF MARY SUE. She alway knows what to do. She always makes the right choice. She doesn´t really have any internal conflict. No bad consequences happen to her or to her friends because she does not have any flaws. Yaaaaaawwwwnnnn.... booooring.
"Good. I feel your ANGER." Thank you for taking the time to write out this comment. You'll find no disagreements here about The Last Jedi. I agree with your criticism. However, I would rather make an attempt to find the good in something than lean in to upset. That kind of outlook tends to slowly take over one's world view. Early on I tried to put together a negative review of a film, and I just couldn't do it. My heart wasn't in it and I put the project away. I'm just not interested in spending significant chunks of my life on negativity. I'd rather highlight what works than what doesn't. To that end, I feel that The Last Jedi works well as a spiritual successor to Empire Strikes Back's religious themes - presenting its eastern philosophy in a straightforward way that didn't distill the message. For that reason I find the film to have value and that's why I've included it here. I'm sorry that this video didn't work for you. It's probably the one I'm most proud of to date. I find it unfortunate that Rey has been turned into a symbol of all that has gone wrong with Star Wars. Just her appearance seems to upset people now. We all collectively create the meaning of our cultural symbols, and I think Rey has more potential than what she's been given. There's still room for reinterpretation. EDIT: I would also kindly ask that we avoid derogatory terms for any group of people in our discourse here. I want all to feel welcome.
@@OffScreen "´However, I would rather make an attempt to find the good in something than lean in to upset. That kind of outlook tends to slowly take over one's world view." *One´s world view... The sequel trilogy is ones world view to many kids around this earth and I ask you... what did they learn? Your video directly implies meaning on a product that has no meaning. What about the kids? I dont think that if Joseph Campbell were alive he would be very happy.* *"Understand that you have a great responsibility to your audience . What is unfortunate for us is that a lot of the people who write these stories do not have the sense of their responsibility. These stories are making and breaking lives. But the movies are made simply to make money. - Joseph Campbel* In this passage, Campbell is specifically referring to the movies and how they are serving as an inadequate replacement for society’s initiation rituals. That is, rituals that are meant to help us grow up and become who we were meant to be. He is perhaps being overly dramatic, but the point is well-taken. As our society moves further and further away from ancient traditions and rituals, i.e. religion, storytellers have an even greater responsibility to their audience. Conscious of it or not, they are attempting to teach the audience something about themselves and the experience of being alive. Lessons are being learned, wisdom being gleaned, *world views are forming.* That needs to be taken seriously and doing so will only serve to enrich the experience for both reader and writer.
@@OffScreen Atonement with the father means atnonement with negativity, you said this yourself. Its about balancing the oposite energies and transcend into one. I am truly amazed by your video I have to say. I really enjoyed its just that this last part well... you are not doing the kids, Joe, Jung, me, you or anybody a favor (except for Disney)... I think you are super seriously contradicting yourself... afterall, is it or is it not important *quality* story telling?
@@OffScreen Your video is 94% perfect by the way... seriously.... sorry I am being to hard on you kid. I am quiting smoking. My shadow side is really bad right now.
Great video, at least up to a point. I was right there with you until you started discussing The Last Jedi as though it was equivalent to the originals in any way. Aside from that, very well made.
that kinda explains to me why the walking dead became bad: they always searched for safety because they were hunted by zombies, but then at season 7 or so they found safety and hunted the zombies. WTF the series is called the walking dead, dont make the zombies even more harmless as they are.
you know that the zombies never were the core of walking dead right? They were just a tool for the story to develop. The show tried to show that men are the real anger. Zombies are just like a force of nature. They follow their instincts and their actions are predictable. Men live in a society and are willing to lie and trick each other if they get an advantage. It basically is "the fly" with zombies instead of an uninhabited island.
Lol 2 Millennia of theologians, most standing on the shoulders of the Christian giants who came before them, who built upon the writings of prophets who came long before, yet we’ve only “tried” to answer the great mystery. But Jung, Campbell and Lucas are here to figure it all out for them. 😂
Most story/movie main heroes are pretty much carbon copies of Jesus. Luke Skywalker, Aragorn, Jon Snow, Peter Parker, etc. Self sacrificial and good to their core no matter what.
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w7Wf0h1Q8a4/mqdefault.jpg)
I've been wanting to make a video exploring the parallels between Star Wars and world religions for a long time now. I'm glad I chose The Empire Strikes Back as the vehicle to do that, and I'm so excited that the video is finally out for everyone to see! What do you think? Did you know Star Wars was more than just mindless action in space? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
I have known about the mythology of Star Wars for a very long time, also Joseph Campbell and the "Hero's Journey", but this video puts perspective on all the spiritual elements - thanks very much indeed, very much appreciated!
I had no idea until recently 😎
Can you please allow subtitles/captions?! For some reason the closed captioning is turned off.
@@jackloomes5752 Captions have been added to this video. Please let me know if you notice any errors!
Doesn't the fact that can make artificial machines that are conscious mean they understand consciousness. And isn't suffering a need for happiness isn't peace posits of live
I also love how he met Yoda. Usually a story like this takes the protagonists' success and lead him to the a higher path, where they meet their master that will guide them. In Empire, Luke and the Rebels just lost and he "descent", and he meets Yoda there because ultimately, he himself failed too in the prequels. They were both from failures, and are trying to help each other out.
Doesn't the fact that they can make artificial machines that are conscious mean they understand consciousness
He finds yoda on the descent because the swamp symbolizes luke's unconscious. Not because yoda failed in the prequels. There's no yoda, he's just a symbol. This video says to you that even han and leya are just representatives of luke's personality. Also there's no prequels at this point in the movie and no yoda failing anakin.
Could you people just not?
Could you stop thinking materialistically?
@@hulking_presence Ok sheesh, why so pressed? Chill out
@@hulking_presence plus... Yoda is literally there because he failed, he went into self-exile. Not everything needs to be metaphorical, it's just basically what the story was saying. & I don't think you know what materialistic means btw, look it up. how could it possibly relate to my comment...
So Lucas built Star Wars, inspired by Campbell's Hero's Journey, then years later, Campbell analyzes Star Wars in the context of his Hero's Journey. It's like poetry. It rhymes... LOL. I love it!
I thought there was a missed opportunity for commentary at the climax where Vader explains that he is Luke's father. This is where Luke has descended all the way to the bottom of his unconscious and he learns the ultimate truth about himself. This is Campbell's Atonement with the Father/Abyss, and I would like to have heard more about it, as it is the turning point of Luke's inner journey. And then I would like to have heard commentary on the rest of the Hero's Journey in Return of the Jedi. Other than that, there was a lot of great stuff in this video.
Perhaps there was a missed opportunity. When it comes to videos like this, sacrifices do have to be made for the sake of runtime and maintaining the "through-line." For this video, I was more intent on highlighting religious parallels than in presenting a *complete* breakdown of the Hero's Journey. Others have already done that before me and I'm more interested in adding something new to the conversation. Perhaps there is an opportunity to do breakdowns of specific scenes in the future.
As for RotJ, that video will come. But like this one, it will explore a different through-line instead of merely presenting a dry-bones analysis of The Hero's Journey.
Bro how does this only have 19k views?
I don't know how you have only 2.5k subs, and I'm only seeing this video 3 years after the fact. YT should have rec'd this channel to me a long time ago. Love your stuff!
I was watching this as I was making a drawing when you started talking about the tao... I was never so in sync with a piece, I know it sounds crazy but it was like I could feel what IT wanted, and it could feel what I wanted. As if I blinked, and before I knew, it was well past midnight, and I had a piece I was so proud of in front of me
I love this. Thank you so much for sharing! The flow state is a powerful thing, a truly mystical experience when we can achieve it. I would love to see the piece my work was a part of if you felt like sharing, though I understand this can be a deeply personal experience as well. :)
This is a great video. I love hearing how Lucas created the religion of Star Wars.
Man, oh man, what a brilliant analysis. I've been interested in the subject as a kid - Star Wars, religions, universal truths, heroe's journey - but kinda forgot about it over the years and mundanity of the world intruded. And now I find myself with this video reinvigorating this old passion. There is a lot to digest (harhar) in here. I think I'm gonna read Joseph Campbell myself. Thank you, good sir. May the force be with you!
This video needs far more attention, I had an intuition about Stat Wars after many spiritual experiences, now it all makes sense! Thank you for the work that went into this! ❤️🙏
An extraordinary effort into the depths of the deeper meanings of Star Wars. A shame it hasn't reached a greater audience.
Subscribe because this was an absolutely eye-opening review of the Star wars universe.
Keep making these videos please.
13:00 Thanks for another great video full of new insights :)
I know it's usually attributed to "Djinn," and another commenter suggested the Chinese sword "Jian," but IMO the origin of "Jinn" is very likely the Chinese 勁 Jìn (sometimes Jìng, depending on dialect). Translatable as "power," it often refers to the "soft" power of remaining relaxed and using internal Qi (rather than muscular strength) to generate outward force (Fa jin, commonly just "jin"). Because Qigong is its foundation, they are closely associated. It is particularly employed by the more Daoist-affliated "internal" styles, to which the attitudes of Wuwei and "flow" are central. That's a MAJOR oversimplification, but in any case, wherever George saw the word "Qigong" and was struck with inspiration, "Jin" might well have been in the next paragraph.
Thanks for this information. I have added a post-release note to the video description. :)
This video was thought-provoking, insightful, and showed a layer of Star Wars that isn't just pew-pew space cowboy silliness.
I keep returning to this video. It's so well edited, with perfect music cues - and really, really smart script. It must have taken a lot of effort to make. Anyway, mad respect. :salute:
Hey dude. I’m making a Star Wars short film so I’ve been watching stuff about hero’s journey and SW. I’ve never seen anyone talk about Han being the devil on likes shoulder and also never noticed all the digestion stuff. You have some really good, interesting takes about Lucas’ storytelling.
Thank you very much! Plenty more takes on Star Wars and other properties coming down the road. :)
You are really good at telling these types of stories and linking all the topics together ! Good job mate
This is actually really nice to hear, thank you. There's always that fear someone won't be able to follow such a branching web of connected ideas.
commenting to hopefully boost this in the algorithm, great insights and analysis :)
Thank you. Sharing on social media goes a long way as well! :)
Qui Gon was not Quite Gone
Thanks for the latest video. I enjoyed how you explained about George Lucas' ideas of his creation of "The Empire Strikes Back". I personally don't like The Last Jedi, but I did like some things from that movie.
Your focus determines your reality!
Mind blowing. If only star wars sequels took these ideas and made them with all the magic of modern cinema :) thank you
You missed that last bit with the last jedi
The Clone Wars series has some great moments with The Force.
i didn’t like that the phantom menace and onward turned the force into a video game super power
@@zanelarson2451, this is not what happens.
@@philippealain-art nah i’d say so
It seems that a lot of people miss the correlation between the cave scene and the end of Return of the Jedi. In the cave scene he needed weapons to face his fears. After he defeated his father, he finally realises he was letting anger take over. Throwing away his lightsaber as he no longer needed a weapon to deal with his fate. He had conquered his demons.He held no fear and needed no weapons to support his confidence and ego, therefore passing the initial test of the cave that Yoda had created. He was a Jedi.
Guareschi called it "The lamps and the great light". Thank you for the video :-)
The English translations I could find were beautiful, simple, and profound. Thank you for bringing Guareschi's words my way. :)
a criminally underrated channel.
your level is more akin to a professional.
This video was really interesting!!! Please make more!!!
Great video - I have shown this to one of my classes!
I love hearing this, thank you for sharing. I hope the subtitles help!
This video right heres deserves much more views than it has.
one of the top yt channels ive seen in my life, 100% no bullshit thank u for being a youtuber. ur content is top shelf quality & the style, grace u have within them is awesome. it blends very well with the content, ur own flow & how both of those previously mentioned pieces work together, the rhythm of the entire videos. anyway im definitely subscribed & if u ever see this all i honestly got to say is thank u man. honestly u helped me in ways words have a hard time reaching, unless a common understanding is felt. I wish u luck, success, & good fortune my friend.
Brilliant video. Thank you for your work.
Just stopped by your store to get a few star wars books, sweet channel 🤙
Thanks for checking out my channel! Hope you enjoy those Star Wars books. Feel free to swing back by the store anytime to chat about SW, and I hope you enjoy my videos!
Amazing video, this deserves way more exposure
wow, amazing video!
Ahmed best gave an amazing performance he deserves his place in star wars lore well. The original 6 movies and maybe rogue one
Yoda takes the role of a trickster in his initial meeting with Luke. I found that interesting, even as a little kid. I'm sure Campbell enjoyed this little touch.
Your observation about Han and Leia being the devil and angel....how have i never seen this before? And about Dak being ike Luke's old self.....goddamn. I have watched the OT SO many times, and I STILL manage to find new meaning in it. Thank you. Please make more.
This is incredible :)
Going to do one on ROTJ?
Now, Return of the Jedi to complete the trilogy please!!!
The are brilliant videos man. Keep them coming. great work.
Hey man,just came across your channel and I'm blown away by the quality of your work,I'm surprised to see you don't have at least 100k subs.Keep it up!
Hi. I'm new. You can help by sharing. :)
Wow! I must say, pretty effen impressive video!
Thank you! I really appreciate it. :)
Superb content. Subscribed.
banger video man
Great video, you have a zen voice too
Heh....this video came out on my birthday last year! I'm a film school student now and studying the fundamentals of storytelling. Star Wars keeps coming up in my reading so it is really fascinating to me to watch this video and the one you made on "A New Hope" to better understand Joseph Campbell's thoughts on the monomyth. (A topic that came up in my readings) Looking forward to more! I would love to see a third video explaining how Luke's journey concludes, and how he finally reaches the true "Return phase" of his journey.
That video will come, but it may not be for a while. There are some other concepts I need to establish before the real depths of Return of the Jedi can be explored.
Thanks for joining me on this journey. :)
What a great video, amazing production. As Vader would say “impressive, most impressive”
Well done! Well thought out and researched. Thank you for this video!
Thank you! More stormtrooper love coming in the future. :)
This is a wonderful video !
How do you not have more subscribers, this stuff is amazing!
Thanks jorge. If you know anyone who may like my videos feel free to share with them, it greatly helps out the channel! :)
Hey man I just want to thank you so very much for this video. I have begun my spiritual journey not too long ago and consuming pop-culture that can keep me on the path while entertaining me has become increasingly important. I have begun rewatching Star Wars (a franchise I was never truly able to get into) because I KNEW that it had good accessible teachings, but even now I've had a hard time understanding it's message. This video have truly helped me with that! So thank you❤
I've been searching all over RUclips for videos like these but this is by far the best most thoroughly researched and enlightening one👁
I would absolutely love for more videos like these on the spirituality in Star Wars and other franchises (like DBZ?) But in any case this was exactly what I needed so thank you your work is amazing❤
I appreciate your kind words and I'm glad to connect with another spiritual seeker. I believe we all have something to teach each other!
While not all content for Off Screen will be spiritual in nature, you can be assured it's a topic I will return to regularly. :)
I tear up everytime during the lifting of x wing scene
Are you going to make a video about Return of the Jedi???????????
Very possible there's something planned for the future...
Off Screen “A surprise to be sure but a welcome one”
The Force is a metaphor? For using patience and peace to guide your actions? But still blowing up a Death Star when needed.
13:00 ""Jin" is also a Chinese sword
I did not come across this parallel in my research, thanks for sharing!
My brother came home after watching Star Wars, very excited, and he would return to the movie theater to watch it over and over. After about the third time, his enthusiasm got my curiosity so I went to watch it. But for me only one character stood out, the James Earl Jones voiced Darth Vader. His entrance amongst a group of white armored soldiers compelled me to hold my breath in anticipation as to what he would do next. And he seemed to crackle with uncontrollable raw electricity. And even when he was silent you couldn’t ignore him because of the breath sounds.
Loved your star wars analyses! Hoping you will do one for Return of the Jedi as well!
Most Excellent !
Hey bro, is there any plans to do a video for the return of the jedi?? Love the first 2 so much :)
There are plans for a third installment, but a few concepts need to be established in other videos before we can have the deep conversation I want to have about RotJ.
Great video up until the Last Jedi part.
This video is great! I've heard so many comparisons between the Force and Christianity, and Buddhism, but this is the first one I've seen that mentions Tao. To me Lucas' quote about the Force being the "distillation" of all religions is key to understanding the message of Star Wars, and the unknowable nature of Tao is the closest analogy to that, but it seems to get overlooked.
Also, love Kershner's quote about anyone who needs guns being weak, followed by Lucas's affirmation about the importance of compassion. Luke wins when he stops fighting and gives his fate to the Force, every time.
And the scene when Luke explains the Force to Rey is one of the few redeeming pieces of the sequel trilogy.
Thank you so much! It's really unfortunate (and ironic) to me that many Star Wars fans are so blinded by their hate that they overlook such a profound moment simply because the rest of the film isn't 100% perfect.
@@OffScreen well, the problem isn't just that the rest of the film isn't 100% perfect. The problem is that the sequel trilogy, each movie individually and as a whole, is not faithful to what star wars is about, and so the good scenes, like this one, feel like they happen almost by chance and they either don't feel "deserved" or they end up giving a false hope for substance that is never followed through. Anyway, good video!
this completely changed my view on religions.. wow
You should learn about the Catholic Way to Perfection. The ascent of Mount Carmel By St John of the Cross or St Teresa of Avila’s work or St Catherine of Sienna’s work and the spiritual awakening and purgative phase then dark night of the senses then Illuminative phase followed by the dark night of the soul to reach the unitive phase with God. Those themes are very present in these films and most stories too.
If you had any links to share I would gladly do some reading/watching. I always love learning new things!
WoW 😮 just 😎 awesome 👏
nice video man
I love you include Last Jedi.. only Last Jedi i consider as Star Wars continuation.. because why.. in the early young-adult Luke.. he always on positive side.. but Yoda already warn him about the Dark side.. because Yoda learned from his mistake..
Great video. More, please. #subscribed
Parmenides (the opposite philosopher of Heraclitus) gave the flow with respect to the laws of nature: Everything flows. The meaning is that the nature as well as human emotions tend to be dynamic and this gives the capacity of evolution (not in the Darwinian-another guy with bart- sense). Heraclitus speaks though ( unfortunately we have only fragments of his work, and two marble heads -and some made in Taiwan copies of them), about stability of nature but also about the dynamics of world: the war is the father of everything i.e. the struggle generates life. And if you read til here, you could have close the lights of your bedroom.
fantastic
Wow it's a metaphor? I didn't know that
17:30 I know it would have ruined the mood but I'm unendingly sad that you didn't show the clip of Yoda yelling "CONCENTRAAAATE" as he's falling off of Luke from Empire for this section instead.
Haha, that would have been great. My videos are nothing without their mood. I'll work on that sense of humor.
and bind us all together...I can only think currently only taxation that has this power.
Oh, maxi big the Force! Well, that smells stinkerwhiff.
Letting nature take its course...as a hard core westerner, I'll point out that part of the serious issue with Some eastern philosophies is that you'll include things like pedophilia in there. Sure, that's one of the only things the West still agrees against morally but it's important that we recognise that "do what thou whilst" is diametrically opposed to western philosophy even though it's taken hold in the West.
So.. when's the next video for Return of the Jedi? 😄 Or it's already out? Great work - some of my fav RUclips content
Thank you! I appreciate the kind words.
The RotJ video is still quite a ways out. I have some big ideas for the final installment in this series that go well beyond the scope of Star Wars or a simple Hero's Journey breakdown. I want to use the film to dive into a few of Campbell's more profound ideas, some of which are so "out there" I feel it's necessary to ease viewers in slowly. Lots of preliminary ideas to establish in other videos before we can have that discussion!
Whats the soundtrack name which starts at 1:26 ?
That's an original piece of music composed for Off Screen by Zach Rosenlund. You can always find these details in the video description! :)
@@OffScreen Hey thanks for replying and your time, I did go to his SoundCloud and checked but couldn't find it. if you could share the name of the soundtrack it would be really great.
The track was provided with no name. If anything, it is the "Off Screen Ambient Theme". As of now, it is only available in these videos, though I may have plans to release the full track at some point in the future...
And these new films were shallow and purposeless. Missing all symbolism and subtext as well as a sense of adventure, wonder, and optimism. These six Lucas films tell a great and action packed story on the surface as well as these brilliantly layered metaphors that only academics and people who read Hero’s Journey can understand and codify, but that everyone even simple minded people and children all across the world in every language and walk of life can instantly understand in their gut and get the deeper meaning out of it.
HAHA you think one gets through screenwriting school at all without reading that ?
“Only academics”
Bahahaha
Nice
George Lucas is a perennialist? That's a twist for me. Wish you talked more about the Atonement with the Father, but that's probably on the Return of The Jedi if you're planning on doing that, right?
There will certainly be an exploration of Luke's Atonement with the Father in part 3 of this series, though that will be some time out as I want to establish a few key ideas in other videos before diving into RotJ.
@@OffScreen will these videos be on SW? Also, have you read the old EU?
I have not read much Star Wars EU, though I have a trusted friend who grew up reading all the Legends books and knows a lot of that canon. For the sake of keeping my content accessible to a broader audience I will just be using live action Star Wars media for analysis in the near future (though I loved Clone Wars and Rebels).
Regarding the upcoming videos that will tie in with my analysis of RotJ, they will cover other film properties, though I'll bring it back to Star Wars for part 3 of this series.
@@OffScreen cool 👍 These two videos are the best on Star Wars story and themes on YT. That's saying a lot but I'm sure I'm not far from objective truth here. Most only touch on the surface plotlines and never delve too deep into the Campbell, Jung and spiritual pillars. Thank you for this. The sequel trilogy stuff bring a bad taste on me but I'm open if it's interesting.
High praise, thank you very much. :) Some time after my next Dune video comes out I will be doing a Hero's Journey analysis for the sequel trilogy - equal parts criticism and reexamination. I think it will do a lot to recontextualize the disjointed story that Disney told.
Star Wars originally only cost 9m to make ? That’s crazy
The Tao is not the one, it’s the way
It’s too dynamic to be concerned with any form of the one
Say what you want about the last Jedi but it's the one sequel that actually put a lot of thought about the force subtext and similar motifs into it. It's not perfect but it has a lot more depth to it compared to the others, especially episode 9
That documentary, "The Mythology of Star Wars," with George. Too bad the producers/writers of the sequels didn't take time to watch it. They didn't understand the hero's journey at all, or Rey would have been much more interesting. Instead of making a SW movie, they made a Disney movie with SW "notes."
Bringing Disney sequels into this was a bad joke, it has nothing to do with Star Wars and its ideas, only the brand name. Otherwise, great video, with quite useful introduction to Eastern culture.
There were some quotes from The Last Jedi I couldn't live without.
@@OffScreen, it's sad for you.
💓💓💓
This video was doing great untill Rey appears... You are reaching my friend. Rey comes seeking a master to guide her and she gets an old fart who teaches her 3 lessons on why the Jedi must end. That is the ANTITHESIS of what a master symbolizes. I get they were going for the fall of the hero, HOWEVER, even King Arthur from the Knights of the round table after falls sick says:
*"We must find what it was lost. The Grail. Only the Grail can restore leaf and flower. Search the land, the labyrinths of the forests,to the edge of within."*
Even in sickness king Arthur never gave up. Even with the land in misery, with wars and plague, he never gave up.
To chose a concept DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY equates to good results. *Good concepts need a good execution. The Sequel Triogy fails at EVERY STEP of the Heros Journey.*
Luke being a broken hero motif could be interesting but Luke would need to be the PROTAGONIST in order to have the *screen time* to explain this drastic change of character. Flash Backs and narration for CENTRAL PLOT POINTS is lazy writing.
Flashbacks, narration and exposition are to be used like salt on the food. Too much will ruin it and the right dosage will give it more flavour.
90% of any movie must be “show, don’t tell”.
Making him the wise master would take very little screen time and Rey would still be the protagonist which is the goal here. Cinema language 101.
The master archetype is one thing and the broken hero archetype is another.
In La’Morte d’ Arthur ( Knights of the Round Table ) you have 2/3 of the book showing what happened before Arthur (the protagonist) becomes broken.
My point is that you need screen time to develop the broken hero story because the audience needs details. We need to feel and understand this change of character.
*but the master archetype you don’t need much screen time because of 2 reasons.... first, the master is there only when needed. He is a supporting character. and second the master is by nature a misterious character.*
*The master is never the protagonist and the broken hero is never the master. How can someone whose soul is broken be a master?*
Sorry to say this my friend but if you leave this video as it is it will be a stain on your record and I feel for you because you did an amazing job, however like I said before when Rey appears on the screen you are like a midget in a supermarket... *You are reaching my friend.*
*Rey is practically perfect... how can she follow the Heros Journey if she is perfect?*
To say that she is afraid of her power and then KICK ASS and win every obstacle WITHOUT BREAKING A SWET .... well, THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF MARY SUE. She alway knows what to do. She always makes the right choice. She doesn´t really have any internal conflict. No bad consequences happen to her or to her friends because she does not have any flaws.
Yaaaaaawwwwnnnn.... booooring.
"Good. I feel your ANGER."
Thank you for taking the time to write out this comment. You'll find no disagreements here about The Last Jedi. I agree with your criticism. However, I would rather make an attempt to find the good in something than lean in to upset. That kind of outlook tends to slowly take over one's world view.
Early on I tried to put together a negative review of a film, and I just couldn't do it. My heart wasn't in it and I put the project away. I'm just not interested in spending significant chunks of my life on negativity. I'd rather highlight what works than what doesn't. To that end, I feel that The Last Jedi works well as a spiritual successor to Empire Strikes Back's religious themes - presenting its eastern philosophy in a straightforward way that didn't distill the message. For that reason I find the film to have value and that's why I've included it here.
I'm sorry that this video didn't work for you. It's probably the one I'm most proud of to date. I find it unfortunate that Rey has been turned into a symbol of all that has gone wrong with Star Wars. Just her appearance seems to upset people now. We all collectively create the meaning of our cultural symbols, and I think Rey has more potential than what she's been given. There's still room for reinterpretation.
EDIT: I would also kindly ask that we avoid derogatory terms for any group of people in our discourse here. I want all to feel welcome.
@@OffScreen "´However, I would rather make an attempt to find the good in something than lean in to upset. That kind of outlook tends to slowly take over one's world view." *One´s world view... The sequel trilogy is ones world view to many kids around this earth and I ask you... what did they learn? Your video directly implies meaning on a product that has no meaning. What about the kids? I dont think that if Joseph Campbell were alive he would be very happy.*
*"Understand that you have a great responsibility to your audience
. What is unfortunate for us is that a lot of the people who write these stories do not have the sense of their responsibility. These stories are making and breaking lives. But the movies are made simply to make money. - Joseph Campbel*
In this passage, Campbell is specifically referring to the movies and how they are serving as an inadequate replacement for society’s initiation rituals.
That is, rituals that are meant to help us grow up and become who we were meant to be.
He is perhaps being overly dramatic, but the point is well-taken. As our society moves further and further away from ancient traditions and rituals, i.e. religion, storytellers have an even greater responsibility to their audience.
Conscious of it or not, they are attempting to teach the audience something about themselves and the experience of being alive. Lessons are being learned, wisdom being gleaned, *world views are forming.*
That needs to be taken seriously and doing so will only serve to enrich the experience for both reader and writer.
@@OffScreen Atonement with the father means atnonement with negativity, you said this yourself. Its about balancing the oposite energies and transcend into one. I am truly amazed by your video I have to say. I really enjoyed its just that this last part well... you are not doing the kids, Joe, Jung, me, you or anybody a favor (except for Disney)... I think you are super seriously contradicting yourself... afterall, is it or is it not important *quality* story telling?
@@OffScreen Your video is 94% perfect by the way... seriously.... sorry I am being to hard on you kid. I am quiting smoking. My shadow side is really bad right now.
@Lord Dustin why did kylo turn evil?
9:20
26:31 💞🙏🏼
Great video, at least up to a point. I was right there with you until you started discussing The Last Jedi as though it was equivalent to the originals in any way. Aside from that, very well made.
10:00
that kinda explains to me why the walking dead became bad: they always searched for safety because they were hunted by zombies, but then at season 7 or so they found safety and hunted the zombies.
WTF the series is called the walking dead, dont make the zombies even more harmless as they are.
you know that the zombies never were the core of walking dead right?
They were just a tool for the story to develop. The show tried to show that men are the real anger. Zombies are just like a force of nature. They follow their instincts and their actions are predictable. Men live in a society and are willing to lie and trick each other if they get an advantage.
It basically is "the fly" with zombies instead of an uninhabited island.
@@meganoob12 Doesn’t explain to me why the zombies became less and the humans more dangerous…
@@_GENERALIEN I know, but you wrote: " dont make the zombies even more harmless as they are."
My comment was on that
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Lol 2 Millennia of theologians, most standing on the shoulders of the Christian giants who came before them, who built upon the writings of prophets who came long before, yet we’ve only “tried” to answer the great mystery. But Jung, Campbell and Lucas are here to figure it all out for them. 😂
Just like the real Star Wars series, this was really good until I got to the part with Rey
Shame 7,8,9 were so bad.
Thank you for a wonderful time.
Namaste
Most story/movie main heroes are pretty much carbon copies of Jesus. Luke Skywalker, Aragorn, Jon Snow, Peter Parker, etc. Self sacrificial and good to their core no matter what.
Wrong.
There are six (and only six) numbered SW movies.
Why you gotta bring in the last jedi
Wonder if January 6th was pretty b much the clone
You completely lost me at the end.
TLJ ! WHY?
sequel trilogy doesn't exist
Amen