Archetypes In Star Wars

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Whether or not Star Wars is Fantasy or science fiction has been debated since the movies came out. Many claim that the series is science fiction but based off of Joseph Campbell’s 17 Stages of a Monomyth and archetypes from the movies, it can also be considered fantasy.
Star Wars can be proven it is fantasy because it has all of the stages of the monomyth. The most obvious one is call to adventure. Luke Skywalker is the hero of the story. In the beginning of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope, Luke purchases two droids, R2D2 and C3PO, from Jawas. He later finds a hologram in R2D2 of Princess Leia. She is asking for Obi Wan Kenobi’s help in the rebellion. Luke then finds “Old Ben” (Obi Wan) and delivers the droids to him. Obi Wan asks Luke …show more content…
Three of the most important ones are the father figure and mentor, villain, and magic weapon. The father figure is Obi Wan Kenobi. Obi Wan was a former Jedi knight who became like a father to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode IV- A New Hope. He guides Luke throughout his adventures. Obi Wan is also Luke’s first mentor on his journey to become a Jedi. He gives Luke a lightsaber and teaches him the ways of the force. He tells Luke that it is his destiny to become a Jedi and that he plays a role in defeating the Empire. Because Obi Wan cannot finish Luke’s training, he convinces Yoda to teach him. The villain archetype is Darth Vader. He opposes Luke Skywalker and aids in the destruction of planets with the Death Star. Many times throughout the movie Vader uses the force to choke and hurt his own men. Vader dresses in black which is a symbol of evil and follows the path of the “dark side”. The next archetype is the magic weapon. The magic weapon archetype is a special weapon used to defeat evil or help identify the main character. In Star Wars the magic weapon is the force, a universal energy that can be harnessed. It is used by Obi Wan and Luke Skywalker, as well as Darth Vader. The force provides Luke with ability to defeat the evil. Using it, he gets a perfect shot into the reactor of the Death Star and destroys it, saving the universe. The last archetype is death and rebirth. This is a situational archetype in which somebody dies and comes back in a different form. In Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope Obi Wan dies during a battle with Darth Vader, but is born through the force and is a voice in Luke’s head, guiding and encouraging him. All of these archetypes show how the force has impacted the Star Wars movies. The force can be considered a fantasy element because it can be seen a “magical” power a select few can
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