Star Wars lite presentation

I. Movies, Story & World

George Lucas - Early Life
June 12, 1962 - miraculously survived a car race accident
Lucas's father owned a stationery store,[10] and had wanted George to work for him when he turned 18. Lucas had been planning to go to art school, and declared upon leaving home that he would be a millionaire by the age of 30.
Self-described as a Methodist Buddhist.
After graduation, tried joining the United States Air Force - was turned down because of his numerous speeding tickets.
American Graffiti
Work with friend Spielberg on Indiana Johns

George Lucas - Film Career Season I (1973-1983)
1977 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
1980 - Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back
1983 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
unofficially canceled the sequels.
Money: Lucasfilm has earned hundreds of millions of dollars from licensed games, toys, and collectibles created for the franchise.
Helped Akira Kurosawa with «Kagemusha».
Owned Pixar for 7 years before Steve Jobs.
Skywalker Sound, LucasArts (games), Industrial Light & Magic (VFX), THX Ltd (equipment for filming)

George Lucas - Film Career Season II (1994-2005)
1999 - Star Wars Episode I: Phantom Menace
2002 - Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
2005 - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Motivation: art, money and CGI
Notice: episode names of trilogies are mirrored
1997 - special edition of Episodes IV-VI («Han shot first»)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoons
Indiana Johns 4
With the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, Lucas is currently Disney's second-largest single shareholder after the estate of Steve Jobs.

@vastava, Github - https://vastava.github.io/starwars-timeline/@DavidLozzi, GitHub - https://timeline.starwars.guide/
-> PDF detailed timeline

Jidaigeki & Western
Jidaigeki (時代劇, lit. «period drama») genre gave name to «Jedi»
Yoda: «4’11» club - Takeda Sōkaku (jujutsu) & Gozo Shioda (aikido)
Katana, kimono, Vader’s helmet
Episode IV is 30% «The Hidden Fortress» by Akira Kurosawa
Westerns made in Europe
Clint Eastwood
Sergio Leone
«A Fistful of Dollars» (1964) etc.

Sword & Sorcery, Arthurian Cycle
Arthurian legend: Luke and Arthur both are orphans, who become heroes in the early adulthood; both have notable mentors etc.
Sword & Sorcery - compared to Tolkien’s LoTR:

Space Opera & WW2 Dogfights Movies
Space Opera:
Edmond Hamilton - 1st to think of lightsabre
Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon (TV, comics)
Dune (Frank Herbert, 1965)
WW2 Dogfights Movies:
Millenium Falcon - Boeing B-29 bomber
Attack on 1st Death Star echoes kamikaze attacks on US Navy
WW2 Dogfight movies: «Battle of Britain», «The Dam Busters», «633 Squadron»

СССР
Пропп, Владимир Яковлевич - «Морфология сказки»
Клушанцев, Павел Владимирович - режиссёр и создатель спецэффектов (в т/ч/ придумал астероиды из картошки)
Дворянин, не был репрессирован из-за своей незаменимости
Создал жанр документальной фантастики
«Дорога к звёздам»
«Планет бурь» - летающий автомобиль
«Марс» - собака, Chewbacca (также: пёс Лукаса в машине)
1988, Москва, Лукас: «Клушанцев — крёстный отец „Звёздных войн“».
Влияние: Лукас, Кубрик («2001 год: Космическая одиссея», Роберт Скотак (Терминатор 2, Титаник)
«Туманность Андромеды» 1967, Дар Ветер и дедушка R2D2 (реж. Евгений Шерстобитов)

Other Countries
Nazi Germany
Flag of the empire, insignia, uniform
Totalitarian elements of design
One of ‘inspirations’ for the Empire
Part of Vader’s helmet - Stahlhelm
UK
Knighthood, Obi Wan
USA
Cowboys, Han Solo
Japan
Jidaigeki, Yoda
Kamikaze
Rome
Whom did Senate ask for help?
Position of Supreme Chancellor
Senate
Votum of Unconfidence
Republic turn into Empire
Emergency powers, Military tribune

II. Philosophy and psychology

Hero’s Journey - Joseph Campbell
Atheist/Non-theist/Hindu/Buddhist
«God is a metaphor for a mystery» (God-Building to the max)
«Follow your bliss» motto, derived from Hindu Upanishads
professor of literature
«The Hero with a Thousand Faces» - Hero’s Journey concept
Conquering fears - «The cave that you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek»

Cognitive Behavioural Theory
Mentoring
Behavioral bias: Luke, Han Solo, Obi Wan
Expectancy theory: “Do or do not... there is no try.” — Yoda
Theory of planned behavior: “Never tell me the odds.” — Han Solo
Fight-or-flight instinct: “Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts.” – Qui-Gon Jinn
Anxiety issues: “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” — Yoda

The Dark
Dark triad of Psychiatry:
Machiavellianism
Narcissism
Psychopathy
Light triad of personality traits:
Humanism
Kantianism
Faith in humanity
Studies: the light triad is uncorrelated with bravery or assertiveness.

The Flow
«Счастливые часов не наблюдают»
Csikszentmihályi's 2004 TED talk: Flow state = all attention (~110 bits/sec) allocated
Experienced most likely in high-challenge, high-skills situations
Saga:
Lightsaber duels
Force powers
Driving (speeders, flying cars, pod racing)
Dogfights
Super-precise movements (long jumps etc.)

Stoicism
self-control, fortitude, reason, ascetic exercise, calm
«Virtue consists in a will that is in agreement with Nature.» - focus
The four cardinal virtues:
Wisdom
Courage
Justice
Temperance
In some cases, stoics considered suicide was a good option

Stoicism in the Saga
Focus on the present (Luke, Anakin)
Fear of Death (Anakin, Yoda)
Meditation - Jedi meaning vs Marcus Aurelius meaning
Three tenets of the Jedi Order:
The Force
Knowledge
Self-discipline
Jedi Code, a mantra: «Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.»

Chivalry
Léon Gautier's Ten Commandments of chivalry, set out in the work La Chevalerie (1891), are:
Believe all that the Church teaches
Defend the Church
Defend the weak
Love the country
No recoil before thine enemy.
War against the infidel
Perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God
Never lie
Be generous
Be the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

Bushido
Eight virtues of Bushidō (as defined by Nitobe Inazō, 1900):
Righteousness
Heroic Courage
Benevolence, Compassion
Respect
Honesty
Honour
Duty and Loyalty
Self-Control

Q&A
psychology
do you experience flow state regularly?
do you think star wars present a good role model?
What do you like more of such genre - Star Wars or Narnia or Harry Potter or Tolkien? Do they differ?
Does machine man Vader have something in common with modern man’s psyche?
Anakin: borderline personality disorder?
How do you conquer your biggest fears? How did you do that before you became Orthodox?
What lead Anakin to become a monster?
philosophy
Nature of good and evil in Saga vs Orthodox Christianity?
Free will and determinism in Saga vs Orthodox Christianity?
Nature of the Force?
AI?
Feminism in Saga?

III. Religion

Lucas
George Lucas: The Force embodies «a concept of religion based on the premise that there is a God and there is good and evil.»
George Lucas: «I was raised Methodist. Now let’s say I’m spiritual. It’s Marin County [California, a very liberal area]. We’re all Buddhists up here.»
George Lucas: «All the religions are true, they just see a different part of the elephant.»
Afraid of creating a basis for religion in original trilogy, Lucas introduced the ~scientific ~basis of midichlorians in the prequels.
Campbell’s works serve as a pathway for comfortable agnosticism / faith in one’s heart / God-Building

Modern Syncretism: New-Age
Syncretism - synthesizing religion from several sources.
New-Age cult/movement:
Occultism, Pantheism, Hinduism, Esotericism
Pacifism, Eclectism
Spirituality: yoga, meditations, vegans
«Alternative medicine», Feminism, Environmental activism
Spiritual marketplace, soviet God-building monetized

Christianity in Star Wars
Christianity
Star Wars is the story of fall and redemption
Reclusion in the desert - compare: Desert Fathers
Yoda in cartoons: «Old sins cast long shadows»
Jedi robes
Darth Maul
Virgin birth and the prophecy of the Chosen One
Parallel’s with King David
One employee of LucasFilms invented interpretation of Jedi as «Jesus disciple»

Other religions in Star Wars
Zen Buddhism (probably, Alan Watts’s edition)
Yoda
Neglect towards flesh («crude matter»), scripture
"Pain, suffering, these are the paths to the darkside»
Force is non-theistic
«Attachment is forbidden, possession is forbidden»
«Only Sith deal in absolutes»
Taoism
Moral Dualism - Good and Evil are equally powerful, yin-yang
Gnosticism: disregard of the flesh, dualism God-demiurg
Zoroastrism [maybe] - dualism, also

Fictional Jedi Oath & Tenets
No belongings other then what can be carried on oneself
No marriage
No insubordination
No revenge
No killing an unarmed opponent
No breaking the law
Lifelong public service

IMO: the Dividing Line

Q&A
Is there a point in fighting for civilization for Christian? It’s doomed after all.
Moral dualism - good and evil are equally powerful in saga?
Only sith deal in absolutes?
What comprises the fall to the dark side?
How is the concept of the force linked to eastern religions? Is it similar or different from magic & witchcraft? Superpowers?
What’s wrong with «Pain, suffering, these are the paths to the darkside»?
Does Jedi/Sith clothing in Saga symbolize something?
What is attachment? Is it a sin - to not be able to let go of a loved one?

Jedi Way [Telegram Channel Ad]
Motivation: deficit of heroism and triumph of consumerism in the modern world
Focus: personal growth, Jedi as a role model
Basis - Orthodox Christianity
Researches - Bible, the Fathers, philosophy, psychology
Agreed with my confessor and several faithful people who’s opinion I trust
https://t.me/orthojedi