Speeding down the Death Star trench in his X-Wing Starfighter, pursued by the villain Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker does something unexpected: he turns off his Starfighter’s targeting computer. Rebel leaders question Luke’s decision, asking him if something is wrong, but the young man responds simply and directly. “I’m alright,” he states, no further information provided. Nor could he provide explanation if he wanted, as time is of the essence and the reasoning for his decision, quite frankly, defies reason.
Only moments before turning off the computer, the tension in A New Hope’s climactic battle was amplified by conditions outside of Luke’s control. Leading his compatriots – Wedge Antilles and Biggs Darklighter – “full throttle” into the Death Star trench, the farm boy-turned-Rebel pilot soon finds himself alone. Taking a critical hit to his fighter, Antilles is ordered by Luke to pull out of the trench while Darklighter, a childhood friend whom Luke only just reconnected with, is killed. Already filled with anxiety that the audience and Rebel leaders alike could hear in his voice, Skywalker is now faced with the responsibility of destroying the planet killing Death Star entirely by himself.
Anticipation continuing to mount, the distance to his target seeming to close at an incredibly slow pace, Luke suddenly hears the voice of his recently deceased mentor Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi. Speaking from “the beyond,” the old Jedi Master tells the young pilot to “Use the Force.” Confused, Skywalker continues to look through his targeting computer apparatus only to be implored by Kenobi to “let go” and to “trust me.” Finally understanding, he switches off his computer.
- Luke Skywalker looks through his targeting computer.
Photo Credit – Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
That Luke responds to Kenobi by turning off the computer is unexpected because one would anticipate that defeating the technological monstrosity that is the Death Star should require some form of technological assistance. After all, in order for the Rebel pilots to destroy the Empire’s “ultimate power in the universe” they must travel down a trench and fire their proton torpedoes with precision into an exhaust port that is only two meters wide. In turn, as the climactic battle unfolds, the audience is periodically allowed to witness the targeting system on the Death Star AND the targeting systems on the Rebel fighters, a cinematic maneuver which works to heighten tension. The entire battle is, in a very real sense, a race against time to see which side can be the first to use their technology to target and destroy their enemy, something we are constantly reminded of through A New Hope’s final act.
On this point, it’s worth remembering that Red Leader, commander of the Alliance X-Wing force, and presumably the best X-Wing pilot in the battle, does fire a torpedo shot at the Death Star’s weak spot using his targeting computer. In keeping with the film’s narrative, these torpedoes miss the mark so that Luke could lead his own deadly trench run. And yet, Red Leader’s miss is important for another salient reason: it shows that even relying on available technology does not guarantee success, and if Luke is to be heroic,he will also need to rely on a great deal of luck. Or, something far greater than luck.
Rather than depending upon on his artificially constructed computer to show him the target, or hoping he somehow gets lucky, Luke heeds Kenobi’s words to use the Force, the immanent and mystical energy field that pervades the galaxy. After only a moment of hesitation, Skywalker takes a leap of faith, believing he will succeed by relying on that which, we know, he has only begun to explore. Only days before this moment Skywalker knew absolutely nothing about the Force, nor was he aware of his strong connection to it. Now, at this most critical of moments, when failure is not an option, where the fate of the Rebellion and galaxy rest son his shoulders, the young pilot defies all logic by allowing himself to succumb to the ebb and flow of this mysterious Force. In this unexpected moment, precisely because he gives himself over to something greater than himself – or technology, or reason, or luck – Luke Skywalker takes a giant step forward into a realm of possibility more profound and amazing than he, or even we, could have imagined. And in doing so he becomes the hero he was always destined to be.
The Imperial Talker 
In my experience, there’s no such thing as luck. That’s 100% my idea I came up with and I’m not quoting anything at all. On a more serious note, I love this post. I think this idea – having faith in something larger than ourselves – is one of Star Wars most central, most important themes. However, given our cultural fascination with the Hero’s Journey, Anakin’s fall and redemption, rebellion against a corrupt empire, forbidden love, etc. I don’t think we spend enough time talking about this. But really – especially for the Original Trilogy – you can make the case that it all comes down to faith. (I guess, for that matter, you can argue much of the Prequel Trilogy deals with misplaced faith…but I digress.) I really appreciate this post because it reminds us of one of the bedrock thematic ideas Star Wars is built on and it’s a lesson we need to remember.
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I think humankind has always struggled with and/or recognized a faith in something greater, and that’s why movies like Star Wars resonate so deeply with viewers. It’s a universe we can see ourselves in: beat up, everyday life, in a galaxy far, far away. But that galaxy also believes in something else out there…whatever it is (for them it was the Force), but the feeling that there is something more.
I read C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” years ago (I fell asleep through most of it) but I remember something sticking out – he talked about how as human beings, we always feel like there is something more, something greater for us out there. That’s why we are almost never satisfied. He goes on to argue that the reason is God/Jesus, etc., etc., but I often think about that with Star Wars as well. The way Luke looks out at the binary sunset with a yearning and the way so many people resonated with the Force.
Having the faith in something greater is something people do everyday, even in small ways. Hoping things will “work itself out” when they have absolutely no plan is similar to turning off the targeting system. I feel like I do that with my business sometimes…turn off the targeting system, throw my hands up, and just hope it works out.
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I love that you keyed in on the binary sunset and the way Luke looks at with a yearning for…something. It is so obvious in that moment that he wants more out of life, and it is such a brilliant way to depict that yearning. Not to mention a magnificent symbolic way of showing that his old life is setting and a new one is about to begin.
In terms of Star Wars having mythic elements, I think the scene is really intended for the audience even more than it is for Luke. We can imagine that Luke has had moments like that in the past, going out to watch the sunset, thinking about whether he will forever be stuck on that sandy world. But in that instance WE get to see Luke and identify with him. The longing we all feel for something more in life – however one may identify it (God, Jesus, Allah, Brahman, the Tao, the Force!, etc…) – is projected onto that scene while being reinforced by it. We can identify with Luke precisely because we are, as humans, always yearning for something greater in our lives.
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