One track that I love on the soundtrack to The Force Awakens is entitled 'Torn Apart.' This directly references the words of Ben Solo on the catwalk at that fateful, tragic moment. But, it also seems to allude to the fact that he is not the only one being torn apart, particularly as Rey and Finn watched this man who had so quickly become a mentor to them so cruelly murdered by his own son (I discussed the merits of this self-sacrificial moment for Han in the last episode). Yet, the sense in which Rey is being torn apart continues to grow in The Last Jedi, as Rian Johnson (the director) seeks to emphasize the dualistic relationship between Ben and Rey, as being apparent light and dark counterparts of each other. By the end of this post, some of the pros and cons of this approach might become apparent. But, I think one of the more positive aspects of the continuation of Rey's journey in The Last Jedi can be found in the way that it continues to explore her desire to find her place in all of this. She reflects the quest of so many seeking meaning and truth, and seeking with an inexplicable certainty that this truth has everything to do with their own identity, which they are also seeking to better understand. The question of whether the Jedi can offer her the guidance she is seeking becomes an increasingly uncertain one, as she not only encounters Luke's apparent loss of faith, but also begins to discover the ugly truth of his storied history with Ben Solo. Her sense of being torn apart by these discoveries invites us to suffer with her, entering more deeply into her desire for meaning, for understanding, and even for her own identity. It also invites us to take more seriously the question of whether the Jedi can offer her what she is seeking. Can they help her find her place in all of this or not?
Back in Episode IV: The Last Spark of Hope, we discussed how The Last Jedi embraces its role, as the second installment in a trilogy, as this is typically the point of the story when everything starts to come apart. Well, Johnson, seemingly deliberately, took this to a whole new level, by tearing down things that seemed to make up Star Wars from the very beginning. Yet, in another sense, he did so by remaining true to its philosophical foundations, allowing their internal incoherence to tear it apart from within. The philosophical problems in the movie simply begin to bring the dualism, upon which this fictional universe was built, to its logical conclusion. One of the ways that previous Star Wars movies remained so good was by ignoring the implications of its own faulty worldview. The Last Jedi stopped ignoring them. Ironically, while seemingly tearing it apart, Johnson gave fans the opportunity (an opportunity which has been largely rejected) to honestly face the reality of things from the very beginning. The question of whether Luke should be the "last Jedi" comes to a question of authority. This is not simply a question of power, but of whether what is called the light is actually able to order the universe, whether it is a true good which is in accord with truth. Does it have a genuine rightful claim to authority, which would order all in accord with truth? Unfortunately, this sense of genuine authority is impossible in their dualistic universe. If the Force is genuinely seeking to hold light and dark in balance, then neither one genuinely has any legitimate authority, any inherent right to govern, based on a goodness in accord with truth. Neither one is truly right. This is a dynamic that is important, when considering the quest of Rey to find someone to help her find her "place in all of this." In a universe where authority is not a matter of justice, rooted in truth and goodness, but simply of will to power, than all rebellion begins to appear equal. And all apparent authority begins to seem equally worthy of being overturned.
So we ask the question: Do the Jedi actually have any authority that needs to be respected and upheld in the philosophical framework that underlies the story of Star Wars? Not necessarily. The Jedi are an order of people who have sought to understand this transcendent reality, known as the Force, and to use it for good. Perhaps even without realizing it, Johnson pin-pointed yet another key difference between the "Jedi religion" (as Luke so blatantly identified it) and Christianity, which is closely related to those I outlined in the first episode of this series. It is a matter of authority. For example, while the discussion of the ancient Jedi texts seemed to be a commentary on Sacred Scripture, upon deeper reflection, it actually pin-pointed some key differences between the two. There is a world of difference between a "sacred text," which represents man's attempt to understand the transcendent for the sake of the good, and one which is in essence the Creator revealing Himself in human words, through the instrumentality of human authors. The latter is actually the proper Christian understanding of Sacred Scripture, while the former seems to be a better understanding of the Jedi texts. So, we essentially hear Yoda confirming that, while the ancient Jedi texts may have been valuable, they are not necessarily indispensable. And this may be true, but it's not an effective parallel to Sacred Scripture. Similarly, the whole discussion of the "Jedi religion" and why it can apparently pass away, has the unintentional effect of demonstrating why it is actually a poor parallel to the Church, which has authority rooted in the fact that its source is the Creator, and thus "the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16). Of course, the final verdict on the question of whether the Jedi can or should "end" is left a little vague. On one hand, we have Luke insisting that he would not be the last Jedi. On the other, we have Yoda destroying the ancient texts and telling Luke that "we are what they grow beyond".
