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Peace Knights of the Soul: Wisdom in Star Wars
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| Editors: |
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Jon Snodgrass |
| First Edition: |
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Paperback (September 13, 2004) |
| Length: |
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236 pages |
| Language: |
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English |
| Publisher: |
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InnerCircle Publishing |
Publisher's Summary:
Peace Knights of the Soul is an in-depth analysis of the spirituality and metaphysics of the two Star Wars trilogies. It also contains spoilers about Episode III: Revenge of the Sith that dovetail with advance, underground plot summaries on the Internet about the final Star Wars film.
George Lucas has publicly announced that it is a darker story for smaller audiences because the bad guys win. The author of this book, Jon Snodgrass, argues that the Jedi Knights have betrayed their original cause of bringing peace to the galaxy and have joined the Sith in a joint con-spiracy to grab power. Senator Padmé Amidala's opposition to building a clone army and her advocacy of peace are the reasons why Anakin Skywalker is assigned to bodyguard her at a luxurious resort without supervision by his Master Obi-Wan in Attack of the Clones. Anakin protects her from assassins, but the only voice for peace in the universe is re-moved from the debate, the way the clone-producing planet disappears from celestial charts and the females from the inner council chamber. Anakin crosses the line, aroused by guarding her body too closely perhaps, to violate the celibacy code of Jedi Knights in having an affair and then marrying his childhood sweetheart.
To punish Anakin, Obi-Wan is dispatched by the ruling council. In their legendary duel, Obi-Wan knocks Anakin into a volcano that transforms him into Darth Vader. Anakin is expelled from the Order of Jedi Knights and Padmé is executed to prevent the breeding of more opponents to their conspiracy. The killing of Anakin Skywalker, the murder of his wife Padmé Skywalker, and his loss of community are three reasons Darth Vader eradicates the Jedi Knights.
Peace Knights of the Soul argues further that Anakin's descent into the "Dark Side' really began in Epidose I: Phantom Menace when he was separated as a young child from his mother, by his father Qui-Gon Jinn, to be trained as a Jedi Knight. From Yoda and the Jedi Knight Council he learned never to think about his mother. His guilt over her neglect for years led to his massacre of the nomadic tribe who captured and tortured her. This was Anakin's first, major, loss of control.
Peace Knights of the Soul uses science fiction film to identify four basic principles of human spiritual development and characters and themes from modern science fiction film to illustrate the thesis. Neo in "The Matrix," Prot in "K-PAX" and Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars" are prototypes. The work relies an ancient idea that a peaceful world begins in the mind and does involve social movements, political parties or military force. George Lucas was greatly influenced by the writings of mythologist Joseph Campbell in the creation of Star Wars. Campbell's long-time assistant and archivist, Jonathan Young, provides an introduction to Peace Knights of the Soul and places the book in the tradition of scholarship on spirituality and mythology.
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