I Ain’t Afraid of No Force Ghost: The Spiritual Dimension in Star Wars

*This is a guest post by writer/researcher, Jared Hill.*

With the newest Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, just days away from joining the iconic series, it’s a good opportunity to brush up on some lesser-known lore from the galaxy far, far away. What makes these modern-day legends so compelling is the level of detail that George Lucas and other writers have maintained throughout their entire chronology. There are hundreds of alien species and scores of exotic planets, all meticulously thought-out by the creators. In Star Wars a corporeal body isn’t required at all times – we as fans understand this, for it is an infinitely mysterious and intricately plotted universe, not entirely unlike our own. For Jedi warriors and Sith Lords, death is just another state of being, not the end of the road entirely.

In the Star Wars universe, becoming a Force ghost is a fate that only one gifted in the Force can achieve, rather than something open to every sentient being. It takes some specialized knowledge as well as a supreme effort of will, but those that manage it can remain cognizant as independent entities, rather than simply becoming one with the Force and joining all the others who have died before them. One clue that a Jedi warrior has utilized this knowledge is the disappearance of their physical bodies upon their death, though this isn't a foolproof method of foretelling their transition to this spiritual realm. Sith spirits, though similar, exist through sheer force of will and refusing to accept death, are clinging to life.

Despite their temporary evasion of death, Force ghosts are not all-powerful. They cannot simply materialize when and where they please and they do eventually have to let themselves join their brethren beyond the veil. It takes the presence of a living individual gifted in the Force to allow them to materialize at all, and they can only go to places that they had known while living. Despite these limitations, Force ghosts have had a tremendous impact on the Star Wars world and its characters - Yoda and Anakin Skywalker both became Force ghosts, and it was in his ghostly form that Obi-Wan Kenobi led Luke to Yoda in the first place.

The decision by George Lucas to create this added spiritual dimension to the Star Wars universe makes complete sense for a series of movies rooted in spirituality and mysticism. The state of a character's soul is hugely defining and can change everything from their appearance to the powers they wield. The Force, which in our more prosaic world might be conflated to a soul and must be taken on faith, is a visible and known entity in the Star Wars universe. Therefore having particularly Force-strong individuals stick around after death in a visible manner as Force ghosts not only fits into the lore, but is almost required by it.

Since the release of the first film almost 40 years ago, the reach and breadth of Star Wars-related media has expanded to new heights. Gadgets, collectables and toys are everywhere, multiple comic book miniseries spin-offs have taken off, and new television series like Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: Droid Tales are shown on Disney XD and DTV. Fans everywhere have fallen in love with not only the many alien cultures and characters of the expansive universe, but also with the moral lesson found within its story. Even when things are unbearably dark there are warriors for the light willing to battle against the odds.

With the new The Force Awakens (December 18th) on the horizon, it’s the perfect time for Star Wars newbies and die-hards alike to get reacquainted with the characters and fall in love all over again. Whether coming face-to-face with new characters or finding the Force ghosts of beloved old friends, this is one world most of us would feel comfortable never leaving.

John Carpenter: The King Of Halloween

(Today's post is by a special guest author, Jared Hill) 

The director John Carpenter was behind several of the most iconic movies released during the 1970s and 80s, which was something of a golden era for horror cinema. Some notable films were Halloween, The Fog and The Thing, and these horror flicks still represent the hallmark of his work, even after a few decades without a new Carpenter film. But, the director’s work extends beyond the horror genre and has made its mark on the film industry as a whole.

Starting out with Carpenter’s big hits, Halloween has to rank near the top of the list. The first film of this series pretty much set the tone for a huge onslaught of 80s horror films yet to come. Just the sheer power of the character of Michael propelled studios to come up with a number of similar characters for the horror film genre, such as Jason in the Friday the 13th series, among others.

While Halloween did get inspiration from scary movies from the past, Carpenter’s movie The Thing basically re-envisioned a classic horror movie in a new setting with a more psychological bent. This time, scientists in Antarctica slowly lose their grip on reality while dealing with an unknown creature that makes them doubt each other as much as they fear their dark, desolate surroundings. This added psychological horror surpassed the typical jump-out-of-your-seat antics of many horror movies.

A final highlight in Carpenter’s filmography is The Fog. Carpenter decided to embed this story in the tradition of scary stories told by the campfire to make it come to life a little more. This background imbues the movie with a sense of supernatural forces from the past coming to wreak havoc in the present day. The original idea stemmed from Carpenter's visit to Stonehenge, which evoked ideas about the strange, lifelike fog there.

Movies from the later part of Carpenter’s career met with mixed success and made financiers turn a cold shoulder to his projects. Escape from L.A. touched on some social commentary in a sci-fi context and Memoirs of an Invisible Man tied comic undertones into a tale of government wrongdoing in a sci-fi context. Both films failed at the box office and neither managed to gain a fan following after the fact.

That being said, a few of his movies didn't get the praise they truly deserved upon release and have now achieved cult status. In They Live, Carpenter leads viewers on a satirically self-aware romp through the more conspiratorial edges of the sci-fi genre. Two other underestimated Carpenter movies cap off his Apocalypse Trilogy and focus on mass psychology and vulnerability of the mind. First, The Prince of Darkness merges occult themes with sci-fi ideas to concoct a terrifying evil force that is set on overtaking an entire population for its malevolent purposes. The final installment, In the Mouth of Madness, examines how ideas from books or other media might horribly alter the behavior of those who consume them.

Most recently, Carpenter contributed to the Masters of Horror series on Showtime with Cigarette Burns, the eighth installment of the series. The series, despite . In this episode, he again takes on the idea of how something larger than a single person, like a movie, might affect large numbers of people. The 2011 movie The Ward takes viewers directly into a mental institution, but with a supernatural twist to add to the torment of the protagonist and the viewer alike. The film continues to carry on Carpenter’s tradition of psychological thrillers and is easily available through platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix and Direct TV.

While neither of these last few efforts really spoke to fans or critics, John Carpenter’s place in the history of cinema remains significant. The memorable scenes from his horror movies continue to send chills down spines. But, it is his ability to blend deeper social, psychological and even existential questions into multiple genres will define his legacy as a filmmaker.