JediKermit's Full Review: Steven A. Galipeau - The Journey of Luke Skywalker...
How do I find books like this? Hanging out in the geek section of the bookstore, I suppose. I’ve got to preface this by saying I’ve already read a lot of non-fiction about the mythology and psychology of Star Wars, and there’s some of it I buy into, and some of it I don’t. This book seems to straddle that line of plausibility…so take it with a grain of salt.
Published in 2001, Steven Galipeau’s book promises an analysis of modern myth and symbol through the lens of Jungian psychology…and he does deliver the goods. From a certain point of view.
After a brief introductory essay “Why is the Force Still With Us?” Galipeau launches into a scene-by-scene discussion of the Jungian themes he’s gleaned from many viewings of the original Star Wars trilogy…as a Jungian analyst in private practice, he may be well qualified to analyze these characters. As a writer…he leaves something to be desired.
As I read the book, I was bothered to the point of distraction by a few things: foremost was the way Galipeau transcribes scenes. Three-quarters of the book seems to be “Princess Leia walks stealthily down the corridor of a spaceship, carefully turning corners, evading the Imperial Stormtroopers on her trail…” just telling us each scene. Personally, I think anyone horny enough for Star Wars to be reading a book analyzing the stories this deeply would already know the scenes in question, and instead of “reading the movie to us,” Galipeau should have spent more space with his analysis. He also makes little errors that only geeks would pick up on—like referring to the whole structure of Cloud City on Bespin as one building…when that Space Needle-looking building he keeps describing is actually the city. The other thing that really bothered me…and this is nit-picky….is that he can’t spell “Wookiee” correctly. He spells it “Wookie,” which is fine…but incorrect. Chewbacca would rip his arms out of their sockets for that. Anyway, on with the show.
Most of the book is devoted to The Journey of Luke Skywalker…which makes perfect sense. He’s the main character in all three movies, and the overall story is certainly more about his adventures than anyone else. Galipeau spends a lot of time retelling ancient myths and how they impacted George Lucas’ storytelling…this is all stuff we’ve heard and read before, from sources like Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers…sources that did a better job with the mythology end of things. What Galipeau does (and does well) is take the characters, imagery and situations of the Star Wars movies and explains what sort of impact they would have on both the characters experiencing these events and our own psyche as viewers.
Some of these themes are things I had always known, but hadn’t put into words before, and that was fun to read. Others were completely new to me, but I bought into them quickly. There were some though…that I think are complete bunk. They go too far, either reading too much into Lucas’ goals when he wrote the stories, or in their impact on the audience. Interesting themes either way, and Galipeau backs them up well enough; I choose to disagree with him.
Some of the more interesting themes from the movies:
Han Solo and Princess Leia’s respective psychological complexes (they’re both emotional cripples, but in different ways) that preclude a serious emotional relationship until they both “get over it,” and how they were able to do so. Can we do it without being dipped in Carbonite? That’s pretty much what it took for me.
The Nature vs. Technology theme is pretty much played out by Joseph Campbell and others…Galipeau doesn’t dwell too much on it, but does point it in a more introspective direction…why we’d be driven towards an acceptance of technology instead of nature.
The Millenium Falcon as a character in its own right, representing Han Solo’s anima…and as a vessel of transformation for the various trinities we meet in the series.
Princess Leia as Luke’s anima…by Return of the Jedi, we find out that she is his twin sister…but as early as A New Hope, Galipeau illustrates that she really is his feminine half—much more than a love interest for the young buck. I try not to think about that. Galipeau spends a lot of time with Leia, and I feel like I have more insight into her character (and her use as a prop) than I did before I read this book.
Lando Calrissian as the moral compass of the second half of The Empire Strikes Back. Too often, I think of Lando as an afterthought—a character not good enough to make the cut into the first movie, who’s a traitor and not really a good hero. Galipeau shows us that basically he’s Han Solo pre-Leia, and the mini essays about Lando changed how I thought about that suave Colt 45 shiller.
A comparison of Luke’s meeting Yoda and Leia meeting Wicket the Ewok…their reactions to the two, and what comes of both meetings. I never would have put that together myself, but Luke’s instinctively male reaction versus Leia’s instinctively female is a pretty good read.
Galipeau identifies certain planets as “male” or “female”…the barren worlds of Tatooine and Hoth are male, the lush worlds of Dagobah and Endor are female…and the events on those worlds are either stagnant or transformative, according to their gender.
Two more…the number of times Luke is upside-down in The Empire Strikes Back as a sign of the turmoil he’s experiencing in that movie. There are at least four times…and this disorientation is a reflection of the state he’ll be in by the end of the movie.
The last one—why is it so fitting that the Emperor can shoot lightning bolts from his fingertips in Return of the Jedi? Man, he turns me on. Galipeau draws a comparison between the Emperor and other gods—or men who consider themselves gods—and how this ultimate sign of his supremacy is also the most condemning of his psychological state.
I enjoyed this book. I guess I should say I gleaned some valuable insights from this book. But it was a painful read. There’s a tacked-on section about The Phantom Menace, which should have been left out since it doesn’t include any new information, and is more a blurb that doesn’t bring any new insights. The most valuable section is an Afterword that gives us Galipeau’s conclusions.
Basically, if you’re as much of a Star Wars geek as I am, this will be entertaining enough—and you may get some new insight out of it.
Jungian analyst Calipeu believes that Star Wars speaks to our deepest psychological and spiritual dilemmas. From Princess Leia s domination by Darth V...More at Buy.com
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