Hey there, Sports... I mean… Star Wars fans! From a computer not so far away I wish to suggest a hypothesis, a metaphor if you will. Star Wars VIII comes out this weekend, so it’s the perfect time for theories! Today, it’s a comparison between the Jedi (especially those of the prequels) and the Japanese and Japanese-Americans.
My first tip-off of this metaphor is the order given to the Clone Troopers in Episode III: Executive Order 66. Sidious essentially ordered the clone troopers to attack and eliminate the Jedi. In the 1940’s, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Both targeted a specific people, though with different results.
Another tip-off is Yoda’s speech pattern (ex. “Miss them do not. Mourn them do not.”) In Yoda’s speech, often times the verb, rather than being immediately after a subject, appears later in the sentence. In a way, this mirrors a basic rule in Japanese grammar- placing verbs at the end of the sentence.
Of course, these are just starting points. Let’s dig deeper!
First, let’s compare faiths.
The Jedi believe in and trust the Force. When Master Yoda explains the Force to Luke, he says, “Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you; between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere.” This provides us with a brief and concise explanation of the force: it’s everywhere, and it connects us and everything.
In addition, during the prequels, gained insight into the structure and additional beliefs of the Jedi, as well as some core practices. When Anakin approaches Yoda for advice on his premonitions, Yoda responds, “The fear of loss is a path to the dark side… Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed, that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” From the prequels, we also know that the Jedi commonly engage in meditation to reflect and train their minds. They also follow a strict Code.
Historically, Japanese religion combined three different belief systems: Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism.
Confucianism, particularly as it was incorporated in Japan, focused on a number of rules for interaction under “The Proper Way.” This includes controlling emotions, restraint, and obedience. Confucianism also focuses on key social relationships and the order thereof. As mentioned above, the Jedi also follow a strict Code regarding their behavior and place a great deal of emphasis on their Order and the Master-Apprentice relationship.
Buddhism presents a behavior focus and mental training. The ending of suffering, with a path to end it, are key points (The Four Noble Truths). This path involves meditation and “mindfulness.” This is illustrated further in the Eightfold Path, along which are 8 points: right view, right intention, right speech, right discipline, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. For the Jedi, we also see a focus on meditation and, indeed, controlling one’s behavior and mastering one’s mind. We recall, too the repeated phrase of being “Mindful of your thoughts” and “Mindful of Your surroundings."
Finally, there is Shintoism. According to Shinto: The Way Home, by Thomas P. Kasulis, one of Shintoism’s key beliefs is the essential internal relationship between spirit and matter. “The material world is at all times in all places spiritual, and the spiritual never exists without the physical.” In comparison, this aligns with Yoda’s statement about the Force. Everything is infused with spiritual power (a phenomenon known as Tama). Everything is infused with the force. The objects and that power exist together, always.
Breaking these concepts down, and replacing spiritual power with the force, the Noble Path and Confucianist social rules with the Jedi Code, we can see that two are mirror images of one another. It can be said, then, the Jedi themselves are metaphorical to the Japanese.
So how do we compare the Jedi and Japanese Americans beyond this? I think, importantly, it’s history. Both existed/co-existed in a republic. In Star Wars lore, the Jedi seem to be beloved and respected throughout the galaxy.
However, deeper inspection would reveal that many were wary of the Jedi and skeptical of their beliefs. So too did the Japanese, along with many immigrants, face suspicion and discrimination.
For both, these feelings ultimately culminated in wartime and Order [90]66. The suspicion of each grew in their respective worlds, and ultimately faced the height of discriminatory practices. In a way, both (the Japanese) and the Jedi could also have been said to have violated their own key tenets, falling prey to ego and arrogance. For the Jedi, this resulted in an Emperor and Darth Vader (Sidenote: Vader’s Helmet!). For the Japanese, this resulted in… some dark behavior.
Oh, one last thing. There’s this famous Japanese tale of the Last Samurai, right? Now, what’s the title Episode VIII? Think about it...
