Forgiveness in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
by Sandi Troup
Few stories display the sweeping consequences of hate and unforgiveness better than the Star Wars saga. Both Anakin and Ahsoka had reason to hold a grudge. Let us examine both of their stories, spanning Star Wars Episodes 1-3 and the Clone Wars animated series.
https://unsplash.com/photos/BHKXFjJ1l3s Galaxy’s Edge. Image courtesy of @rodlong via Unsplash.
Anakin
When we first meet Anakin, he is a sweet boy with a big heart and good intentions. He loves deeply - first his mother, and later Padme. But those attachments also make him more vulnerable. How many of us have been hurt because we loved too much? We see him drawn to forsake the standards of his order out of his passion for Padme, and he also comes to resent that his Jedi duties have kept him away from his mother. This resentment became full-on hate when he learns of her fate and destroys every living being in the Tusken Raider village that held her captive.
Anakin’s actions led him down a path to be taken advantage of by a cunning mastermind who manipulated him over the years to become his right hand. How did Palpatine accomplish this? In addition to Annakin’s hate of the Tusken Raiders, Annakin began to develop a self-loathing - both from his horrible actions, and with Palpatine’s manipulation, a growing anger at his inability to be powerful enough to save his mother. Have you ever done something - or failed to do something - that continues to haunt you? Or perhaps you have internalized taunts and bullying that led you to believe you were inadequate? It opens the door for self-talk (and manipulations) that lead down a dangerous and harmful road in our life, just as it did in Anakin’s tale.
When visions of Padme’s death started to come, his desire for power grew even more - he felt inadequate in saving his mother, and now he wouldn’t let it happen again. He leaned even closer into the Dark Side as the only option. The final blow came when Palpatine tells Anakin he, in his anger, had killed her. I believe Palpatine told him this half truth to cement his control over Anakin. Now Anakin was not only trapped by his lust for power, but his self-hatred at what he had become. There was no turning back. The rest is history...well, until Luke’s unwavering trust in him helped him finally find the courage to face the Emperor as well as his own demons...and forgive himself. What a beautiful story of redemption!
Through the Clone Wars (2008-14) we also get insight at Anakin’s other attachments. Anakin was especially protective of his padawan, Ahsoka. In the final episode of season 5, Ahsoka was accused of a crime against the Jedi Temple and the Republic, and it was later learned that she was framed by a trusted Jedi friend. In spite of Ahsoka’s loyalty and service to this point, the Jedi Council decided to play politics and kick her out of the order so she would be tried in a Republic court.
Anakin worked tirelessly to prove her innocence, and succeeded at the last minute, saving her from execution. The Council asked for forgiveness and reinstated her, chalking it up to a learning experience/proving trial for Ahsoka. But to everyone’s shock, Ahsoka walked away. She had become disillusioned with the Council, and this also laid the groundwork for the distrust and hatred of the Jedi that Palpatine preyed upon for Anakin’s conversion.
Ahsoka’s Response
She was betrayed by those she trusted. They were basically her family. Have any of you been hurt and betrayed by close friends or family? Or possibly worse, by a church or someone in the church? Betrayed trust - worse when it is by family, someone in authority, or someone we thought was “spiritual” - is one of the most difficult things to forgive, especially in the case of abuse and constant manipulation or belittling. We see Ahsoka walk away hurt and disillusioned, but after a self-discovery break, she answered the call to work alongside the Jedi again to defeat a foe. That had to be painful! But after a successful partnership, she once again turned down Yoda’s invitation to rejoin the Order.
Ahsoka’s response is important. She still had her doubts about the Jedi. She was still hurt. But I didn’t detect unforgiveness. What we do see is her setting healthy boundaries. She had the courage to leave the order instead of becoming embittered and falling to the Dark Side like Anakin. She also didn’t abandon the Force - she found a different path, and was a vital leader who gathered rebel remnants to fight the Empire (Star Wars Rebels series, 2014-2018). Hurts - especially from within the Church - can shake our beliefs, but if we stay open, God can use this to make us stronger than before. He loves each of us deeply and has a unique path for us (Psalm 37:23, Proverbs 16:9).
Ahsoka’s reaction is a reminder that forgiveness doesn’t always mean things have to return to normal. In an unhealthy relationship, we may need to do the same, and set boundaries to protect ourselves. What forgiveness does is free us internally. We realize our accountability is between us and God, just as the person who hurt us is also personally accountable for their actions to God (Ephesians 4:31-32, Romans 12:17-21).
https://unsplash.com/photos/yjOUm3zkRD0 Rise of Resistance Transport. Image courtesy of @sushioutlaw via Unsplash.
Forgiveness is not natural to any of us. But just as we see in Anakin’s arc in Star Wars, a root of unforgiveness and hate is as destructive to us as the ones we hold a grudge towards. God wants us to let go and see healing. He set the example through his extraordinary forgiveness of those who put Him on the cross. He seeks to free us from our own prison:
It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips. When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge. Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed. You were like sheep that had lost their way, but now you have been brought back to follow the Shepherd and Keeper of your souls.
We know that Jesus was also betrayed by those closest to him and yet forgave. Let us follow Jesus’ example and place our hopes on the righteous Judge - God the Father. And like Ahsoka, may we find our own path of strength and courage - with healthy boundaries - learning to grow through the hurts we suffered.
Resources
We’ve created a free downloadable PDF to explore the article deeper. It contains discussion questions about the topic in general terms that will give you a jumping-off point for beginning a conversation.
The second page contains a way to see the topic from a biblical perspective.
And finally, to go deeper into the subject, we have chosen a few curated resources to explore from other authors’ and thinkers’ research or perspectives.
Read. Engage. Enjoy!
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