Does it take faith to be a Jedi? Are droids capable of thought? Should Jar Jar Binks be held responsible for the rise of the Empire? Presenting entirely new essays, no aspect of the myth and magic of George Lucas s creation is left philosophically unexamined in The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy.

Acknowledgments: Legacy of the Force ix Introduction: “The Circle is Now Complete” 1 I The Philosophical Menace 5 1 The Platonic Paradox of Darth Plagueis: How Could a Sith Lord Be Wise? 7Terrance MacMullan 2 “You Are Asking Me to Be Rational”: Stoic Philosophy and the Jedi Order 20Matt Hummel 3 The Jedi Knights of Faith: Anakin, Luke, and Søren (Kierkegaard) 31William A. Lindenmuth 4 Anakin and Achilles: Scars of Nihilism 42Don Adams 5 Dark Times: The End of the Republic and the Beginning of Chinese Philosophy 53Kevin S. Decker II Attack of the Morals 65 6 Chasing Kevin Smith: Was It Immoral for the Rebel Alliance to Destroy Death Star II? 67Charles C. Camosy 7 The Ballad of Boba Fett: Mercenary Agency and Amoralism in War 79David LaRocca 8 How Guilty is Jar Jar Binks? 90Nicolas Michaud 9 “Know the Dark Side”: A Theodicy of the Force 100Jason T. Eberl III Revenge of the Alliance 115 10 “Like My Father before Me”: Loss and Redemption of Fatherhood in Star Wars 117Charles Taliaferro and Annika Beck 11 The Friends of a Jedi: Friendship, Family, and Civic Duty in a Galaxy at War 127Greg Littmann 12 Light Side, Dark Side, and Switching Sides: Loyalty and Betrayal in Star Wars 136Daniel Malloy 13 Guardians and Tyrants in the Republics of Star Wars and Plato 148Adam Barkman and Kyle Alkema IV A New Hermeneutic 159 14 Pregnant Padme and Slave Leia: ´ Star Wars’ Female Role Models 161Cole Bowman 15 Docile Bodies and a Viscous Force: Fear of the Flesh in Return of the Jedi 172Jennifer L. McMahon 16 Of Battle Droids and Zillo Beasts: Moral Status in the Star Wars Galaxy 183James M. Okapal V Metaphysics Strikes Back 193 17 Why the Force Must Have a Dark Side 195George A. Dunn 18 What is It Like to Be a Jedi? A Life in the Force 208Marek McGann 19 “Never Tell Me the Odds”: An Inquiry Concerning Jedi Understanding 219Andrew Zimmerman Jones VI Return of the Non-Human 229 20 Mindless Philosophers and Overweight Globs of Grease: Are Droids Capable of Thought? 231Dan Burkett 21 Can Chewie Speak? Wittgenstein and the Philosophy of Language 240Rhiannon Grant and Myfanwy Reynolds 22 Can the Zillo Beast Strike Back? Cloning, De-extinction, and the Species Problem 250Leonard Finkelman VII The Fandom Awakens 261 23 “In That Time . . . ” in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Epic Myth-Understandings and Myth-Appropriation in Star Wars 263John Thompson 24 Star Wars, Emotions, and the Paradox of Fiction 274Lance Belluomini 25 The Mind of Blue Snaggletooth: The Intentional Stance, Vintage Star Wars Action Figures, and the Origins of Religion 287Dennis Knepp 26 Gospel, Gossip, and Ghent: How Should We Understand the New Star Wars? 296Roy T. Cook and Nathan Kellen Contributors: Troopers of the 501st Legion 308 Index 317

Is the Rebel Alliance a terrorist organization? What’s it like to be a Jedi? Was it immoral to destroy the second Death Star?  Should Jar Jar Binks be held responsible for the rise of the Empire? And how should we understand the new Star Wars? The beloved epic space opera that fed the mythic landscape of a generation and arguably invented the modern concept of media franchise - clearly, much of the world has got Star Wars under its skin. The cultural significance of phrases like “Luke, I am your father,” “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” and “Do or do not, there is no try” aren’t merely pop culture clichés; they’ve penetrated academia with hundreds of scholarly articles and books examining the deeper meaning of George Lucas’s fantastical and philosophically rich creation. The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy presents an original set of expert essays by some of the brightest minds in the galaxy, exploring the deeper side of Star Wars and its Expanded Universe. There are new takes on familiar topics, like the nature of the Force - does it have to have a dark side? - and a feminist critique of the portrayal of women – what is the deeper meaning in being chained to a slug? We examine the philosophical significance behind the impact of Star Wars on the real world as an important artifact of pop culture, the legacy of Joseph Campbell on the saga’s mythical foundation, and offer a framework for understanding just what is “canonical” in Star Wars – giving fans good reason to assert once and for all that Han shot first. With the book you hold in your hands, the circle is now complete, and those who were once learners may start on the path toward becoming philosophical masters. May the Force be with you!