Not but a few minutes into Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a thought came to me. How did the galaxy get back to this point again, in only the span of a single generation? After the destruction of the Empire, as well as the Emperor himself, in Return of the Jedi, peace was supposed to stretch across the galaxy, causing humans, Wookies, droids, Ewoks, and creatures everywhere to hug it out and sing “Kum Ba Yah” to the slow beat of tapping Stormtrooper helmets with sticks.
But only a generation later, there is already an evil leader of the Dark Side killing people mercilessly with the Force, a gigantic army of Stormtroopers that would’ve rivaled the Clone Army at its peak, a battle station that eats Death Stars for breakfast, and people living in fear everywhere of the First Order who can fly in at any time and destroy or take anything they want.
So what did we actually accomplish in Return of the Jedi? What was it all for?
About the halfway point of The Force Awakens, director J.J. Abrams kind of answers this in an almost throwaway comment from newcomer Maz Kanata, a thousand-year-old pirate whom Han Solo takes Rey and Finn to see. In their conversation, Maz Kanata mentions “the war,” to which Rey asks, “Which war?” Maz responds, “The only war,” and then shares how she has seen the same evil take multiple faces, from the Sith to the Empire and now the First Order.
“The only war.” And it is never-ending. No matter what Han, Luke, Lando, and all the rest in Return of the Jedi did, the war would always be going on. Because evil will always find a face.
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Perhaps without even realizing it, J.J. Abrams touches on an eternal truth that I believe we need to be reminded of. Turn on the news and choose your “war” to talk about. There is of course ISIS, Al Qaeda, and all things Middle East. There’s North Korea and Russia. Lone wolf terrorists in America.
Or perhaps you are thinking of wars closer to home and the family. Planned Parenthood and abortion. Homosexuality and traditional marriage. The transgender debate. Immigration. Gun control. Just pick your war. There are plenty to choose from.
But even more than wars to choose from, there are people’s countless solutions to try and end them. Every presidential candidate, plus the president himself, has their plans on how to put an end to mass shootings, or illegal immigration, or lone wolf terrorists, or nuclear missiles in the wrong hands, or evil dictatorships in the Middle East, or terrorist groups causing chaos and fear throughout the world. Politicians, leaders, voters, media—they all think they know how best to end their “war.”
But any solution they have would be just like in Return of the Jedi. You might think there’s peace in the world, but in less than a generation, we’re right back to where we started. Because the war is not about gun control or terrorism. The war is not about abortion or marriage. It’s not about immigration or education or health care.
“The only war” is sinful man versus a perfect God.
This does not mean actions should not be taken in the Middle East. This doesn’t mean laws shouldn’t be made or that the Supreme Court shouldn’t discuss social issues. And I certainly do not believe activists of any kind should drop whatever their cause is and not try to bring about change. But let’s be clear what the real problem is.
Though there is turmoil in the Middle East, we do not have a terrorist problem. Though there are lone wolf attacks in the U.S., we do not have an immigration problem. Though we have mass shootings becoming more frequent, we do not have a gun-control problem. Though the traditional views of marriage are being ridiculed and persecuted in our country, we do not have a homosexuality problem. And though doctors in our country kill over a million babies a year with support of our country’s laws, we do not have an abortion problem.
We could completely turn the tables on any of these situations, and “the only war” would still exist. For none of these are the real problems; we have a sin problem. And we always will on this earth. That is the problem to address. That is the problem to point others to. And the answer to our sin problem is not laws, wars, or bans. It is Jesus, who won “the only war” when he died on the cross.
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The new evil faces of Star Wars such as Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke will probably die or turn from the Dark Side by the time this new trilogy is over with. But Disney will keep rolling Star Wars movies out and coming up with new stories and bad guys. Because “the only war” will keep on going, and evil will simply find a new face. This is simply a reflection of what it’s been like for mankind ever since the garden of Eden.
Kevin Harvey is the author of two books, including the 2015 HarperCollins release All You Want to Know about the Bible in Pop Culture, available at Barnes and Noble, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, and Amazon. You can also find him keeping up with the latest goings-on in pop culture on Twitter: @PopCultureKevin
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