A New, New Hope: Luke Skywalker and the Soul of Baby Boomer Men

(spoiler alert: If you have not seen The Force Awakens, or The Last Jedi, this essay contains numerous major plot points and key surprises.)

In the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi, the emotional story of a whole generation comes to its spiritual apotheosis — its ultimate moment of dramatic climax — with only emotional denouement to follow.

One could easily watch the Star Wars film series and believe it is a space opera about Princess Leia. She begins the tale in the (chronologically) first movie, Star Wars IV: A New Hope, by standing up to her father, defying his rule of law and order. The daughter of power and privilege, but of mixed genetics, Leia is both a galactic princess and the granddaughter of a woman who was never free of slavery a day of her life, even though her son would one day grow-up to be the most powerful man in the galaxy.

In the prequels, we see how Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala meet, fall in love, and have two kids. Only trouble is Leia’s dad, Anakin, goes mad when he loses the only thing that matters to him — his wife, Padme. After losing his mother to the systemic…