REGIS CEBU Leadership Movie Synopsis, Analysis of JCampbell monomyth and My Life Story
By Leader Pedro Leonard G. Castañeda
_____________________________________________Few movies have had the capacity to capture the imagination in such a spellbinding and compelling way than the Star Wars series. The richness of the worlds and characters that George Lucas has spawned has captured generations of fans: the fans of the first trilogy are the fathers of the fans of the second trilogy. Books and games have added more detail to the past, present, and future events surrounding Star Wars. None of the characters have stood out more than Anakin Skywalker, the son of an obscure slave girl in the distant backwater planet of Tatooine. "Anni," as his friend have called him, who would eventually become Darth Vader, one of fiction's most enduring anti-heroes of all time. With the first series (episodes IV-VI), we come across him as a sinister villain out to thwart all that is good, but when the prequels (episodes I-III) finally came out, we find him recasted as a tragic hero who has descended into evil.
Applying Campbell's Hero's Journey for the entire series would be long and complex, although the entire story of Anakin's life does follow the stages identified by Campbell. In fact, if one closely observes the story pattern, you would see repetitive, sequential and overlapping cycles: the whole story follows the cycle, but so do the episodes. < most movie makers are observed to be following JCampbell patterns)
SYNOPSIS:
The story begins in the midst of a crisis: the planet of Naboo has been blockaded by the Trade Federation, and the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic dispatches Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi, to negotiate with the Federation. Unknown to them, the Trade Federation has been secretly advised by Darth Sidious, a Sith Lord, and the Jedi's greatest opponent, to kill the Jedi and invade Naboo. The Jedi flee to the planet even as the invasion commences, and saves a Gungan outcast, Jar-jar Binks. In their debt, Binks leads the pair to the underwater Gungan city, where Qui-Gon unsuccessfully tries to convince the Gungans to aid the humans. They journey to Theed, the capital, and rescue Queen Padme Amidala.
1.) The hero is introduced in his/her ORDINARY WORLD.
During the escape from the planet, the starship is forced to land in Tatooine for emergency repairs. There, they negotiate with a junk shop owner and his nine-year old slave, Anakin Skywalker, a gifted pilot and engineer. Qui-gon senses that Skywalker emanates a strong presence in the Force, believing that the young boy is the "chosen one" in Jedi prophecy who will "bring balance to the Force." The background is a simple and rural setting, far from the urban jungle of more sophisticated cities, and the unassuming hero is as low as it gets: a slave.
2.) The CALL TO ADVENTURE.
Qui-Gon wagers on Anakin in a local podrace, and wins the boy's freedom, and convinces the boy to pursue Jedi training, leaving his mother behind.
3.) The hero is reluctant at first. (REFUSAL OF THE CALL.)
There is no overt refusal from Anakin, but Anakin somewhat struggles over the idea of leaving his mother.
4.) The hero is encouraged by the Wise Old Man or Woman. (MEETING WITH THE MENTOR.)
Anakin's first mentor is Qui-Gon, who encourages him to join the Jedi, and who argues with the Jedi Council to accept him, even if he was older than the usual Jedi trainee. The Council balks, concerned that Anakin may be vulnerable to the Dark Side of the Force, but undeterred, Qui-Gon assumes the responsibility of training him.
5.) The hero passes the first threshold. (CROSSING THE THRESHOLD.)
Anakin joins the two Jedi and Padme as they leave Tatooine, thus entering into a hitherto unknown world of danger and adventure.
6.) The hero encounters tests and helpers. (TESTS, ALLIES, ENEMIES.)
Qui-gon and Obi-wan return to Naboo, together with Padme and Anakin. The remnant loyalists, now aided by the Gungans, whom Padme has convinced to join their cause, try to overthrow the invasion by capturing the leaders of the Federation. Hidden in a starfighter for his own safety, Anakin inadvertently triggers the autopilot, which launches the starfighter into space, where a battle between the Federation ships and the starfighter squadrons of Naboo was in full swing. Anakin flies into the Federation mothership and destroys it from within, deactivating the droid army of the Federation, and winning the war in the process. Meanwhile, his mentor, Qui-Gon, is defeated by Darth Maul, an apprentice of Darth Sidious, and with his dying breath asks Obi-wan to train the young Anakin. The Jedi Council promotes Obi-Wan to Jedi knighthood and reluctantly accepts Anakin as Obi-Wan's apprentice. Despite the temporary peace, war continues to threaten in the horizon as the Galactic Republic continues to fragment.
7.) The hero reaches the innermost cave. (APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE.)
In episode 2: Attack of the Clones, Anakin faces one of the most harrowing and painful tests. He becomes troubled by visions of his mother Shmi in pain, and travels to Tatooine with Padme to save her. There, they meet Owen Lars, Anakin's stepbrother, and son of Shmi's new husband. He learns that Shmi was abducted by Tusken raiders weeks earlier and is most likely dead. Determined to find her, Anakin heads out into the desert to find the Tusken campsite. He discovers, too late, that his mother has been tortured by the tribe. Shmi, reunited with her son, dies in his arms.
In a berserk rage, Anakin slaughters the Tuskens and returns to the Lars homestead with Shmi's body. After revealing his deed to Padme, Anakin says that he wants to prevent death. This outpouring of sheer rage served as a premonition to what Aniken would become in the future.
Going back, Anakin and Padme find out that Obi-Wan has gone out to search for the rebels led by Count Dooku, a powerful former Jedi. Hearing his master's cut-off transmission, the two surmise that he has been captured, and go to the planet of Genosha to rescue him. They end up captured until a battalion of clone troopers, soldiers cloned from a single template and bred to be the Republic's troops, and led by Jedi masters, descend on the planet to rescue them. In the middle of the battle, Count Dooku escapes, and is pursued by Obi-Wan and Anakin. The two battle the rebel leader, but are defeated: Obi-Wan is injured and Anakin's arm is cut off with a lightsaber. Jedi Master Yoda arrives and duels with Dooku, who flees, unable to defeat the Jedi master. The episode ends with Anakin being refitted with a robotic arm, and he and Padme secretly marry on Naboo.
Episode 3 opens with another galactic battle, with rebel forces, under the robotic general Griveous and Count Dooku, abducting the Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. Obi-wan and now Jedi Knight Anakin board the ship to rescue the Chancellor. Anakin engages Dooku in a lightsaber duel, and decapitates him upon Palpatine's urging.
Returning to Coruscant, the galactic capital, Anakin rejoices upon hearing that Padme is pregnant, but is troubled by dreams of her in pain.
8.) The hero endures the supreme ORDEAL.
Chancellor Palpatine appoints Anakin to join the Jedi Council as his representative but the Council declines to give Anakin the rank of Jedi Master and commands him to monitor the Chancellor. This apparent lack of trust in him significantly diminishes Anakin's faith in the Jedi.
Palpatine entices Anakin with knowledge of the Dark Side of the Force, including the power to "cheat death." When Palpatine reveals himself as the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, Anakin reports his treachery to Jedi Master Mace Windu, who subdues Palpatine in a lightsaber duel. Desperate, Palpatine calls Anakin for help, telling him that only his knowledge coulds save Padme. Desperate, Anakin intervenes on Palpatine's behalf, allowing him to kill the Jedi Master. Anakin pledges himself to Palpatine, who dubs him Darth Vader.
Palpatine, using secret military codes, orders the clone troopers to kill the Jedi and sends Vader into the Jedi temple with a detachment of troopers. They massacre the remaining Jedi, including the young ones who looked up to him as a hero.
Palpatine then addresses the Galactic Senate, he declares the Jedi to be traitors and abolishes the Republic, and in its stead declares the creation of the Galactic Empire, with him as emperor.
To erase the loose ends of the separatist movement he started, the emperor orders Vader to kill the remaining Separatist leaders hiding on the volcanic planet Mustafar. Meanwhile, on Coruscant, Obi-Wan and Yoda return to the Jedi Temple and discover Anakin's treachery. Worried that Anakin has turned to the dark side, Padme travels to Mustafar to confront him, while Obi-Wan stows aboard her ship. When Vader discovers Obi-Wan, he accuses Padme of betrayal and uses the Force to choke her. Obi-Wan then attacks his former student, and after a dramatic battle, and dismembers Anakin. He then picks up his former student's lightsaber and leaves him to die.
Obi-wan takes Padme to an asteroid, where she gives birth to twins, Luke and Leia before dying. Meanwhile, Palpatine journeys to Mustafar and finds the broken, dismembered and burned body of Vader, who is all but dead from his injuries. He takes Vader back to Coruscant, and has his body repaired with cybernetic limbs and a respiratory suit. Upon recovery, Palpatine lies to Vader, telling him that in the battle in Mustafar, he killed his wife. Vader is devastated by the lie.
The supreme ordeal here for Anakin is not some external foe, but ultimately himself. He faces, and fails the final test. His divided loyalties: to the Jedi order and his personal loyalties to his wife, has pushed him to the brink from which he fell off. His fear of failing his wife, as he himself has failed to rescue his mother, would leave a mark on him that would lead him to the dark side. As Yoda would tell his son in the future (Episode IV),
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."
What has begun with good intentions has now ended in a darker end.
Here, unlike other hero stories, the hero succumbs and is defeated by evil. In the next episode, Anakin would kill his old friend and mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. He would become the right hand of the emperor, enforcing his evil will over the galaxy with a fist of iron. And here is where the story takes him off the spotlight and refocuses on Luke Skywalker, his son.
The cycle begins again: Luke is discovered in Tatooine, and invited by Obi-wan to become a Jedi. earns that his father was also a Jedi who once fought alongside Obi-wan, but was "killed by Vader." He is initially reluctant, but goes back to his farmstead to discover his family dead. With nowhere else to go, he leaves with Obi-wan. He also receives his father's lightsaber from the old Jedi. They meet Han Solo and Chewbacca, and go off in the starship Millenium Falcon to the planet Alderaan, where they find it destroyed by the Empire's Death Star. They end up captured, and learn that the princess Leia Organa is also onboard, having been captured earlier by Vader. They escape, but only after Obi-wan is killed by Vader. The rebels, joined by Luke, attack and destroy the Death Star.
In the next episode, Luke comes across a second mentor, the ancient Jedi Yoda, who teaches him how to wield the Force. Vader plans to entrap Luke, intending to present him to the emperor. Father and son meet face to face for the first time. Luke battles Vader, and loses, with the latter severing his right hand, causing Luke to lose his father's weapon. After Luke refuses to join Vader against the Emperor, Vader reveals that he is Luke's father. Horrified, Luke throws himself down the air shaft. He is ejected beneath the floating city and makes a desperate telepathic plea to Leia, who helps rescue him.
Going back to Yoda, Luke discovers the ancient Jedi is dying. Yoda conirms that Darth Vader, formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, is indeed Luke's father, and that there was "another Skywalker." The spirit of Obi-Wan confirms that this was Leia, Like's twin sister, and tells Luke that he must fight Vader again to defeat the Empire.
Meanwhile, the Rebel Alliance, as those opposed to the Empire have become known, discover that a second death star was being constructed, launch a desperate attempt to destroy it before it becomes operational. A small strike team, led by Luke and Leia, is deployed to the nearby moon of Endor to destroy the field generators. Luke tells his sister the truth, then surrenders to Imperial troops and is brought to Vader. Once more, Vader tries to sway Luke to the dark side.
Here, the supreme ordeal of Luke's storyline bisects that of Anakin, as the two story arcs merge.
Vader takes Luke to the Death Star to meet the Emperor, who Emperor reveals that the Death Star is actually fully operational and the Rebel fleet will fall into a trap. The Emperor tempts Luke to give in to his anger and join the dark side of the Force, and Luke engages Vader in a lightsaber duel. Vader senses that Luke has a sister, and threatens to turn her to the dark side. Enraged, Luke attacks Vader and severs his father's hand.
9.) The hero seizes the sword. (SEIZING THE SWORD, REWARD)
The Emperor pushes Luke to kill Vader and take his place, but Luke refuses, declaring himself a Jedi as his father had been. Furious, Emperor Palpatine attacks Luke with Force lightning. Unwilling to let his son die, Vader kills the Emperor but is mortally wounded by the Force lightning. Before succumbing, he asks Luke to remove his mask, so he could see his son without the filters of his helmet. When Luke protests that he would die without the mask, he responded, "Nothing can stop that now. Just for once, let me look on you with my own eyes." He asks Luke to help remove his mask before dying in Luke's arms.
The reward for both is the son's reconciliation with his father (and saving the galaxy in the process), while the father's reward is both their reconciliation and his eventual redemption. The prophecy has been fulfilled: Aniken has brought balance to the force by slaying the Emperor.
10.) THE ROAD BACK.
Luke escapes the Death Star with his father's body as the rebels destroy its main reactor. They land on Endor.
11.) RESURRECTION &
12.) RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
Luke survives as a changed man. Now the strongest Jedi alive, he dedicates himself to the restoration of the Jedi order. Anakin's character also emerges changed: as the rebels celebrate, Luke sees the spirits of Obi-wan and Yoda, now joined by the redeemed spirit of his father.
REFLECTION:
Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader has always been my favorite character. Even as a child, I have not been usually drawn to the goody-two-shoes type of hero. Real-life heroes hardly measure up to the chivalric ideals, and for a long time, I have struggled with the thought of seeing myself as a hero. I have always identified with the villains, not because of the evil they do, but because, no matter how powerful, or cunning they are, they always end up defeated. Real life, unfortunately, shows that heroes are not bulletproof, and that while good might eventually win the final war, it does not always win the battles. The beauty of Anakin's story is the portrayal that one can be redeemed even from the blackest pits of hell that he has fallen into. As Darth Vader, he was the face of evil, and the murderer of billions in the galaxy, yet in the end, with his dying breaths, he comes back, redeemed.
My story through the lens of J Campbell:
My story through the lens of J Campbell:
1.) The hero is introduced.
It was 1998, and I was a jobless bum. I had lived a colorful life (told elsewhere) but at that time, I was doing practically nothing. I had not graduated yet, and was practically immersed in computer games with friends
2.) The CALL TO ADVENTURE.
My "adventure" began when a fraternity brother called me and offered a job to me. They were looking for somebody who could write well, and the offer was about 4 times that of my allowance.
3.) The hero is reluctant at first.
The only reluctance I felt was that I might not be accepted, since still had no college degree. I was told to get an endorsement to take the Civil Service Professional eligibility exam (which at that time did not require you to be a college graduate), and they would take care of the rest.
4.) MEETING THE MENTOR
That brother of mine, and our boss, were my first mentors in this story. They encouraged me to take the chance, and, armed with confidence (and a lot of alcohol, since we were drinking practically all night before), I took and topped the Civil Service exam. I even got a job offer to another government agency, but I turned it down.
5.) The hero passes the first threshold.
I eventually came back with the result and signed the job order contract. My first assignment was also my baptism of fire at work. to revise an outdated manual of procedures that our office followed. Three weeks after that, I turned in my draft, only to be called the following day and told that he expected me to produce corporate-level output, and not a measly college paper. That was the first time I cried because of work, but since then, I am proud to say that both my writing and speaking skills have improved significantly.
6.) The hero encounters tests and helpers.
My first job was a mixture of successes and failures, but it was overall a great learning experience. One senior manager (and one of my early mentors) vividly recalls that I napped on her table during lunch break, but didn't wake up until 2 pm. It was embarrassing, waking up late, with drool on a table that wasn't mine. There were several challenges at work, but with the help of friends, particularly my boss, they only served as opportunities for me to grow. I vividly recall the very first time I had to present before a group. At that time, I was confident with my writing skills, but not with my speaking ability. Nervous, I asked 3 friends to sit in and later, assess how I did according to my coherence, nervousness, modulation, etc. They later told me that I started off very nervous, but my confidence kicked in towards the middle of my report.
7.) The hero reaches the innermost cave.
While I relatively enjoyed my work, at the back of my mind, I knew I was stuck in a situation. I could not be regularized or promoted without a college degree, and at that time, my case in UP had not yet been decided with finality and was still under appeal.
8.) The hero endures the supreme ORDEAL.
2001 was a painful year for me: it was the year when I learned that my father had died, and the year when I was regretfully informed that my expulsion from UP was final. Ironically, opportunities for advancement came to our work, and I realized that I had to make difficult choices. I could conceal my problem, and come up with fake credentials, or I could leave and start all over again. If I did nothing, I would draw attention from people who would wonder why I, who seemed reasonably capable and obviously well-connected, would not grab an opportunity to advance that was practically flung our way.
I eventually decided to resign, and went off to Iligan City, where I had no friends or family, and start my life anew as a returning college student.
Adjustment at first was difficult, but eventually, I was able to settle in and focus on my studies, while also enjoying my new-found independence and opportunity to begin life again. What was at first an ordeal to my imagination turned out to be something else. Eventually, I got married and graduated, and then I had to face a bigger ordeal when my wife and I returned to Manila.
I reapplied in my former office, but our manager informed me that it might be tough, since I was aiming for a higher position and this time, I was technically an outsider. I might need a "strong endorsement," which my mom would help provide, by no less than the President of the Republic, to whom she was directly under. My wife was, at that time, also applying for a position in a government hospital, and we were reasonably confident that we would get both. Unfortunately, it was an election year, and our future was in limbo as we waited to see who would become the next President. My mom's connections, and by extension, my hopes, rode on it. There was also ban in hiring public officials, so I had to wait for a month after the elections.
My wife's leave from her former company eventually ran out, and still no appointment was in sight, so we decided that she had to go back to Iligan. It was painful for us to part at the pier, with a feeling that our marriage had already foundered. I still had no job, and she had to go back to hers in faraway Mindanao. She said she cried almost all of the way back to Iligan, a 33-hour journey by boat.
About a couple of weeks after that, I finally got the coveted endorsement, and submitted it to the company. I talked to my former boss, who said that while I may most likely get the position I applied for, I would be the envy of the office and a tempting target for those who felt that my connections enabled me to bypass them. I could not sleep that night, and the following day, I told my former boss that I would withdraw my application. At that time, the document, together with the endorsement, was on the table of the President of the company. Thankfully, he was on travel at that time, so his secretary, a friend of mine, was able to get it before he even saw it. My former boss asked what my plans were. I said I didn't know. Maybe I would apply in Congress or in a call center. Seeing how broken I was, he asked if I was willing to be assigned to a regional office. I agreed, provided it was in Cebu or Mindanao. He then called our regional heads, asking what their highest vacant position was. Cebu at that time had the best offer, so I redirected my application to Cebu.
9.) The hero seizes the sword.
I left Manila for Cebu, with about P 5,000.00 in my pocket, a farewell "pabaon" from my former boss. I was briefly interviewed and told to wait for the formal contract signing. Having nothing else to do, I went to my wife in Iligan, and after about a month, got called to report to Cebu. I had a job again. My wife would follow me in about 3 months, after she could arrange to be transferreed to their sister hospital in Cebu City.
10.) THE ROAD BACK.
Technically, this is not the resolution to the story, since we also went through another series of ordeals. Due to an administrative order freezing all hiring in government, I could not be appointed as a regular employee. Ironically, my papers were already in our head office, and were ready for signing when the order was issued. What followed was almost 3 years of waiting, with a very small salary, while our company slowly reorganized. When the long wait was over, I was both regularized and promoted.
11.) RESURRECTION.
The road has been marred by many side turns, occasional pitfalls and slips, but not every step was painful. Along the way, I became a father twice over, and struggled to keep my little family afloat. There were times when I seemed to "seize the sword," only to fumble and drop it on my foot, point first. Sometimes the dragon you thought slain would come back, or would have a twin, in a manner of speaking. Nonetheless, believing that what does not kill you only makes you stronger, I have come out alive, if not victorious, from every test.
12.) RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
There is much that I have learned from all of these experiences, and they have collectively shaped me to be a more resilient person. For my family, I have learned to be strong in the face of adversity and need, or at least come up with a facade of strength as I quietly cry where no one can see me. There are still moments when I feel that I have been thrust once more into the innermost cave to face that faceless nemesis. There are times when I feel that my "resurrection" is more of a reanimation of a dead corpse. Did I indeed take the elixir, but was it in fact a vial of poison?
These are no doubt signs that the adventure still continues, and time will tell if the hero will finally slay the dragon for good, or if he will succumb to the dragon's whiles. < the real scholar from PSHS has re emerged!>
Prof., thank you for the comments. They, especially, the last, mean a lot to me.
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