ABSTRACT
Upon its release, George Lucas' fourth Star Wars film, The Phantom Menace, got mixed reviews. As a professor of philosophy and religion for thirty years, the author become curious about the theological and ethical content of the Star Wars films. Moreover, the author discusses the themes of the films with teenagers and adults who had been deeply touched by them. Though a number of ideas from the Star Wars films lend themselves to comparison with themes from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Taoism and Zen, the author concentrates specifically on those raised in the Yoga Sutras. In Star Wars, one of the central themes is a clash between the use of the dark side and the light side of the Force. Similarly, in the first Star Wars film, Obi-Wan Kenobi warns Darth Vader that if he strikes him down in anger, Obi-Wan will become stronger and unbeatable, and he does.
