ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I connect the relationships and lives of the heroes Luke Skywalker and Rey from the “Star Wars” series of films to the narrative structures of their youths. He does this by confronting the mythic influences that have guided Star Wars filmmakers from George Lucas down to Rian Johnson as well as by examining the evolution of the “Hero’s Journey” structures themselves. This chapter geographically grounds this on-screen/off-screen conversation to the island planet where Rey and Luke first meet: Ahch-To. Doubled by Skellig Michael for filming off the coast of southwestern Ireland, this island planet serves as a nexus point in the Star Wars films, representing the moment when a corporate multimedia franchise looked inward and analyzed itself on screen. A baton/lightsaber was passed, a franchise evolved, and characters confronted their own journeys and the dangerous power of myth. All on screen. All on an island.
