A new hope: ‘Star Wars’ as American religion

May the Fourth be with you!

Today, “Star Wars” fans from all over the world are celebrating their passion for the multi-billion-dollar science fiction franchise created by George Lucas 46 years ago.

On the surface, Star Wars Day may seem to be little more than a pseudo-holiday at the intersection of geek culture, viral social media trends and corporate marketing. However, its growing popularity reflects something deeper about the human need for meaning in our so-called secular age.

In Ernest Becker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “The Denial of Death,” the American anthropologist wrote, “Society itself is a codified hero system, which means that society everywhere is a living myth of the significance of human life, a defiant creation of meaning.”

All cultures everywhere create myths to codify their ideals around heroism, bravery, virtue, sacrifice and social wellbeing, from the 43,900-year-old cave painting of a hunter-hero in Sulawesi, Indonesia, to modern-day space operas like “Star Wars.” These guiding stories serve a crucial function in both the individual and group quest for meaning by providing imaginative models of the real social world and portraying heroic characters that possess many ideal virtues.

Fictional, world-building fantasy stories like “Star Wars” psychologically immerse us in symbolic representations of real-world social interactions. Obviously, the points of “data” in these stories are often fantastical — none of you are hanging out at the Tosche Station shopping for power converters or joining an old, gray-haired wizard on a galactic adventure — but these fictional details serve to help us thoughtfully reflect on our own questions about the meaning of life and its role in the story of our world.

Recent psychological research on the function of fiction suggests content like “Star Wars” isn’t mere entertainment. George Lucas understood this.

As early as 1977, when the original “Star Wars: A New Hope” was released, Lucas was already telling interviewers that he had set out to write a “modern mythology.” Twenty-two years later, as Lucas was preparing to unveil the first chapter in his prequel trilogy, he reiterated his ambitious hopes for these stories in an interview with Bill Moyer: “I’m telling an old myth in a new way. That’s how you pass on the meat and potatoes of your society to the next generation.” 

Lucas’s ambitious dream to create a mythic story for the entire planet seems to have succeeded, but has “Star Wars” transcended beyond entertainment and myth into the sphere of religion? Given the dramatic decline in participation in traditional religion among nations like the U.S., this question might seem ridiculous — of course most Star Wars Day observants are not true believers of the Jedi religion.

However, even though the vast majority of fans who participate in Star Wars Day celebrations are not consciously seeking a religious experience, the fact that people in wealthy, technologically advanced nations are turning away from traditional religion may make them more likely to turn fandom into something that resembles faith.

Research finds that the decline of traditional religion has been accompanied by a rise in alternative religious-like supernatural and paranormal interests and activities. For example, a Pew Research Center survey found that individuals who do not frequently attend church are twice as likely to have felt the presence of or seen a ghost as those who are regular church attendees. People are increasingly turning away from the traditional faiths of previous generations and toward a wide range of alternative beliefs such as astrology and witchcraft. 

Critically, research suggests that the growing interest in these alternative beliefs is driven by the need for meaning that traditional religious faiths have historically helped meet. It isn’t that “Star Wars” fans actually believe in “the Force.” But the growing popularity of “Star Wars” and other fantasy fiction franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe highlight an important and distinguishing feature of humanity.

Advances in science and technology have made the physical world safer and more comfortable, but they have not changed the fact that we are a spiritual species in search of transcendent meaning. It is in our nature to seek out myths, rituals and mystical experiences that help us feel like we are part of something larger, more significant and more enduring than our brief mortal lives.

Cosplay parties, movie marathons and other Star Wars Day celebrations give people something fun to do on what would otherwise be just an ordinary day. But they also reveal that humans aren’t satisfied with being just an ordinary species.

Clay Routledge is an existential psychologist and vice president of research and director of the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute.

Paul Anleitner is a cultural theologian who writes and speaks on the intersection of theology with culture, science and philosophy.