The Jedi Path

The Jedi Census email •  “a suggestion for next weeks census.... question 18 deals with religion, if like me, you

believe in no one specific religion or just simply object to answering that particular question, then please consider the following alternative..... we are trying to encourage people to tick the ‘other’ box and then fill their religion in as “JEDI” - all Star Wars fans will understand, but the point of the exercise is two-fold...���1. if 8000 people throughout New Zealand do this then JEDI will become an officially recognized religion which would be a laugh, and���2. it’s a bit of an experiment in the power of email, as that has been our primary means of communication, that’s not to say that you can’t tell others about in other ways.���but I would urge you to do the above and pass this message/idea on to as many of your friends, relatives etc as you can so we can reach the magic number of 8000, be swift as we don’t have a lot of time left! May the Force be with you”

•  THE 2001 JEDI CENSUS

•  20,000 CANADA •  390,000 UK •  53, 715 NEW ZEALAND •  70,509 AUSTRALIA _______________________________ •  TOTAL: 534,224 (EXCLUDING USA)

•  HOW MANY WERE NOT JOKING? BEST GUESSES… –  AUSTRALIAN STAR WARS APPRECIATION SOCIETY ESTIMATES 5000 OUT

OF 70,000 - 7.5% –  MY RESEARCH RESULTS - 7.9% OF IN- PERSON RESPONSES; 11.4% OF

ONLINE RESPONSES (rising to 20% when Jedi-specific web respondents are added.244 responses received.)

–  Okay - so how many Jedis are there? - If 7.9% is correct, 42,203 Jedis. If we cut that number in half, 21,000 Jedis. If we take only 1% of the number, 5000 Jedis. If we take only .001%, still 500 Jedis. Conclusion: Star Wars has inspired a real, lived religion for some fans.

–  And remember, this does NOT include American fans, who did not participate in the census.

So where’d I get my info?

•  Star Wars weekends, Disney World

•  Online Star Wars forums, Jedi forums

•  Star Wars survey, posted online

Impact of Star Wars on Spiritual��� Lives of Fans

•  Categories of Responses for my online survey: –  No Response/non-

spiritual response (33.5%)

–  Spiritual Influence, but primary religious affiliation to other spiritual path (46.5%

–  Jedi Path (20%)

•  Jedis as role models –  service to others –  advocates of peace –  Tolerance for diversity –  For example: “I’m a Christian and find that living my life as a good Christian is essentially very similar

to living as a Jedi. The Force, to me, is simply a metaphorical name given to faith and personal accomplishment. Spirituality, to me, means doing things the right way as much as possible, using my God given gifts in the way he wants me to use them. I’ve found added benefit to doing things the right way- emulating my heroes from the Trilogies is a very positive addition to my life.”

•  The Force as model of Godhood –  Holy Spirit within everyone –  Ultimate Reality (Brahman) –  Goddess/God energy

•  For example: “As a Wiccan, I believe that there is a Divine Power but that that Divine Power resides in everything. Unlike other religions in which the Divine Power resides in a God, I believe that it is present in all things living and I call that the Force. To me, the Force is like the God and Goddess. It is the energy held within each Deity. To me, then, the Force is within the God and Goddess and that which is upon the Earth, and I combine it with my religious practices… When I meditate and draw on the Force, I do so to find answers to my struggles, solutions to problems, energy to face tasks, and calmness and serenity. By doing so, I bring balance to my life. When I have missed meditation, I have noticed that things just do not go quite as well as when I manage to meditate on a regular basis. I soundly feel that it is because I have become used to having the Force to balance my life. Thus, to me, I see the Force as being a very large part of my religion.”

The Jedi Path

•  Jedi Realism –  Jedi path as way of life –  Not a religion - a spiritual path

•  For example: “I do follow the Jedi ways as my way of Life. But I do so as for example a Samurai would have followed Bushido. It is how one lives. It is not what one prays to. The Force for me, while true and real and existing, is simply energy. It is what we do with it that matters. “

–  The Force as impersonal energy, not personal deity –  Rejection of midichlorians

The Jedi Path

•  Jediism as a religion –  For example: “As a Jedi, I see the Force as a Divine Power that is present

in everything much like another sees God as a Deity and that which is on the Earth as His creation. I practice meditation on a daily basis. I have a Code, much like the Ten Commandments, that I follow as well as Maxims and such. And I put these into practice every day. I gauge my actions against these Jedi beliefs much like a Christian would gauge their actions against their religion. Since I practice ‘Jediism‘ in my daily life and see the Force as a Divine Power, I definitely do feel that Jediism is a religion.”

•  “The golden thread of universal truth that runs through every major religion…”

•  Emphasis on inner and world peace •  The Force as personal deity - prayer, etc. •  Midichlorians = mitochondria? Chloroplasts?

Jedi Sanctuary •  The Jedi Creed

–  Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy.

–  Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others.

–  Jedi respect all life, in any form. –  Jedi serve others rather than rule over

them, for the good of the galaxy. –  Jedi seek to improve themselves through

knowledge and training.

•  Tenets of Faith –  1. We believe that the Force is an all

pervading Universal Energy that creates, binds together, and maintains everything in existence.

–  2. We believe that the Natural Order of the Universe comes from the Force.

–  3. We believe that the Force is, and probably always will be, a mystery.

•  The Jedi Code –  There is no emotion; there is peace. –  There is no ignorance; there is knowledge. –  There is no passion; there is serenity. –  There is no death; there is the Force.

QUI-GON : Make an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you… I need a midi-chlorian count.

OBI-WAN : All right. I've got it.

QUI-GON : What are your readings?

OBI-WAN : Something must be wrong with the transmission… the reading's off the chart...over twenty thousand.

QUI-GON : (almost to himself) That's it then.

OBI-WAN : Even Master Yoda doesn't have a midi-chlorian count that high!

QUI-GON : No Jedi has.

•  Midichlorians as introduced in The Phantom Menace

Midichlorians and the Force ANAKIN : Master, sir...I’ve been wondering...what are

midichlorians? QUI-GON : Midichlorians are microcopic lifeforms that

reside within all living cells and communicate with the Force… Without the midichlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force. They continually speak to you, telling you the will of the Force.

ANAKIN : They do?? QUI-GON : When you learn to quiet your mind, you will

hear them speaking to you. ANAKIN : I don’t understand. QUI-GON : With time and training, Annie...you will.

Fan Responses to midichlorians •  The Fan betrayed •  22.8% of fans identify midichlorians as George

Lucas’s biggest mistake. •  Second only to the 29.8% of fans who identify

everything after 1980 (ie, entire prequel trilogy) as his biggest mistake.

•  68% of respondents to my online questionnaire responded negatively to midichlorians

•  “Oh my God, he destroyed it. The Force we knew is dead.”

•  “Midichlorians are BULLSHIT! They completely undermine the spiritual nature of the Force.”

•  “Midichlorians raped the youth of most fans.”

Midichlorians - materialism?

–  “‘For my ally is the Force. And a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter…’. Those are beautiful words describing a powerful idea. This midichlorian claptrap undermines the entire concept and reduces it to the spiritual equivalent of catching the flu.”

Midichlorians = racism?

•  “Midichlorians are a racist notion… Jedi are Jedi because of something in their blood that enables them to tap into this great power. They’re the god-damned master race. Ouch!”

Beyond Lucas and “Canon”

•  Many practicing Jedi believe that Star Wars tapped into something authentic and timeless, and packaged it in a story that works for the modern era.

•  That Lucas may or may not have “had his brain eaten by aliens” is a point of debate - but his work is considered to stand on its own - he doesn’t get to undermine what Jedi’s take to be real spiritual insights, even if he does own the franchise.