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As General Dodonna finishes the briefing, we stand at the very edge of the climactic finish, ready to enter the hustle and bustle of a hanger full of starships and Rebel pilots preparing for battle. And what line is offered as immediate prelude to this adrenaline rush? What else, but the most famous line in the entire saga.

"May the Force be with you."

It's interesting to me that this famous line is first delivered by a relatively minor character. Dodonna is a prominent Rebel leader, but in term of the movie role, this is his only truly significant scene. He won't show up in any future films. The specifics of his character are not nearly as important as what this line represents -- the religious underpinnings of the Rebellion.

We don't see a lot of love for religiously-driven revolts nowadays, and with good reason: fundamentalist terrorists have given the notion a very bad name. In contrast, there is something very intriguing about a benevolent group that fights tyranny not just in the name of ideals like liberty and justice, but with the invocation of a higher power. Granted, the Force and devotion thereto are vague enough to avoid most faith-related controversies, but the religious element can't be denied.

And what an elegantly simple invocation it is. Trash Lucas's dialogue all you want, but he undoubtedly created one of the most memorable catchphrases in film history. Evocative of "God be with you" and similar variants (I know some friends who have to stifle the urge to reply "and also with you" from years of call-and-response religious ceremonies!) it encapsulates so much with just six words. The Force itself is a concept that works so well as a sort of Jungian representation of whatever religion you want to imprint upon it. Beyond a few general concepts of balance and non-aggression, it doesn't fuss over specifics. You can make of it what you will. That's the beauty of fantasy and sci-fi. What will you find there? Much like Yoda says in the next episode, "Only what you take with you."

Next time, another clash between Luke's idealism against Han's cynicism....

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