A Man Called Starkiller

Someone called EmskitheNerd commented on this thing I wrote (which you should read). He told me about the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and hinted at the moral implications of the main character’s arc. In the process, he spoiled the game’s plot twist for me. I don’t mind, but if you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now.
Also spoiler warning for The Last Jedi.
If you’re still here, hang tight. EmskitheNerd gave me a lot to think about.

So here’s the plot twist: the main character, Starkiller, was basically destined to be a Jedi Knight, but Darth Vader kidnapped him and raised him as a Sith Apprentice. Midway through the game, Vader turns on Starkiller. Then, if the player wants to become a hero, Starkiller turns to the Light side.
At first, I thought this was bad writing. Vader betrayed Starkiller because there was a chance he might become a hero. Starkiller became a hero because Vader betrayed him. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.
But then I thought about it a little more. Yoda didn’t want Anakin to be a Jedi because there was a very real danger that Anakin could turn evil (see my earlier post on the subject). Luke considered, however briefly, attacking Ben Solo because Luke sensed the possibility of evil in his nephew.
This means the Light Side is willing to do drastic things to avoid the temptation of the Dark Side. Something along the lines of, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29 NIV). The Dark Side would obviously do even more drastic things to keep its apprentices on the “straight and narrow.”
As far as I can tell, the Light Side can tempt bad people just as much as the Dark Side can tempt good people, but neither side can force anyone to join. That’s the way it is in the real world, too.
Food for thought: if you feel like giving up on goodness, God, or something else because your life is screwed up, maybe it’s because the Enemy knows you have potential to do great things for the side of good.

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Twitter: @noahspud and @CorrelationBlog