Awakening | Call of The Force |

An awakening – an interesting choice of direction for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I’ve spent considerable time pondering, analyzing, and perhaps, even over thinking the title of the latest installment in the Skywalker saga. The title, under scrutiny when it was announced, has many meanings.

On Idiot’s Array: Mark, Ryder, and I spoke of the different awakenings that took place in the movie. Subjects ranged from the title name itself – the Force – to Rey, the Millennium Falcon, and even Han Solo.

Why would the Force need an awakening? It’s ubiquitous, without end or beginning.

Rey’s Force Vision | Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I’ll reference a common idiom – history repeats itself. Elements always seem to cycle and present themselves over and over again. For the awakening to happen, the Force had to plunge into darkness and ultimate hibernation. Sound familiar? Just as the Sith had sent the galaxy and the Force into a period of darkness, so now an opposing force had taken control and done its best to lay siege on innocence and freedom. The Force, found a familiar cycle, though it happened almost in its infancy. Luke, Jedi Master and care taker of the Force, having spent his life seeking knowledge and understanding had just begun to rebuild a long lost order. The revival was still in its early stages, when a former student who had been seduced by the dark side returned to destroy the Jedi before they even had a chance.

This time, through windows of the past, Luke and the Force worked quickly on preservation – Rey. A plan was devised and set in motion. A host was chosen, and patience was required.

Luke learned from his predecessors and likely looked at a bigger picture. Just as Yoda once learned there is always hope, so also, Luke realized this. So through patience and long-suffering the plan was laid out. He would hide a precious youngling of purity and innocence that could prove the undoing of evil and restoration of peace. Sound familiar? Events repeat often taking on similar attributes, hopefully through experience, reaching a different result.

The details of this plan we can assume will be filled-in through books and eventually the next episodic chapter in the story.

Fin, the Millennium Falcon, Han, Maz, and even Leia all proved to be catalysts in Rey’s awakening in the Force. Even Kylo Ren unintentionally opened channels to the Force. When a connection or channel opens through the Force, an awakening can take place. When one invades the mind of another a channel or link is opened through vulnerabilities displayed in the invader, the invaded or both. We saw this with Darth Vader’s connection to Luke in Empire Strikes Back, and again in Return of the Jedi, flooding him with conflict and giving him opportunity at redemption. The same took place with Ren and Rey, opening a means for awakening, not just for Rey, but the Force itself (it having chosen its new host).

The original host, chosen by the Force – Skywalker – failed in his calling. That is until love ignited a redemptive opportunity. The cost? Peace without caretakers. After a time, Luke began the task of training new caretakers. The task was cut short by a new enemy with ties to the original host.

The cycle begins again. Create, rebuild, recycle, and start anew.

The awakening is a new hope or beginning. This time, the hope is that it sustains balance without tilting the scale or destroying life.

Millennium Falcon | Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I loved the subtleties of awakenings throughout the film. The Falcon viewed as humble, obscure hunk of garbage, in the right careful hands, stumbles and awakens. It finds itself back in familiar hands and with the help of new hands responds in a familiar and reliable fashion. As it does, it becomes a vehicle used by the Force to awaken ones abilities and self realization and another’s long dormant love.

Han Solo, having hidden himself from painful truths, awakens to a sense of duty and love, becoming a mentor figure to Rey in her path of self discovery.

Each scenario is an example of a life force or higher power choosing hosts to accomplish a mission of revival or restoration. It’s brilliant and symbolic.

Another piece I find intriguing involves the central object of the movie – Skywalker’s lightsaber. Lost in battle, it was discovered and kept safe for decades. Its original owner long gone and the secondary caretaker having lost it, went on to build his own. The Force aware of its existence used it as another catalyst to awakening. History repeats itself again. If you remember, the saber was a catalyst in Luke’s journey to his awakening. Therefore, it makes sense that it is used again to do the same for Rey. It’s interesting, that again, the original host or chosen one is deeply connected with this new awakening.

Whether you’re religious or not, there’s recognition in our lives of a power or driving force that pushes us to be better. That force often awakens a sense of duty in us. Whether it’s explained as God, the universe, astrology or just plain luck – we all have seen its hand. It calls to us much like the Force did to the Skywalkers – Anakin, Luke, and … Rey? I know, ‘tis a discussion for another time.

I’ll leave you with two final thoughts. First, a message I found very insightful from a listener of . Dave Hackerson wrote:

“The Japanese title for the film, “Force no Kakusei” really adds depth to the notion of awakening by virtue of the implied meaning of the Japanese word “Kakusei (覚醒)”. The more I think about it, the more I impressed behind the genius of this translation. While it carries the meaning of “awaken”, it also refers to the notion of “a quickening”, and these characters form part of the Japanese word for stimulants, “Kakuseizai.” Viewed in this light, one could interpret Lor San Tekka entrusting Poe with part of the map to Luke Skywalker as the stimulating agent that gave the Force the jolt it needed to snap out of its slumber.

Another Japanese word related to “Kakusei” is the verb “Sameru (覚める). It also conveys the idea of “awakening”, and is often used with the noun “Me (目) (pronounced like the month of “May”) to create the phrase “Me ga sameru”. This phrase is used to both convey the idea of opening one’s eyes when they wake up in morning, and to express the notion of coming to a realization or being made aware of something. I think the imagery of this phrase is especially appropriate for the image of Rey closing and then opening her eyes in her confrontation with Kylo. She literally comes to the realization of the Force that has “awakened” inside her, and the Force then acts through her to defeat the dark power that Kylo believes has made him stronger.”

Finally in the words of Maz Kanata:

“I am no Jedi, but I know the Force. It moves through and surrounds every living thing. Close your eyes. Feel it. The light… it’s always been there. it will guide you. The saber. Take it.”

“It calls to you.” Maz Kanata — Star Wars: The Force Awakens