Attachment is not so much forbidden

Don't do it, Ani, marriage is evil!

George Lucas has removed himself from the ranks of the Jedi bachelorhood. As we all know, Jedi are forbidden from attachments. Attachments lead to things like fear, anger, hate, and suffering. And Darth Vader.

Fortunately, when George Lucas got married to Mellody Hobson this past weekend, he looked like anyone but Vader. Frankly, he looked happier than he has in a long time. And that calls for congratulations!

(for those of you interested in the wedding gossip and photos, check out this Huffington Post article)

So, George Lucas' recent marriage made me wonder if or to what extent The Maker's personal life influenced his art. Some speculate that George Lucas' divorce from Marcia Lucas made him pessimistic about love and marriage, even to the point that love and marriage were the driving force behind Anakin's downfall. We do know that the divorce was a traumatic experience for him and it's not hard to imagine that George Lucas the artist drew upon the pain he felt in real life to breath more life into his characters. 

Personally, I've always felt it was a risky and inspired choice. Villains who seek political power merely for the sake of power often come across as one-dimensional (here's the "politics" connection in this post). As simple and trite as it is, Yoda's advice about the fear of losing attachments I think actually describes much of the psychology of political behavior. Politicians are afraid of losing power, reputation, friends, perks, or a purpose in life. Yes, some people are truly greedy or truly power-hungry, but hopefully the Prequels taught audiences that what appears to be greed or thirst for power on the outside might just mask a deep insecurity on the inside.

Back to marriage: in a recent interview with Big Shiny Robot, Timothy Zahn revealed that he would like to see a healthy family relationship in Star Wars Episode VII. Star Wars of course focuses on family relationships, but often the family members either die off or try to kill each other. One can only speculate at this point, but perhaps the fact that Lucas now seems to have found true love will find a way into his art. Or his Episode VII story treatments. Perhaps we will see a healthy marriage between Han and Leia. Perhaps they become model parents and don't, say, cut their hands off. Perhaps Lucas will even reconsider allowing Jedi to marry.

However Episode VII turns out, it's nice to see The Maker apparently so at peace with himself.