“The Fault is Not in Our Star Wars…”

The Siths’ Rule of Two seems simple. One master and one apprentice. The master mentors the protegée, and, once the apprentice learns all the lessons and gains the powers of the dark side of the Force, they kill their teacher and step into the role of master for a new apprentice. Solon of Ancient Greece used to advocate for soldiers to die a glorious death as heroes in battle, but very few wannabe warriors today would line up for a job that kills you if you do it well.

In fact, there are many historical and fictional examples of homicides promoting a rise to power through the millennia — “et tu, Brute”. But empires would be better served by keeping conquered leaders alive, if only to preserve the knowledge and wisdom which they might not have uploaded to the dictatorship aspirant.

Removing a potential martyr from the scene is the typical motivation given for “killing up” in power struggles, but the process may also be driven by a more primal cause than ambition — the DNA in ourselves. As humans, each generation must sadly die to make room for the next. Successful procreation is more likely for younger men without facing competition from those past their prime. Obi Wan may live on to dispense virtual wisdom, but it was Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader who helped Padme conceive Leia and Luke.

Sigmund Freud may have been on to something with the Oedipus complex, when he applied the Theban king’s fate to kill his father to more modern families. Most growing boys have a natural desire to exceed the “powers” of their fathers someday. “Removing” Dad from a teen or young adult’s pathway to maturity echoes the master/apprentice dance that has become a common trope in film and literature — minus the murder, of course. To some extent, adulthood demands the severing of the bond between father and son, for a son to achieve full independence.

Without violence, a father/son or master/apprentice relationship has a chance to be redeveloped down the road on a more egalitarian basis between two mature and independent adults. However, such a Kumbaya rapprochement would be anathema to the Siths, and undermine their “charm” as terrifying and tyrannical villains. And where’s the movie in that, Kylo Ren? So, “light sabers at the ready and there’s the starting bell!” Action!