Great Scene: “Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back”

Luke confronts a phantasm of Darth Vader… and his own Shadow.

I would argue the best Star Wars movie is The Empire Strikes Back (1980). And one of the reasons is because it trafficked in the some of the most interesting ideas in the SW saga, in particular the relationship of Luke Skywalker to the “dark side” of the Force.

This scene occurs on Dagobah, where Luke has been in training with aged Jedi master Yoda, learning the ways of the Force, and signifies a major turning point for young Luke — as he is forced to confront his own shadow self. It’s a scene thick with metaphorical and symbolic import, and I feel confident in saying that Carl Jung himself would have been proud of it.

Here is the scene from the movie: