Radicalizing a young Luke Skywalker to the ways of the Evil Jedi
We all know Star Wars, we all know who to cheer for, we know the coding… but ‘Comfortably Smug’ on The Decider looks at the Hero’s Journey of Luke Skywalker through the current prism of radicalisation and terrorism. Guess what, Obi Wan Kenobi is a master at that as well…
Obi Wan — a religious fanatic with a history of looking for young boys to recruit and teach an extreme interpretation of the Force — is practically salivating when he stumbles upon Luke, knowing he’s found a prime candidate for radicalization. Stahelski notes terror groups place a focus on depluralization, stripping away the recruit’s membership from all groups and isolating them to increase their susceptibility to terrorist messaging. Within moments of meeting Luke, Obi-Wan tells Luke he must abandon his family and join him, going so far as telling a shocking lie that the Empire killed Luke’s father, hoping to inspire Luke to a life of jihad.
