New RetroZapper Andrew McAvoy explores the Bendu and the continuing journey through the Force.
By Andrew McAvoy // I’ve joked at times that I’ve never come across anyone who really understands the concept of the Force. Consider though the complexity of, and disputes relating to, religions in real life. Then remember that Lucas attempted to synthesize a multitude of complex religions/myths into a universal concept. Some ambiguity must be expected in light of such a Herculean ambition. The Star Wars Rebels storyline in recent weeks has seen the introduction of the Bendu into the Star Wars saga. Accordingly, fans have been ruminating on these issues of the Force more than usual.
The One in the Middle
Already beloved of Star Wars fans (especially Whovian-Star Wars fans) the Bendu is fascinating. He informs us that
“Jedi and Sith wield the Ashla and Bogan. The light and the dark. [He is] the one in the middle. The Bendu.“
Interesting; there’s a lot packed into that short statement. Kudos to the Story Group. They reference the old names for the light and the dark side of the Force (the Ashla and Bogan respectively) from Lucas’ original Star Wars script. In addition, the character name itself nods back to the “Jedi-Bendu of the Ashla” from that script.
The Individual and the Force
There is also a symbolism in those references to the early development of the Force as a concept. The Story Group direct the viewer back to the origins of the Force. They want fans to open up their minds to new possibilities. They want the audience to know that they are re-calibrating the concept.
Balance and the individual are particularly vital to the Bendu. Firstly Kanan’s personal imbalance triggers the Bendu’s awareness/awakening. It is clear that spiritual and personal balance in the Force at an individual level is a key dynamic of these characters.
Secondly, it is expressly pointed out by the Bendu that he won’t let Kanan use the Holocron as an excuse for an alteration in Ezra’s behavior. This is also borne out by the fact that the Bendu informs him that only an individual chooses to change; an object cannot change an individual. The individual is therefore placed front and center in the teaching of the Bendu. It’s Kanan’s imbalance at an individual level that draws the Bendu’s attention. Likewise, Ezra has an individual responsibility that can’t be deflected onto an object such as the Holocron.
It’s also worth noting the Bendu’s positioning of himself as “the one in the middle.” Initially, it’s easy to assume that if the Bendu was “in the middle,” he would be placed there in order to try to establish a balance in the Force. However, the Bendu didn’t seem to focus too much upon what part of the light-dark spectrum people were inhabiting. He is notably unmoved by–and seemingly uninterested in–the Sith holocron.
The Mortis Contrast
This is a direct contrast to the Father in the Mortis arc of The Clone Wars who was locked in an active struggle to establish a balance between the push and pull of light and dark. The Bendu (to date) is more benign, appearing to perform an observation function as opposed to policing an equilibrium.
Back to Kanan and Bendu’s relationship. Kanan leaves Atollon and comes back with Ezra to find the Bendu, which means the Bendu is in a fixed location and can be found again quite easily. Also, Kanan leaves a physical object with the Bendu (the holocron) and comes back for it. Both of these things enforce the fact that the Bendu occupies a space in the physical world.
This is notably distinct from the Mortis encounter in Wild Space. As opposed to occupying space in the physical world that encounter is conveyed as a form of collective and sustained “Force vision” between Ahsoka, Anakin, and Kenobi, caused by a concentrated area of Force confluence; “a fulcrum for the galaxy and a conduit through which the Force flowed”. Remember, Rex said they were only gone for a moment.
The Mortis Connection
The Mortis Arc can, therefore, be held up as a representation of the struggle for balance within the galactic sphere, and the characters of the Father, Daughter and Son can be seen as foreshadowing developments within the spiritual dimension of the Force as the saga plays out.
But there’s more. StarWars.com, in their sections on the arc, state
“The Daughter of Mortis is a Force-wielder who aligns herself with the Light side of the Force. An enigmatic being of tall stature who can transform into a griffin, she is the selfless counterpoint to her brother, the Son, who has allied himself with the dark side. Together they provide balance to the Force, a balance maintained and channeled through their Father.”
Father, Son, and Daughter
If one wanted to identify who is represented by the characters of Father, Daughter, and Son, who is most associated with those characters within the wider saga?”
Vader/Anakin is the Father. Leia is Daughter. and Luke–yes, Luke–is the Son.
Before jumping to the conclusion that this doesn’t work, let’s dig deeper.
Father
One can certainly find parallels between Anakin and the Father. At the end of Return of the Jedi, Anakin has to act in the same way as the Father in his dying moments. In Anakin’s last actions he acts to bring the balance in the Force–he dispenses with Palpatine at the very point when the Emperor is going to consolidate his power for good through the defeat of the Rebel Alliance and the defeat of Luke who has refused to join him. At the end of Return of the Jedi, in dispensing with the dark side, and in losing his life in doing so, the parallels between the characters of Anakin and the Mortis Father can be drawn pretty clearly.
Daughter
Strangely, the character of Leia is also a match for the character of the Daughter in the Mortis arc. As a character, Leia actually curtails the dark side of the Force through the way she chooses to live her life after Endor. Leia is aware that she is the sister to–and daughter of–powerful Force users. In not dedicating her life to the development of her Force ability beyond the rudimentary, she helps maintains a certain balance of the Force.
This is because the Force is essentially self-correcting. The dark side and the light side of the Force are connected in a Yin-Yang relationship. There is an equal and opposite reaction effect over time that can be witnessed as it ebbs and flows. Like light and shade, the presence of one actively influences the other.
In not engaging with her Force abilities, and as a result also not advancing the influence of the light side of the Force, Leia does not overly disrupt the balance of the Force. She opts instead for a life of advocacy and of diplomatic, latterly military, solutions to the problems facing the New Republic in its relative infancy.
Finally, Leia’s character parallel with the Daughter is exacerbated by the fact that in Bloodline, Leia is openly sacrificed politically and professionally for the Father (Anakin) and the Son (Luke). Likewise, the Daughter sacrifices herself in the Mortis arc.
Son
Sadly, Luke also increasingly aligns with the character of the Son. It is Luke who unwittingly facilitates the re-emergence of the dark side in the galaxy after Palpatine’s death. This is because Luke takes the step to brings about the return of the Jedi into the galaxy. It is Luke that therefore brightens the light side triggering an equal and opposite response in the shade cast by the dark side.
It is because of this that conflict has recommenced in the galaxy between the two sides of the Force. Leia’s life choices dampen the influence of the Force on her family. By contrast Luke actively disrupts the balance yet again, leading to a reaction in the dark side. Not this time via the Sith but through the rise in influence of Snoke and the Knights of Ren.
A return to light: a return to shade
By the time of The Force Awakens, Luke has worked out consciously what Leia had already worked out subconsciously. Namely, that to truly facilitate a balance in the Force, there must be a complete removal of the light side or at least a cessation of Force activity by the Light side. No light means no shade.
Luke knows that his father Anakin fulfilled the prophecy on Endor. It was his also own actions in re-establishing and training a new generation of Jedi that created a fresh imbalance. This “team light side” scenario prompted a subsequent mirror effect on the dark side’s influence.
As Luke watches Rey approach him on Ahch-To at the end of The Force Awakens, his face conveys his feelings. Internally he processes the implications of Rey upon her arrival. He knows that she will start to re-balance and re-calibrate the equation again.
Finally, and perhaps most chillingly, he knows that it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better.
