IN LUKE MORE THAN LUKE - Family Romance and Narcissism in the 'STAR WARS' Saga - A Thesis

Sep 16, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher

The Star Wars epic has shaped popular culture since its 1977 debut, making it a key object for film and popular culture analysis and for psychoanalytic inquiry into literary history. Drawing on Freud, Lacan, and other psychoanalysts, the thesis challenges psychoanalysis’s reliance on the Oedipal complex, arguing instead that incest functions as a more acceptable metaphor for narcissism. Using Luke Skywalker’s relationships with Darth Vader/Anakin and Leia, it argues that narcissistic competition replaces erotic interest, and that Lacanian frameworks can de-Oedipalize related filmic and literary texts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages130

Reading Time5 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Psychoanalysis and De-Oedipalization

Part One

Luke and Darth Vader via the "Name-of-the-Father"

Part Two

Luke and Princess Leia via "The Agency of the Letter in the Unconscious"

Ovid Epigraph

Acknowledgments

IN LUKE MORE THAN LUKE: FAMILY ROMANCE AND NARCISSISM IN THE 'STAR WARS' SAGA Blue Aslan Philip Profitt A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS May 2019 Committee: Erin Labbie, Advisor Jeff Brown © 2019 Blue Aslan Philip Profitt All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Erin Labbie, Advisor The Star Wars epic has been important for popular culture since its emergence in 1977; it is relevant for film and popular culture analysis (both of which I tend to in this thesis), and it is a crucial epic tale that contributes to a model of literary and psychoanalytical history. In the four decades in Star Wars’debut, fans and scholars alike have been interested in the saga’s ostensible depiction of incest and the Skywalker family romance, but I maintain that incest has become amore palatable metaphor for the characters’ respective narcissisms, and that these narcissistic affects in fact provide evidence of little-to-no erotic interest in one another and do not support the incestuous metaphor that is common to readings ofthe films. In this thesis, I engage the original Star Wars film trilogy as well as the work of Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, and other prominent psychoanalysts to offer my own critique of psychoanalysis’s overreliance on the Oedipal complex: In order to effectively de-Oedipalize psychoanalysis, we need to first recognize and reconcile the problem and ugliness of narcissism. I apply this paradigm to examine the character of Luke Skywalker and his relationships with his father, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, and his twin sister, Princess Leia Organa, though this framework can be used to de-Oedipalize other literary and filmic texts. Part One of this thesis traces Luke’s relationship with Darth Vader through Lacan’s concept, the “Name-of-the-Father,”to argue that Luke’s superficially Oedipal desire to become his idealized father is a disguise for his narcissistic desire to turn his father into a facsimile of himself. Similarly, Part Two examines Luke’s relationship with Princess Leia through Lacan’s “The Agency of the Letter in the iv Unconscious” to argue that the twins rely so heavily on the signs and signifieds of sexual difference that they fail to recognize that they are in a narcissistically competitive dialogue. v “Unknowingly he desires himself, and the one who praises him is himself praised, and while he courts, is courted, so that equally, he inflames and burns. How often he gave his lips in vain to the deceptive pool, how often, trying to embrace the neck he could see, he plunged his arms into the water, but could not catch himself within them! What he has seen he does not understand, but what he sees he is on fire for, and the same error both seduces and deceives his eyes.” -Ovid, Metamorphoses vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My grandmother, Debbie Frankovich, likes to remind me that we are of the same tribe, and that as I learn, grow, and experience more than my home, I will find others to join it, too. After two years of graduate study, which were often troubling beyond campy films, theoretical texts, and coming to terms with my own writing and research, I want to thank the tribe that has come together to support me through these two years and through this project. I cannot say that this thesis exists only because of them—after all, I wrote it. But without their love and guidance, I would never have become the kind of thinker and woman capable of undertaking this task. Firstly, I owe a great debt to Erin Labbie, whose mentorship and friendship has been a gift, both to this project and to my life. Thank you for teaching me that theory is a form of self help, for listening to me when no one else seemed to register that I was speaking, for helping me to realize that I am a psychoanalytical thinker and to stop pretending I was anything else, and for standing by my scholarship

FAQs

What is the thesis’s main argument about incest and narcissism in Star Wars?

The thesis argues that incest becomes a more tolerable metaphor for the characters’ narcissisms, and that narcissistic dynamics show little to no erotic interest between the figures. It also contends that this undercuts the incestuous metaphor commonly used in readings of the films.

Which psychoanalytic thinkers and concepts does the thesis use?

The thesis engages Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan, along with other prominent psychoanalysts. It specifically applies Lacan’s "Name-of-the-Father" and "The Agency of the Letter in the Unconscious" to analyze Luke’s relationships.

How does the thesis analyze Luke’s relationship with Darth Vader?

Part One traces Luke’s relationship with Darth Vader through the "Name-of-the-Father" concept. It argues that Luke’s superficially Oedipal desire is a disguise for a narcissistic drive to make his father resemble himself.

How does the thesis analyze Luke’s relationship with Princess Leia?

Part Two examines Luke’s relationship with Princess Leia through Lacan’s "The Agency of the Letter in the Unconscious." It argues that the twins over-rely on signs of sexual difference, causing them to miss that they are engaged in a narcissistically competitive dialogue.

Sep 16, 2026

Uploaded by Cipher