In the @NRO prequel battle between @DouthatNYT and @jackbutler4815, I was surprised to see no real engagement with what I think is THE core element to Star Wars - the Force.

@jackbutler4815 thinks it's no more than "the plot" but there's more to it. 1/ https://arcdigital.media/dave-filonis-the-clone-wars-unlocked-the-secret-to-star-wars-51c81ca588f4?source=friends_link&sk=7e3d232162fc414476432a5e7e8d676b

It's nebulous, but the Force works as mythic shorthand for the transcendent and the supernatural. Luke's way of interacting with the world is forever changed by knowledge of the Force. This knowledge brings a new level of epistemic humility to his character....2/ @jackbutler4815

3/ and not just him, but Han Solo. When Han says "may the Force be with you," it tells us he isn't as cocky as he was. Luke is humbled further by seeing the moral peril to which his own father was prey.

4/ But his final rejection of the dark side in Return of the Jedi is just as much about rejecting the Jedi Code (you should not have familial bonds) as it is rejecting the Emperor.

The prequels were at their best when they echoed those themes. The midichlorian stuff was dumb...

5/ ...but the Chosen One arc is still in the mythic tradition, and Anakin's eventual corruption is the inverse of Luke's redemption - he rejects the Jedi Code as dispassionate like Luke but instead pivots to indulging EVERY passion (his fatherlessness is key to this.)

Anyway, the point is that the key redeeming feature in the prequels (besides worldbuilding/art/music) is their interesting development of these spiritual themes. Star Wars political stuff is ALWAYS dumb as a box of rocks. It dragged down the ewok half of RotJ too. /fin