FEBRUARY-MARCH 2026

Jung and the Mythology of STAR WARS

with Steve Ellerhoff, Ph.D.

Sunday
starting Feb. 15

What would Carl Jung make of Star Wars?

This seminar series springs forth from the pages of Steve’s new book, Jung and Star Wars: A Contemporary Mythology (Routledge, 2025). Though mythologist Joseph Campbell praised Star Wars, he died before he could commit a proper study to it. That gap in scholarship led Steve to write this book over the past ten years.

So many of his ideas about the psyche shed light on the world’s favorite space opera. In the exploits of iconic characters like Han Solo, Anakin and Padmé, and Rey Skywalker, we find archetypal images expressed across a range of media.

Taking a Jungian approach, we will explore the psychological dynamics at play in this profoundly popular mythology. Through collaborative analysis, we can gain a better understanding of how and why these characters and their adventures mean so much to us.

Come join the Rebel Alliance for a tour through hyperspace, visiting the far reaches of our own world through the mythology of Star Wars.

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JUNG AND THE MYTHOLOGY OF STAR WARS

WITH STEVE ELLERHOFF, PH.D.

SUNDAYS
Feb. 15 - Mar 15
4-6pm Pacific / 7-9pm Eastern

Live Via Zoom +
Video Recording will be available
to all guests

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COURSE OUTLINE

Session One: Nearly Fifty Years of Star Wars,
a Myth for Our Times

We will delve into some of the mythologized roots of Star Wars, examining how conditions real and imagined have informed its stories from the 1970s through the 2020s. Saga creator George Lucas has described the overarching myth to be one of dealing with an authoritarian regime. In this vein, we explore the strongmen from Star Wars: A New Hope to streaming series Andor, tracing our world’s struggles through a lens on a galaxy far, far away…

Session Two: Han Solo - Spice-Smuggling Sleeping Beauty

We will convene to amplify the saga’s Everyman, Han Solo. Like most of us, Han cannot use the Force, making him one of the most relatable characters. We will examine his deep bond with Chewbacca the Wookiee, his status as pilot of the Millennium Falcon, and his trouble with crippling debts. Through his transformation, we will also unpack how he inverts the stories of Sir Yvain/Owain in Arthurian legend and Sleeping Beauty.

Session Three: Anakin and Padmé -
The Will to Power and the Will to Love

Jung believed that the will to power and the will to love affect marriage between two people, and that one blots out the other. In light of this, we look at the relationship between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala, a marriage that ends in tragedy and violent death. The Jedi Order forbids possessive attachments, setting the stage for what occurs when Anakin fears Padmé will die in childbirth. We will chart how the will to power overwhelms his effort to save her, effectively and horribly blotting out their love and ending her life.

Session Four: Rey Skywalker -
Harbinger of the Rising Feminine

The feminine aspect has long been perceived as sidelined or even absent in Star Wars. However, with the introduction of Rey in the sequel trilogy (2015-2019), the feminine took a more central role in the balance of the galaxy. Folklorist Maria Tatar calls Rey a new sort of archetypal heroine: the warrior woman who is both violent and kind. We will examine Rey’s achievements and what they mean in closing the nine-film Skywalker film saga, suggesting a new balance in the Force.

Session Five: May the Force be with Jung

Wrapping up our course, we will review ground covered in the first four sessions, tying the characters together. We can also speculate where Star Wars might be heading next. Being a living mythology that is still growing in its lore, we will come away with a greater appreciation of the saga’s ability to defy containment or ultimate control by any party. As a field of mythic storytelling, its boundaries reach well beyond our galaxy.

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Steve ellerhoff, PH. D.

Steve G. Ellerhoff, PhD, is the author of Jung and Star Wars: A Contemporary Mythology (Routledge, 2025). His other books include Post-Jungian Psychology and the Short Stories of Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut (Routledge, 2016) and Mole(Reaktion Books, 2020). He also co-edited George Saunders: Critical Essays (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017) and Exploring the Horror of Supernatural Fiction: Ray Bradbury’s Elliott Family (Routledge, 2020). More of his work is linked at www.sgellerhoff.com.