Comparing And Contrasting The Force In ‘Star Wars’ And Magic In ‘The Lord Of The Rings’
When film or writing students learn about the hero’s journey story arc in their introductory storytelling courses, two stories are almost always used as the example of the quintessential story: Star Wars: A New Hope and The Lord of the Rings. On the outside it may seem like they do not have as much in common with Star Wars being science fiction and The Lord of the Rings being fantasy. However, their stories eerily mirror each other. They both have an unseen entity that plays a role in the story: the Force in Star Wars and magic (mostly in the form of the One Ring) in The Lord of the Rings.
Middle-earth has different types of magic that are a part of The Lord of the Rings and the other works. The main one is the power of the One Ring and the other rings of power. You also have Gandalf’s and Sauruman’s magic that they do with their staffs, which is like the typical spells of shooting fireballs, and then Gandalf’s magic with smoke rings from pipes. The elves have their own type of magic as well. It seems to just be in the world, but not playing a big part in the story until the One Ring makes its appearance or the wizards have a duel.
On the other hand, the Force plays a larger role, to an extent, since it dictates more of what the characters do and how they act. There is the living Force, the energies of all lifeforms, and the cosmic Force, the galaxy bound together and communicated through midi-chlorians. It is not just one magical item or a few magic instances. It is there, a part of the characters, and even the land. Characters in Star Wars either are Force-sensitive or not. Obi-Wan Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker in A New Hope, “The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.” The Force is not linked to one item, although there are Force sensitive items and temples, as well as, characters, too. The Force is a more overarching “magic” so to speak that plays a part in Luke Skywalker’s hero’s journey in A New Hope and subsequent Star Wars stories. It is the underlying theme, and almost a character, that drives the plot, character development, setting, etc. If you stop and think about it, most of what happens in Star Wars happens because of something to do with the Force, or something it directly impacts or is a part of. If you consider the Force to be a character, then it is honestly the main character of the Star Wars universe.
The Force gives the user powers such as telekinesis, mental manipulation, ability to induce sleep, Force spirits, and the power to see the future. In battle, the Force allows for quick reflexes and amazing acrobatics. The powers of the Dark Side includes Force lightning and Force choke, to name a few.
The One Ring in The Lord of the Rings is similar. While it is not an overarching entity throughout the world, it does have the power to dominate the entire world if used in that capacity by the ringbearer. The inscription on the One Ring reads “One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.” Like the Force giving the Jedi power, the One Ring gives the bearer power. Gandalf and Galadriel would not take the ring because while they would try to use it for the good of the world at first, it would eventually corrupt them.
The One Ring has the power to turn the wearer invisible, which Bilbo Baggins found to be quite nice when escaping the goblin caves from Gollum in The Hobbit. However, it also corrupts the mind of the wearer such that the wearer does not want to give the ring up. It gives them unnaturally long life as well, which is why Gollum is alive for so long after having the Ring in possession. The wearer can also understand the Black Speech of the Orcs while wearing the Ring as Sam discovered in The Return of the King. There are numerous other powers that the wearer can have as well when wielding the Ring. The magic inside the One Ring is a part of Sauron’s soul, which means the ring is linked to him and contains his power. The One Ring’s magic also makes it so that it cannot be destroyed by anything other than the lava of Mount Doom where it was forged.
The Force gives the user a magic of sorts to fight and move things with your mind, while the Ring does not. Both still gives the user/wearer power. They are the magic that is wielded throughout and plays a large role in how the story unfolds in the story arc of both series. The One Ring, similar to the Force, has the power to call out to Sauron and the other dark creatures with its own magic, so it acts like a character with a mind and will of its own. The Ring can also change size and slip off the finger of the wearer if it wished to. The One Ring has a dark will over whoever holds it just like the Dark Side of the Force is irresistible to some creatures and characters in Star Wars.
Both the Ring and the Dark Side of the Force are bent on tempting and turning people to evil. They entice people with visions of “good” but in reality, twist and warp their mind. Anakin turnd to the Dark Side because of the good intention of wanting to save those he loved. The Ring seeks to corrupt the good with visions of being able to control the Ring to bring balance and peace to Middle Earth, and overthrow Sauron. Gandalf, Elrond, and Galadriel wield the elven rings in selflessness and service to others, like the Jedi Order and the Light Side. Whereas the One Ring is wielded with intent of gaining strength and power like the Sith and the Dark Side of the Force. Both the Force and the elven rings allow users to communicate with each other as well.
There are many similarities and differences between Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, and The Force and the One Ring. One of the most fascinating things about the magic in these respective stories is the intricacies of it and how they play such a large role in their respective stories. Sometimes you do not even realize their influences until you stop and think about what is happening in the story arc. The way each magic works, and how you can it is similar and different in many ways. This makes for some amazing world-building for the two universes. Good magic is complicated to write into a story seamlessly, and both Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings sagas have done it so gracefully.
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