Re-visiting the Hero's Journey: A Skeptic’s Guide to the Galaxy

When my wife and I were dating, we talked about everything under the sun. As a long-distance couple, conversations were our lifeline. Naturally, like most discussions in the universe, we eventually hit on the topic of Star Wars.

I was completely appalled when she casually mentioned she didn’t like it. My favorite saga was being ripped apart right before my very ears!

Fast forward to when we were living together after getting married. I decided to test the waters and asked if she would be open to giving Star Wars another shot.

I wasn’t trying to sway her decision with a passionate lecture on the cinematic merits of the films. I wasn’t trying to prove a point that the saga I loved was objectively good. Heck, I didn’t even mind if, after watching Episode IV, she threw up her hands and said, “I’m done.” If that was the end of it, so be it.

What I offered instead was help, patience, and time.

The Strategy: Space to Learn

I asked her to approach it with an open mind. I told her to feel free to pause the movie whenever she had questions to help connect the dots. Because I’ve seen these movies more times than I can count, I made it clear that I was perfectly fine stopping or taking a break at any point. She was wary—but up for the challenge.

Before hitting play, I explained that George Lucas was a student of Joseph Campbell, basing the entire story on the classic hero’s myth. It drew heavy inspiration from ancient tales like Beowulf, narratives of heroes searching for their identity, and the samurai culture of Ancient Japan. (But don’t worry, I won’t bore you with the full lecture here!)

The Binge and the Aftermath

Well, after watching Episode IV: A New Hope, we didn’t stop. We ended up binging the entire 7-Episode saga available at the time (The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker hadn’t been released yet).

The turnaround was incredible. Today, she actively tells all of her friends who aren’t into Star Wars that they need to watch it. Not too long ago, she even requested a re-watch of the original trilogy (Episodes 4, 5, and 6), an invitation I naturally and happily obliged.

We are even went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios Galaxy’s Edge, where we bought Obi-Wan’s lightsaber, built R2-D2, and a BB unit.

Lessons from a Faraway Galaxy

No matter where you are in your own learning or career journey, there are a few universal truths to take away from this:

• Keep an open mind: There are always different viewpoints to consider and more to learn.

• Offer patience: When teaching or mentoring others, give them the space and time to process.

• Trust the effort: You never know how deeply someone else will latch onto something if you just give them the right environment to discover it.

May the Force be with you… always.