# Religion in Star Wars **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 16, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171 "2009-07-16T00:29:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/1 "2009-07-16T00:29:23Z")
What religion does most of the people in the Star Wars galaxy practice? Can anyone mine the Expanded Universe for that answer? ---
**Author:** ![adhay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@adhay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhay)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/2 "2009-07-16T00:40:08Z")
**Pantheism** comes close. At least among those who recognize The Force. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/3 "2009-07-16T01:14:42Z")
Questions about the Arts, movies, cooking, books, etc. are best started in Cafe Society. Moved. **samclem** Moderator, General Questions ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/4 "2009-07-16T02:48:26Z")
Lutheran. Except for the Ewoks, who are some sort of hippie. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/5 "2009-07-16T02:54:01Z")
You’re thinking of Wookies. (Talk about needing a haircut!) I’m pretty sure the Ewoks are Mormon. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/6 "2009-07-16T03:02:55Z")
Han seems to regard following the Force as a religion, though he himself is probably an atheist (at least at the beginning of the trilogy). “Hokey religions and ancient religions are no match for a blaster at your side, kid.”. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/7 "2009-07-16T03:30:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Han seems to regard following the Force as a religion, though he himself is probably an atheist (at least at the beginning of the trilogy). “Hokey religions and ancient **religions** are no match for a blaster at your side, kid.”. You meant weapons, right? Edit! Make my post redundant! 😛 “Kid, I’ve flown from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, but I’ve never seen _anything_ to make me believe that there’s one all-powerful Force controlling everything. 'Cause no mystical energy field controls _my_ destiny. It’s all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.” ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/8 "2009-07-16T05:03:27Z")
The Yuuzhan Vong, the antagonists of the New Jedi Order novels, were religious zealots from outside of the galaxy. I seem to recall that a few other novels featured particular planets on which the inhabitants followed a religion. But, overall, I don’t think that there was ever any discussion of any significant organized religion within the Republic / Empire. While Han (and Grand Moff Tarkin) refer to the Jedi as a “religion” in the first movie, I’m not sure that it really qualifies as such (it seems to me to be more of a monastic / philosophic order). ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/9 "2009-07-16T06:41:59Z")
Never mind. Just now figured out how to read. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/10 "2009-07-16T18:55:15Z")
I do believe they think I am some kind of god ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/11 "2009-07-16T20:35:39Z")
Quantum Presbyterian. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/12 "2009-07-16T21:11:43Z")
> [@Alan\_Smithee](#): > > You’re thinking of Wookies. (Talk about needing a haircut!) I’m pretty sure the Ewoks are Mormon. Naw, the Ewoks follow C3POism. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/13 "2009-07-16T21:14:18Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Naw, the Ewoks follow C3POism. Which never made sense to me. I could completely understand if they worshiped _Chewbacca_ as a god- he’s basically an enormous Ewok. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/14 "2009-07-16T21:34:34Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Which never made sense to me. I could completely understand if they worshiped _Chewbacca_ as a god- he’s basically an enormous Ewok. Yeah, but from their angle so close to the ground they can see his wookie-junk. And suffice it to say, the she-woks were not impressed. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/15 "2009-07-16T21:53:25Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Yeah, but from their angle so close to the ground they can see his wookie-junk. And suffice it to say, the she-woks were not impressed. Gabe and Tycho [url=[A Truly Remarkable Circumference - Penny Arcade](http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/02/11)]disagree. (NSFW, obviously) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/16 "2009-07-16T21:59:18Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > While Han (and Grand Moff Tarkin) refer to the Jedi as a “religion” in the first movie, I’m not sure that it really qualifies as such (it seems to me to be more of a monastic / philosophic order). Isn’t the belief that there’s some sort of universal “force” guiding people’s destinies a religious belief? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/17 "2009-07-17T00:28:39Z")
The Jedis refer to their hq on Coruscant as their _temple_. I wonder if they’re more like a cult unto themselves or if they’re to others what monks and priests are to Catholics and Buddhists. Or perhaps they call it their temple because Jedis are all Jewish. (Ben Kenobi- son of Kenny Obi; what’s Yoda’s surname?) ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/18 "2009-07-17T00:34:09Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#): > > Gabe and Tycho [url=[A Truly Remarkable Circumference - Penny Arcade](http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/02/11)]disagree. (NSFW, obviously) Pure propaganda. Wookie phalluses are teeny! ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/19 "2009-07-17T01:01:13Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > The Jedis refer to their hq on Coruscant as their _temple_. I wonder if they’re more like a cult unto themselves or if they’re to others what monks and priests are to Catholics and Buddhists. > Or perhaps they call it their temple because Jedis are all Jewish. (Ben Kenobi- son of Kenny Obi; what’s Yoda’s surname?) Goldstein. 😛 More seriously, it seems everyone in the Star Wars Galaxy recognizes that the Force is real but outside of the Jedi and the Sith and some other groups are apathic about it. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171/20 "2009-07-17T01:06:33Z")
3PO, as he was being lowered into the oil bath at Luke’s house on Tattoine says, “Thank the Maker.” That opens up the interesting possibility of a droid religion. Discuss. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/religion-in-star-wars/503171.md?page=2)