Dark on the Outside, Light on the Inside
In Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker wears a costume that is all black on the outside but white on the inside. Throughout Star Wars, the color black is generally associated with the dark side of the Force, while the color white is associated with the light side. The interplay of these colors in Luke's costume visually expresses the tension between light and dark in his character.
This ambiguity is established in Luke's first scene in Return of the Jedi. He uses the Force to choke Jabba the Hutt's guards – an aggressive action, associated with Darth Vader and the dark side. Immediately afterwards, however, he placates Jabba's majordomo Bib Fortuna with a nonviolent Jedi mind trick – a technique associated with Obi-Wan Kenobi and the light side. This tension comes to a head in the film's climax, when the Emperor tries to tempt Luke to the dark side: Luke temporarily gives in to his anger and aggressively attacks Darth Vader, but ultimately holds to his Jedi ideals and refuses to take his father's life. The light proves to be more fundamental to Luke's character than the dark, just as his costume suggests.
In Skeleton Crew, Jod Na Nawood's costume – a dark red coat with a blue undershirt – carries similar symbolic connotations. Throughout Star Wars, the color red is associated with the dark side, while the color blue is associated with the light side. Like Luke, then, Jod wears a costume suggesting tension between a dark exterior and a light interior.
The climax of Skeleton Crew pointedly evokes the climax of Return of the Jedi: both scenes take place in an observation tower that is home to a seemingly all-seeing ruler (the Supervisor in Skeleton Crew, the Emperor in Return of the Jedi). Unlike Luke, Jod – despite the Jedi training of his youth – is the villain in this scene, threatening to kill Wim, Fern, and their parents if they resist his pirates' takeover of At Attin. Despite his aggressive threats, though, Jod consistently refrains from using lethal force against his hostages, passing up every opportunity to kill the children or their parents. Ultimately, he throws his blaster away, much like Luke throwing his lightsaber away in Return of the Jedi. Though he insists on his own mercenariness and Wim tells him "You're no Jedi," Jod's costume and actions suggest that he has not been able to shake his Jedi ideals completely – that, just maybe, "There is still good in him."
EXPLORE FURTHER…
Characters: Jod Na Nawood / Luke Skywalker
Shows: Skeleton Crew
GO DEEPER INTO THE ARCHIVES…
Concepts: aggression / duality / ideals / light and darkness
Interpretive Tools: Tripartite Soul Theory
READ MORE ABOUT…
Follow The Jedi Archives on…