In The Phantom Menace, Yoda says to young Anakin Skywalker, “Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate … leads to suffering.”
For years, this memorable quote has dominated how Star Wars fans think about fear and the role that fear plays when falling to the Dark Side.
While fear can be dangerous, Yoda’s words don’t address how someone should respond to fear. Everyone gets scared sometimes, so how should someone deal with fear when they experience it? Does experiencing fear mean you are condemned to fall to the Dark Side?
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales may be a campy Halloween special, but it actually answers these questions quite well.
The young character Dean lets his fear get the best of him when he fixes a dangerous Sith lightsaber and opens a Sith Holocron. He blames himself for the dangerous consequences that happen as a result of his choices.
Just because Dean gave in to his fear doesn’t mean he is on the path to the Dark Side, though. Poe Dameron admits to Dean that “I’m scared right now. You can’t control fear. But you can choose what to do with it. Because without fear, you can’t have courage.”
Dean sees Poe as a fearless hero, but Poe shows that even he is afraid sometimes. Most importantly, he helps Dean understand that it’s okay to be afraid. What matters is how someone does or does not let fear influence their actions.
Even though Poe and Dean are afraid, they don’t let their fear dictate their actions, and they show courage by working together to bravely stop Vaneé and his villainous plot.
This is an excellent lesson about fear that both kids and adults can apply to the real world. It is important to understand that fear is natural and it is only the path to the Dark Side if someone allows fear to guide the choices they make.
Meaningful themes like this show that LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales is more than just silly and spooky Halloween fun for the family.
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales is now streaming on Disney Plus.