Another important archetype for the original trilogy is that of the Child of Promise. This powerful archetype says that an child is born with a promise of some kind of greatness attached to him. Not long after we meet Luke in "A New Hope" we are struck with some forgotten promise relating to him. In the conversation with his uncle and aunt at dinner, he expresses his ambition to be a starpilot instead of a farmer like his uncle. The fact that his uncle has acted as an overprotector for Luke becomes clear after Luke leaves the conversation. His aunt Beru says, "he's just not a farmer Owen. There's too much of his father in him." Owen responds, "that's what I'm afraid of." For the viewer who watched this movie first, this was a moment pregnant with unknown meaning. The viewer is intrigued to find out who Luke's father was and what Luke himself is heir to, in terms of greatness.

The power of this archetype is brought home when Luke looks upon the sunset of the two suns with yearning in his eyes. All of us who have felt trapped by our smallness know exactly what that moment means. Luke can feel that there is promise inside of him, but he can't understand what that promise is, and what he is supposed to do about it.

However, thanks to the clown's connection of him to R2-D2, he doesn't have to wait long before that desire is fulfilled. He soon finds himself in Obi Wan Kenobi's hut. There the beautiful part of his promise is laid out by Obi Wan. His father was not only a jedi, but the best starpilot in the galaxy, a cunning warrior, and a good friend to Obi Wan. We, as an audience, are bright with hope for what Luke will become. This is perhaps the most important and central archetype to the original trilogy. It is what we are feeling when Luke says, "I want to go with you to Alderaan and become a jedi like my father." It is what motivates Luke to heroically destroy the Death Star. It is what we are sensing when Luke is told by Yoda, "this one a long time have I watched, while he looked away to the future, never on where he was, never on what he was doing."

The beautiful irony of the promise in the original trilogy is that it is much different than either Obi Wan or Yoda think it is. For them, Luke is their chance to see the Emperor and Vader destroyed and their Empire overthrown. That is what they expect Luke to accomplish. The ultimate promise of Luke however, is not to overthrow the Empire, but to reach out in love to his father and to throw away his weapon in the last moment so that his father might be reminded of who he really is.

This archetype is also the central idea of the prequel trilogy. This archetype looms like a cloud over the entire trilogy simply because we know that Anakin will become Vader. However, the positive side of his promise is also well-developed. When we meet Anakin we are struck with the idea that he is someone special. This is mostly because we know that he becomes Darth Vader. However, it is also brought home to us when he says that he had a dream in which he was a jedi and that he freed all of the slaves. We learn that he was born of a virgin birth giving us a messianic feeling about his character.We also learn that he fits the description of an important jedi prophecy and that he is destined to "bring balance to the force." Because the prequels came out after the originals, we are left to wonder how he can possibly be a "chosen one." We are confused how he could "bring balance." Nevertheless, the sense of his promise both for good and evil is palpable through all three prequels.

Again, the promise of his character is ironic just as in the original trilogy. The jedi are given a false sense of invincibility by his presence. We see their sense of confidence in him in Episode II. For instance, when Mace Windu says, "remember, Obi Wan, if the prophecy is true, your apprentice is the only one that can bring the force into balance." As we will see, the third installment of Star Wars prequels will continue this theme of the jedi feeling overconfident because of this prophecy. Yet, they misunderstand the prophecy entirely. The presence of this child of promise is as much a promise of their destruction as of the destruction of the Sith. So, again, the child of promise is a fascinatingly mixed idea here.

As you can see, the two trilogies are in harmony when it comes to the archetype of the child of promise. They are also in harmony in their twisted interpretation of this archetype.