Call for Papers! The Way of the Force: The Philosophy of Star Wars on Its 50th Anniversary
A Special Issue celebrating (also) the 10th anniversary of the Journal
Star Wars has been a global cultural phenomenon since it first premiered on May 25, 1977, with countless films, live-action and animated television series, novels, comics, and video games produced; and the franchise shows no signs of slowing down. Like all great science-fiction and fantasy sagas, Star Wars has provoked audiences to philosophically question their own views and prevalent societal attitudes throughout the decades, whether examining the need to let go and follow one’s destiny, the threat of technological terror, how to negotiate moral boundaries within a tyrannical regime, or the imperative never to tell Corellian smugglers the odds!
This special issue of the Journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy invites us to dig deeper into the philosophical world of Star Wars, to consider questions such as:
- Is being attuned with forces of nature and life better than exercising technological mastery over nature?
- Can artificially intelligent droids attain personhood or otherwise merit moral or political rights?
- What are the moral limits when rebelling against a galactic despot?
- Is it ethically justifiable to collaborate with an evil regime in order to attempt to bring about a greater good?
- How ought we to balance respect for individual rights and the cultural values of alien societies with the need to form a united republic?
- When is it appropriate to violate the Jedi Code in order to follow one’s own conscience?
- Is the Dark Side stronger than the Light, or just quicker, easier, more seductive?
- How does Star Wars’s treatment of religious identities, whether Jedi, Sith, or Mandalorian, help us understand different religious traditions and the conflicts between them in our own world?
The deadline for submitting full articles for the first round of reviews is November 1, 2026. We strongly encourage submitting an abstract no later than October 1st to receive feedback from the editors on the proposed article. Please send queries, manuscripts and general questions to Alfredo Mac Laughlin, at editor.jsfphil@gmail.com .
Special Issue Editors: Kevin S. Decker & Jason T. Eberl
Journal of Science Fiction and Philosophy 