As I was watching Return of the Jedi, I had a thought about the nature of evil. In the movie there are three scale levels represented in three different scenes. The most abstract scale is a very theoretical, conceptual notion of the battle of good and evil. Luke Skywalker fights Darth Vader while the Evil Emperor encourages him to grow his anger and hatred so that he is aligned with the dark side. The battle is good vs evil as conceptual ideas. Here is the scene I am thinking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JAkVQKS5IY
--Luke's hate makes him powerful; his refusal to surrender to his emotions align him with "the force"
On a differnt scale level, we see the battle with the Battleship destroyer where technology is emphasized, and pressing a button accurately results in the death of the "bad guys" on the battleship. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNNE_9UsSLg
"killing" does not seem like a bad thing when seen at a distance and with the belief that those killed were perpetuating evil. The ends seem to justify the means.
The last scene is one I can't find on youtube, but the scene emphasizes the ewok's ground battle. At one point, an ewok's partner dies in the battle on the ground. It is definitely a moment in the film that is meant to stir up emotion. Death up close and personal is much different than the conceptual battle of good and evil and different than the technological battle where the victors never witness the consequences of their actions.
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