Luke Skywalker and the Deadliest Spot

Thomas Rickert writes about the renewed interest in the meaning of kairos which has at least a dozen meanings in ancient texts (71). Essentially it refers to the most opportune time, a penetrable opening or an aperture of opportunity. "...the earliest uses of kairos," he says "were grounded in a sense of place" (73).

In the film "Star Wars: A New Hope" the entire episode hinges on a brief moment in time and "space" where one shot at a small opening in the indestructible enemy Death Star will trigger a series of failures that will destroy the powerful and dreaded star-sized space station. Kairos refers to not just the target, but the weakest penetrable point of the target that should be the point of aim that will, therefore, give the most opportunity for a successful and deadly strike. 

This scene from "Star Wars: A New Hope" illustrates this meaning of kairos very well.

We see Like Skywalker, the lone remaining Rebel pilot able to fire at the Death Star using his connective powers to The Force to evade pursuing enemy fighters long enough to approach the vulnerable aperture and fire into it. A chain reaction takes place through out the Death Star and it explodes from within. Kairos also means opportunity of the moment which includes timing and place. Luke Skywalker is in the right time and place and has the opportunity, with some assistance from Han Solo, to strike the deadliest place. This kairos or "deadliest spot" is mentioned in Homer's The Illiad as the place where penetration is easiest. This is the first appearance of the word kairos. (72)

For Sophists kairos was the art of oratorical opportunity. Maximum success could be won through the recognition of the moment of opportunity or kairos (74). Thus verbal jabs could also strike a deadly blow to an opponent. Every politician understands this form of Kairos. Timeliness and decorum are necessary components however (74). During the recent Super Storm Sandy Fox News pundits were lamenting the inability of the Republican Presidential candidate to enjoy the same "photo ops" as President Obama as he visited and comforted the devastated residents of hard-hit New Jersey and New York. Mitt Romney displayed decorum in this case by staying away and allowing the President to promise and send aid to those in distress. UNlike Mitt Romney, Fox News showed a lack of decorum by referring to the destruction of the storm, not as the disaster it was, but as a mere photo opportunity.