This post was part of a broader initiative that uses a \u201cchat-to-blog\u201d model to help students explore complex ideas through structured, collaborative argument. We tackle a wide range of topics \u2013 from biology and evolution to culture, ethics, and the nature of science itself. One person poses a provocative question, we engage in a free-flowing but focused discussion in a Google chat group, and then co-author a blog post that distills our thinking into a concise narrative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Along the way, I occasionally introduce formal frameworks or theoretical lenses \u2013 whether from science, philosophy, or professional development \u2013 to deepen the conversation and challenge assumptions. In this case, Kram\u2019s model of mentorship helped frame a debate about the effectiveness of Jedi vs. Sith mentoring styles in Star Wars<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose isn\u2019t to \u201cwin\u201d the argument, but to wrestle with ambiguity, practice synthesis, and get comfortable in the grey areas \u2013 where most meaningful questions live. The final product reflects the collaborative nature of both the process and the ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This post in particular collaborative synthesis emerged from a discussion among two students, a postdoc and two faculty members.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Benjamin Acosta<\/em>1<\/sup><\/em>, Erin McKenney<\/em>2<\/sup>, Aram Mikaelyan<\/em>3<\/sup>, Autumn Sylvestri<\/em>4<\/sup><\/em>, Aurora Toennisson<\/em>3<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Author names listed alphabetically)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>Undergraduate Biology Major, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A recent group discussion about Star Wars mentoring relationships started with a simple question: \u201cWho\u2019s your favorite mentor in the series?\u201d Most of the usual names came up \u2013 Obi-Wan, Yoda, Kanan \u2013 but then someone brought up Sidious (certainly not admirable in moral terms, but could he be considered as a structurally effective mentor?). This led us down an unexpected path: What do we actually mean by mentorship? And do any of the Star Wars mentors, Jedi or Sith, match what mentoring theory suggests these relationships should look like?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Star Wars universe presents a surprisingly varied range of mentoring relationships. On the light side, Jedi masters train young apprentices (called Padawans) through a formal and ethical process. On the dark side, Sith Lords cultivate successors through manipulation, secrecy, and power struggles. Jedi apprenticeships, Sith successions, informal alliances, and manipulative grooming all co-exist within a single narrative system. This variety makes it a useful setting to apply Kathy Kram\u2019s four-phase model of mentorship<\/a>, a well-established framework used to describe the development of mentoring relationships in organizational contexts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many Jedi mentorships follow the early phases of Kram\u2019s model closely. Take Obi-Wan<\/a> and Anakin Skywalker<\/a> (the future Darth Vader) or Yoda<\/a> and Luke Skywalker<\/a> for example; they both begin with structured initiation and periods of cultivation. The Jedi Order provides institutional scaffolding for these relationships \u2013 clear hierarchies, training stages, and rites of passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, these relationships often struggle with the later phases. Emotional suppression, overindexed focus on duty, and a reluctance to embrace autonomy that often leads to challenges in separation and redefinition. Anakin never achieves a healthy separation from Obi-Wan, and Luke leaves Yoda before a true redefinition can occur (Yoda did provide some great philosophical guidance to Luke, but more as a crash course than an extended mentorship. Literally \u2013 Luke leaves mid-training). These relationships demonstrate how institutional mentorship can stall when psychosocial development is underemphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sith mentorships invert the structure. Relationships such as that of Darth Bane<\/a> (who founded the Sith tradition known as the \u201cRule of Two<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a Sith principle dictating that only two Sith should exist at a time \u2013 master and apprentice) and Zannah<\/a> or Darth Plagueis<\/a> and Darth Sidious<\/a> (later the Emperor) follow initiation and cultivation with the explicit goal of the apprentice eventually surpassing \u2013 and replacing \u2013 the master. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of Kram\u2019s model, these relationships often do proceed through separation and redefinition, but through coercion, violence, and mutually assured betrayal (usually accompanied by light sabers and a lot of lightning).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What they lack is the psychosocial dimension. Sith mentorships rarely offer sustained emotional or identity support. Instead, they function as high-stakes succession mechanisms. While they may fulfill the structural phases of mentorship, they fall short of supporting the full development of the mentee as envisioned in Kram\u2019s theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lesser-known but telling example comes from the video game Knights of the Old Republic II<\/em>. Kreia <\/a>(also known as Darth Traya<\/a>), mentors a character known only as the Jedi Exile. Their relationship closely follows Kram\u2019s full arc: Kreia initiates a bond grounded in mutual interest, cultivates growth through philosophical and practical challenges, and eventually steps back, allowing the Exile to form independent conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kreia\u2019s mentorship is not conventionally supportive \u2013 she withholds guidance as often as she offers it \u2013 but it is structured to produce independence. Her effectiveness, in terms of Kram\u2019s model, lies not in warmth or authority, but in the clarity of her role and the space she creates for mentee growth. She doesn\u2019t want clones. She wants you to question everything, including her. She intentionally withholds comfort to force intellectual independence. She\u2019s the mentor who pushes you to kill your gods \u2013 figuratively. Ironically, despite being Sith, she\u2019s one of the few mentors who actually completes Kram\u2019s four-phase arc and leaves the mentee stronger than herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These fictional relationships offer a useful parallel to mentoring in academic settings. Like the Jedi, academic institutions often provide clear initiation and cultivation structures \u2013 advising meetings, research guidance, professional development. But they can fall short in facilitating separation and redefinition, particularly when mentors struggle to release authority or adapt to changing mentee needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, relationships that emphasize autonomy without support \u2013 mirroring Sith dynamics \u2013 may produce technically capable mentees, but at the cost of emotional strain, burnout, or ethical compromise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kreia\u2019s model, though embedded in a morally ambiguous context, suggests a version of mentorship that combines intellectual challenge with structural clarity. It underscores the value of mentorship that is intentionally designed to dissolve \u2013 not through rupture, but through the mentee\u2019s readiness to move on. Applying Kram\u2019s model to Star Wars highlights a central insight: Effective mentorship is not defined by power, prestige, or even good intentions \u2013 it is defined by whether the relationship enables the mentee to grow, gain autonomy, and ultimately reshape the relationship without coercion or dependence.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even for those unfamiliar with the <\/strong>Star Wars<\/em><\/strong> universe, the exaggerated dynamics within it help clarify key questions about how mentorship succeeds\u2014or fails\u2014across contexts.<\/strong> Whether in fiction, academia, or industry, mentors who succeed are those who prepare their mentees not to follow, but to surpass them.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"\n\n\n\n\n This post was part of a broader initiative that uses a \u201cchat-to-blog\u201d model to help students explore complex ideas through structured, collaborative argument. We tackle a wide range of topics \u2013 from biology and evolution to culture, ethics, and the nature of science itself. One person poses a provocative question, we engage in a free-flowing but focused discussion in a Google chat group, and then co-author a blog post that distills our thinking into a concise narrative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Along the way, I occasionally introduce formal frameworks or theoretical lenses \u2013 whether from science, philosophy, or professional development \u2013 to deepen the conversation and challenge assumptions. In this case, Kram\u2019s model of mentorship helped frame a debate about the effectiveness of Jedi vs. Sith mentoring styles in Star Wars<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purpose isn\u2019t to \u201cwin\u201d the argument, but to wrestle with ambiguity, practice synthesis, and get comfortable in the grey areas \u2013 where most meaningful questions live. The final product reflects the collaborative nature of both the process and the ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This post in particular collaborative synthesis emerged from a discussion among two students, a postdoc and two faculty members.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Benjamin Acosta<\/em>1<\/sup><\/em>, Erin McKenney<\/em>2<\/sup>, Aram Mikaelyan<\/em>3<\/sup>, Autumn Sylvestri<\/em>4<\/sup><\/em>, Aurora Toennisson<\/em>3<\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n (Author names listed alphabetically)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>Undergraduate Biology Major, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A recent group discussion about Star Wars mentoring relationships started with a simple question: \u201cWho\u2019s your favorite mentor in the series?\u201d Most of the usual names came up \u2013 Obi-Wan, Yoda, Kanan \u2013 but then someone brought up Sidious (certainly not admirable in moral terms, but could he be considered as a structurally effective mentor?). This led us down an unexpected path: What do we actually mean by mentorship? And do any of the Star Wars mentors, Jedi or Sith, match what mentoring theory suggests these relationships should look like?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Star Wars universe presents a surprisingly varied range of mentoring relationships. On the light side, Jedi masters train young apprentices (called Padawans) through a formal and ethical process. On the dark side, Sith Lords cultivate successors through manipulation, secrecy, and power struggles. Jedi apprenticeships, Sith successions, informal alliances, and manipulative grooming all co-exist within a single narrative system. This variety makes it a useful setting to apply Kathy Kram\u2019s four-phase model of mentorship<\/a>, a well-established framework used to describe the development of mentoring relationships in organizational contexts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many Jedi mentorships follow the early phases of Kram\u2019s model closely. Take Obi-Wan<\/a> and Anakin Skywalker<\/a> (the future Darth Vader) or Yoda<\/a> and Luke Skywalker<\/a> for example; they both begin with structured initiation and periods of cultivation. The Jedi Order provides institutional scaffolding for these relationships \u2013 clear hierarchies, training stages, and rites of passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, these relationships often struggle with the later phases. Emotional suppression, overindexed focus on duty, and a reluctance to embrace autonomy that often leads to challenges in separation and redefinition. Anakin never achieves a healthy separation from Obi-Wan, and Luke leaves Yoda before a true redefinition can occur (Yoda did provide some great philosophical guidance to Luke, but more as a crash course than an extended mentorship. Literally \u2013 Luke leaves mid-training). These relationships demonstrate how institutional mentorship can stall when psychosocial development is underemphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sith mentorships invert the structure. Relationships such as that of Darth Bane<\/a> (who founded the Sith tradition known as the \u201cRule of Two<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a Sith principle dictating that only two Sith should exist at a time \u2013 master and apprentice) and Zannah<\/a> or Darth Plagueis<\/a> and Darth Sidious<\/a> (later the Emperor) follow initiation and cultivation with the explicit goal of the apprentice eventually surpassing \u2013 and replacing \u2013 the master. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of Kram\u2019s model, these relationships often do proceed through separation and redefinition, but through coercion, violence, and mutually assured betrayal (usually accompanied by light sabers and a lot of lightning).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What they lack is the psychosocial dimension. Sith mentorships rarely offer sustained emotional or identity support. Instead, they function as high-stakes succession mechanisms. While they may fulfill the structural phases of mentorship, they fall short of supporting the full development of the mentee as envisioned in Kram\u2019s theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A lesser-known but telling example comes from the video game Knights of the Old Republic II<\/em>. Kreia <\/a>(also known as Darth Traya<\/a>), mentors a character known only as the Jedi Exile. Their relationship closely follows Kram\u2019s full arc: Kreia initiates a bond grounded in mutual interest, cultivates growth through philosophical and practical challenges, and eventually steps back, allowing the Exile to form independent conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kreia\u2019s mentorship is not conventionally supportive \u2013 she withholds guidance as often as she offers it \u2013 but it is structured to produce independence. Her effectiveness, in terms of Kram\u2019s model, lies not in warmth or authority, but in the clarity of her role and the space she creates for mentee growth. She doesn\u2019t want clones. She wants you to question everything, including her. She intentionally withholds comfort to force intellectual independence. She\u2019s the mentor who pushes you to kill your gods \u2013 figuratively. Ironically, despite being Sith, she\u2019s one of the few mentors who actually completes Kram\u2019s four-phase arc and leaves the mentee stronger than herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These fictional relationships offer a useful parallel to mentoring in academic settings. Like the Jedi, academic institutions often provide clear initiation and cultivation structures \u2013 advising meetings, research guidance, professional development. But they can fall short in facilitating separation and redefinition, particularly when mentors struggle to release authority or adapt to changing mentee needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternatively, relationships that emphasize autonomy without support \u2013 mirroring Sith dynamics \u2013 may produce technically capable mentees, but at the cost of emotional strain, burnout, or ethical compromise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kreia\u2019s model, though embedded in a morally ambiguous context, suggests a version of mentorship that combines intellectual challenge with structural clarity. It underscores the value of mentorship that is intentionally designed to dissolve \u2013 not through rupture, but through the mentee\u2019s readiness to move on. Applying Kram\u2019s model to Star Wars highlights a central insight: Effective mentorship is not defined by power, prestige, or even good intentions \u2013 it is defined by whether the relationship enables the mentee to grow, gain autonomy, and ultimately reshape the relationship without coercion or dependence.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Even for those unfamiliar with the <\/strong>Star Wars<\/em><\/strong> universe, the exaggerated dynamics within it help clarify key questions about how mentorship succeeds\u2014or fails\u2014across contexts.<\/strong> Whether in fiction, academia, or industry, mentors who succeed are those who prepare their mentees not to follow, but to surpass them.<\/p>\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This post was part of a broader initiative that uses a \u201cchat-to-blog\u201d model to help students explore complex ideas through structured, collaborative argument. We tackle a wide range of topics…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":32124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"Benjamin Acosta, Erin McKenney, Aram Mikaelyan, Autumn Sylvestri, Aurora Toennisson","ncst_show_custom_author":true,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"subtitle\":\"This piece was originally posted on the Mikaelyan Lab blog and has been lightly reframed here to align with the OFE Newsletter<\/em><\/strong>.\",\"displayCategoryID\":4}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,104,12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-ofefacultyforum","category-newsletter","category-uncategorized"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":4,"name":"Blog","slug":"blog","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":4,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":43,"filter":"raw"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32123"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32128,"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32123\/revisions\/32128"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/provost.ncsu.edu\/ofe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Effective Mentorship (in a Galaxy Far, Far Away)<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
2<\/sup>Department of Applied Ecology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University
3<\/sup>Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University
4<\/sup>College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Jedi Mentorships: Structured but Rigid<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sith Mentorships: Autonomy Without Support<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Kreia\/Darth Traya: A Rare Exception<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Application to Academic Mentorship<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
(And ideally without anyone being thrown down a reactor shaft.) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTakeaway<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nEffective Mentorship (in a Galaxy Far, Far Away)<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
2<\/sup>Department of Applied Ecology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University
3<\/sup>Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, North Carolina State University
4<\/sup>College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, The Ohio State University<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Jedi Mentorships: Structured but Rigid<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sith Mentorships: Autonomy Without Support<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Kreia\/Darth Traya: A Rare Exception<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Application to Academic Mentorship<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
(And ideally without anyone being thrown down a reactor shaft.) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTakeaway<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n