I liked the Star Wars movies as a kid, although to be truthful, I was more of a Star Trek guy. (You know, because the chicks loved Trekkies.)
Now, after two crap-tacular prequels, George Lucas is launching Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, to generally better reviews.
Great news for geeks, right? What’s better for your inner nerd than a well-written, well-acted, well-directed space opera? It’s the perfect way to take your mind off the all the annoyances and banalities of real life, circa 2005.
I may be a political junkie, but after last year’s U.S. election and the imminent start of a Canadian one, two hours free of the current sniping and eye-rolling would be refreshing.
Well, sucks to be me. (Mild spoilage ahead.) Check out this dialogue from a duel scene between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi:
Anakin: “If you’re not with me, you’re my enemy.”
Obi-Wan: “Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes.”
Subtle. If that isn’t a direct reference to this quote from President Bush’s speech, nine days after September 11, well then I’m a Klingon.
Every nation and every region now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.
And see if your Jar-Jar Binks decoder ring can decipher what this line could be referring to:
Padmé Amidala: “This war happened because of a failure to listen.”
Sorry, Princess, the John Kerry sticker on your space-Volvo won’t do him any good now.
I am not a fan of moral relativism — I think it is an intellectual trap that leads to bad decisions, by both individuals and nations. George Lucas may not agree, but maybe after producing a six-movie series about the battle between good and evil, he should realize he’s not the best person to be lecturing children about President Bush’s lack of “nuance” in the war on terror.
Or will this lead to yet another new edition of the original Star Wars, with an alien version of Kofi Annan digitally added, to convince the Rebel fighters not to attack the Death Star, because they don’t have Security Council authorization?
Rebel Leader: “But they just destoyed Alderaan!”
Space Kofi: “For the sake of peace, we must give inspections and sanctions another chance. Of course, we cannot inspect the Death Star, because the Dark Lord has declared it to be one of his Presidential Palaces.”
Rebel Leader: “Well… FRAK.”
May 16th, 2005 at 10:31 am
Reading just a little too much into things, methinks.
May 16th, 2005 at 12:11 pm
Boy Mertens, you’ve fired me up today with this one… combining two of my favourite subjects: Geek sci fi and Liberal cowardice… here goes.
While I shudder with nausea recounting the plot of Star Wars The Phantom Menace… if memory serves what began the conflict was one group of planets under the banner of the Galactic Senate suddenly attacking another, under the pretense of a trade dispute. Terence Stamp was the milquetoast Senate leader who couldn’t decide what to do, and the Senate was basically like the modern United Nations… did a lot of bitching but resolved to do nothing about the conflict… all of this allowing the real bad guy Senator Palpatine to creep in, toss Kofi Neville Annan Chamberlain, I mean Terence Stamp out, and begin his warmongering.
So isn’t Lucas basically showing how the United Nations is useless? Is this really what Luke Skywalker fought so hard for? the Galactic equivalent of endless UNESCO conferences?
Imagine how Star Wars could’ve been if there had been one planet with one kickass military, technologically advanced over the others, who could’ve waltzed in without the Senate’s blessing, walloped the bad guys with phasers on kill, and then warp out of there after saving the day. Who would’ve been flying the spaceships for that solitary policeman planet? I don’t know but if I made that flick I would’ve put James Tiberius Kirk in there. The man that never let the Federation of Planets namby pamby rules of engagement get in the way of calling General Order 24 on the bad guys.
1960’s Cold Warrior Kirk would put serious foot to ass on Darth Vader, Lucas, Lucas’ Marin County neighbour John Walker Lindh, Captain Picard, and any other whuss ass Liberal in his way…
and last note, If I remade SW: Episode One Terence Stamp would have been replaying General Zod… now that happy crappy would’ve been worth my $14 Silver City ticket
P.S. Grayder if you read this… live long and prosper you Nerf Herder, Nanoo Nanoo!
May 16th, 2005 at 3:57 pm
Only Mertens and Stump could conspire to make me feel nausea and rage thinking of Star Wars Part 3, or 6 or whatever it is according to the ‘new math’ of George Lucas. And to think for a moment I was looking forward to it.
Perhaps Brian, you will be in line at the Cineplex in full Darth Vader guise (save for the G.W. Bush mask on rather than the helmet) and Stump, wearing his usual Monk’s robe will engage you in a battle of good vs. evil…or Nibs vs. Milk Duds, or whatever it is that two poli-sci-fi nerds fight over…certainly it won’t be a woman!
May 26th, 2005 at 3:52 pm
[...] Category: MediaMay 26th, 2005 “Two Types… Star Trek and Star Wars” In an earlier post, I said that in my youth I was more a fan of Star Trek than Star Wars. After se [...]
June 2nd, 2005 at 9:25 pm
While it’s topical to relate the most recent Star Wars flick to the current political climate south of the border, it occurs to me that if Lucas is making a commentary directly to this time and place (right now, in a galaxy right here) he could as easily be targeting the Hollywood machine as the Washington one. I haven’t the saavy to flip back and forth to your page from this one, but it occurs to me that the storyline in fact parallels Lucas’s relationship with Hollywood and the studios.
I believe that the “Star Wars” are Lucasfilms – independent of the studios, using the “dark side” only for distribution and promotion. Though clearly not Sundance-bound, after Episode IV, Lucas broke free of 20th Century Fox because of financial deals which paid off in spades (mainly merchandising) and allowed him to produce the following 5 episodes without studio interference. The financial windfall also allowed him to create and maintain Industrial Light and Magic – a profit centre in its own right. Hasn’t this franchise been worth more than the GDP of the majority of nations on the planet? Don’t you think that 20th Century Fox regrets the deal it struck in ‘76/’77?
Hollywood is the Sith, the studio head is Darth Vader and Lucas himself is Luke – borne of the system.
I can’t tell you who Chewbacca is. Robin Williams?