You are likely aware that the new Star Wars film opens today. It's already been shown and reviewed in a few limited locations, such as the Cannes Film Festival (yes, the same one Michael Moore won last year). And interestingly, a number of stories are circulating about the supposed political message and ramifications of the film. At first my reaction was "give me a break", but after perusing the articles a bit I must admit there are some noteworthy correlations between the movie (or at least the lines cited in the articles) and the current political climate.
Before I continue, I should issue a full and complete spoilers warning. If you are a real "Star Wars fanboy", you may not want to read this or the linked articles. There are several movie lines and descriptions of movie scenes - nothing that I feel is unexpected (though that said, nothing about this movie is unexpected, we all know what's going to happen anyway), but if you're real big on the "purity" of it all then it might bother you nonetheless. That aside, I'll go on to the actual discussion. Follow me after the break...
An interesting array of articles are out there on this topic already, and no doubt more will appear. For a general review of the movie that also hits on the political bit, I suggest
this excellent Boston Globe piece. To read a good summary of the more direct political bits, check out
this Canadian take.
This article claims that Lucas claims that his movie is indeed aimed at the Bush administration, though I can't find that corroborated elsewhere (and indeed it seems to conflict with other statements of Lucas in other articles, though Lucas is no neophyte to self-contradiction). And finally for a rightist take on the whole thing,
check out Newsmax, a Limbaugh-level site in terms of sheer dogma.
The short of it though is this: the film is about the rise of fascism on a galactic scale, and several of the movie lines are quite reminiscent of current events. In my opinion the most damning line is described here:
Just before the film's climactic lightsaber battle between Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Skywalker tells his former mentor, "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy."
The line has been prompting laughs from preview audiences, who believe it to be a deliberate paraphrase of Bush's warning to the global community after the Sept. 11 attacks: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."
Another line discussed by many of these articles is this:
"This is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause," says senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) when the galactic legislature grants Palpatine's request for extraordinary wartime powers aimed at reorganizing the Republic into an empire.
And lastly Newsmax revealingly cites this bit:
And Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) explains that "only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes."
I say it's revealing because it, as well as the second quote, does not appear to be a direct reference to current events. That is, the first line has some pretty obvious parallels to comments made by Bush and as such is perhaps purposeful political commentary, but the second two are simply part of the Star Wars plot. If people see parallels between them and current events, then it is the fault of current events and not Star Wars. And while Lucas's purpose may be dubious and his movie-making abilities sub-par (most agree that if the third movie is any good it's because he had the help of playwright Tom Stoppard), I suggest we embrace this perception and these memes. After all, people have semi-jokingly equated Dick Cheney with Darth Vader for quite awhile now - it seems that having a more direct comparison is by no means a bad thing.
It seems unlikely that a film can really make a direct difference. Michael Moore didn't seem to have the impact he desired, and I very much doubt that Star Wars will really become a massive rallying political message. That said, it still doesn't hurt to push the meme a bit: when you're talking with family or friends, especially those that lean to the right but perhaps enjoy Star Wars, point out these parallels. Movies are one of the most popular and influential forms of human expression, and as such they really do reflect the feelings and beliefs of the times. Whether he meant to or not, Lucas has created an opus that really does reflect issues of current politics. Starting a false war in order to gain and perpetuate political power is wrong, be it in a galaxy far far away or on our cozy planet Earth. And while we may not see Bush or Cheney exuding lightning bolts any time soon, I have no doubt in my mind that we need a new hope of some sort if we are to get out of this mess. I can only help but wonder who will be the Luke Skywalker of American politics...