Star Wars Mirrors - Intellectual Articles

[IndianaKenobi]

Star Wars Mirrors – Since we don’t have a ‘Saga’ forum I thought the ‘Classic Trilogy’ section would be suitable



Star Wars, like no other story in history, has affected so many people of so many cultures in so many countries around the world with undeniable completeness and effectiveness. Star Wars, from its innocent beginnings, has developed into a worldwide Saga immediately recognized at all corners of the globe. This is all due to the unageable messages and motifs which the saga addresses and illustrates, which doesn’t necessarily speak to a specific peoples, but rather to us as a species and as humanity. Drawing on various aspects of Spirituality, History, Mythology, Biblical texts and Literature, Star Wars provides a tale and universe which is the embodiment of us and everything we are capable of. This series, Star Wars Mirrors, will thoroughly deconstruct every aspect of the Star Wars Saga, from the films to the Expanded Universe in such a way which is hopefully easy to understand and digest.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Essentially this thread is for any comments and discussions (the greatest thing I can hope for is that these ignite discussion) about the articles and any contributions for future articles (you can also e-mail me with the e-mail I place in my profile). People will be directed toward this thread at the end of the article also I believe. All the articles will be linked in this thread in the list below, and the day they are published a linked banner of the article will also be posted so that people who may not always visit the site know they have been released:

Star Wars: Mirrors
A dissection of the immortal modern mythological saga

• Hitler, Palpatine and the two Empires
• Spirituality, Religion and Star Wars
• Greek Tragedy: The rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker
• The Heroes Journey: Luke Skywalker
• Mythological Star Wars: Part 1 (Hero and Villain)
• Mythological Star Wars: Part 2 (Jester and Mentor)
• Mythological Star Wars: Part 3 (Other)
• Great Battles
• Literature
• Rome to Napoleon: The Star Wars Theorem
• Architecture and Culture
• Names and Translations
• The EU: An Expanded Mirror

Looking foward to your comments and contributions,
-IndianaKenobi

[IndianaKenobi]

The first article has been published on the ForceCast.Net; I would like to thank Eric for making this happen. All opinions are welcome – remember to be honest since it will help with future articles.

[Leif_G]

Looks like an interesting read. I just browsed over it quickly though and will have to go back to read more carefully.

One thing that stands out for me.... the connection with Nazi Germany and the republic-empire is emphasized an aweful lot. In fact, I've seen far more Lucas references to the Empire and Vietnam era USA than anything else. The battle on Endor, with the primitive Ewoks besting the might technological empire was directly based on USA's involvement in Vietnam. So why so much emphasis place on the one comparison with Nazi Germany?

Thinking about it as I write... it seems that the OT was more about 'good vs evil' & 'the spirit of man vs technology'. While the PT was more about 'theres the potential for good & evil in all of us'. It could probably be broken down more to the level of each movie delivering its own message. But I would say the comparison to Nazi Germany is more of a PT (or entire saga) comparison, than an OT comparison.

Leif

[IndianaKenobi]

One thing that stands out for me.... the connection with Nazi Germany and the republic-empire is emphasized an aweful lot. In fact, I've seen far more Lucas references to the Empire and Vietnam era USA than anything else. The battle on Endor, with the primitive Ewoks besting the might technological empire was directly based on USA's involvement in Vietnam. So why so much emphasis place on the one comparison with Nazi Germany?

Thinking about it as I write... it seems that the OT was more about 'good vs evil' & 'the spirit of man vs technology'. While the PT was more about 'theres the potential for good & evil in all of us'. It could probably be broken down more to the level of each movie delivering its own message. But I would say the comparison to Nazi Germany is more of a PT (or entire saga) comparison, than an OT comparison.

Leif

Good question which was brought up over at TheForce.Net. Essentially this article is one of many. This one solely focuses on the Third Reich and Star Wars; others will explore different aspects of history, spirituality, philosophy, etc, etc. One of them will certainly explore the Vietnam parallels.

I forgot to say this initially but if you have any contributions of parallels you can certainly PM and e-mail me. Any contributions you do make will be noted in the articles.

[matt292]

Maybe it's because I was studying it at school when AOTC and ROTS were out, but I always kinda found some parallels between the PT and American Civil War, what with Secession and the Separatists etc.

It really made me think that Lucas should've had TMP focus on slavery of the Gungans instead of Taxes or whatever it was. Would've been something worth fighting for imo.

Maybe that's just me, but certainly some interesting points you guys raise

[Arctrooper4043]

I read the entire article a week or so ago. It's a great read. I thought I knew a lot about both but learned a lot & highly recomend the article.

Looking forward to reading more.

[dinix]

interesting

[IndianaKenobi]

Thanks for your interest guys.

Maybe it's because I was studying it at school when AOTC and ROTS were out, but I always kinda found some parallels between the PT and American Civil War, what with Secession and the Separatists etc.

It really made me think that Lucas should've had TMP focus on slavery of the Gungans instead of Taxes or whatever it was. Would've been something worth fighting for imo.

Maybe that's just me, but certainly some interesting points you guys raise

Yeah there are certainly a few connections with the American Civil War... the basic layout of the war and secession is evident. That will be explored in one of the future articles. I would also like to add the Separatists left the Republic because of corruption rather than taxes (taxes were a contributing factor though).

Another parallel is the Peloponnesian Wars and the Clone Wars... generally treaty’s were signed to stop major conflicts after the Persian Wars, the alliance of the Greek states broke into two fractions, and eventually this led to a conflict... anyway all for another article...

[Leif_G]

Reminds me of historical recurrence. As Mark Twain said, "History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme.".

The fact that there are all these similarities really gives the saga realistic feel; just as events in history often seem to 'rhyme' with one another.

Leif