On Friday, the hashtag comes to life and May 4, aka #MayThe4th, takes over the Internet for 24 hours in a global love fest for “Star Wars.” George Lucas’ 1977 space opera is arguably the most popular and profitable piece of multimedia in the world today, with Marvel nipping at its heels more and more every year. The franchise is so popular for its mix between enduring relevance and magical escapism. Despite Lucas’ intent to comment on the Vietnam War, American imperialism, and the counterculture of the postwar era, “Star Wars” rocketed to success as an optimistic voyage through space at a time when audiences were longing to disconnect from the chaos of the times.
So the question persists: Is “Star Wars” political?
A Morning Consult poll in December 2017 aimed to find out how Americans think about the politics of “Star Wars,” or if they even acknowledge those themes at all. About 53 percent of the 2,200 respondents said they don’t see the “Star Wars” films as political, while 17 percent said the series was indeed political, and of that group, 41 percent are bothered by the political tone of “Star Wars.” So there is a very clear cleavage in the “Star Wars” fan base on whether or not the movies speak to themes in our own world, a reality which must be grating to Lucas (who just last week said in an interview on AMC that “Star Wars” is anti-authoritarian and cuts against populist politics).
So if the politics of “Star Wars” are indeed so divisive, let’s step back and look at the best political plots within the vast “Star Wars” story. Here are my top five.
5. Purging the Separatists – “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”
In the epic final act of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” Palpatine’s long game for dissolving democracy and installing himself as emperor has come to fruition. The galactic game of chess for this moment took more than two decades and involved a variety of pawns, the most notable being the Separatist movement led by Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation.
On June 30, 1934, a series of extrajudicial political murders called the Night of Long Knives began in Germany. Adolf Hitler, now chancellor, was in the midst solidifying his power over Germany and ordered the killing of the Sturmabteilung, also known as Brownshirts, also known as the SA stormtroopers. These were paramilitary thugs Hitler used to to intimidate his rivals during the early 1930s, and in this moment of his rise were now a liability.
Palpatine executed a similar purge in his move against the Jedi, but the Jedi were never really allies of his. The Separatists were what Soviets might have called the “useful idiots” in his grand plan, and they all were moved to a single location and massacred by Darth Vader.
4. Leia and the Resistance – “Episode VII: The Force Awakens”
One of the most underserved plot points of the new trilogy is the origin of the First Order and Leia’s Resistance. A casual “Star Wars” fan might just mistake the combatants in “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” for a continuation of the civil war in the original trilogy, but it’s something entirely different.
The First Order was a rising threat in the far corners of the galaxy, and while Leia was piecing together a new government after the collapse of the Empire, she was taking this paramilitary organization of Imperial loyalists very seriously. In books and comics, Leia is mocked within the New Republic for her hawkish stance on the danger posed by the First Order. So she takes matters into her own hands and leaves to command an army of volunteers dubbed the Resistance to confront the First Order militarily without direct support from the New Republic. Turns out, the First Order was developing a weapon of mass destruction, and the New Republic was annihilated in the opening act of the trilogy.
Perhaps when a radical regime says it intends to wipe you from the map, they mean it.
3. The Petition of 2,000 – “Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” (deleted scenes)
There are few deleted scenes on the bonus features of a “Star Wars” DVD that are worth your time, and this is one them.
In the final days of the Republic, the Delegation of 2,000 (Padme Amidala, Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and many more faces from the future Rebel Alliance) approaches Palpatine with a petition from 2,000 senators calling for emergency powers to be returned to the Galactic Senate. As you can imagine, no such return happens, and Palpatine announces the installation of moffs (or governors) in every star system, such as Gov. Tarkin.
This even further diminished the purpose of the Senate and moved representation of citizens to political cronies. It was a master stroke and a sound reminder that when you give power to the executive that once belonged to the legislative branch, don’t plan on getting it back.
2. Saw Gurerra and his band of radicals – “Rogue One”
“Rogue One” was a masterful first pass by Disney at a standalone installment to the “Star Wars” universe. We see the story of the Rebels responsible for stealing the Death Star plans and getting them to Leia just before the events of “Episode IV: A New Hope.”
In “Rogue One” we are offered a brief look at a rebellion divided by ideology. Mon Mothma sits at the head of a more democratic and pragmatic Rebel Alliance and Saw Gerrera is the radical pushing for an “ends justify the means” revolution against the Empire. His faction, the Partisans, will kill civilians and torture captives indiscriminately in their bid for social justice.
Mon Mothma can’t abide their radicalism. This should be very familiar to anyone watching politics play out today and the visible conflict between mainstream Democrats and their tepid allies in Antifa. They agree on resistance, but not on tactics. It’s also no coincidence that Saw Gerrera matches up linguistically with Che Guevara.
1. A vote of no confidence – “Episode I: The Phantom Menace”
It was an early move by Palpatine to become the chancellor of the Republic, and arguably his greatest gamble. The crisis on Naboo was manufactured by Palpatine (Darth Sidious) to force chaos in the Galactic Senate and highlight the ineptitude of serving Chancellor Finis Valorum.
It wasn’t Valorum’s fault he had little sway and influence in the legislative body — that was by design for the Republic (sound familiar?). But like so many in our own world’s history, Palpatine knew a crisis would demand leadership, and he could offer it to Naboo and the Senate. He rolled the dice in a vote of no confidence on Valorum, similar in ways to U.K. parliamentary procedure, and then won a runoff against a handful of other senators to win the office of chancellor.
It was all downhill from there for this democratic republic in the stars.
“Star Wars” is crystal clear in its defense of liberal democracy. As you enjoy “Star Wars” today for May the Fourth, may you keep in mind it’s meant to entertain. But Padme’s memorable line, “This is how liberty dies — with thunderous applause,” was not intended to delight viewers — “Star Wars” also aims to inform.
Stephen Kent (@Stephen_Kent89) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is the spokesperson for Young Voices and host of Beltway Banthas, a “Star Wars” and politics podcast in D.C.
