"But there's probably no better form of government than a good despot."
— George Lucas (New York Times interview, March 1999)
Well, I boycotted Episode I: The Phantom Menace — for an entire week. Why? What's to boycott? Isn't Star Wars good old fashioned sci-fi? Harmless fun? Some people call it "eye candy" — a chance to drop back into childhood and punt your adult cares away for two hours, dwelling in a lavish universe where good and evil are vividly drawn, without all the inconvenient counterpoint distinctions that clutter daily life.
Got a problem? Cleave it with a light saber! Wouldn't you love — just once in your life — to dive a fast little ship into your worst enemy's stronghold and set off a chain reaction, blowing up the whole megillah from within its rotten core while you streak away to safety at the speed of light? (It's such a nifty notion that it happens in three out of four Star Wars flicks.)
Anyway, I make a good living writing science-fiction novels and movies. So "Star Wars" ought to be a great busman's holiday, right?
One of the problems with so-called light entertainment today is that somehow, amid all the gaudy special effects, people tend to lose track of simple things, like story and meaning. They stop noticing the moral lessons the director is trying to push. Yet these things matter.
By now it's grown clear that George Lucas has an agenda, one that he takes very seriously. After four Star Wars films, alarm bells should have gone off, even among those who don't look for morals in movies. When the chief feature distinguishing "good" from "evil" is how pretty the characters are, it's a clue that maybe the whole saga deserves a second look.
Just what bill of goods are we being sold, between the frames? Elites have an inherent right to arbitrary rule; common citizens needn't be consulted. They may only choose which elite to follow.
"Good" elites should act on their subjective whims, without evidence, argument or accountability.
Any amount of sin can be forgiven if you are important enough.
True leaders are born. It's genetic.
The right to rule is inherited. Justified human emotions can turn a good person evil.
That is just the beginning of a long list of moral lessons relentlessly pushed by Star Wars. Lessons that starkly differentiate this saga from others that seem superficially similar, like Star Trek.
Above all, I never cared for the whole Nietzschian bermensch thing: the notion — pervading a great many myths and legends — that a good yarn has to be about demigods who are bigger, badder and better than normal folk by several orders of magnitude. It's an ancient storytelling tradition based on abiding contempt for the masses — one that I find odious in the works of A.E. Van Vogt, E.E. Smith, L. Ron Hubbard and wherever you witness slanlike superbeings deciding the fate of billions without ever pausing to consider their wishes.
Wow, you say. If I feel that strongly about this, why just a week-long boycott? Why see the latest Star Wars film at all?
Because I am forced to admit that demigod tales resonate deeply in the human heart.
THE END of the preview. To continue reading, please see Through Stranger Eyes, a collection of my book reviews, introductions and essays on popular culture, which was released in the Western Hemisphere by Nimble Books and in the Eastern Hemisphere by Altair (Australia)...
... or pick up the extended exploration of this topic, including insights from a dozen "expert witnesses" testifying for both sides... plus hilarious "cross-examination"... in Star Wars On Trial!
about this article
"The Dark Side: Star Wars, Mythology and Ingratitude" (excerpt published here) was originally published on Salon.com as "'Star Wars' Despots vs. 'Star Trek' Populists" and "What's Wrong (and Right) with 'The Phantom Menace'."
Copyright © 1999 by David Brin. All rights reserved.
join David Brin's discussions
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cited in this article
The debate sparked by the original 1999 Salon article hasn't subsided. It spilled over to this page, then became a Smart Pop book titled Star Wars on Trial.
How does J.J. Abrams compare with George Lucas? See David Brin's scorecard of the Good, the Okay, the Bad... and the Ugly aspects of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Hear David Brin's interview for WIRED Magazine. Seems the accompanying article and headline re-ignited the ire of the Star Wars fans!
David Brin, Star Wars on Trial: The Force Awakens Edition (book #ad)
David Brin, Through Stranger Eyes: Reviews, Introductions, Tributes & Iconoclastic Essays
Star Wars: The Complete Saga Episodes 1-6 (films 1-6 #ad)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (film 7 #ad)
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writing the force
letting others have their say
Michael Kaminski, The Secret History of Star Wars: The Art of Storytelling and the Making of a Modern Epic
J. W. Rinzler, The Making of Star Wars
Chris Taylor, How Star Wars Conquered the Universe
Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Dale Pollock, Skywalking: The Life and Films of George Lucas
Dan Golding, Star Wars After Lucas
Daniel Wallace, Star Wars: The Rebel Files
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a brief intro to author David Brin
novels
David Brin's science fiction novels have been New York Times Bestsellers, winning multiple Hugo, Nebula and other awards. At least a dozen have been translated into more than twenty languages. They range from bold and prophetic explorations of our near-future to Brin's Uplift series, envisioning galactic issues of sapience and destiny (and star-faring dolphins!).
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shorter fiction
Short stories and novellas have different rhythms and artistic flavor, and Brin's short stories and novellas, several of which earned Hugo and other awards, exploit that difference to explore a wider range of real and vividly speculative ideas. Many have been selected for anthologies and reprints, and most have been published in anthology form.
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Contrary Brin blog
Since 2004, David Brin has maintained a blog about science, technology, science fiction, books, and the future — themes his science fiction and nonfiction writings continue to explore.
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social media influencer
Who could've predicted that social media — indeed, all of our online society — would play such an important role in the 21st Century — restoring the voices of advisors and influencers! Lively and intelligent comments spill over onto Brin's social media pages.
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scientist
David Brin's Ph.D in Physics from the University of California at San Diego (the lab of nobelist Hannes Alfven) followed a masters in optics and an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from Caltech. Every science show that depicts a comet now portrays the model developed in Brin's PhD research.
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transparency expert
Brin's non-fiction book, The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose Between Freedom and Privacy?, continues to receive acclaim for its accuracy in predicting 21st Century concerns about online security, secrecy, accountability and privacy.
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speaker & consultant
Brin speaks plausibly and entertainingly about trends in technology and society to audiences willing to confront the challenges that our rambunctious civilization will face in the decades ahead. He also talks about the field of science fiction, especially in relation to his own novels and stories. To date he has presented at more than 200 meetings, conferences, corporate retreats and other gatherings.
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future/tech advisor
Brin advises corporations and governmental and private defense- and security-related agencies about information-age issues, scientific trends, future social and political trends, and education. Urban Developer Magazine named him one of four World's Best Futurists, and he was appraised as "#1 influencer" in Onalytica's Top 100 report of Artificial Intelligence influencers, brands & publications. Past consultations include Google, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, and many others.
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