The Talking Fish
<SALUTE!>
Well, I hope
everyone had a safe, fun, and productive holiday season. I know I did. For
those of you who care, I finally made Gladiator (FCHG) and Major this past
month. I also got “Gladiator” (the movie with Russell Crowe) for X-mas. That
movie simply rocks. Action, suspense, drama, all conveniently packaged under
guise of gruesome warfare. Much like Star
Wars is, although set in a different time.
I know this has
been said many times, many ways…Gah, stupid Frank Sinatra and X-mas songs.
Anyway, I think that Star Wars has
maintained its fan base and its appeal for so many years because of the
complexity of the underlying story beneath a relative simple plot. We all know
the story inside and out: country boy has mysterious gift, which is developed
by an even more mysterious mentor. Together, they meet the good guys and fight
evil. Okay, perhaps that’s a little too basic, but the point is that underneath
this trite story is a much deeper universe. Why does this particular boy have
this gift? What exactly is this gift? What makes the evil force so evil? With SW: ANH, we were mainly left wondering
the answers to these questions. We assumed that the Empire was evil because of
its oppression of the universe, while the rebels were good cause they fought
the evil. The next two movies clarified most questions, let still left some big
ones to our imagination.
Even though
most people do not consciously think about these unanswered questions, we all
have an urge inside us to seek out the truth. I suspect at some level, we dive
into the SW universe in search of
those answers. Yes we were all fascinated by the visual artistry of the movies,
but why do we continue to watch them, play games based on them, even become
characters in that universe 25 years later? We are looking for something deeper
in this universe, something which either we cannot find in the real universe or
exists only within the realm of Star Wars.
For me, I
suppose I’m searching for why the Empire is evil. In all SW books that I’ve read (a lot, though none of that “New Jedi
Order” crap with the Solo twins. Those kids need to be feed to a rancor), the
authors portray the Empire as a bureaucratic, xenophobic monstrosity which
survives solely by oppression, fear, and hatred. When was the last time a
political system like this existed in human society? I can’t remember one. It
makes no intuitive sense, which is why I continue my (un)conscious search for
some piece of evidence which would give me a definite answer to my question.
I realize many
of you are going to disagree with this analysis. Please do so. Through
conflict, solutions appear. I know that extrapolating my thoughts and feelings
out for an entire group of Star Wars
fans borders on absurdity (a bastardized version of reverse reductionism), but
this is my article =) If nothing else, it gives people something to think
about.
<SALUTE!>
Anyone who would like to argue Troutrooper’s points may do so by e-mailing him at troutrooper@yahoo.com. I’m sure that he would be kind enough to publish the more interesting mails next month. Not too much though, as it's only a yahoo account.