By Brandon
For some reason I never read the George Lucas novelization of the original STAR WARS (Episode IV: A New Hope), so when my best friend handed me a dog-eared copy of the paperback, and told me to read it carefully, I was amazed by two things.
First, I got the distinct impression that George Lucas had no idea that STAR WARS would become such a successful phenomonon. In other words, the STAR WARS franchise was an accident, a mere afterthought, initiated only by the success of the 1977 film.
This becomes obvious, when you read the original, novelized prologue, which differs in meaningful ways from the cinematic franchise, the most important difference being the nature and motives of "President" Palpatine, who becomes"Supreme Chancellor" Palpatine in the movies. Note that in the movies, Chancellor Palpatine, is in full control, using and discarding those who are helpful to him in his obsessive quest for power. In the novelization, however, President Palpatine is isolated and dominated by the people who brought him to power.
What a wonderful analogy for our current situation in Washington.
For all intents and purposes, George W. Bush is a dry drunk who is less influenced by his family, friends, and basic, common sense, than he is by the Radical Right Wing Christians and reactionary neocons who helped him achieve his "recovery." Why if you didn't know better, you'd think that certain "ambitious" indviudals decided to groom (some might say manipulate) the psychologically crippled son of a former president and then used him for their repressive, un-American agenda.
That said, the original version of the prologue (given below) sounds as if it could have been written in 2003 or 2004. The similarities between it and the political landscape in the United States today are truly frightening.
Please allow me to present the original prologue to the George Lucas novelization of STAR WARS.);
ANOTHER GALAXY, another time
The Old Republic was the Republic of legend, greater than distance or time. No need to note where it was or whence it came, only top know that....it was the Republic.
Once, under the wise rule of the Senate and the protection of the Jedi Knights, the Republic throve and grew. But as often happens, when wealth and power pass beyond the admirable and attain the awesome, then appear those evil ones who have greed to match.
So it was with the Republic at its height. Like the greatest of trees, able to withstand any internal attack, the Republic rotted from within though the danger was not visible from outside.
Aided and abetted by restless, power-hungry individuals within the government, and the massive organs of commerce, the ambitious Senator Palpatine caused himself to be elected President of the Republic. He promised to reunite the disaffected among the people and to restore the remembered glory of the Republic.
Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears.
Having exterminated through treachery and deception the Jedi Knight's, guardians of justice in the galaxy, the Imperial governors and bureaucrats prepared to institute a reign of terror among the disheartened worlds of the galaxy. Many used the imperial forces and the name of the increasingly isolated Emperor to further their own personal ambitions.
But a small number of systems rebelled at these new outrages. Declaring themselves opposed to the New Order they began the great battle to restore the Old Republic.
From the beginning they were vastly outnumbered by the systems held in thrall by the Emperor. In those first dark days it seemed certain the bright flame of resistance would be extinguished before it could cast the light of new truth across a galaxy of oppressed and beaten peoples.
From the First Saga
Journal of the Whills
From STAR WARS
by George Lucas
1976 Del Ray/Ballantine Books
The Star Wars Corporation
5 comments:
"repressive, un-American agenda"
please cite some examples. do you mean the unbelievable spending on programs that don't work? do you mean the incredibly lax border situation? i agree that these are unamerican. is that what you're talking about?
I actually wrote about George Bush being tortured by ETs last year, and I did mention about the "dry-drunk" syndrome as exhibited by His Highness Emperor Bush numerous times.
You might find this dialogue quite funny:
http://cyclops686.blogspot.com/2005/09/dialogue-between-et-american-president.html
By the way, this is a very informative site. Keep it up, fellow infidels.
Regards
The Beast
Governor Dragonfly, I should have expected to find you holding Rhino's leash. I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board...The tighter you squeeze the more worlds that will slip through your fingers.
Kelli here by the way.
brian, please some examples. in fact give me ONE example. you're so vague. what do u mean? are you talking about going to war? you know the war that congress voted for? are you talking about the patriot act? you know the patriot act that congress voted for? please, tell me what you mean, because i don't see it.
Brian wasn’t complaining about the CIA per se. He was complaining about secret courts, secret tribunals, and the use of torture; points which you failed to answer. So I shall repeat Brian’s main point. Just how do secret courts, secret tribunals and the use of torture promote Representative government? Historically speaking, torture is something we associate with Fascist and Communist regimes, certainly not the United States of America. I really wish someone would explain how sick, twisted, perversions like sexual sadism and sociopathy promote democratic values.
Nor did you answer Brian’s other talking point. The Bush administration really does have the formula backwards. Instead of giving the American people a right to investigate an open and transparent government, the Bush Administration wants to give the government the right to investigate the private lives of the American people. How does that reflect well on representative government? It doesn’t.
Nice try though; I was especially tickled by the way you used lesser wrong doings on the parts of Democrats to distract attention from even greater wrong doings on the parts of Republicans. But it doesn’t wash. When Bill Clinton lied about his proverbial “blow job”( as you so colorfully put it), we didn’t lose 2100 soldiers in a war of choice. And judging from the way you boys obsess over lesbians over on that drooling toga party that you laughingly call a blog, I somehow suspect that you don’t have too many problems with fellatio, cunnilingus, or anal sex. And since you refuse to condemn sexual sadism and sociopathy….
But since you think that hiding the historical record from the American people is a good thing, and since you seem to think that censorship in the form of secrecy is a small "d" democratic value, thing, I’m sure you won’t mind if I act on your implied suggestion
Ta Ta
Brandon Alexander Geraghty-MacKenzie
Post a Comment