Deriding George Lucas as a form of Entertainment

http://threadtheneedle.blogspot.com/2005/05/i-hate-george-lucas.html

2009-01-15T23:55:00.001-08:00

I Hate George Lucas
By the time this post has been injected into the blogosphere, many of you will already have plunked down your hard-earned cash in order to witness George Lucas's latest cinematic atrocity. I'm sure that I won't be far behind you. Despite my certainty that this film will once again redefine the maximum possible disparity between resource expenditure and product quality, I know that I will be unable to resist its siren call. Besides which, since it is sure to gross approximately $100 billion over the course of its existence, denying George Lucas my measly 10 bucks wouldn't affect him in the slightest. As much as I would like to hurt this man in some way, my hands are tied.

You see, like the title of this post says, I hate George Lucas. I realize that "hate" is strong language to employ and that it might shock some of you to see it in this context. But, as I search my soul with an open mind and an honest heart, I must admit that it is true. There are few in this world who can draw such emotion from me. I reserve it for the worst of the worst. George -- you win the prize.

Now, I don't hate him for assaulting us with The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Sure, they didn't endear him to me in any way. In fact, it's fair to say that these films were crushing disappointments. They looked pretty (for the most part) and each provided an exhilarating light saber battle for our amusement. Yet, they lacked plot, meaningful characters, believable dialogue, and -- worst of all -- the slightest hint of excitement. Rather gaping omissions, if you ask me.

But, I don't hate him for it. Lots of people produce great work early in their careers, only to stumble later. Paul McCartney was fantastic as a Beatle, but a chump as a Wing. Stephen King is rightly considered a legend of the horror genre, despite the fact that I quite regularly wipe my ass with the pages from Tommyknockers. Even Francis Ford Coppola, after giving us The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, and Apocalypse Now, left us with Dracula and The Godfather: Part III. The presence of sin doesn't erase all acts of virtue. I may be disappointed by their fall from grace, but I won't condemn them for it.

No, my distaste with George Lucas is driven by something altogether different.

As most of you know, the recent Star Wars abominations were preceded by a re-release of the original trilogy (identified as the Special Edition). But, this re-release wasn't simply a crisp new print of the original films. Instead, George Lucas decided to produce new edits of the original films. Some of the changes were mere touch ups, erasing flaws introduced by the special effects of the era (no complaints here). Others allowed him to add scenes that had been cut from the original due to certain technical infeasibilities. He also chose to add in a fair amount of background to certain scenes, inserting alien creatures that had been unrenderable without CGI.

Some of these changes were OK, but most of them were not. In fact, most of them were laughable. But, again, I don't hate him for it.

This is why I hate him. There it is a very important scene in the original Star Wars with Han Solo and the bounty hunter Greedo. Apparently, Hans Solo owed money to the intergalactic gangster known as Jaba the Hut and Greedo had been hired to bring him in. During the scene in question, Greedo finally catches up with Han Solo. Because he's a rather unscrupulous character, Greedo makes it clear that he can be bought off. Han Solo pretends to negotiate for a few moments, but once Greedo lets his guard down, Han shoots him dead -- in cold blood.

From this scene we learn a lot about who Han Solo is. He is a ruthless mercenary with a checkered past, willing to kill those who would stand in his way. He is out for himself and no one else. This is important because, at the end of the film, after abandoning Luke and Leia to attack the Death Star alone, he returns at a crucial moment to assist in its destruction. Thus, Han is transformed from selfish rogue to selfless hero. How about that? Actual character development.

Unfortunately, this isn't how the scene plays out in the Special Edition release. I'll let the Star Wars databank speak for itself.

Greedo was an overzealous bounty hunter hired by Jabba the Hutt to collect on Han Solo. Greedo challenged Solo in the Mos Eisley Cantina. At blaster point, the Rodian demanded Solo pay his debt to Jabba. Solo claimed he didn't have the money with him. Greedo had lost his patience, and opened fire. His shot missed; it was the last mistake Greedo would make. Solo opened fire with his powerful blaster pistol, ripping through the cantina table and the Rodian's chest.

That's right. In the Special Edition release of Star Wars, the version that truly represents George Lucas's vision, Greedo shoots first! Suddenly, Han's preemptive murder becomes an act of self-defense. So, while he may be a little rough around the edges, he's basically a nice guy who wouldn't hurt anyone (who wasn't a bloodthirsty killer attempting to vaporize him -- and could you blame him?).

This isn't just cleanup work. This isn't background enhancement. This is a dramatic modification of character that affects the entire rest of the movie. Han's selfish protestations that ensue no longer ring as true. His insistence upon payment for rescuing the princess are out of sync with the character now being drawn. And, worst of all, his act of redemption during the final moments of battle no longer signify an ethical rebirth. Instead, we're left wondering why it took so long.

Moreover, it erases one of the few thematic ambiguities of the entire series: that not everyone is purely good or evil. Some exist in the space in between, to be potentially drawn to one side or the other as they are influenced by those around them. Han didn't start off good -- he became good, won over by the nobility of his peers. That's a message worth learning.

But, George Lucas doesn't care. I have heard that he now believes that Han's cold-blooded murderer of his pursuer is too dark an event to be witnessed by children. Apparently, he was uncomfortable with children idolizing someone so distasteful. Thus, he "cleaned it up." Now, we can all watch the film without these troubling complexities. Wonderful.

So, that's my problem with the man. Sure, he hates actors, dialogue, and plot. He is completely subservient to the cross-marketing aspects of his production. He has completely lost touch with his creative roots. But, I could forgive all that if he could maintain an iota of respect for the characters that he once brought to life. However, those characters are as capriciously mutable as the background scenery, to be pasteurized in service of his arrogant impression of his audience. Star Wars was never Shakespeare, but within it there were moments that lifted it above typical sci-fi schlock. No longer. This mutation (and many others) demonstrate that he is no longer interested in producing anything but bubblegum cinematic drivel. So strong is this drive that he is willing to literally undo the past. That, I cannot forgive.

That's my case. George -- if you're out there -- you suck. You mercilessly eviscerated a great character and spat upon all those who loved him. For that, I grant no quarter. I promise that for as long as I live, I will revile you, body and soul.

Forever. Get used to it.

ThankyouGeorge.com

2009-01-01T13:56:00.001-08:00

Friday, May 13, 2005

ThankyouGeorge.com

ThankyouGeorge.com is a web site to thank George Lucas for his movies. They want to gather 1,000,000 signatures on a letter of appreciation to be presented to Lucas later this year. Looks like they have a long way to go: currently they've only collected 7139 signatures. But these aren't really "signatures" anyway. They're collecting contact information. Second, they want your location as well as an email address. And the domain is registered to Decipher, Inc., a company that makes "Trading Card Games".

Hmm, what could someone do with a collection of 1,000,000 email addresses? Thanks George!

Let it be clearly stated that George Lucas and his cohorts have purposely attempted to influence and indoctrinate their viewers with an eastern, new a

2008-10-15T23:35:00.000-07:00

Star Wars: One World Religion According To George Lucas

Hating Harry While Endorsing George

“Everyone hates Harry Potter.”

Those were the words from an adult who was justifying her praise and adoration for a completely unbiblical, new age epic called “Star Wars” while simultaneously lecturing the world on the evils of witchcraft.

Mind you, witchcraft and the new age are theological twins.

But she felt safe in her endorsement of Star Wars because “a lot of good people, including my pastor, love Star Wars.” Meanwhile, she felt comfortable casting stones at Harry Potter followers because her pastor and church were nearly unanimous in their condemnation of the little Wizard.

Condemning Satan Consistently

Let it be known that this ministry condemns the endorsement of witchcraft and, specifically, the Harry Potter indoctrination. We also condemn the godless, anti-Biblical message of indoctrination found in the George Lucas film series, “Star Wars”. Consistency is very becoming of a believer.

We do not, however, condemn all forms of fiction or fantasy. We thank the Lord for blessing us with Veggie Tales, Focus on the Family’s many animated features (Adventures In Odyssey) and others that we have used in bringing up three little girls and working in youth ministry for 15 years. We also thank God for giving us Frank Peretti, Jannette Oke and the fictional works of Dave Hunt, Tim LaHaye, Jerry Jenkins, Oliver North and others. Imagination is wonderful when it is Biblical.

Nor do we condemn the portrayal of the supernatural in parable form. We believe that Christian authors C.S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings trilogy), among others (Pilgrim’s Progress, etc.), present outstanding forms of godly, useful fictional parables. The message is Biblical in the works of each of these men while good triumphs over evil without the use of or endorsement of blatant witchcraft and/or new age technique and influence.

Let it be clearly stated that George Lucas and his cohorts have purposely attempted to influence and indoctrinate their viewers with an eastern, new age (quasi-Buddhist) belief system. Serious Christians will read the evidence and act accordingly.

Pathway to Apostasy

Lucas was raised in the midst of lukewarm Methodism. The “social gospel” is a bloodless message that teaches the world that Jesus was an “example” to be followed, rather than the Biblical fact that He was Messiah dying as our Substitute to pay for our sins. As an adult, Lucas looked eastward and, being influence greatly by his Mormon friend Gary Kurtz, found commonality in the moral message of all religions. 1

The typical account of the eastern/new age influence upon the making of Star Wars is as follows:

“Lucas eventually came to state that his religion was "Buddhist Methodist." Gary Kurtz, a Latter-day Saint who had studied Comparative Religion extensively in college and on his own, was pivotal in introducing Lucas to Eastern religions (particularly Buddhism) and Native American religion, and discussing with Lucas how best to improve "Star Wars" by giving it a believable but sufficiently universal religious underpinning. Kurtz was the producer of "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back" and also did some work on the "Star Wars" screenplay.” 2

The account on adherents.com goes on to explain:

“I wanted a concept of religion based on the premise that there is a God and there is good and evil. I began to distill the essence of all religions into what I thought was a basic idea common to all religions and common to primitive thinking. I wanted to develop something that was nondenominational but still had a kind of religious reality. I believe in God and I believe in right and wrong. I also believe that there are basic tenets which through history have developed into certainties, such as 'thou shalt not kill.' I don't want to hurt other people. 'Do unto others...' is the philosophy that permeates my work." [Source: Ryder Windham. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Scrapbook. Random House (1999), pg. 11.] 3

The knowledgeable Bible student will recognize that Lucas has bought into the New Age lie. God is not a person but a principle of being. His use of the term “nondenominational” is not to be understood in the sense of not being of one or the other Christian denomination. Rather, he actually means “non-sectarian” and “non-exclusive”. This is the new age lie that would have us believe that all paths lead to God and that Jesus is NOT the only way as He said in John 14:6 and as Peter taught in Acts 4:12.

We are not contending that we know the heart of George Lucas. We can only judge his words and deeds, not his intentions. Nonetheless, you will never hear Lucas refer to the Cross, the empty tomb, eternal life or eternal damnation. His is an innocuous religion bent on human potential, rather than the glorification of the Savior. It is bloodless (Colossians 1:14) and without any cure for “the wages of sin” (Romans 6:23), which is eternal death and separation from God (John 3:6-17).

In an interview referenced by adherents.com and posted by Time magazine as of the writing of this article, Lucas was pointedly asked about religion by Jess Cagle. The exchange was simple:

“Q: What religion are you?

“A: I was raised Methodist. Now let's say I'm spiritual. It's Marin County. We're all Buddhists up here.” 4

The authenticity of the Buddhist confession of George Lucas is confirmed by Christian and Buddhists alike. For example, the eastern influence of Lucas’ films is included in the Pagan Invasion documentary titled, “East Versus the West.” This production of Jeremiah Films is co-hosted by Chuck Smith and Carol Matriciano. I personally asked apologist and author Dave Hunt (prominently featured in the film) about the Pagan Invasion reference to the new age indoctrination in the Star Wars films written and produced by Lucas. Hunt assured me that his research had confirmed the claims found in the Pagan Invasion documentary. 5

Also confirming the Buddhist credentials of Lucas are the many Buddhist web sites which embrace him as one of their own. We refer you to one clear example at the site hosted by Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut. One article on the site is titled, “Star Wars and Buddhism.” This paper was published by Eli Williamson-Jones. It was originally a reading. The site states, “This reading was discussed on June 5, 2005.” 6 We can conclude that Lucas has been the center of discussion at Buddhist meetings. They definitely see him as a fellow adherent.

The God of Forces

“May the Force be with you.” The entire storyline of Star Wars is based upon the ability of the “good”, personified in Luke, to defeat the “evil”, personified in Darth Vader. As anyone alive the past decade knows, Luke ends up being the son of Darth Vader. The message is simple: it’s all relative. Darth and Luke are two from the same. It’s the Yin and Yang. Notice how the definition of Yin Yang even makes direct reference to the “forces”:

“In Chinese philosophy, these terms represent the two complementary forces in the universe that together form the basis of everything: yin is female, passive, dark, cold or wet, and negative; yang is masculine, active, bright or light, warm or dry, and positive.” 7

This idea of “forces” being a “God”, denying God’s very real personality and relationship with man, is the real idea behind Humanism and the whole Secularist world view that has engulfed the minds of Americans by and large. One of the most influential men of the 20th century is John Dewey. Thought by many non-Christians to be the greatest American philosopher in our short history, Dewey’s confession of faith sounds eerily similar and demonstrates that the position Lucas holds is pervasive throughout modern American academia. Dewey stated:

“But this idea of God, or of the divine, is also connected with all the natural forces and conditions—including man and human association—that promote the growth of the ideal and that further its realization. We are in the presence neither of ideals completely embodied in existence nor yet of ideals that are mere rootless ideals, fantasies, utopias. For there are forces in nature and society that generate and support the ideals. They are further unified by the action that gives them coherence and solidity. It is this active relation between ideal and actual to which I would give the name "God." I would not insist that the name must be given.” (Emphasis ours.) 8

This is exactly what we find in the Unitarian Universalist movement. A position in total agreement with the Occult, New Age, Buddhist position taken by George Lucas and found in his Star Wars series.

Star Wars presents “the Force” as an impersonal power that is made up of both sides of all that exists. The Bible says that this Buddhist/ New Age God of forces will be the religion of the man who will come upon the scene at the end of time and envelope all world political and religious power into one oligarchy of which he will ascend as supreme ruler (Daniel 11:38—please note that most new translations change “forces” to “fortresses”, thus HIDING the coming religion of “forces” that will be adhered to and promoted by the Antichrist.). He will eventually declare Himself to be God, just before being destroyed (2 Thessalonians 2:4 kjv).

George Lucas is just one of millions who are unwittingly paving the way for this final world religion (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 kjv).

Star Wars IS the Menace

We will not labor the point. The truth of the matter is obvious to any truth seeker. George Lucas is a decent man, as far as fallen human beings go. But his religion is not Biblical and he has filled his Star Wars film series with Buddhist/ New Age teaching.

And lukewarm Christianity will mock those who point out the obvious in an effort to simply warn the saints of the danger of over-exposure to this kind of indoctrination, especially in the lives and minds of children. But there is a remnant who is on guard. And we must be vigilant, enduring to the end.

Spread the word. Jude 3 (kjv).

— G. A. Miller

FOOTNOTES:

1 Please note that the new age leanings of Mormonism and Freemasonry are clearly documented by many former Mormons and Masons, such as Ed Decker of Saints Alive ministries.

2 “The Religious Affiliation of Director: George Lucas,” posted: http://www.adherents.com/people/pl/George_Lucas.html 8-05.

3 Ibid.

4 http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020429/qa.html

6 http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/pureland_sangha/id40.html

8 John Dewey, “Faith and It’s Object.” One of many lectures in a series entitled, “A Common Faith.” Posted by Harvard Square Library as a page on the “Notable Unitarian Friends” section. Posted at http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/unitarians/dewey.html, as of 8-7-05.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
“For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. “
Romans 10:9-11 kjv

Meesa tink he tink he smarter than meesa

2008-10-15T23:29:00.001-07:00

Christianing the Dark Side:
Star Wars, Judaism and Church History
by E.W. Wilder

Koenrad Kuiper, writing in the Journal of Popular Culture in the mid 1980s suggests that "[the] Star Wars trilogy creates and recreates imperial myths which serve to sustain imperial culture" (77). He goes on to contend that the Empire of George Lucas’s long ago and far away world recreate these myths for us now as, essentially, a form of social control. Since Kuiper was writing, however, we have been graced with the first in the Star Wars series, The Phantom Menace.

The Phantom Menace has opened to tepid reviews and the expected box-office success. Its staying-power has been perhaps a bit disappointing for all at Lucasfilm, but the film has definitely made a cultural impact. Interesting in light of Kuiper’s thesis is that this latest addition to the Star Wars mythology concerns itself with two beginnings: the beginning of the evil Empire of the other three movies, and the beginning of Anakin Skywalker, father to Luke Skywalker and the future Darth Vader. The genesis of both the Empire and Darth Vader in one film is more than coincidence. Rather than Star Wars sustaining an imperial myth, the new film argues for an interpretation that the series, taken as a whole, represents an intricate commentary on the history of Christianity, from its pure beginnings to its ultimate corruption as a quasi-political entity controlling much of Europe.

The first and most striking suggestion of this is the fact that Anakin Skywalker’s is a virgin birth. When Qui Gon Jinn, the Jedi master who trains Obi-Wan Kenobi, asks Anakin’s mother who the young prodigy’s father is, she responds: "There is no father." Young Skywalker is later described by Jinn as a "virgence": a virgin birth. The conclusion that is nearly impossible not to draw from all of this is that Anakin Skywalker is, at the very least a Christ-like figure. I contend that Lucas presents us with a symbol of Christ himself: Anakin’s origins are as a slave on a back-water star, one hostile to the galactic Trade Federation that will later become the evil Empire. The Federal powers are governed, much like the Roman Empire, by a senate, one that, at the time of The Phantom Menace, is largely becoming ineffective. This is much like the Roman senate at the time of Jesus. Jesus, too, came from a region far from the center of the roman government, and hostile to the rule of Rome. He was born into a working-class (although not slave class) family under inauspicious circumstances.

From his discovery of Anakin, Qui Gon Jinn takes the super-naturally talented young boy under his wing. He arranges for him to be brought before the Jedi council, who reluctantly agree to have him trained. All around, however, the Jedi agree that the "fate of" Anakin Skywalker is "uncertain." Their feelings about him are clouded, although they acknowledge his budding power. Jinn himself is described by the council as being a bit of a rogue. The parallels between Skywalker and Jinn and the Jedi council, and John the Baptist, Jesus and the Rabbis of the day becomes apparent. John the Baptist was a radical preacher of his day. Outside of the normal order of church hierarchy, he posed both a threat and was an important ally in winning-over the people to religion in an increasingly secular age. His coming presaged the coming of a greater one: Jesus. Jinn himself intends to train Skywalker, but, just like John the Baptist, his career is cut short by his untimely death. The killer in Christ’s case is both the Roman rulers and the existing Jewish religio-governmental establishment. Qui Gon Jinn is killed by a Jedi trained in the Dark Side by Senator Palpatine, later the emperor of the fledgling Empire of the other three movies. This evil Jedi, Darth Maul, is, just like Pontious Pilate, a tool of the existing power structure, used by them to further their ends.

Interesting in terms of the future of Anakin Skywalker (and impossible to determine until the two films intervening between The Phantom Menace and Star Wars are made) is Anakin Skywalker’s pledge to come back to Tatooine, the planet of his birth, to free all of the slaves. His message, just as that of Jesus, is one of liberation. His prospects as a doer of good are, in the first movie, excellent. Jesus, before being cast as the foundation of a great church, is a very hopeful figure, preaching political and spiritual freedom–even going so far as to proclaim victory over death itself. If slavery can be seen as a symbol of death, then Anakin Skywalker promises as much.

But this also points out the limitations of my current exploration. Without the two as yet to be finished parts of the story, Skywalker’s true colors as a young man are impossible to divine. We do know, however, that Anakin Skywalker later becomes the epitome of evil in the universe, Darth Vader. Kuiper contends this name to mean "Darth (death) Vader (father)," and therefore to represent that concept within a Christian framework (85). Here it could just as easily represent the Dark Father: Jesus as corrupted by its association with an evil Empire. This Empire, I suggest, is the church itself, becoming corrupt as it falls away from its Rabbinical (Jeddinical) roots to build its own corrupt European power-structure. This church helps to create and sustain feudalism in Europe, subjugates Jews and establishes widespread anti-Semitism in the name of a savior killed by Jews. The Phantom Menace therefore implies that Christ as God-the-Father becomes corrupt and evil as Christianity becomes the established faith.

At one point during the first three Star Wars movies to be released, Luke Skywalker confronts Obi-Wan Kenobi about his father. Kenobi has to admit that it is, indeed, Darth Vader, despite the fact that he has previously told Luke that his father was dead. Obi-Wan explains that Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker, effectively died when he became Darth Vader. Presumably, upon becoming Darth Vader, Anakin Skywalker becomes part of the evil Empire. The lesson we can draw is that it was the imperial nature of the established church in Europe that corrupted Christianity: as a localized and specifically Jewish liberation movement, the teachings of Jesus were uncorrupt and pure. By blending them with the trappings of a great Empire, they became evil. By this logic, Jesus (Anakin Skywalker) dies when he becomes Christ, the Father of the Christian church (Darth Vader). We can further extrapolate this to mean that Christ’s "resurrection" is in fact a re-creation into the figure of a Dark Lord. By Jedi (Rabbi) standards, he is dead, as Jedism (Judaism) has no concept of life after death except in the memories of the living. This is evident when Obi-Wan and the Jedi master Yoda appear to Luke Skywalker in visions in the second and third films: his memory of them keeps their spirits living. The defeat over death proclaimed by Christian mythology is, as presented by Lucas, an evil thing, unbecoming of the religious traditions from which it sprang, and antithetical to a more natural Jedi-death which accepts the spirit-world of the living Jedi memory.

The influence of the Church on the psyche of Europe cannot be underestimated. Considering the anti-Semitism Christianity in Europe engendered, one cannot help but consider the obviously Nazi imagery surrounding the Empire in the first three films of the series, episodes four through six. Not even bothering to disguise the name, the Empire’s shock-troops are referred to as "Stormtroopers," the same name Hitler gave to his elite fighting force. We can only suspect that Lucas is implying a link between the establishment of Nazism in Germany and the establishment of the Church with its Holy Roman Empire, the predominant emperors of which were German in extraction. This idea would make Nazism the result of Christianity itself, Christianity’s inevitable offshoot in Europe. Under this interpretation, the savior of the Jews becomes their Dark Lord; their liberator becomes the means of their enslavement.

Unfortunately, all of this can only be speculative at this point. We cannot yet know the role Anakin Skywalker will play in the forthcoming films. To a certain extent, we can never know the true influences of Christianity on the social ferment out of which the Nazi party sprang. But the parallels here are enormous: Star Wars, taken as a series, is the history of the Church encapsulated, from humble beginnings and budding Empire, to corruption and ultimate dissolution. One can only speculate about the revival of traditional Christianity currently exploding upon America: is there reason to believe that the Religious Right will become that new Empire? Will the new war for liberation be right now in a galaxy quite close to home?

Addendum

It has been brought to my attention by many an astute reader that Darth Maul should more accurately symbolize King Herod. They are correct, of course--an oversight I should've caught. I appreciate the input, and should take the opportunity to note that the Darth Maul/Herod connection still works symbolically, representing the pathway toward an institutionalized and therefore corrupt Christianity.

Works Cited

Kuiper, Koenraad. "Star Wars: An Imperial Myth." Journal of Popular Culture 21.2 (Spring) 1988. 77-86.

Lucas, George. The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm Ltd. 1980
—The Phantom Menace. Lucas. 1999.
—Return of the Jedi. Lucas. 1983.
—Star Wars. Lucas. 1977.

...it's a Trojan horse for New Age beliefs

2008-10-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

Many find religion in George Lucas' 'Star Wars' series

By MARK I. PINSKY
The Orlando Sentinel

ORLANDO -- To some Christian viewers, the climactic tableau of "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" could be a slightly off-kilter Nativity scene:

A wise man rides in from the desert on a camel-like creature. He presents an infant -- perhaps the "chosen one" who will redeem the universe, according to prophecy -- to his adoptive parents. The question is inescapable: Is little Luke Skywalker a stand-in for Jesus?

"The image of an out-of-the way place, the birth of a child, the promised one, the one that provides hope -- there's a lot of parallels to the birth of Christ," says Dick Staub, author of "Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters."

Now apparently complete, the "Star Wars" saga is giving theologians almost as much to contemplate as it has given moviegoers. Much has been made of the near-religious devotion fans have had to George Lucas' six films, but "Star Wars" also has spawned book battles, with writers claiming the movies for their own faith traditions.

Is the series just a jumble of many faiths and traditions? A fanciful meditation on the nature of evil? Or a six-part Christian allegory about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker, the central character who becomes Darth Vader?

Christian elements

Staub and another author argue that the movies have strong Christian elements, while the head of an evangelical seminary insists the movies are anti-Christian, Trojan horses for New Age beliefs.

Reg Grant, a specialist in media and communication at Dallas Theological Seminary, agrees up to a point with Staub about the Christian imagery at the end of the latest "Star Wars" installment.

"Is he presented as the chosen one?" asks Grant. "Sure. The sun is rising, his parents are gazing into a new dawn."

But using this sequence to call "Revenge of the Sith" a "Christian movie" may be "reading too much into it," Grant says. "The main Christian element of the six films is redemption through sacrifice."

There is a critical difference between the biblical Nativity and the movie's, says the Rev. John Yake: Skywalker is not Jesus.

He saves the galaxy, but he does not herald the end of an age or a final, divine judgment, says Yake, a Catholic priest and the author of "Star Wars and the Message of Jesus: An Interpretive Commentary on the Star Wars Trilogy."

What is the Force?

The final scene in Sith may come from another part of the New Testament, according to Reggie Kidd of Reformed Theological Seminary in Oviedo, Fla.

"Perhaps that scene is supposed to bring to mind the exile of baby Jesus into Egypt," he says. "There's too much symbolism" to ignore from a Christian point of view, he says, including one character's virgin birth and a slaughter of young innocents.

Nature of the force

Much of the debate centers on the nature of the Force, which Lucas told Time magazine in 1983 was God. Sixteen years later, Lucas told Bill Moyers that he put the Force into Star Wars "to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people -- more a belief in God than a belief in any particular religious system."

Some Christians compare the Force to the Holy Spirit. Others reject this notion because, with a light side and a dark, the Force has a duality. Also, as Obi-Wan Kenobi explains to Luke, the Force can be commanded.

"Theologically, there seem to be nods in many directions, from Zen Buddhism to Confucianism to Hinduism to Christianity," Kidd says.

The Force is "antithetical" to Christianity, says Norman Geisler, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, N.C. "It differs on every major point."

The Force is impersonal rather than personal; its nature is both good and evil, dark and light; it offers reincarnation, rather than resurrection, says Geisler, author of "Religion of the Force."

"It's a pantheistic religion," in contrast to monotheistic faiths such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam, he says.

Worse, he says, "it's a Trojan horse for New Age beliefs. Parents send their kids to the theaters thinking they're going to be entertained, but they're really getting indoctrinated into an Eastern belief system that is contrary to their parents.'"

Eastern faiths

Although they might disagree with the term "indoctrinated," followers of some Eastern beliefs see their own faiths reflected in the films.

Dr. John Porter, a University of Arizona trauma surgeon, believes Taoism is the predominant theme.

"One way to describe the Force is the universal energy that surrounds all beings and connects everything -- that's the Tao," says Porter, author of "The Tao of Star Wars."

And much like the Force, "balance and harmony are the essence of Taoism," he says. "Both elements exist in everything -- good and evil."

When characters talk about "walking a path," and when Yoda warns Luke to get rid of attachments, "those are Taoist principles as well," says Porter, who is also a professor of clinical surgery.

However, "The Dharma of Star Wars" argues that the series is essentially Buddhist.

"The quest for peace, for justice -- I can apply Buddhism to those themes very easily," says Matthew Bortolin, author of "The Dharma of Star Wars."

"In the saga, a lot of the dialogue is about mindfulness, concentration, letting go and just the general meditation," says Bortolin, an educational consultant who waited 30 hours to see the first midnight show of "Revenge of the Sith" in Los Angeles.

The diminutive character Yoda is very much like a Zen master. "Meditation is confronting ourselves and the Dark Side elements within us," he says "Buddhism is about the human condition.

Of course, followers of many religious traditions would say the same thing. Some believers in Judaism see their view of the human condition depicted in Lucas' movies. Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld sees clear similarities between "Star Wars" mythology and Jewish mysticism.

"I remember after having learned more about Jewish tradition, I became convinced that Lucas must be Jewish!" says the rabbi, author of "The Art of Amazement: Judaism's Forgotten Spirituality."

Lucas has described himself as a "Buddhist Methodist."

No exculsive claim

However, no religion has an exclusive claim on the Star Wars imagery, says Rabbi Scott Sperling, who discussed "Star Wars" in an adult-education class in the early 1980s at the Synagogue for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles.

"Any film gives you the opportunity to read into it what you will," he says.

Now regional director for the Mid-Atlantic Council of the Union for Reform Judaism, Sperling has seen all the previous "Star Wars" movies multiple times, and he can still do a dead-on imitation of Yoda.

Among the identifiably Jewish elements Sperling sees in the series are "the importance of ancestors, and ... of wisdom that is passed from one generation to the next. And discipline, that religion is designed to maximize the inclination toward good, and minimize the inclination toward evil. Seeking the good is the highest calling of a human being."

Still, some ministers remain convinced that Christian symbolism is predominant in the saga.

In the first "Star Wars" episode, "A New Hope," Obi-Wan Kenobi sacrifices his life to save Luke. Just before he does, his light saber and Darth Vader's form a cross. In "The Empire Strikes Back," Vader tempts Luke in a conversation that seems lifted directly from the Gospels, where Jesus is tempted by the devil. When Luke rejects Vader's offer, and falls from the catwalk, he lands on an electronic weather vane, which also forms a cross.

These scenes invite some Christians to explore the religious dimension of the films.

A small Presbyterian church in Cincinnati completed the first month of a three-month course called "The Gospel According to Star Wars" just as the latest installment opened in theaters.

The course is the latest in a series, says the Rev. Russell Smith of Covenant-First Presbyterian Church, who is using a Bible study program developed by congregation members.

"Christianity teaches the truth behind these stories that resonate deeply," says Smith, who from 1996 to 2000 attended divinity school at Reformed Theological Seminary, where he was a student of Kidd's.

The purpose of such courses, he says, is "seeing the hints of truth, beauty and goodness out there in popular culture, out there in fine art and how these things point us back to God. They become a springboard into some very deep, powerful conversations."

. . .

2008-10-14T12:24:00.001-07:00

George Lucas = Rich-ass racist MoFo

In keeping with the "Change of Format" context, I've decided to post an excerpt from my not-so-out-of-date Master's thesis.

Especially appropriate at the moment, as kids and adult across the globe throw money like never before at George Lucas and his Star Wars empire, this chapter, "Jar Jar Binks and Otherness in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" spells out exactly why you don't want to leave little Tommy in front of the tube/screen without your undivided attention.

. .

2008-10-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

George Lucas is a racist

Yes, this post is about The Phantom Menace, and about five years to late, but in my defense, there was no diogenesclub.net five years ago.

A lot of people have made off-handed remarks that this or that character is a racist stereotype, mostly Jar Jar Binks, but to my knowledge, no one has ever looked at the movie as a whole to notice, pigeon English aside, how racist the movie actually is.

The original Star Wars had a message. It didn't hit you over the head with it, but it was there. The point of Star Wars (or at least one of them) was that the human spirit triumphs over technology. The point of The Phantom Menace was that racism is wrong. I know this because I was hit over the head with it. Obi-Wan kindly dumbs it down for us and Boss Nass to understand:

OBI-WAN: You and the Naboo form a symbiont circle. What happens to one of
you will affect the other.

The much maligned midi-chlorians were introduced to hit the point home:

QUI-GON: We are symbionts with the midi-chlorians.
ANAKIN: Symbionts?
QUI-GON: Life forms living together for mutual advantage. Without the
midi-chlorians, life could not exist, and we would have no knowledge of the
Force.

Get it? He used that big word 'symbiont' both times so we wouldn't miss out on the wisdom being proffered. To refresh your memory, The Phantom Menace involves a conflict between the amphibious Gungans and the humanoid Naboo. They can't get along, and while they share their planet peacefully, they are entirely segregated from one another.

It's not hard to map these two races onto our own world, the Naboo are the white majority and the Gungans are, well, whatever oppressed minority you like, blacks, hispanics, native americans, you name it. So, over the course of the movie, the two races put aside their differences and defeat the moderately evil Trade Federation. And everybody learns a lesson.

Here's the thing: The Gungans are idiots and the Naboo aren't. At no point do the Naboo ever say anything bad about the Gungans. But the Gungans will bring it up at the drop of a hat. The Gungans are paranoid and unjustified in their dislike for the Naboo, while the Naboo just want to be friends. The Naboo are a bunch of upper class white people sitting in a cocktail lounge saying, "Of course I would have black friends, but I just don't know any blacks," while the Gungans are sitting around in the separate-but-equal underwater homes, blaming everything on whitey.

The Naboo we meet in the movie are beautiful, peaceful, smart, and dignified. Here are the four Gungans with speaking parts:

Jar Jar Binks
Aside from noting that he's arguably the most hated fictional character of all time, with Barney at a distant second, I don't think I need to say much about the big Double-J.
Boss Nass
By far the most paranoid and bigoted Gungan in the movie. He sends every Gungan into battle (except himself) simply because the Queen of the Naboo vaguely implies that she doesn't think she's smarter than the Gungans. But not before he spits all over himself.
Also note that he is given the title Boss, not a dignified royal title like humanoid characters get. (Lucas tries to have his cake and eat it too by making Amidala an elected(!) queen.)
Captain Tarpals
He comes close to being a old, respectable Gungan warrior, except that he says doo-doo not once, but twice.
The one who says "Theysa comin!"
Sadly, the Gungan who has only one line seems to be the smartest Gungan by default.

So basically, Lucas is saying in own his roundabout way, that minorities should stop being so stupid and paranoid and help us kindly white folk in our ivory tower whenever we ask. This wouldn't bother me so much, except that Lucas has gone out of his way to teach us a trite lesson of tolerance and equality, going so far as introducing something as lame as midi-chlorians, and he's in fact supporting the exact opposite view! Maybe Lucas has made some sort of genius Starship Troopers-esque meditation on the hypocrisy of the civil rights movement, but I sincerely doubt it.

Oh yeah, and that movie sucks besides.

Star Wars: Lucas strikes back

2008-10-14T12:21:00.001-07:00

George Lucas: Defending The Phantom Menace

Star Wars creator George Lucas has defended his latest film The Phantom Menace against allegations of racism - and told BBC Two's Newsnight he blames the Internet for helping to create such stories.

Criticism has been levelled at the movie - a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy which started in 1977 - in the US, particularly over the character Jar Jar Binks.

Reviewers have attacked Binks' Carribean accent - and have also complained about other supposed stereotypes in the film.

But Lucas hit back in an interview with Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark - and blamed fans on the Internet who took an instant dislike to the new character.


George Lucas: "It's completely absurd - Jar Jar was not drawn from a Jamaican"

He said: "Those criticisms are made by people who've obviously never met a Jamaican, because it's definitely not Jamaican and if you were to say those lines in Jamaican they wouldn't be anything like the way Jar Jar Binks says them.

"They're basing a whole issue of racism on an accent, an accent that they don't understand. Therefore if they don't understand it, it must be bad.

Jar Jar Binks: Has come under fire for alleged racial stereotyping

"How in the world you could take an orange amphibian and say that he's a Jamaican? It's completely absurd. Believe me, Jar Jar was not drawn from a Jamaican, from any stretch of the imagination."

He said the allegations said more about the people making the claims than they did about his film.

"There is a group of fans for the films that doesn't like comic sidekicks. They want the films to be tough like Terminator, and they get very upset and opinionated about anything that has anything to do with being childlike.

"The movies are for children but they don't want to admit that. In the first film they absolutely hated R2 and C3-PO. In the second film they didn't like Yoda and in the third one they hated the Ewoks... and now Jar Jar is getting accused of the same thing."

Internet fascination

Lucas with Jake Lloyd on the set of the film

He believes the US media's fascination with the Internet created the controversy.

"The American press uses the internet as their source for everything, so when people were creating Websites saying, 'Let's get rid of Jar Jar Binks, he's terrible' and some of the critics were describing him as a comic sidekick, they came in and they started calling the film racist."

He added: "It started out as a way of just selling newspapers and then other people have sort of picked it up. But it really reflects more the racism of the people who are making the comments than it does the movie."


"I've never taken a position on technology"

Lucas also insisted the storyline of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace had not suffered because of the amount of special effects in the film.

He said: "The big complaint about the first film was that it was a special effects movie and that there was no character to the story. It was a children's film, and that is pretty much the way the critics have addressed all the movies.

Lucas feels the storyline has not been overwhelmed by the technology used in the film

"We are moving into a different era in terms of cinematic experience. I liken it more to the move from painting frescos in the mid-15th century - when you had to finish that piece of plaster that day otherwise you couldn't go on.

"Now we've moved into the era of oil paintings, which gave the artist more control and more time to think about what they're doing."

Lucas also said he was uneasy about the cost of the film's merchandise - which is due to make over $1bn by the end of the year.


"It would be great to give everything away for free"

He said: "I wish there was a world where nobody had to get paid and people could just do things for free but they don't. All the tens of thousands of people that make the toys and the films, they all have to pay their bills and so they demand to be paid.

"Most people don't like toys and don't think children should be able to play with toys. But I'm a big fan of toys, and I think it helps kids be able to play and expand their imaginations. To contribute to that is I think a good thing.

"I'm not ashamed of doing anything, if we could convince Hamley's to cut their prices I'd certainly be the first person to encourage that."

Is Ziro The Hutt The First Gay Alien In ‘Star Wars’ History?

2008-10-09T08:28:00.001-07:00

Published by Shawn Adler on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 at 5:30 pm.

He’s a purple Hutt, bedazzling in sky blue tattoos, a peacock feather nestled behind his rumbled head, a character “Empire Online””called “a cross-dressing pimp” who holds court in “Downtown Coruscant.” He’s sure to be the most talked about new character in the entire Republic when “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is released August 15. And he’s absolutely “FAB-U-LOUS!”

Ok, let’s be straight for a second: Jabba’s uncle, Ziro the Hutt, a new character introduced specifically for the upcoming animated series, is a gay stereotype that makes what Jar Jar Binks represented to the island of Jamaica look subtle by comparison. It’s not the look or design that pushes it over the top into stereotype, of course, but the voice (performed by Corey Burden), a lispy, high-pitched twang purposively reminiscent of Truman Capote.

So how did a character who wasn’t even supposed to speak English wind up sounding like that? Because George Lucas insisted on it, “Clone Wars” director Dave Filoni confessed.

“Ziro, Jabba’s uncle, originally spoke in Hutt-ese, like Jabba and then he had a different sluggish voice just like Jabba, and then George one day was watching it and said ‘I want him to sound like Truman Capote.’ He actually said that and we were like ‘Wow!’ ” Filion revealed. “It’s a hybrid of it but the inspiration is definitely there on Capote. It’s one of those things that takes him from being an interesting character and I think really does put him over the top and does something. He’s a favorite among the crew here.”

Whether he becomes a FAN favorite, or a character reviled along the lines of Jar Jar, remains to be seen, of course, although it’ll no doubt be the latter if conversation among journalists after a screening of the film Sunday night is any indication.

But just because Ziro the Hutt is a stereotype, that doesn’t actually make him the first gay “Star Wars” character, Filion insisted. He’s actually not straight either, but biologically asexual.

(And, by the way, mark this down at number one in the folder labeled “Conversations I Never Thought I’d Have About ‘Star Wars’ Characters.”)

“He’s of questionable [sexuality] at least as a slug. They tell me that these slugs can be either male or female depending. That’s something I guess that slugs and snails do,” Filion said. “I wasn’t aware of that but I have continuity experts that tell me these things and I’m like. I guess Jabba is [his son’s] mother AND father from a certain point of view. It’s interesting.”

George Lucas loses his mind: How he ruined The Clone Wars

2008-09-24T21:34:00.001-07:00

By JimK
(2 votes)

JimK: 99.95% of the time I come down on the whole “what does it mean?” argument on the side of the creators; If you wrote a thing, or a character, or whatever, you get to decide what it means, what happens to that character, etc. For better or worse that character is yours, and while the fandom may not like what you’ve done, too bad. They don’t get to decide. They don’t even get to say “You can’t do that with _fill in the blank_.”

For that other 0.05%, there’s George fucking Lucas.

So how did a character who wasn’t even supposed to speak English wind up sounding like that? Because George Lucas insisted on it, “Clone Wars” director Dave Filoni confessed.
“Zero, Jabba’s uncle, originally spoke in Hutt-ese, like Jabba and then he had a different sluggish voice just like Jabba, and then George one day was watching it and said ‘I want him to sound like Truman Capote.’ He actually said that and we were like ‘Wow!’” Filion revealed. “It’s a hybrid of it but the inspiration is definitely there on Capote. It’s one of those things that takes him from being an interesting character and I think really does put him over the top and does something. He’s a favorite among the crew here.”

Jesus H. Christmas trees and wrapping paper. are you fucking kidding me? Did he learn nothing from the backlash against his “No tickee no washee” Chinese diplomats and the shuckin’ and’ jivin’ “Meesa thinka meesa be a racial stereotype-a, Boss?” Jar-jar abomination? Does this guy actually have any decent creative thoughts anymore? Did he ever? How in the sweet fuck did Star Wars get born out of such a hack? No wonder I like the books and the extended universe so much. he has almost nothing to do with that stuff. I was under the impression he stayed away from the animated stuff as well, but apparently not.

How the fuck does no one tell him what a horrible idea this is? How does no one in that entire god-damned organization have the balls to stand up and say “This is internally inconsistent and horrible, illogical writing? Also, it’s a homophobic stereotype that should be shunned on general principle outside of broad comedy you fucking hack, and I quit?” Is there not one freaking writer in that entire company that gives a shit? Hutts speak Huttese. Once you establish the trope, that’s the rule in your world. Every sci-fi/fantasy writer on the god-damned planet knows that, even the complete hacks. The ones that aren’t total hacks try to follow the rules they create because they know it’s how you keep the reader/viewer immersed in that reality. It’s called not sucking, Lucas. Look into it.

I know I use the idea of someone dying as a rhetorical device quite often, and I really don’t want (most) people to suffer. I especially don’t want to cause harm to the families of those upon whom I wish an end, but Jiminy H. Christ Esquire, why won’t Lucas just have a god-damned heart attack already and re-fucking-tire! He doesn’t have to die, just GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE BUSINESS and let people raised on this shit, who actually understand the beauty and magic of the universe, let them steer the ship for awhile.

George Lucas raped my childhood and he just won’t stop doing it. He has a sickness, and his creations should be taken away from him at once. He is the exception that proves the rule mentioned at the beginning of this post. He should never, ever be allowed to make any decisions regarding anything relating to Star Wars ever again. And also maybe just a bit of pain during the heart attack, and maybe a booming voice that comes out of the sky while he’s clutching he chest that says ‘You disappoint me, Lucas. You’ve ruined everything. Search your feelings, you know it to be true. Jackass.”

I was going to go see Clone Wars. You’d think I would learn after Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, right? I vowed to never pay him money again for a movie, but I was going to do it. I was under the impression that he was only involved with this animated feature in a very limited capacity. I should have known he was micromanaging every aspect of it to as to make it suck ass. Once again I find myself thinking one simple phrase, one that has become so, so common these past eight or nice years, ever since I sat through Phantom Menace:

Fuck George Lucas.

IF GEORGE LUCAS IS A NAZI THEN HE MUST BE CONSERVATIVE:

2008-09-24T21:32:00.001-07:00

May 26, 2005

The Force is with the conservatives (Yoel Sano, 5/27/05, Asia Times)

Yet, despite Lucas' apparent pro-liberal fears about current trends in US foreign and domestic policies, which many Americans will find exaggerated, his Star Wars saga nonetheless contains very conservative messages that will resonate with people on the desert planet of Texas and in Middle America - and indeed many other parts of the world.
For one thing, there is Lucas' idealized form of government. According to Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars film, "For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the Empire." Francis Fukuyama would have been surprised that there is indeed an alternative to his end-of-history notion of Western-style liberal democracy as the ultimate form of government.

While the Jedi did not rule the republic, they nonetheless formed the backbone of it. With the Jedi more akin to a religion or a moral force, rather than a political order, Lucas seems to envisage a heavy role of the church in some form or another, albeit without ruling the state. Some commentators have compared the Jedi to the samurai of medieval Japan, and indeed their swordsmanship, esoteric dress codes, and Darth Vader's mask design do invoke the samurai styles. But the latter were more manifestly militaristic than religious. A better analogy would be the Knights-Templar, a monastic military order formed at the end of the First Crusade with the mandate of protecting Christian pilgrims en route to the Holy Land.

If the Jedi are a religion, then their "God" is "the Force", a mystical energy field generated by all living things, which binds the galaxy together and gives the Jedi their strength. Essentially, the message of the original Star Wars trilogy is one of faith: if you believe in something enough, you can accomplish it. Hence, Luke Skywalker, the hero of the trilogy, was able to guide a missile into the Death Star's reactor vents through belief rather than using a sophisticated targeting computer. The message of faith is reassuring in this secular age.

Unfortunately, George Lucas inexplicably ditched this faith-based belief system in the prequel trilogy for a far less comforting, and indeed, slightly sinister explanation of the Force. Instead of being able to use the Force out of belief, the first prequel revealed that only those who have a high concentration of "mitochlorions" in their cells can use these powers.

[Ed: the term "mitochlorian" appears to be a pseudo-scientific invention based on real entities known to cell biologists here on Earth, namely "mitochondria" and "chloroplast". "Mitochondria" are tiny sausage-shaped organelles, found in all living cells save bacteria, whose function is to convert sugar efficiently into usable energy. "Chloroplasts", found only in plants, are the sites of photosynthesis. Interestingly, there is a widely accepted theory that both are descended from ancient bacteria - as shown by their size, shape and bacteria-like DNA - that became internalized in, and ultimately dependent upon, the primitive "eukaryotic" cells that eventually gave rise to plants and animals. At some point, Lucas appears to have heard of this theory (originally proposed by Lynn Margulis at Harvard) and decided that a similar entity, the "mitochlorion", would exist in his fictional universe and provide a convenient explanation for why some individuals have more Force powers than others.]

Ironically, however, the "mitochlorion" concept transformed the ability to use "the Force" from an article of faith into one based on blood. Rather than being true believers, the Jedi are in fact a master race or elite caste.

Talk of race brings us to another unfortunate aspect of the prequel trilogy, namely the portrayal of alien characters through ethnic stereotyping. This is most apparent in the character of Jar Jar Binks, a goofy, amphibious, bipedal alien, who hangs out with the heroes in The Phantom Menace to provide what passes as comic relief. Unfortunately, Jar Jar's pidgin-English way of speaking seems to have been designed to invoke African-American slaves of the 19th century United States, or the "noble savages" of a past imperial era.

Then there are the aliens of the evil Trade Federation, a powerful commercial-military-industrial concern fighting the republic. All of them speak with heavy mock Chinese or Japanese accents, perhaps reflecting America's Japanophobia of the 1980s, or fear of China's rising economic power today. There is also the hooked-nose, slave-owing alien Watto, who speaks with a heavy Jewish-Israeli accent and thinks of nothing but money.

Paganism, geneticism, anti-trade, anti-semitism--all the things that spring to mind when you think of George W. Bush, huh? Posted by Orrin Judd at May 26, 2005 8:31 AM

George Lucas serves up anti-Semitic stereotype in "Star Wars" Episode I

2008-09-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

If you saw the film, he's memorable.
He's called Watto the Toydarian. He's a slave owner and slave driver to our young blond hero, Anakin Skywalker. "Even in a galaxy far away, the Jews are apparently behind the slave trade," observes Bruce Gottlieb in a 5-26-99 piece on Slate, the only article we've seen on the subject and one we didn't see until this column was nearly finished. Gottlieb also pointed out the racial stereotyping in the character Jar-Jar Binks, as have many African-Americans.
Then there's that character in "The Mummy" who waved the Star of David and got passed over by the Mummy and then appeared to play the role of Judas to betray the good guys. Hated archetypal portraits are everywhere, building upon and reinforcing disparagement of their source. Some are subtle, some blatant. Part of watching the pathology of media is to watch for them.
Watoo's characterization goes way beyond the amusing allusion we occasionally see, picking up nearly every negative trait associated with Jews accumulated over centuries in cartoons and caricatures. He's supposed to elicit a humorous response and initially he does, until we begin to sense his seriousness, his total lack of morality, his deep badness which becomes obvious when he is poised opposite the deep goodness of the Christ-like figure of the Jedi master, Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson.
Oddly, the official Star Wars website (www.starwars.com) illustrates all the "Episode I" characters except this strikingly anti-Semitic portrait of a greedy Jewish merchant who sports droopy eyes, rotten teeth and an elephantine hooked nose (without any effort to simulate an elephant). He speaks in a heavy Yiddish accent and haggles prices. He floats in the air on tiny wings and hovers "in your face." He's amoral and tries to cheat in a bet on the race. He's downright devilish when it comes to splitting Skywalker from his mother at the tender age of nine. This early wounding is psychoanalytically supposed to have been part of the cause of Anakin's fear and depression which ultimately turned him into Darth Vader. So Watto's role is seen mythically to be part of the incipient root of evil.

Watto as merchandized toy:
The figure "talks" in a Yiddish accent?
And what does he say?
"You should cheat, Anakin, and win a race for once."

(c) 1999 Lucasfilm

___________________________________
The website notes, "The only real wealth in Mos Espa [the slave city on the planet Tatooine] is tied up in gambling and off-world trade, especially in the lucrative black market beyond the trade laws." This conforms to the fate of Jewish outcasts throughout history, when Jews were not allowed to trade in normal venues, were cast out of many professions and allowed only to deal in much-hated short-term loans, associated with greed, interest rates and high prices.
In "Episode I," one such holder of wealth "beyond the trade laws" is the owner of the young slave boy Anakin Skywalker. How curious that Mr. Watto is not represented on the "official Star Wars website" where he can be studied. He is referred to but not named. There is no picture of him, only this verbal sketch of the anti-Semitic character is given: "A winged, harsh-mannered little alien who loves to haggle over spare parts. His junk shop is one of the best places to find elusive mechanical parts, but the asking price can be very high."
(The images of Watto here were gleaned from non-official sources, all (c) Lucasfilm, run in fair use for education and analysis).
We noticed the Star Wars "Episode I: Phantom Menace" merchandise display in the grocery store, including children's books such as "Anakin's Fate" by Marc Ceracini (Random House, $5), containing these descriptions of Watto and statements by him: "He loved to make deals. 'I'll make a merchant of you yet,' he said to Anakin. 'You should cheat. Maybe you'd win a race for once.' " As we left the movie theater, a couple of young boys around age 12 made reference to "that weird little Jew guy with wings." The movie's depiction in Watto was not at all subtle. It can be counted on to flush out already-formed Jew-haters among young audiences and give them permission to continue their hatred out loud.

Toydarian as toy

(c) 1999 Lucasfilm

_
In short, George Lucas has served up one of the oldest and vilest of human portraits in an almost perfect package of stereotypical traits traditionally associated with Jews by those who have harassed, reviled and annhiliated them over the centuries. Ironically, Lucas places Watto opposite Liam Neeson who portrayed the hero of "Schindler's List" who saved hundreds of Jews from the gas chambers during WW II. Spielberg and Lucas are the two great myth-makers of our age. Their choices of display types are worth noting.
Lucas offers Watto as a falsely benign "bad guy" for the entertainment (and dys-education) as well as economic consumption of millions of young boys and girls. Long after thousands gave their lives to rid the earth of the root of this ugly lie, Lucas mainstreams it into what is arguably the dominant media mythology of the 20th Century.
Thanks a lot, Mr. Lucas. The price of your movie ticket is very high.

The character of Watto reminds us of the anti-Semitic slander built with great precision in the Penguin character in "Batman" several years ago. Only a few university academics spotted the obvious--or talked about it. In fact, it was universally if subliminally spotted. The silence after the spotting is the problem, the ease with which it's gotten away with, slipped by, overlooked, shrugged off.
Amazing.
The film has been in theaters for over a week without an outcry or even passing comment in dozens of reviews. Parents should have been notified about Watto long before they sent their children to the midnight premiere so they could show them a cool example of how hatred works and make the whole thing a conscious lesson. Of course that would have ruined the fun of the movie, which is probably why nobody took a serious shot in the reviews. The idea, if any idea was consciously formed, was to pretend this immensely snide picture of a Jew was just a joke. It almost works, too, unless you are aware in the back of your mind of the parallels with foul portraits of Jews throughout history, the association of Jews with greed, cheating and a generalized bodily ugliness seen in cartoons in early newspapers and especially in Europe in the Twenties and Thirties when government-sponsored pogroms and ghettos were tolerated much more readily--even applauded--in part because of these kinds of stereotypical depictions that made people want to get rid of Jews.
There are no pictures of Watto on the Star Wars website and few are found in print material. He's chiefly seen in the movie theater by kids age 5 to 15, and in toy form, by and large away from adult scrutiny. One cannot help but wonder if this avoidance of scrutiny was done by design.

Official poster for "The Power of Myth"
European Roadshow to be held June to September 1999
throughout Europe, sponsored by Kellogg's.
Where's Watto? Saved for most potent mythic spot: the movie itself.
(Notice King Arthur thrown into the mix)

(c) 1999 Lucasfilm

_____________________________________
On 6-3-99 CNN finally ran an item on Jar-Jar Binks which also alluded briefly to Watoo. It was reported that the Anti-Defamation League "saw no racial stereotyping in the Watto character." If this is true, it's a chilling reminder of the state of denial that overcame Jews in Hitler's Germany. Lest the concrete thinkers say we're comparing Lucas to Hitler, no, we are not, although Hitler certainly benefitted by exactly this kind of stereotyping. We mean we (as Jews) didn't want to see the truth and so we did not see it. We don't mean the truth of the stereotype, because the stereotype is a composite of extreme traits, some of them completely false, that do not typify average Jews. Like "the Emperor has no clothes," what is astounding is the truth of the display of the stereotype in plain sight without significant complaint. No self-respecting Jew wants to admit this is possible.

Lucas is merely (probably) unconscious, which increases rather than decreases concern in this matter because it means this much ugliness of thought is fully arrayed underneath the surface of the mind. Hence the power of the negative image, from this dark and unexamined basement, especially in children with no historical memory, to allow the forgetting that some people are human. Watto is portrayed as different, un-human, to the extreme of making him insect-like, yet he is down-to-earth human in other ways. Although he seems amusing, eccentric, perhaps harmless, the danger of the Semitic stereotyping of a figure like Watto, coupled with the insectifying of Watto, is that it conditions in children (and reinforces in adults) a notion allowing "that weird little Jew guy" to be expendable.

He can be laughed off. He can be flicked off. He can be exterminated.
Just because Lucas is unconscious doesn't mean we have to be unconscious too.

Detroit Racist Panel Struggles, Comes up with Ridiculous Allegations that Star Wars Attack of the Clones is Racist:

2008-09-24T21:29:00.001-07:00

Detroit Racist Panel Struggles, Comes up with Ridiculous Allegations that Star Wars Attack of the Clones is Racist:

____________________________________________________________

Photos by Clarence Tabb Jr. / The Detroit News

The Detroit News panel: Robert del Valle, clockwise from upper left, Gary Anderson, Martina Guzman, Ahmad Chabbani, Imad Nouri, Robert Deane, Jose Cuello and Zana Macki.

Critics say 'Clones' has racial stereotypes

By Michael H. Hodges / The Detroit News

Temuera Morrison is Jango Fett in "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones."

"He looked totally Latino," says Martina Guzman about Temuera Morrison, the actor who plays Jango in "Attack of the Clones."

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George Lucas, sometimes accused of reinforcing racial stereotypes with his movies, has done it again, according to critics.
Latino critics in particular charge his latest Star Wars epic, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, toys with American paranoia about Mexican immigration with its cloned army of swarthy lookalikes who march in lockstep by the tens of thousands, and ultimately end up serving as Darth Vader's white-suited warriors.
Modeled on bounty hunter Jango Fett, the clones, we're told, are genetically modified for docility and obedience. The breeding project, conducted by long-necked aliens who look like refugees from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, takes place on the planet Kamino -- soundalike for the Spanish word "camino," which means "road" or "I walk."
Temuera Morrison, the actor who plays Jango, is a New Zealander of Maori descent. But that didn't get in the way of some members of an eight-person Detroit News panel assembled to review the film.
"He looked totally Latino," says Martina Guzman, a Detroiter who's managing a State House election campaign.
"And his kid," says Wayne State history professor Jose Cuello, referring to the young Boba Fett, "looked even more Latino."
It reminds Cuello a little bit of "those Reagan ads in the 1980 campaign, that suggested if Nicaragua went communist, you'd have wild-eyed Mexicans with guns running across the California border."
A flabbergasted Lucasfilm spokeswoman, Jeanne Cole, says "This is the first we've heard of this. Star Wars," she says, "is a fantasy movie filled with creatures and aliens from all different planets and universes and galaxies. There is no basis for this."
Lucas was in Cannes and could not be reached for comment.
The celebrated mythmaker has been through what some might call the p.c. mill before.
In 1999, a furor erupted over The Phantom Menace's Jar Jar Binks, a floppy-eared alien whom some read as a sort of Stepin Fetchit by way of the West Indies.
"Everyone I've ever spoken to says there's a Rastafarian element to his speech, his walk, and in his 'dread' ears," says copy editor Robert del Valle, who was on The News panel with Guzman and Cuello.
But such allegations were dismissed as "absurd" by Lucas in a Thursday interview published in the Washington Post. "People say, 'He sounds Caribbean.' Well, he doesn't. He's a complete invention. It's a different language. Just because he speaks with that accent doesn't mean it's a racial stereotype."
The interview did not address the clone issue.
A somewhat muted Jar Jar makes another appearance in Clones, but it is the dark-skinned Jango-copies that seem to have caught some audience members' attention this time around.
Still, not everybody's buying it.
Harry Knowles, on-line film reviewer and author of Ain't It Cool: Hollywood's Red-Headed Step-Child Speaks Out (Time Warner), says the whole Jango ethnic premise is "reading racism into something that's not there -- it's just in the minds of the viewers. It's like calling Jar Jar racist when all he is is Bullwinkle."
The Jango dispute surfaced in internet chat rooms devoted to Star Wars days before the movie's release, says panelist Gary Anderson, the artistic director at Detroit's Plowshares Theatre and longtime Star Wars student and critic.
If the planet name "Kamino" caught some Latinos' attention, three Arab-Americans on The News' panel seized on the fact that Jango's son calls him "Baba."
"I frankly think the bounty hunter is Arab," says college counselor Imad Nouri of Royal Oak.
"He's basically a terrorist," explains Nouri, "and 'baba' is Arabic for 'father.' "
Such allegations have a long history in that galaxy far, far away. A number of observers noted that the 1977 original was, at least at the human level, an all-white party -- looking, in Anderson's words, "like the Ku Klux Klan's fantasy of the future."
The only exception was Darth Vader's basso-profundo voice, supplied by African-American actor James Earl Jones.
Which leads to all sorts of ironies, intentional or not: Darth Vader has a black man's voice when he's bad, but in Clones -- before Anakin Skywalker does the Darth-thing and defects to the Dark Side -- he's a white guy, played by Hayden Christensen.
The big question lurking beneath all this ethnic deconstruction: Could any of this possibly be deliberate?
For their part, The News' panelists were divided.
"The plot is so superficial," says Cuello, "I don't think they could possibly have any deliberate intent about manipulating images."
Like almost everybody who commented on Lucas, Anderson doubts there's anything malicious going on.
"If your entire world perspective is based on 1950s TV and films, what do you expect?" he asks. "Garbage in and garbage out."
For her part, Guzman was astonished that, given the Jar Jar flap, Lucas didn't scrutinize everything a little more critically this time around. "He's been criticized before," she says. "So he had a choice."
It's not that she's opposed to Latin-looking baddies per se. She just wishes the occasional swarthy good guy would get as much on-screen time as the villain.
"Jimmy Smits had all of two lines in the whole movie," Guzman says. "And Samuel Jackson had like five. Then there's the bad guy."
For pop-culture professor Robert Thompson at Syracuse University -- who has yet to see Clones -- the issue boils down to whether Lucas really wanted to tweak Anglo fears.
He's inclined to say no, attributing Lucas' occasionally confusing choices to "a certain degree of cluelessness. Look at Jar Jar Binks. The moment that guy comes on the screen, you wonder what in the world they were thinking. This isn't 1957. Didn't anybody say, 'Have you paid attention to what this guy is doing?' "
The sad thing, he says, is that the Star Wars saga is also "about tolerance and dignity. But then you've got this 'camino' thing, which sounds a little creepy, and swarthy people who march in uncountable masses."
Thompson calls the imagery in Star Wars a "great big Rorschach test, not just for the people who watch the movies, but for Lucas himself." With the latter, that leads him to two possibilities.
"One is that this is coming out of the id of the creator without translation -- a West Coast fear of the Latino population in America." (Lucas grew in the 1950s in Modesto, Calif., the agricultural town immortalized in American Graffiti, and one visited annually by thousands of migrant workers.)
The second hypothesis, he notes, is that it's all deliberate -- a way to prompt deep emotional response in audiences by probing "a phobia that's afoot in America. And that's the scarier interpretation."
Or, as some argue, perhaps it's all stuff and nonsense.
Knowles at aintitcool.com keeps emphasizing on the fact that Temeura Morrison, the actor who plays Jango, is Maori.
When asked how audiences are supposed to know that, he says, "How can you tell? You stay for the end credits. Is his name 'Raul Julia?' No."
But even if Jango was meant to be taken as a Latino, others just don't see a problem.
"At least we're in the picture," says Hollywood producer Michael Gonzalez with a laugh.
"I mean, what did we have before -- Lt. Torres on Star Trek? It's just a movie," he says. "It's just fun. And you're going to hit a stereotype one way or another. At least we get some screen time."
In any event, Guzman doubts most Hispanics will notice, if only "because they're so used to seeing images like that of themselves -- little dialogue, always being the bad guy. It's going to take the intellectual community to call Lucas on what he's doing."
Latinos are now the nation's largest minority. But box-office analyst Adam Farasati -- who argues Hollywood rarely takes minority concerns into consideration -- doesn't see any collateral damage to the film's profits.
"The only real issue is that Attack of the Clones is one of most anticipated movies of all time," he says from RealSource's Los Angeles office.
"And beyond that, any type of media attention -- even negative -- really just creates more hype for a film that has hype coming out its ears."

You can reach Michael H. Hodges at (313) 222-6021 or mhodges@detnews.com.

STARWARS (Episodes 4 to 6 inclusively) Fact NOT Fiction by JAH

2008-09-24T21:25:00.000-07:00

STARWARS (Episodes 4 to 6 inclusively) Fact NOT Fiction by JAH

George Lucas quite naturally believes that he wrote "Starwars", when, in reality, he was told telepathically what to write in the original first three Episodes (4-6), by the very "Force" to which the films refer, and was "forced" to make only episodes 4-6, first, as a very important step in the preparation of mankind for the long-awaited TRUTH, about the real reasons for human life on Earth ("what on earth am I doing here?"), the meaning of life and its purpose, contained in "The Way home or face The Fire", from which episodes 1-3 should have been made, as I did my best, frequently, to tell him.

Unfortunately George Lucas has exercised his "Free-will"; ignored me and made Episode 1 - "The Phantom Menace"; with arrogant actors who publicly ridicule the real message and the real fans, which undermines the original theme and Divine Message; contradicts it and is mere fiction (lies), telepathically fed to him by the Dark-side force (Satan), to try to confuse everyone and undo the good (God's) message contained in the earlier three films (Episodes 4-6). This is Satan's standard-practice and very predictable. He has done it with the Old Testament; New Testament and Koran and the three major religions who claim to be based on them.

Not understanding that he was being told telepathically, Lucas thinks that "Starwars" came from his imagination, which is a perfectly normal human reaction that many people have had over the centuries. Rudyard Kipling thought that he wrote "IF"; Oscar Wilde thought that he wrote "The Picture of Dorian Gray"; Joe Darion thought he wrote the words to "The Impossible Dream"; Steven Spielberg thinks he wrote "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and the list is endless.

Although "Starwars" (Episodes 4-6) is set as science-fiction and in a distant galaxy to make it entertaining, it actually refers to this galaxy and life on Earth.

There actually was a REAL star war thousands of human years ago, in this galaxy, on the "Morning Star" [Venus] (Revelation 12 v 7; 22 v 16; Isaiah 14 v 12 in the king James Authorised Version of the Bible [which was the ONLY translation worth reading until the new "King of kings' Bible" was completed]); (Koran sura 6:76 and 86:1-4) and you were ALL on the losing side.

It is IMPERATIVE that I say, at this point, that the "Star" of Bethlehem was a SPACESHIP and that God and Christ are aliens and the Books known to you as the Old Testament; New Testament and Koran are NOT religious Books in the way that you all think of religion today. These Books are a guide/map sent by the "Force" from the Morning Star and which have been taken and used; abused and mis-interpreted by the various Religious Organisations for their own material benefit.

In the film, "O.B.1 - Kanobi" tells Luke Skywalker about the "Force" and describes it as a good energy field that gives a JEDI his power and which surrounds us, penetrates us and binds the galaxy (Universe in reality) together ("love thy neighbour") and he goes on to say that it is created by all Living things and that Life makes it grow, which is repeated later on by YODA.

In fact, the "Force" Itself is the source and Creator of Life and it is Love (not sex) that makes it grow. This small mistake about the creation of Life and the "Force" is the only mistake that O.B.1 and YODA make and everything else that they say about the "Force" and how to use it are perfectly correct.

O.B.1 tells Skywalker that he must learn The Way of the "Force" and how to use the "Force" so that he can help others and Luke replies that he has work to do and that he hates evil, but there is nothing he can do about it, which reflects and symbolises almost everyone on Earth's attitude and reply.

Once Luke has lost his human family and all his material possessions, which are the things that bind him to the Earth and he has "nothing to lose" except his human life, he decides to learn to "use the Force" and fight to put the world right, symbolising what the Disciples did (Luke 18 v 28-30).

The demonstration, where O.B.1 tells the storm-troopers that they do not need to see Luke's identification and that he can move along and go about his business demonstrating that the "Force" can have a strong effect on the weak-minded, actually works, but it works telepathically via the "Force", not with spoken words. It is done with words in the film because it cannot be shown telepathically on a film-screen.

The coffee-bar full of weird creatures symbolises many of the places you have been yourselves, full of "creatures of the night", not all of whom are really bad, but where some boast of their evil deeds and fighting ability and who pick fights with you for no reason.

Luke starts to learn to use the "Force," firstly trying to use his human eyes, then later whilst wearing a helmet with the "blast-shield" down (Ephesians 6 v 17) so that he cannot see, symbolising "blind-faith".

He is told not to trust his human eyes because they can deceive him (like yours deceive you) but to stretch out with his feelings (not human emotions) and feel the "Force" around him, guiding him and protecting him from attack.

The "Light-sabre" symbolises a combination of the Guiding-Light ("I am the Guiding-Light of the world" - John 8 v 12), and the Two-edged Sword of TRUTH (Ephesians 6 v 17; Hebrews 4 v 12; Revelation 1 v 16 & 19 v 15) [like "Excalibre" - the Sword of Power] which guides people with "blind-faith" and cuts through the lies; deceit and evil of this evil empire (Earth) and protects you from evil attack, both mental and physical, like a suit of armour (Ephesians 6 v 10-19). "He who draws Excalibre (the TRUTH) from this 'Stone' (Christ - Genesis 49 v 24; Daniel 2 v 34; 1 Peter 2 v 4-9) shall be king" (Revelation 1 v 6) - FREE (John 8 v 32, 36; 1 Corinthians 7 v 22).

The "remote" ball that shoots out red "fiery darts" to attack him from all angles, symbolises the way that Satan will attack you from every possible angle if you do good in the world (Ephesians 6 v 16) and that, using the "Force" and the "Light-sabre", you can always defend yourself (Ephesians 6 v 10-19). Satan will always attack anyone who does good in the world because by doing good you have become a threat to him. He will attack you from every possible angle; from within telepathically, with fear and your imagination running riot; and from without by sending people to get in your way to try to stop you.

To be able to wear the "Force's" Armour you have to first be able to find it and you can only do that by following the Guiding Light's instructions (Christ's True Secret Teaching in John 3 and the Gospel of Thomas - The Doubter), even if you do it unknowingly.

Once Luke feels the "Force" and blocks the "fiery darts", O.B.1 tells him he has "just taken his first step into a larger world" - the real world, the spirit world, immortality and eternity and is no longer a slave to this material world, but has taken his first step into God's Kingdom here on Earth.

Han Solo, who portrays the typical human; scornful; sceptical attitude, says it is luck because he doesn't believe that there is one all-powerful (Almighty) Force controlling everything and that there is no mystical energy-field controlling his destiny. Han, like most humans, does not believe, nor has "blind-faith", in anything he cannot see or touch, so later on he gets into terrible trouble and has no "Light-sabre" with which to defend himself and Luke has to save him.

When their spaceship is caught in a "tractor-beam" which is physically more powerful than their ship O.B.1 says they cannot win by physical fighting, but that there are alternatives to physical fighting when you are physically out-numbered.

Once their ship has been drawn by the "tractor-beam" into the control of the empire, they then connect their droid - R.2.D.2 - to the Death-Star's main computer (via the Internet) and R.2.D.2 finds the location of the power-source controlling the "tractor-beam" which is keeping them from leaving and makes it appear on the computer-monitor.

The location of the "power-source" is shown as being a shape similar to a church door / arch-way, which appears on the computer-monitor to show that the evil Empire uses all organised religions to deceive the masses and to draw people into them and to keep them under their control and away from God (The Force).

The tractor beam is coupled to the main-reactor in seven locations, which represents the seven churches that Christ condemned in the Apocalypse / Revelation. Seven, in Scripture, is the number of completeness and, in referring to the seven churches, Christ is condemning all churches and organised religions.

The "Force" then guides OB1 to the power source of the "tractor-beam" (organised religions - bureaucracy - officialdom - oppression) which overpowered them and showed him how to neutralise its power, without physically harming anyone.

Han and Luke, however, in complete contrast, were having to fight physically, like maniacs, because they did not know how to use the "Force".

Luke offers to go with O.B.1, but is told that his destiny lies along a different path, even though they were going in the same direction, just as each of you are individuals and have a different path; but The Way is The Same.

When Luke finds out that the princess is a prisoner and wants to rescue her, Han Solo won't help him because he is selfish and doesn't want to risk his own life, to save hers. "But they are going to execute her" (Luke). "Better her than me" (Han)! Typical human attitude.

Luke is about to give up on Han, when the "Force" tells him telepathically that if Han won't help because it's the right thing to do, then Luke must appeal to his sense of greed. He does and Han changes his mind and helps rescue her. They then follow her advice (like Adam does with Eve) and get into worse trouble until the "Force" again comes to the rescue and tells Luke to use his communicator to get help.

Han then says that if they can avoid any more female advice (women's liberation - 1 Timothy 2 v 11-14 note well Genesis 3 v 17) they will be able to get out of trouble and that no material reward is worth the female abuse he is getting (Hell has no fury like a woman's scorn).

O.B.1 then has to fight, using his blue "Light-sabre" against Darth Vader with his red light-sabre which symbolises Satan's dark (side) force and he tells Vader that he cannot win because if he strikes him down he will become more powerful than he (Vader) can possibly imagine.

Deciding it better to sacrifice his own human life, for the benefit of his friends and the common-good of all who hate evil, he voluntarily allows himself to be sacrificed whilst his friends escape ("greater Love hath no man than this; that a man lay down his life for his friends" - John 15 v 13).

This is a demonstration of "Self-sacrifice" i.e. the total destruction of his own selfishness (following Jesus' example on the cross - "I am The Way" you have to be, to be able to follow me back to Heaven - "I am NOT from this world" - John 8 v 23).

Once O.B.1 had destroyed his own selfishness he knew that he would have passed the "Force's" test and would become a "Being of Light" or angel again and so would be more powerful than Vader could possibly imagine, becoming his real self again (his soul) and be able to be Luke's "guardian angel", which he actually does become.

Luke does not understand and thinks O.B.1 is dead, just as you do about each other, and cannot believe that he is gone until he learns that O.B.1 is still alive and has become his guardian angel.

Darth Vader symbolises the Devil's disciples of whom this world has seen many, e.g. Adolf Hitler - the anti-christ 666 ("storm-troopers" with their cylindrical pouches hanging from the back of their waists just like Hitler's storm-troopers had), who have used the dark-force - Satan's powers to wreak havoc and evil on mankind (please see my "The Real Darth Vader" Booklet). Hitler was actually trained as a Satanist. These people have always been beaten by people who were not afraid to lay down their human lives, for the benefit of others (Churchill said, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."). At the end of the first film, the fighters are reminiscent of "The Battle of Britain".

It should be obvious to you by now that Vader's emperor symbolises Satan and the evil empire is Earth, where we are in "the dark-times" because Satan is ruling, due to a desperate shortage of JEDI Knights. That is why the Earth is so bad and full of evil with child-molesting; raping; mugging; murdering; adultery; religious, political and commercial wars etc. etc. etc.

The empire then plays a trick on the heroes and lets them escape with a homing-device onboard, but, as with all tricks, it eventually back-fires on them and brings about their own downfall.

One of the emperor's governors says that the regional governors (national governments) will take control of their territories (countries - using their Tie- [collar and tie] Fighters) and that their technological terrors (military weapons) will keep the locals (you) in line.

Vader, their high-priest, then says, when challenged, that they should not be too proud of the technological terrors that they have constructed because the ability to destroy a planet (nuclear weapons) is insignificant compared to the power of the "Force" and that he finds his colleague's lack of "faith" disturbing.

Han starts to boast about their escape and says he is not helping because it is the right thing to do, or even out of Love, and that he is only in it for the money. The princess then tells him that if money is all that he cares about then that will be all that he will receive and says to Luke that she wonders if Han really cares about anyone, or anything, except himself and money. This is again the typical human attitude and symbolises the fact that if you are selfish and care only about yourself and money you will never find true happiness (Joy) and real Love and friendship and the contentment brought about by a sense of real achievement at having faced all the odds and having won because you did what was right and didn't give-in. Money can buy you none of those things.

The empire's weakness is found and symbolises that one man, if he hits the right spot, can cause a chain-reaction that will destroy the whole system and that he will have the advantage because the system thinks that it is too big and too powerful to be destroyed by one fighter. This under-estimation on the part of the system then gives the advantage to the single but determined to win, come what may, fighter. This is to show you that you CAN do something and can win if you have enough faith and use the "Force's" guidance (Matt. 21 v 21 where the words 'mountain' and 'sea' are code-words for 'government' and 'people', respectively). For further information about codes, please read my "Four Horsemen" Booklet.

Han collects his money and is leaving when he is needed most and even tries to get Luke to run away from his responsibilities (like Peter does - Matt. 16 v 22) and Luke tells him to take care of himself because it seems that that is what Han is best at (like Matt. 16 v 23).

Luke is upset because he thought that in Han he had found a real friend and that Han had changed but finds out that Han is only a 'fair-weather' friend. Princess Leia tells Luke that everyone must choose their own path and no-one can choose it for them (which applies to all of you too).

Luke, under telepathic-guidance from his guardian-angel O.B.1, uses the "Force" to destroy the evil-oppressor when everyone else, relying on human-technology, has failed miserably.

Han; having second-thoughts because his conscience (the "Force") has pricked him and shamed him into not being so selfish; returns at just the right moment (Divine Timing) and helps Luke to destroy the enemy.

Leia is excited and says that she knew that doing what was right was really more important to Han than money.

Even the robots display unselfishness with C3PO offering some of his parts to help repair R2D2.

In the second film, of the trilogy, O.B.1 tells Luke that he must go to the Day-go-by System and learn from YODA - the JEDI Master (teacher) who instructed O.B.1.

The Day-go-by System and YODA (YO/DA - YOur DAily) the JEDI (JE/DI - JEsus' DIsciple) teacher symbolised in the film by a planet and a wise alien teacher respectively are actually a daily (YOur DAily) type of learning system and a Book (called "God Calling" by Two Listeners, published by Arthur James, available from all good book-shops).

Luke says the Day-go-by System contains no cities (concentrations of evil) or technology, but massive Life readings (it is a Book) ("the Words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are Life" - John 6 v 63).

YODA tells Luke that wars do not make one great because Luke has the wrong idea about fighting, just like Peter had when he cut off the High-Priest's servant's ear - John 18 v 10.

Everything that YODA tells Luke about the "Force" and how to learn to use it is perfectly correct.

The cave symbolises the dark-side (Genesis 6 v 5) and the imagination (when it runs riot with fear and evil imaginings) or "Cavern of your mind", inside of which there is only what you take with you and obviously you need no physical weapons to enter your mind and overcome your fears and find calm, peace of mind - all you need is the "Force".

Once Luke has found YODA, the emperor (Satan - Lucifer) says that he has a new enemy who could destroy his evil empire and put the world right and bring peace, Love and harmony, to everyone. (Like Muad'Dib does in the film "Dune" - please see my "Dune-Gibraltar" Booklet).

Luke practises standing on his head with YODA and R2D2 standing on his upturned feet, which symbolises that he is training himself to use the "Force" so well that he can do it "standing on his head". YODA and R2D2, being supported by Luke's feet symbolises that when he loses his "blind-faith" and thereby the "Force's" help, he lets down not only himself but those who are depending upon him to succeed.

YODA tells him that he must UNLEARN what the world has taught him and that we are really "Luminous Beings" ("Beings of Light" - angels) and NOT crude human-matter - John 3 v 5 & 6; Matt. 22 v 30.

Closing his eyes, symbolising his own "blind-faith", YODA moves Luke's spaceship, out of the swamp, onto dry land; after Luke has already "tried" and failed, making the situation worse for whoever comes after him, because of his lack of faith; symbolising that enough faith can move a mountain (Matt. 17 v 19-20). YODA then grunts "Thank You" to the good "Force" for having helped him to move the ship.

Luke says he doesn't believe it and YODA tells him that that is why he fails (Matt. 17 v 19-20 & 13 v 58).

Through the remainder of the film and its sequel, Luke learns more and more faith; control and how to use the "Force", fighting progressively harder fights against more and more difficult adversaries, as part of his training, until he eventually fights against Vader (the Black Pope), who is a real devil's disciple. Luke loses because he has not mastered his "Self"-control and use of the "Force".

Vader then tells Luke that he is his "father" (Matt. 23 v 9) and tries to pull him back from becoming a JEDI, symbolising Matt. 10 v 34-37 - "I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man in dis-agreement with his father and a man's foes SHALL BE they of his own household. He that loves father or mother more than me: and he who loves son or daughter more than me is NOT worthy of me".

Luke escapes, by being prepared to sacrifice his human-life rather than do evil, and is left hanging upside down on a cross after refusing to join his father. He is then rescued with the assistance of the "Force". Luke continues his training, gaining more and more faith, until he has really mastered the technique and becomes a JEDI Knight, at which point he has become invincible. He eventually fights Vader again and wins, but refuses to kill him because he feels that there is still some good in Vader (even in the most evil people there is some good).

The emperor then attacks Luke when he drops his defence and Vader defends him, giving his own life in the process.

Luke still doesn't understand about the human physical body and the soul because he wants to save Vader's human-life and Vader tells him that Luke's Love and actions causing Vader to turn from evil to good and give his life for others has saved him and earned him his right to become a "Being of Light" again (angel) and then O.B.1; YODA and Vader (Anakin Skywalker) are all shown as angels.

I hope that I have succeeded in proving to you all that although "Starwars" is shown as science-fiction, the theme running through it is TRUE and refers to this planet and shown you that what Luke Skywalker learns is what each and everyone of you HAS TO learn in order to get out of Hell, which is where you are now, and become an angel again and go home, never having to wear crude, smelly, clumsy, human-matter again. YODA calls that state of freedom from matter "forever sleep" - like a wonderful dream.

You must learn The Way of the "Force" and become JEDI Knights and fight to put the world right. The ONLY alternative is to face the IMMINENT Apocalypse; the "Fire" and be executed for YOUR war crimes.

In the same way that you know "Starwars" and the "Force" are not religious by today's understanding of the word, I hope that I have now convinced you of the TRUTH that the Old Testament; New Testament; Koran; God and Christ are not religious (by today's definition) either and that I have helped you all towards a new (to you), TRUE and SENSIBLE understanding of the Teachings. You should read the new "King of kings' Bible", which contains all three Holy Books.

I have kept this explanation as short as possible because if I had gone into detail on every point, it would have become a book, and I have already written a Book (The Way home or face The Fire) to explain everything in detail.

Copyright © 1985 revised 1999 - JAH - all rights reserved.

George Lucas has been given all his world-wide success with "Starwars", by the "Force", so that the world would see the films in preparation for the "long-awaited" TRUTH contained in His new Book, called "The Way home or face The Fire", which explains everything you need to know, and some of you have always wondered about but had no-one to ask. This Book, along with the Book - "YODA JEDI Master*" and total commitment on your part, will teach you how to SURVIVE the Apocalypse and eventually earn you your right to go HOME.

* YODA (YO/DA - YOur DAily) JEDI (JE/DI - JEsus' DIsciple) Master / Teacher is actually a daily (YOur DAily) type of learning system in a Book called "God Calling" by Two Listeners, published by Arthur James and available from most good book-shops. It is also available from JAH. Please click here for details.

You can not afford to be without them.

I’m Going To See “The Clone Wars” Ziro Times

2008-09-24T21:21:00.001-07:00

I’m Going To See “The Clone Wars” Ziro Times

It’s hard to call George Lucas a racist or a bigot becuase I get the impression he really has no idea what he’s doing. Remember those interviews a few years ago with Michael Jackson where you really started to believe that he had NO IDEA that he was, in fact, a pedophile? I feel the same way about G.L. He seems completely oblivious to the effect his meddling has had on his once beloved franchise.

This guy practically had Jar Jar dancing a soft shoe, and singing “Mammy” in black face. He’s completely gone. I guarantee you he has some bullshit philosophy that “it’s not even the same galaxy, so Earth’s racial and sexual stereotypes have no relevance. Anyway let’s get ready to shoot the cross burning on Tatooine.”

So now he’s made the first flaming Hutt (that has to be a drink at the Mos Eisley Cantina). Again, I assume he has no idea what he’s done. The conversation went like this:

GL: “Guys, for Jabba’s Uncle Ziro, I want him to be purple, wear make up, have feathers in his hair, be very effeminate and for good measure let’s give him the distinctive voice of a famous homosexual author.”

Guys: “Isn’t that… going to offend gays?”

GL: “This is a long time ago in a galaxy far away! Why do I have to tell you this every day?! There is no predjudice against space-gays in the Star Wars Universe. IT’S NOT CANON! IT’S NOT CANON! IT’S NOT CANON! IT’S NOT CANON! IT’S NOT CANON! IT’S NOT CANON!”

Then he stomps a whole in the ground and turns to stone.

When I saw Gendy Tartakovsky’s animated “Clone Wars” on Cartoon Network, I was convinced that it was a positive turning point for Star Wars. The stylized animation was distinct and likable, the voice acting was, at times, excellent and the stories the series told were compelling. Mace Windu took out an entire droid army by himself. It was awesome.

When I found out they were remaking the series as a CGI movie (with a new tv series to follow) I groaned that same “Lucas can’t leave well enough alone” groan I’ve been groaning for years.

Sure enough, the reviews are confirming my fears. Many of you will say, “I don’t read reviews. I see the movie and decide for myself.” Be my guest.

Racism Reaches Outer Space

2008-09-24T21:17:00.001-07:00

Stereotypes in a Distant Galaxy -- Racism Reaches Outer Space

By Lee Hubbard

Date: 06-03-99

Enthralling action, breathtaking special effects, and skillful promotion are drawing crowds to the most recent "Star Wars" offering. But very near the surface of all this dazzle are some familiar -- and ugly -- stereotypes which do not belong in any universe. PNS commentator Lee Hubbard is a writer on the staff of the San Francisco Bay View. His e-mail address is superle@hotmail.com.

I remember sitting on my father's shoulders as I waited in line to see a new movie about space called "Star Wars." I was 5 years old, bubbling with excitement as the line inched forward, eager to see this film everyone was talking about.

Fast-forward 23 years and I find myself in a similar situation, but this time I'm the father, standing in line with my 9-year old son and daughter waiting to see "Phantom Menace," the prequel to the Star Wars Trilogy.

My reactions to George Lucas's new film were also similar -- but for different reasons.

While "Star Wars" shocked me with its view of the possibilities of space, "Phantom Menace" shocked me with its stereotypical images. These are not subliminal like those you have to watch several times to catch. The images in "Phantom Menace" jump out at you.

Within seconds, viewers are introduced to the evil Trade Federation, which is attempting to shut down and dominate the trade routes of the peaceful Naboo (white) people. Nute Gunray, the sinister slant eyed Viceroy of the trade federation and his aide talk in broken English reminiscent of Asian characters in the past like Charlie Chan. In outer space, creatures come in all shapes and sizes, but the accent of the evil trade merchants of the trade federation cannot be disguised -- and continues throughout the film.

The action in the film so enthralled me that I didn't pay much attention to this, but the second foreign like character in the film, Jar Jar Binks, disturbed me. Binks is an amphibious creature, clumsy and child-like. He has protruding lips, buckeyes, floppy ears that look like dreadlocks and he speaks in a manner that resembles a West Indian dialect.

While his looks were disturbingly ugly, his voice and accent were uglier. He answers one question, "Me so don't think so." As people laughed at Binks, I couldn't help but wonder if I was in on the joke. The buffoonish image would make Kingfish of Amos and Andy look like an international statesman.

I thought I was over-reacting, until my daughter tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "Daddy, is that a Jamaican or something?"

Binks' people, the Gungan, behave in an even more child-like manner, led by a buffonish character, who resembles the old stereotype of the silly African like tribal chieftain, and bumbles over his words.

This could have been enough stereotyping for one day, but "Phantom Menace" went for a triple with the character of Watto, a hooked nose, slave- owning junk dealer who spoke in a Middle Eastern accent, reminiscent of a Jew or an Arab.

Conservatives lash out at the insistence on political correctness, calling it a form of McCarythism, and there is some truth to the charge. But the lack of criticism of these stereotypes as George Lucas's "Phantom Menace" marches its way to huge box office numbers, is disturbing.

The lack of protest may reflect the fact that the movie has made over $200 million in two weeks. But with no explanation of the need for these characters, they detract from the movie and from the Star Wars mystique.

"Nothing in 'Star Wars' is racially motivated," said Lynne Hale, a spokeswoman for Star Was. "Star Wars is a fantasy movie set in a galaxy far, far away."

It may be set far far away, but familiar old stereotypical images of racism have been brought from earth into space. In a galaxy of diverse creatures, things should be color-blind, but in the "Phantom Menace," color blindness is a fantasy -- just as it is in real life.

George Lucas' Jedi mind trick

2008-09-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

George Lucas' Jedi mind trick
The filmmaker says that we have to accept responsibility for our actions. So why can't he own up to his racist stereotypes?

- - - - - - - - - - - -
By Alynda Wheat

March 22, 2000 | George Lucas sounds like a Jedi when he talks about the power of his movies. "One of the big rules that I live by is to accept responsibility for what I'm doing," he told my graduate journalism class at the University of California at Berkeley recently. "You can't sort of pretend that you're not, or that you're not influencing people."

Lucas had stopped in to talk and answer questions for about 50 students in the journalism school's documentary film program. And it was a nice, congenial -- if dry -- talk until he turned it into a forum for bashing movie critics and denying that his "Star Wars" characters draw on racist caricatures. But I'll get to that in a minute.

For the first hour, Lucas rambled on about technical matters, pausing occasionally to touch on big issues, like the subjective nature of truth and the way that individuals perceive reality in different, equally valid ways. This was a discussion for documentarians, after all.

But something had been nagging at me ever since I saw his blockbuster opus. I raised my hand, swallowed and asked a question that seemed obvious. "Mr. Lucas, given your anthropological interests, were you surprised by the criticism of 'The Phantom Menace' as having ethnic and racial overtones?"

Bad idea. Lucas launched into a windy tirade against critics and the news media, which he accused of having to manufacture controversy in order to sell papers. "You can't sell newspapers by saying nice things about something," he claimed. "You can only sell newspapers by creating controversies and making controversies."

He seemed extraordinarily defensive. I thought I'd phrased the question carefully enough. I went through the checklist in my head. Did I call him Mr. Lucas? Check. Did I studiously avoid suggesting that I thought the film was racist? Check. Did I phrase it in such a way that he wouldn't feel attacked? Not according to him.

"You hurt my feelings," he told me privately after the discussion ended. And I suppose that's a possibility. But Lucas, as he had shown, isn't willing to extend his viewers the same courtesy.

I assume that he felt attacked. Maybe it was the setting: There were dozens of university students seated before him in rapt attention, eager to learn from him, the George Lucas. And I had burst his bubble -- again. Back when "The Phantom Menace" came out last summer, several critics accused Lucas of perpetuating racist stereotypes, particularly with the Gungan character Jar Jar Binks. Joe Morgenstern, writing for the Wall Street Journal, called Binks a "Rastafarian Stepin Fetchit on platform hoofs, crossed annoyingly with Butterfly McQueen."

Lucas stubbornly dismissed the idea that Jar Jar could be linked to stereotypes of African-American slaves or minstrel characters. "How, in any credible way, could you take an orange amphibian and say that this was a racial stereotype for African-Americans?" he asked.

When I mentioned Jar Jar's Caribbean patois he simply cut me off. "Just because somebody has an accent doesn't make them a stereotype of a particular kind of thing."

And he was right. Accents in and of themselves may not be stereotypical. But it's the overall image of Jar Jar that smacks of racism. His buffoonery, gait, appearance (one journalist thought his ears were reminiscent of dreadlocks) and word choice all combine to make him offensive. Lucas refused to even entertain the possibility his work might contain such stereotypes.

I felt betrayed. I had long been a fan of the "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars" series. When I was a little girl, there wasn't much that my father and I both enjoyed. But we loved to run around the house in our socks with plastic light sabers glowing incandescent red and green. I'd make him play Darth Vader to my Luke Skywalker. "Star Wars" spoke to the child I was, and that my dad still wanted to be. Now, 20 years later, my younger brothers chase my dad (who's gotten a little slower, he admits) with towels pinned to their pajamas to make capes and tin foil covering old wrapping-paper tubes for light sabers. At ages 4 and 6, they were among a small group I knew who didn't think there were racial problems with "The Phantom Menace."

Lucas blamed the rash of criticism on a single Los Angeles Times writer who he said had misheard Jar Jar say the word, "Massa." "The L.A. Times took that little statement that was in a review and turned it into a whole thing about the film was racist, anti-Semitic and misogynist and everything else they could think of."

"Critics aren't creators, they're destroyers," he said. "And I don't think any creative person will ever argue with me about that."

I mentioned that I review films, but that didn't do anything to slow him down. "Most of them that I've met are reasonably dim-witted," he said of critics. "I mean, they aren't like the rest of us. They don't have any knowledge of anything. They're not successful in any world that I've ... They certainly don't know anything about history; they don't know anything about film. They don't know anything about politics. They don't know anything about sociology or psychology or anything. I mean, it's like, you get into a conversation with them and it's hard to find a subject that they can actually converse on."

Well, that tore the room up. "And I'm being kind," he added as soon as the laughter died down. Another student asked him a question about the next installment of the series, and Lucas said goodbye.

I was reeling. The only thing more offensive than his name-calling was the implication that filmgoers are sheep. Without the Los Angeles Times article, he suggested, no one would have thought the film was racially problematic. Of course, Lucas didn't bother to mention that at least 15 other articles and reviews in papers from Salt Lake City to Omaha to New York had suggested that the film contained racist elements before the L.A. Times article ever appeared.

But Lucas had his mind made up. The critics were out to get him, and he hadn't made any mistakes. In essence, his opinions, his facts, precluded the possibility that he could have, in his words, hurt anyone's feelings. If you thought the film was racist, by his estimation, your view wasn't "credible." Or, if your feelings were hurt by his images, it's because you just can't see him the way he sees himself -- as a benevolent creator who gives the world his gift, celebrates universal harmony and the triumph of good over evil.

Lucas wasn't willing to take responsibility for his characters because he couldn't accept that a lack of racist intent does not absolve him of that responsibility. It goes to his statement that there are different, equally valid perceptions of reality. It's just unfortunate that he doesn't seem to buy that, either. "It's your truth," he told us. But apparently, in Lucas' world, his truth is the only one that matters.

And that hurt my feelings.
salon.com | March 22, 2000

Deriding George Lucas as a form of Entertainment

http://threadtheneedle.blogspot.com/2005/05/i-hate-george-lucas.html

ThankyouGeorge.com

Friday, May 13, 2005

ThankyouGeorge.com

Let it be clearly stated that George Lucas and his cohorts have purposely attempted to influence and indoctrinate their viewers with an eastern, new a

Star Wars: One World Religion According To George Lucas

FOOTNOTES:

Meesa tink he tink he smarter than meesa

...it's a Trojan horse for New Age beliefs

. . .

George Lucas = Rich-ass racist MoFo

. .

George Lucas is a racist

Star Wars: Lucas strikes back

Is Ziro The Hutt The First Gay Alien In ‘Star Wars’ History?

George Lucas loses his mind: How he ruined The Clone Wars

IF GEORGE LUCAS IS A NAZI THEN HE MUST BE CONSERVATIVE:

May 26, 2005

George Lucas serves up anti-Semitic stereotype in "Star Wars" Episode I

Watto as merchandized toy:The figure "talks" in a Yiddish accent?And what does he say?"You should cheat, Anakin, and win a race for once."

(c) 1999 Lucasfilm

Toydarian as toy

(c) 1999 Lucasfilm

Official poster for "The Power of Myth"European Roadshow to be held June to September 1999throughout Europe, sponsored by Kellogg's.Where's Watto? Saved for most potent mythic spot: the movie itself.(Notice King Arthur thrown into the mix)

(c) 1999 Lucasfilm

Detroit Racist Panel Struggles, Comes up with Ridiculous Allegations that Star Wars Attack of the Clones is Racist:

STARWARS (Episodes 4 to 6 inclusively) Fact NOT Fiction by JAH

I’m Going To See “The Clone Wars” Ziro Times

I’m Going To See “The Clone Wars” Ziro Times

Racism Reaches Outer Space

Stereotypes in a Distant Galaxy -- Racism Reaches Outer Space

By Lee Hubbard

George Lucas' Jedi mind trick

Watto as merchandized toy:
The figure "talks" in a Yiddish accent?
And what does he say?
"You should cheat, Anakin, and win a race for once."

Official poster for "The Power of Myth"
European Roadshow to be held June to September 1999
throughout Europe, sponsored by Kellogg's.
Where's Watto? Saved for most potent mythic spot: the movie itself.
(Notice King Arthur thrown into the mix)