The Motifs and Metaphors of Star Wars

The Star Wars saga is rich with ideas -- themes, characters, incidents, colours, locations and so forth. It has some of the most striking cinematic schema of all time. I thought it'd be cool to have a gathering place for some of this material. Use this thread to post and discuss your favourite motifs and metaphors in the saga. (Note: I am talking in imaginative SAGA terms; anyone who doesn't have an imagination or wants to dispute the nature of SW being a "saga" should stay away).

One of the things I'm beginning to suspect is that Lucas has somehow -- whether consciously or subconsciously or by pure accident -- repeatedly tapped into some of the deepest and most elemental features of human civilisation and the world itself. I've heard this said about Star Wars before, and I'll probably hear it said again, but whenever it's claimed, the same tropes are always wheeled out: the hero's journey, the everyman of Han, the strong colour symbolism, the universality of the Force, rebels vs an Empire. But that just bores me to tears. I GET IT. You get it. We all get it. We're familiar with that approach. To me, true or not, it's just dogma. It's the same drek that everyone keeps repeating. But I believe there to be more to the saga than that. Its very ideas are "ideas within ideas"; you can peel the onion and keep going. Let me show you what I mean. Then tell me if you agree and what you yourself see. And always remember: your focus determines your reality.

- The Death Star: This is a fantastic metaphor for the ultimate nightmare: technology run amok. It is Star Wars' answer to the One Ring from "Lord of the Rings" and the atomic bomb from our own world. The film series is called "Star Wars" and so having the word "Death" attached to "Star" heightens the sense of apocalyptic dread; the Death Star both drives and threatens the very narrative itself. But there's more here. Moons appear to connote destiny in Star Wars (Anakin mistakes Padme for an angel from a specific moon and moons feature prominently in key scenes denoting / connoting Anakin's turn to the Dark Side) and the Death Star is an artificial moon (even mistaken as such by Obi Wan in ANH), so the Death Star also connotes contrived destiny -- in other words, it's a symbol to the fact that we are capable of building our own destiny. The first Death Star is almost flawless, but Palpatine is unable to rid a tiny flaw (not quite "Power! Unlimited Power!"), and it's precisely this flaw exploited by Luke, reminding us that absolute control is an abject impossibility; the second Death Star is more massive but incomplete; although merely under construction, it looks like it's taken damage, which is an excellent metaphor for Palpatine's failing ability to control destiny as he nears his end, and it may also represent Anakin's own wavering commitment to do evil, shaken as he's become by Luke's rejection of him in TESB, meaning the unfinished Death Star also represents the broken fortunes of the Sith Order itself. In fact, ROTJ itself can be considered "A Tale of Two Moons": Palpatine's incomplete Death Star is perversely protected by technology placed on a natural moon, and is ultimately destroyed, along with himself and his other creation, Darth Vader, while the natural moon survives and prospers, becoming the final resting place of Anakin Skywalker and the birth of a new Jedi, not merely in the form of a person, but a combined galactic spirit in complete harmony and balance.

- The Darth Vader suit. Technology perverting / aiding life. On the one hand, the Darth Vader suit is a constant reminder that its owner has paid a price and is cheating death, and on the other, it represents the ability technology has to sustain and nourish us, if we can only bend it correctly to our will. On another level, it speaks to enslavement, reminding us of the supreme irony of Anakin's condition: a man who has sought power for freedom and only further shackled himself with every move. The suit also functions as an excellent metaphor for the shadow psyche of Anakin Skywalker that has become d

 

A few metaphoric morsels dealing with the ever-present ?bottomless pits? that adorn various SW settings:

TPM ? The Duel of the Fates ends with Obi-Wan?s life on the brink of destruction, with his hands liable to lose their grip on the solid structure (the Republic) that is both a foundation and a literal mouth of the pit. Rather than letting go of what he holds onto, and losing his life forever, Obi-Wan executes a garish flip that momentarily places himself above and beyond the foundation before landing to deliver the killing blow. It could be said the Jedi Order as a whole depended upon a similar movement in Attack of the Clones when they faced a Catch-22 similar to Obi-Wan?s physical finish of the duel in TPM. Obi-Wan kills Darth Maul, literally slices through half of Sithdom, yet paves the way for the great apprentice search that will eventually end with Anakin Skywalker. In the latter stages of the PT, the Jedi could either let go of the Republic and recognize the inevitability of destruction, or operate outside established boundaries by rising above the roles they accepted so long, replacing the peace-keeper description for a soldier?s position.

ESB ? Luke faces his darkest hour after learning his greatest enemy is his father. Yet the character denies the dark path Vader would have him walk, flinging himself towards possible death rather than accepting his father?s embrace. By doing this, Luke has passed his test. Thus we see the character pass through an enclosed tunnel before breaching the bottom-most opening of Cloud City and emerging as a man reborn.

RotJ ? Unlike Luke, Palpatine doesn?t emerge through the pit he?s thrust into. Rather, he?s consumed by the same terrible power he oversaw the creation of.

 

Nice input, ezekiel.

The preponderance of this motif does indeed, in addition to providing visceral tension, suggest a continual concern with defeat / consumption by the Dark Side.

This observation takes me to Yoda clinging onto the Chancellor's podium in the conclusion of his duel with Sidious in ROTS. Unlike Obi Wan, he slips and falls, shamed and defeated.

Another great pit / abyss motif is again in ROTS. It's when Anakin is carrying Obi Wan on his back and Palpatine is clutching his leg in the elevator shaft: Anakin is carrying the burden of the Jedi Order (Obi Wan) and being pulled towards the abyss / Dark Side (Palpatine), doing his level best to retain his self and save everyone.

I like how you linked this one up with Luke in TESB. Palpatine / Sidious is also thrown into the belly of the beast by his own creation (Vader / Anakin), paradoxically making his demise ironic and inevitable.

 

I don't think the senate chamber is meant to suggest anything sinister. It's pretty much visuallised after the classic senate model, which is round in design and pitted like a colloseum so as to project the voice of the person speaking. And really we only see Palpatine in the senate once or twice--the biggest senate scenes are in TPM where it is used traditionally. But some good thoughts otherwise.

 

It actually does look exactly like the Sarlacc pit--you need to include the podium thingy in the middle along with the sloping "teeth."

The Senate decays over a thousand years, the Sarlacc digests its prey over a thousand years, etc.

Take a look: http://gs.michaelhopcroft.com/motif/520

Anyway, more later!

 

Real quickly.

In A New Hope, the Empire was able to destroy a planet with the Death Star. In Attack of the Clones, it seems the Republic can cause a planet to "disappear" without one.

 

And Obi Wan is the first to sense something in both situations. Interesting.

Lost a planet? Can't find your homeworld? Then call 1138-OBI-1-KENOBI. Intergalactic, trans-dimension Force call tariffs may apply.

 

To take Ezekiel's ESB observation further:

After the events of Episode III, Luke's rebirth on Cloud City needn't be framed in Campbellian generalities. Much has been made of the corresponding temptations to which Vader subjects his wife and son, dealing with coups and revolutions and benevolent dynasties. Considering Palpatine's manifold iniquities, it was a fairly prudent angle. Naturally, Padme--the conscience of the PT--doesn't succumb; but Luke, the callow, ambitious prodigy--very much his father's son--could have. Miraculously, he doesn't, and in choosing death over dishonor/disorder/damnation, Luke shuns his monstrous father, escapes through that windy birth canal, and is thus reborn his mother's son. (Should we chalk it to coincidence that this is the juncture whereupon Luke makes contact with his sister?)

Really, the hero we see in ROTJ is an Amidala, prepared to make real Momma's last words.

 

Cryogenic, don't you know you're just creating depth were nothing exists but simple entertainment?
Don't you know you're only supposed to bash Lucas because that's geek-vogue and you do want to be part of the hive don't you?
Don't you know it's just a simple story about how a good actor goes bad because of poor storytelling and egregious directing?
But hey if it helps you appreciate Star Wars then **** away to your heart's content.
Me, I'm just going to curse the liar and obviously insecure Lucas and buy and only watch the unaltered laserdisc transfer, without the "Episode IV: A New Hope" header, version of Star Wars from now on and I'm going to try and forget all these lies Lucas has told about resurrected fathers, twin sisters and Sith Lord tragedies.

 

Now, now.

I think you're DEAD RIGHT about the avant-garde design of SW. Lucas' first film was "THX 1138". That is the proof. He even said in an interview within zombie's book that ANH is "THX 1138" plus "American Graffiti" plus a "new side" -- straight from the horse's mouth! Of course, I always take whatever Lucas says with a pinch of salt, but for those who think more literally, the proof is in that statement for them. And TESB is clearly more abstract. And so it goes, and so it goes...

I'm going to take this opportunity to actually use your sarcastic discourse here. You say "Sith Lord tragedies" mockingly, but who's to say there aren't actually two tragedies (yes, I'm talking about the plural; not sure if you did that on purpose or not). The tragedies are Palpatine and Anakin respectively. Not too many people are going to read the films that way, though. One loses balance and the other attains it.

If you have any actual insights here, please contribute them. I thank you for the "Explanation of the Saga" thread: it becomes more valuable every day!

 

Star Wars is not avant-garde. It contains some influences of Lucas' abstract nature--i mean one only has to look at images of the faceless white stormtroopers advancing through the smoke-filled white corridors of the blockade runner, or the "here they come" sequence which is a collage of shapes and movement--but Star Wars is the opposite of avant-garde, it is traditional. It was a return to the golden era of Hollywood, of swashbucklers, adventure, comic book material and black and white morality. And that was the experimental subject matter that Lucas tried out--it was counter to everything being done in contemporary cinema. Today it the norm but in 1976, when Taxi Driver, The Conversation and Dog Day Afternoon were the leading forefront of american moviemaking, doing something like Star Wars was itself untraditional. So in this paradoxical way one could call it experimental within the context, but theres nothing really avant-garde about it and thats about as obvious as it is obvious that Errol Flynn or Ray Harryhausen were neither avant-garde as well.

 

You're so sure of yourself, zombie. But I think you're looking at things -- indeed, I think that comes from looking at things -- too literally.

In wikipedia, a highly reliable source for broad definitions (as opposed to minutiae), "avant-garde" is defined as follows: "Avant-garde in French means front guard, advance guard, or vanguard. People often use the term in French, English, and German to refer to people or works that are experimental or novel, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics. Avant-garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm, or the status quo, primarily in the cultural realm." You'll see I'm using wikipedia for its democratic validity. This is an accurate representation of what is generally agreed upon. In that sense, it's the correct definition for our purposes, but what is generally agreed upon is not always correct, which is why we're having this discussion to begin with, and is the remainder of what I'm going to argue.

While "Star Wars" (taken to mean the original film and the saga respectively) is not literally abstract in the visual senses commonly ascribed, with some intriguing exceptions -- a degree of bend, you might say (e.g. Anakin and Dooku's lightsabver duel in AOTC) -- it *is* peculiar and subversive in its approach: an epic morality tale and dialectical story told in the simplistic language of ropey old serials. Moreover, the latter half of the tale was told before the earlier half, and a gap of a generation separates the two trilogies. It is extraordinarily unconventional on those terms. Further still, many of the themes and incidents overlap and repeat, and they do so in a way that transcends the confines of their individual parts. Because of the way that Lucas has told the story, isolated moments are now rich with meaning. Take Anakin's shifting to the light in TESB. We never see the character's face or hear any words from his mouth, but a significant story aspect is told in terms dependent on visuals and incident, as when he spares Piett's life, and also now in the manner that Vader's quiet countenance deliberately contrasts with Anakin's increasing fury after Padme's rejection in ROTS. There are also undeniable feats of staggering symbolism, such as Lucas referencing moons in Anakin's journey to the Dark Side (present, whether through dialogue or visuals, in numerous key shots and moments, from TPM to ROTJ). Much of the dialogue is also richly allusive, if lyrically dry (which is actually fitting of the commonly ascribed avant-garde aesthetic: i.e. dialogue is secondary to visuals / editing). There is also much commentary and satire by Lucas in the prequels, wherein he specifically toys with a viewer's foreknowledge of the original films and comments, via the character of Palpatine, on the nature of the narrative construction.

Avant-garde is about more than visuals. It defines an entire philosophy. And SW ad

 

Nice expansion, buy I?d alter it just a tad to suggest that Luke?s rebirth results in his RotJ embodiment being his parents' son rather simply his mother?s son. In true saga fashion of emphasizing the integral idea of balance, Luke is key in that he blends the best of both worlds in terms of his parents, brings to the table his mother?s vestige of hope as well as his father?s tenacity and willingness to act on belief. Remember that although Padme?s final words speak of Anakin still maintaining some degree of goodness, the whole losing the will to live thing indicates she just wasn?t up to the task of enduring what she had to in order to see her belief brought to fruition. Luke, on the other hand, clearly realizes that admitting a sense of hope is not enough, and that if Vader is to find the path towards redemption it will be because of Luke?s refusal to surrender in his quest to turn a hope into reality. Unfortunately, Padme didn?t exhibit this same resolve.

If examined with this perspective in mind, Luke?s black ensemble in Jedi is given meaning beyond the visual connection to Vader. Remember Padme?s all white ?fighting suit? in AotC? If the clothes make the person, Luke?s all black suit indicates his resolve is the opposite of his mother?s. She gave up on both the struggle and life after finding out her husband became a monster, whereas Luke was continuing the fight for his father?s redemption long after learning Anakin Skywalker?s dark truth.

 

"Avant-garde" is nothing more than new and unusual or experimental ideas.

I would say that the "symphonic composition" of the films is enough to consider them avant-garde, as well as the fact that they use traditional storytelling and cuting-edge technology to portray a startlingly complex myth wrapped in an outer layer of fluff.

Although it seems to be a contradiction, at least one aspect of the films that makes them avant-garde is their traditionality: the explicit attention given to convention makes them extremely post-modern.

Persona, which I own, is also avant-garde, albeit in the traditional understanding of the word.

Weird for the sake of weird? Ultimately concered with being original?

 

You think you know. I like the way that you seem to have positioned yourself as an authority on film. For the record: nobody, to the best of my knowledge, has ever declared these films as fully avant-garde. Rather, they are sometimes recognised to have elements that can be said to conform to the avant-garde philosophy. You seem concerned with operating from a narrow definition of the word and then boxing up films like candy. It just doesn't work that way. Art is subjective.

And which people would these figures be? I see vast generalisations with no evidence to back them up.

Bingo. You just said it yourself: "THX 1138" is of the literal avant-garde mould. And *I* said that Lucas stated that "Star Wars" ("A New Hope") is a hybrid of three things: "THX 1138", "American Graffiti" and a further side of himself. It is a fusion of concepts -- not merely genres -- on multiple levels. The avant-garde philosophy is an inherent part of its makeup.

More generalising and more failure to provide evidence. With the exception of DARTHIRONCLAD, myself and MisterVader just now, I've not seen any fan declare these films avant-garde. While some people see these films as more than just your every day "summer blockbusters", perhaps traversing into the avant-garde philosophical arena without realising, the actual term and concept itself is hardly ever used. To say nothing of anyone calling them "art-house experimental films", though in some ways, that's exactly what they are, in my opinion.

Again: who are these people? You're talking as if it's a major phenomenon, but I'm certainly not aware of one. Of course, any film can be "deep and rich and full of subtext without being avant-garde" -- perhaps -- but that's not the case with SW. I say that it's deep and rich and full of subtext and is avant-garde, at least in some senses of the term. From the way you're talking, SW is nothing but a more accomplished version of "Independence Day" or "Pirates of the Caribbean", but I feel it goes much beyond there, as do some select others. Of course, the prevalent dogma is to consider them as you do, so it's no wonder we don't hear these alternate views very often, which is why I'm even further mystified by your strange claims that "people" (suggesting many) see the films as avant-garde or art-house cinema.

With all due respect, even though I see what you've tried to do, I feel it is disingenuous to compare the towering

 

All the films, IMO, have elements of advent garde in them. Thats not to say they ARE advent garde movies, but they certainly have lots of advent garde elements and moments.

For instance, could the pod race during TPM not be described as being partly advent garde? Couldn't the brilliant white rooms and dream-like nature of Kamino in AOTC not be described as being an advent garde enviroment? What about the lightsaber "tone-poem" between Anakin and Dooku at the end of AOTC - If this isn't advent garde, I don't know what is? What about the terrific use of montage in ROTS, with the sequence of the Jedi being killed and Anakin slaughtering the sepratists as The Emperor declares the Empire, amongst others? What about the completely experimental nature of the special effects in ANH? If Advent Garde literally means "pushing the boundries" then ANH has to be the most advent garde of the series, as frankly, most of the technology that created the effects were made up by ILM as they went along. And what about the carbon freezing chamber in ESB and the "slo-mo Luke/Vader fight in the cave?

Now I'll grant you, I can't think of much in ROTJ that could be regarded as advent garde (maybe the speeder bike chase?) And that really tells you something about the blandness of the way ROTJ was created.

So it seems to me that nearly ever movie in the Saga has elements of advent garde filmaking. To argue otherwise seems churlish to me. But thats not to say the films ARE advent garde. Of course they are not, but those experimental elements are one of the important aspects of Star Wars that helps set it apart, in my mind, from the vast majority of "summer blockbusters"

 

G-FETT. That's it. That's my perspective.

But I will correct you on ROTJ. Although I think it is less imaginative than the other installments, I'd have to say its central concept is what saves it (in this context): the villain renouncing evil and becoming good. That's pretty profound, especially in the serial confines of SW. The deeply allegorical nature of the Death Star (IMO), intertwined with other contextualising elements within the narrative, also marks ROTJ out as deep and cohesive, though arguing for avant-garde status in any sense is tougher with this motion picture, in my opinion.

But I really want to get off this topic now. It's not what I designed the thread for or want it to be devoted to. If someone wants to talk about SW being avant-garde or not, they should create their own thread.

I missed some excellent posts earlier and want to use those to steer the discussion back:

This is a fantastic analysis. Perhaps it's also significant to say that both characters -- Anakin and Luke -- are named "Skywalker" and happen to "walk the sky" at Cloud City, discovering new things about themselves and their relationship with each other. Yoda tells Anakin that "death is a natural part of life", and this can be interpreted to mean, beyond the literal way that Yoda seemed to intend it when speaking to Anakin, that there are many deaths and rebirths in the span of a single lifetime. This is a defining one that Luke undergoes, and to some extent, Vader himself (who "dies" a little bit at Luke's rejection).

This is one of the best things I've ever read. So Luke is a balance between Padme's hope and Anakin's tenacity? I like it.

 

The story of ROTJ is definatly what saves it. At its heart its about redemption and redemption is always a powerful story to tell. ROTJ also has a satisfying quality of tying up all the loose ends. So, the story is fine and its ROTJ's best quality undoubtebly.

Could the three way ending be described as advent garde? There were not many films before or since, that I can think of, that had three differant storylines going on in the final 30 minutes. Of course, its another aspect that Lucas "borrowed" from THX 1138.

Anyway, as penance for going on about "advent garde" I'll try and come up with a post thats actually on topic about metaphors and motifs, tomorrow.

 

OK, HERE WE GO!
I've teased people with this a lot.
I prefer to call it "the silver triangle."

It shows up on Luke in the final moments leading to Vader's redemption...
It disappears every time Palpatine zaps his lighting (check it out in slo-mo)...
It represents something (a form of hope?), but in order to figure it out, we'll need to go on THE QUEST FOR THE SILVER TRIANGLE...

That flap on Luke's shirt may not be the only place the triangle lurks...

Look at the last shot of Vader in ROTS. Look what the iris closes in on. Now think about what the irises close on during the other closing shots of ROTS. The snippet on Padmé, Leia's big ol' face, the Lars family at the binary sunset...HOPE, anyone? The object for Padmé to remember Anakin, an OBVIOUS leader of the Rebel Alliance, and a repetition of one of the most famous shots ever, generally thought of as having something to do with "looking to the future."

But what about Vader's ending? I'm often skeptical about this myself, but it just...looks...right. It's the SILVER TRIANGLE! It's tiny, but it's out of place AND nearly subliminal. Tell me what you think.

Also, watch the "tone poem" scene with Anakin fighting Dooku in AOTC. Look at the darkness behind Anakin...See it? It's the SILVER TRIANGLE!

I don't know what to think of this exactly, but it COULD be a motif. Or it just LOOKS like it and actually has nothing to do with anything.

 

Heres a quick metaphor that I've talked about quite a bit on these forums, but what the hell. Its ON TOPIC.

I think C3PO is a metaphor for Anakin Skywalker in the PT.

If you follow through C3PO's development and maturing in the three PT movies, and you watch Anakin's development, you can see they are mirroring one another. In TPM we find C3PO in his "infancy." Incomplete and without coverings he is phsyically naked. And the same is true for Anakin. He is in his infancy. He is emotionally and physically incomplete and when he leaves his mother and has to stand before the cold and emotionally detached Jedi, he is emotionally "naked" with his innermost fears layed bare for the Jedi to examine.

In AOTC C3PO is in a transitional phase. He has coverings and looks much more like a protocol droid than he did in his earlier incarnation. Yet, he still isn't the C3PO we know he will become. Instead of being golden his coverings are grey and drab, highlighting he is in a transitional situation. Again we find Anakin in much the same position. He is much nearer to a Jedi Knight now, yet he still has the petulance and arrogance of youth. Emotionally Anakin is also in a transitional phase, as his flirtation with the dark side becomes ever more real and deadly. Its interesting that C3PO is introuduced in the movie at the same time as Anakin moves towards the darkness.

ROTS sees C3PO and Anakin both reaching their final moments of of "glory." 3PO has finally realised his potential. Fully golden and shiny he is now serving at the heart of intergalactic governence. He is the protocol droid he was always destined to be. Yet his moment of glory is short lived and soon he ferried away on Bail Organa's shuttle, where he will remain, gradually becoming dirty, tatty and worn, as a Rebellion is born.
Likewise, Anakin also reaches his moment on glory now. Finally a Jedi Knight, Anakin is a pin-up boy for a Galaxy at war. Seemingly respected, if not trusted, he has everything he could ever want. A beautful wife who is carrying his child. A wonderful best friend in Obi-Wan. The father figure he always craved in Palpatine. Yet, like C3PO his moment of glory is short-lived and quickly Anakin's life is destroyed as he turns to from the light. Ultimately becoming physically and emotionally destroyed, by the end of the film we realise that Anakin's final moment of "completion" is actually the horrific moment he becomes part man, part machine. Surviving with a barbaric combination of machnary and his own, dark will, Anakin becomes Darth Vader: Dark Lord Of The Sith.

Now, they are complete.

 

MisterVader: Silver triangle. Will have to look into it. The iris endings observation is interesting. It does make sense, as ostentacious as what you're saying looks and sounds. There is DEFINITELY more to Padme, for example. Two words: "Amida Buddhism". If you research that strand of Buddhism, you'll see what Lucas is saying with Padme. She is very explicitly Anakin's salvation and that of the galaxy. (Though Lucas also uses her ironically to usher in Palpatine). And what's the last shot of Padme? Her clutching the snippet. IRIS OUT on the snippet. Maybe Luke's flap is a little like the snippet.

G-FETT: JUST what the doctor ordered! A lot has been said on the droids. Although you couldn't hope to capture it all, I like what you said concerning the sheer brevity of Threepio and Anakin's "golden" status. I'd never looked at it like that before: the time aspect. But you're right. The super-polish on Threepio, while clearly intentional, might also be half a product of the extra polish of the PT itself, but even that fits. In TPM and AOTC, even though he changes appearance between the two, he's still pretty dinky and beat up, and in ANH, TESB, ROTJ, while he gets a nice scrubbing up temporarily, he's mostly battered and berated, so ROTS is an exceptional time indeed. And exceptional for Anakin. As hellacious as the galaxy is, ROTS is paradoxically the period I like most. Even Padme gets an expanded veranda! Everything seems to be going so well for Anakin for a while, until he gets his dream and is then snubbed by the Jedi: a double blow that leads him to ruin. On a personal level, if not a galactic one, we almost get to enjoy an idyllic life for these characters in ROTS, but it isn't destined to last, and maybe that's the real tragedy of the situation.

 

Lucas likes to lump "THX-1138", "American Graffiti" and the original "Star Wars" all together because all three movies are about how a guy leaves the only thing he has ever known. THX-1138 leaves the underground city, Curt leaves his small town, and Luke leaves the farm.

"THX-1138" is unorthodox and Lucas and Walter Murch talk about what the movie means on the "THX-1138" DVD voice over commentary. There is a scene from the movie where THX is in a confessional-esque booth having the first of a series of awakenings/mental breakdowns and the scene goes from a shot of THX character in the confessional to a shot of a lizard sitting on some wires. Lucas explains how the lizard represents the character THX, and he goes on to say how the lizard is the living thing in a artificial world just like the character THX is.

The thing is Cryogenic is think some of your interpretations are really out there, however, there is an irrational part of me that loves hearing what you think because Lucas is out there. For a film maker to equate a lizard on wires to his main character is just crazy so your interpretations are not beyond the realm of possibility.
I remember your gold introductory crawl and blue end credits interpretation. Gold represents C-3P0 and blue represents R2-D2. Now to the average Star Wars fan that would seem crazy and the truth is it is crazy, but to a Lucas fan that has studied the man's work there could actually be something there because the opening credits of "THX-1138" roll down instead of up and Walter Murch says that that's because world of "THX-1138" is underground. I myself like to think there is a possibility that Lucas is saying something by having the camera pan up after the "Attack of the Clones" crawl fades away instead of panning down which all the other episodes do. I of course believe that Lucas had the camera pan up because "Attack of the Clones" is the antithesis of "The Empire Strikes Back" and people accuse me of being crazy for believing that.

Actually I was referring to the tragety of Darth Plagueis and the tragety of Darth Vader. One tragety is only spoken of and the other is clearly seen at least by 1980 it was clearly seen I'll add because I don't want to get in trouble with the Star Wars Fact Police.

Actually it was originally called "Bashers after you read this get ready to cry me a river" but a mod changed it. The title represented my anger of not being able to freely discuss the story of Star Wars without someone coming around screaming that Lucas is a liar, hack, retcon bunko artist, and the PT has no merit because Lucas was only interested in cashing in on the Star Wars name. But I am sorry about all that and hope people will appreciate that I've made mistakes and am worthy of redemption.

Well anyway Cryongenic, I think the Senate could represent the sarlaac. The Chancellor's podium does appear to be shaped like the sarlaac's beak.

 

There is an image in ROTS that denotes what marked the three prequel films as perhaps the most subversive ?popcorn? pictures ever released (excepting Romero?s Dead quartet): the bronze mural that serves as the background to the first unveiling scene. Certainly, its strategic placement in the office hallway emphasizes Palpatine?s role as the galaxy?s detached draftsman, but there?s something about the etchings themselves?Are these representations of warring demigods and beasts intended as the mythos of the Old Republic, or are they indicative of the hollowness of the Clone Wars? See, the conflict between the Republic and the Separatists may have been alluring to the idealists (?there are good people on both sides?), just as the mural would undoubtedly delight the iconographer, but really, it?s all artifice. Double agents and corporatists as leaders, cavalcades of droids and clones as soldiers (toy soldiers, literally), ?defenders of the peace? sacrificing their principles to be generals?it?s all kitsch. In this respect, the gaudy CGI of the AOTC climax is entirely appropriate, and those disappointed that we didn?t get ?enough Clone Wars? in the PT missed the point: there isn?t a kick to be had in all this. Here we have a monomyth every bit as morose as Tolkien?s, but maybe even more provocative.

Honestly, I can?t fathom why Lucas is disparaged as a hack, or a husk of a bygone auteur. He?s clearly matured as an artist, demonstrated by the gutsy, gutsy decision to turn his (moderately) Manichaean epic on its head. What are these, if not three anti-war films that happen to showcase wizards and knights and robots?

 

Of course there is experimental aspects to Star Wars--things like the backwards process of prequels that alter the originals and such; in the same way, Lucas' abstract film THX 1138 has conventional aspects like an extended chase scene, car crashes, stunts and the appearance of Buck Rogers himself--the door swings both ways. Lucas' traditional sensibilities crop up in a few places in THX 1138 because thats just a part of his taste, while occassional Lucas' abstract sensibilities crop in Star Wars. But to term the film as "Avant Garde" or really put much emphasis on this is to misunderstand the whole process. So it seems we are both saying the same thing basically. But you may be surprised--there are those who believe that Star Wars constitutes an avant-garde series that is really an art-house film disguised as a blockbuster.