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PT Empire Vs. Rebellion: How George Lucas Reinstates/Subverts the War of Good and Evil

Discussion in 'Prequel Trilogy' started by Deliveranze, Oct 12, 2018.

  1. Deliveranze

    Deliveranze Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2015
    As we all know, the Star Wars franchise has been created with the simple conflict of Good vs. Evil, utilizing the iconic Good Rebellion fighting against the Evil Empire. The Sequel Trilogy has been criticized for reinstating that war story a bit too much, with TFA and TLJ, but I'm here to give some food for thought, and entertain the idea that even Lucas himself crafted his Prequel Trilogy to mirror the war between the Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance for a new generation.

    Episode I: What Was Once Old, Is New Again


    In 1999, the Western world had found relative peace after the looming threat of the Cold War. Entertainment had changed. Allegories for the Soviet Union, Vietnam (where Star Wars's origins were found), and nuclear warfare were being replaced with the ideas of peacekeeping, prosperity, and a new age for democracies. James Bond was no longer fighting Soviet spies, and Star Wars was shaped to reflect that brief change before 9/11.

    George Lucas had released The Phantom Menace, a story about the Golden Age of the Republic, where Jedi Knights were peacekeepers in the small blockade dispute of the film's main conflict. On the surface, this wasn't how we were used to Star Wars. The government wasn't the evil we were hoping the heroes would overthrow, instead the system was our protagonist and greedy capitalistic forces were our enemy. The tone was a major shift from the WW2 feel of the original trilogy and the cheering that our loveable rebel rogues would crush facism and restore peace. Now, we were witnessing the rise of facism in the government, and for now, they were our hero. However, the Galactic Republic was just the background for our true heroes: The Proto-Rebellion aka The Naboo. And the Trade Federation was the new Galactic Empire for a new generation of Star Wars fans. The weak Republic was no match for the power of the Federation, and the Naboo were on their own, with a small militia to face the much superior army of the Neimoidians. Padme Amidala became our Princess Leia, Qui-Gon Jinn became our Obi-Wan, and Anakin Skywalker became our Luke, as the small rebel force defeated the Federation, crushing their influence as a superpower, and Palpatine promising to restore the decayed Republic into a much more powerful and meaningful democracy. To the people, this is a promise to make sure no faction gains the power that the Republic has, but to our conniving Chancellor, this is to make sure no one can gain power to challenge his rule.

    George Lucas masterfully avoided the age of 90's cynicism, where nu metal, The Matrix, and other forms of cynical aggression where used to make a piece of entertainment look "cool" and "edgy." Don't get me wrong, it was there (after all this is a story how a good person becomes evil), but George knew The Phantom Menace wasn't the film to introduce the more complex themes that would be explored in his future prequel installments. It had been 16 years since the Empire was defeated and the Rebel Alliance restored peace, and George knew it was time to reintroduce Star Wars to a new generation the way it ended in 1983: with peace. However, an undercurrent of sinister forces were lurking within the galaxy of 1999, and George reinstating the wholesome rebellion of Naboo against the Evil empire of the Federation would not last long.

    Episode II: Something Is Not Quite Right....

    2002: The world had changed. September 11th, 2001 had the Western World worried about a new kind of threat: terrorism. Prolonged wars in the Middle East, the building up of armies for "peace," and a new sense of fear was installed on Earth. The galaxy far, far away wasn't faring much better...

    In Attack of the Clones, things are drearier, darker, on edge. No, the galaxy was not in chaos yet, but everything is in decline. The idea of peace is fractured as the Republic debates of creating an army to stop a force that threatens rebellion and terror. The Galactic Republic had finally become the most powerful force on the block, thanks to Palpatine's rule for the last 10 years, but at a cost: the story of AOTC is how the Republic becomes the proto-Empire.

    Immediately, George Lucas establishes this is Star Wars of the 21st century as a bombing goes off in the metropolis of Coruscant, the 9/11 imagery, though likely unintended, is unmistakable. This is where George subverts our ideas of the war between rebellion and the system, the war between imperialism and revolution, and the idea that even those who have the best intentions, pave the way for absolute destruction. Attack of the Clones is A New Hope from the Empire's perspective, instead of the Rebel Alliance. The Galactic Republic, a force for peace, will use their war machines to prevent the rebellious worlds of the Confederacy of Independent Systems from committing another act of terror against the Republic. Our protagonists are working to help the Republic quarantine this separatist threat. This is the Galactic Civil War, where everything is reversed, yet not quite the same. The Republic isn't exactly the Empire yet, and the CIS isn't exactly the Rebel Alliance.

    The Republic does have good people like Padme and Obi-Wan, and the CIS has good people like the systems who are protesting against poverty and negligence the government under Palpatine has caused. Unfortunately, the efforts of the heroes on both sides has been mute as the Republic under Palpatine creates our faceless protagonist army, the proto-Stormtroopers, to pull rebellious systems back in line. Lucas shows how the people's fears of the external unwittingly lead to evil being created from the internal, which is also true of the PT's main character, Anakin. However, there is a line that separates (no pun intended) the Rebel Alliance and the CIS. The Alliance was created to restore democracy taken from Palpatine, a revolution of Republic activists to make a better society for everyone. Maybe, the Separatist Movement started with those ideas, but peaceful resistance was not just hijacked by the Sith, but by the greed of capitalistic interests . The CIS is a puppet organization for corporations (like the Trade Federation and Commerce Guild) to profit off the suffering of those who are in need. Lucas gives a commentary on how corporate interests can ruin the idealistic and most righteous. For example, the amount of Security Companies and Weapon Manufacturers that have risen to power since the War on Terror began, profiting off the fears of others. Humanless Droids are created to counter the Faceless Clones and as it becomes harder to identify with either side, our heroes are stuck between morality and duty, which will be explored deeper in Episode III.

    Lucas also subverts the idea of the "Attack of the Clones," as it is the Republic who sparks, however doesn't instigate, the final fuse. The Clone Army invades the desert world of Geonosis, mirroring the US invasion of Afghanistan, to stop an insurgent threat. By the end of AOTC, Lucas has now created a twisted world where the Empire is the good faction and the Rebellion is the enemy of the people. The Imperial March plays as Palpatine sees legions of white-armored troops loading up into proto-Star Destroyers, finally signifying that the galaxy is no longer going to recover from the failure of the people to realize the biggest threat to the Republic isn't the external, but the internal (Palpatine and even the corporations who were part of the Republic).

    Episode III: The Greatest Teacher Failure Is

    If Episode II was to establish the subversion of the Empire as the "good guys" and the Rebellion as the "bad guys," Revenge of The Sith is a more personal take of our protagonists's identities in the new era that the Republic is creeping towards. Visually, The Galactic Republic has become the Empire in all but name. Clone Trooper helmets reflect the skull-like appearance of OT stormtroopers, V-Wings look like TIE Fighters, and Republic Star Destroyers loom in the opening shot. However, there is hope in the darkness. Republic loyalists and idealists like Bail Organa and Padme Amidala are reflected in the Republic ARC Fighters, proto-X Wings. Even the CIS mirror the imagery of a "Rebel Alliance Gone Wrong" as sleek CIS ships, like the Invisible Hand, look very similar to Rebel capital ships seen at the end of Empire Strikes Back and in Return of the Jedi.

    For characters like Padme and Obi-Wan, the realization that they are puppets to the regime of evil is becoming apparent.

    "Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists, and the Republic has become the very evil we have been fighting to destroy?"

    "So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause."

    "He was deceived by a lie, we all were. It appears the Chancellor is behind everything, including the war."

    "You have allowed this Dark Lord to twist your mind, until now, until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy."

    Obi-Wan, Padme, and even Bail, recognize that they have been serving the interests of Palpatine, not the Republic they swore to serve, and are too late to distinguish the democracy from the idea of democracy. Palpatine manipulates the people that rebellion is dangerous (whether from a Separatist or a Jedi), and that the Galactic Empire is the only way to ensure peace.

    The Separatists are now fully an product of corporate greed. In AOTC, the corporations signed a treaty with the movement to create a Droid Army, but in ROTS, the corporations are now the movement's leadership. With Palpatine now getting what he wanted, this manufactured (both literally and figuratively) rebellion is unnecessary and is wiped out from the galaxy, leaving the Galactic Empire as the sole faction left in the last half hour of ROTS. However, ROTS establishes the seeds of what's to come as Obi-Wan, Yoda, Bail, and Padme are all there is to defy Palpatine's popular rule. However, they have no army or militia to stop Palpatine and all four characters decide to stop the Empire by confronting its leaders. Bail and Yoda infiltrate Palpatine's HQ and Obi-Wan and Padme (who both have different ideas to deal with Anakin) go to Mustafar.

    In the end, the small vigilante rebel force fails to win the Republic's soul, but buy their time for a new Rebellion. One that will wash away the mistakes of the Separatists and contain those who want to restore the Republic, not split it.

    George Lucas masterfully gives a new dynamic to the Empire vs Rebel conflict seen in the OT, by subverting the idea, and showing the duality of government at its best and worst and revolution at its best and worst throughout his six-part saga.

    Even in other SW movies that don't deal with the core war of the Rebellion/Resistance fighting Imperialism, like Solo, we still see the affect of George's Prequel Trilogy. Han joins Crimson Dawn ("the Empire") and fights against the Cloud Riders ("the Rebellion") only to find out he was the hero on the wrong side.

    Anyway, that's just an analysis. Feel free to discuss, critique, etc.
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2018
  2. Darth Invictus

    Darth Invictus Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 8, 2016
    The clone wars are essentially a sham war fought entirely to benefit the Sith order. The Jedi ironically fight in service to the Sith cause and this is part I think of their downfall.
     
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