STAR WARS HAS always been political, no matter what the MAGA types who cosplay as Imperial agents and scream about Disney shoving diversity into “their Star Wars” say.
The original trilogy showed a band of anti-imperialist fighters going up against a vicious pan-galactic state — based, according to its creator George Lucas, on the Vietnam War, with the Viet Cong “rebels” going up against the United States “Empire.”
The prequels showed the transformation of the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire of the original trilogy. In 2018, during Donald Trump’s first administration, James Cameron interviewed Lucas about Star Wars’ anti-authoritarian messaging, highlighting a line spoken by Senator Padmé Amidala as Emperor Palpatine declares that the Republic is now an Empire: “So this is how liberty dies, with thunderous applause.”
Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney in 2012 and hasn’t been involved in production since then, but Andor, the new series set in the universe, doubles down on its anti-authoritarian roots, focusing on the creation of the revolutionary Rebel Alliance. In the process, it gives us a glimpse into the messiness and conflict that often accompanies building a movement on the left, as activists fight over which political philosophies and strategies work best.
Older Starwars may have been slightly political … but it had good writing and a clear storyline.
Everything Disney pukes out that is Star Wars related stinks of the extremist batshit crazy hyper left, seasoned with horrific AI level writing themes and a “destroy the past” attitude … because George Lucas still gets every fucking penny made from toys made from the older Star Wars characters.
Older Star Wars was based 1:1 on the Hero’s journey, which is a story template popularized by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces*.
Having a “hero” figure (Luke) makes all the complicated politics a lot easier to follow, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there (see Lucas’ own notes), and it doesn’t make other, more challenging, styles bad.
Actually, you could say that season 1 Andor also follows the Hero’s Journey (Cassian returns after being transformed into a revolutionary), which is probs why it’s so much easier to digest.
I actually had some trouble following the story in season 2. It feels much more disjointed, but having now finished it, I do think it’s on the whole very good – just more work from the audience.
It’s like going from reading LotR to Rainbow Six.
Does my critique sound about right to you? Did you like season 1 more than 2?
* really really boring book cogito hazard
I fell into the category where I just stopped caring about all these Star Wars projects and never watched it. When the 2nd season came out, I realized a lot of friends had said it’s actually really good and decided to give it a shot. I absolutely loved it. I loved the themes and thought this did a way better job portraying just how dire the times were in this universe. I am also a sucker for spy and espionage movies, and this was up there with the best.
I am so glad I ended up giving it a shot, and I’m sad that I think there’s a lot more people like me who won’t end up watching it due to not trusting the content coming out anymore.
I ended up finally giving it a shot last month, and I recall having seen stuff about season 2.
I finished season 1 in 2 days, and then found out season 2 hadn’t quite come out yet.
Then I did what I always do and waited for all the episodes to come out… I got halfway through season 2 before my last month I’m paying for streaming services ran out.
So now I will indefinitely be halfway through season 2.
I should have started season 2 the day the last episode was released.
Yar harr fiddeldy dee, matey 🏴☠️
On a completely unrelated note, have you ever looked at the communities on https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/ ?
Joke’s on Andor.
The US doesn’t have a “left”
If the centrists do not start acting like the left, it will get bad… but I repeat myself
Soooo screaming loudly on the internet and doing nothing?
It is going to get bad because the Democrat leadership are all mostly old, out-of-touch, and sell out corporate stooges.
If you still think in May 2025 that your elected officials are your way out of this, you’re absolutely boned
I don’t. I am very much saying that they are not because of how ineffective the opposition party’s leadership are.
They are ineffective because their voters allow them to be.
The US certainly does have a left. The left just isn’t in power. There are many leftist organizations and individuals outside the halls of power.
Eh, do we have a left in the US? Technically, yes, but it lacks all rigidity and strength.
The left is caught in a cycle of self canabalization at the moment, and anyone that I’ve seen attempting to pick up the flag and carry it forward is torn apart. People are too concerned with being ethically and morally pure so that when we’re all sitting in the gulag, they can say, “Well, at least I never compromised my values.” And I’m not saying those values aren’t important, but to have the opportunity to address those, we have several prerequisites to tackle first.
Progress is messy, and if you’re not on board, you’re holding it back.
People are too concerned with being ethically and morally pure
I’m sick to death of the idea that actually wanting the party to be better and quit sliding to the right for no gain is somehow purity testing from unreasonable people.
The people who paint progressives as throwing tantrums when they don’t get 100% of everything they wanted have had 100% of everything they wanted in every single presidential election since 2008, when they hated the idea of a Black president so much that they formed a PAC to support his opponent.
I am wondering if i didn’t convey my point well enough?
Im a progressive and as left as they come. I think we should aim for perfect, but be ok with better or good. What i have a problem with is seeing the front runners of the progressive left(AOC snd Bernie) being called out, by people who claim to be leftist, because they don’t say something out loud or often enough. They’ve been very clear on where they stand. They don’t need to keep reaffirming that, especially when it halts momentum, which we so desperately need yesterday.
And yet I see those leftists(not neo libs) say that AOC isn’t the future or anywhere near it, So if not them, then who? Who checks off all the boxes that’s not a milque toast moderate dem?
What i have a problem with is seeing the front runners of the progressive left(AOC snd Bernie) being called out, by people who claim to be leftist, because they don’t say something out loud or often enough.
Yeah, that’s stupid when AOC and Sanders are about the only ones even trying.
But then you have people who expect the left to accept biden as a progressive.
