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"Remember the final scene in "Return of the Jedi," when Luke gazes into a fire to see Obi-Wan, Yoda and Vader, smiling in the flames? I found myself hoping it was Jedi Hell, for the amount of pain those three unleashed on their galaxy, and for all the damned lies they told. But that's me. I'm a rebel against Homer and Achilles and that whole tradition. At heart, some of you are, too."
From an article by Sci-Fi writer David Brin concerning the evil legacy and corrupt moralizing of the Star Wars movies. he also touches on why Science Fiction is done badly in comic books among other things. While I think he has a few valid points, I can't help thinking he's off the mark entirely for others.
First off, he puts across the idea that the redemption of Darth Vader in ROTJ is similar to redeeming Hitler, forgetting his past transgressions, and throwing a parade down Main street for him. I always thought Darth Vader's redemption was a personal one, between him and Luke. Brin seems to be under the impression that the entire Star Wars Universe forgave Vader. I just assumed that Luke never told anyone, and Vader was presumed dead or missing. And he would go down in Star Wars history as a mass murderer. Luke very probably (and possibly mistakenly) chose to separate Anakin from Darth in his mind, just like Obi-Wan before him, therefore accepting the things Vader had done while still loving his father. Just because one man forgives Vader (and quite possibly George Lucas, and through him, the audience) does that mean that the everyone else does too?
Second, he believes that Star Wars doesn't have as much depth as Star Trek, and plays up the themes and subtle characterization the films lack in comparison. Is it completely unbelievable that a saga played out over only 8 hours so far may not have the room for complexity that a series which has clocked in hundreds of hours over the years? A better comparison would have been between the movie series of both franchises. Or if he had read a few of the books based on Star Wars to see if they delve into some of the areas he sees as missing, like the lack of "demi-god" characters.
Anyways, I just posted this because it's late and I was in the mood to start a thread called Jedi Hell. |
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