[Snake Logan]

Alright, so you have the Rebel Alliance which is meant to represent the newly independent states of colonial America. You have the Empire which is meant to represent a combination of the British Empire and Nazi Germany. When the Empire was still the Republic then it was meant to represent the United States, for some reason the accents of the Clonetroopers/Stormtroopers change from American to British over a period of about 20 years for unknown reasons. The Trade Federation is meant to represent a war hungry 17th century trade company. Sand people are meant to represent American Indians. The Huts are meant to represent criminal crime bosses, I don’t know why people are so afraid of oversized slugs, I also don’t understand why the Huts haven’t been overthrown. The Ewoks are meant to represent the Vietnamese, thus the Empire is meant to represent America in it’s final moments. Last time I checked, Vietnam didn’t rid itself of American influence with spears and tree trunks but what do I know? Then you have the Jedi who are suppose to represent a high religious order, perhaps the knights templar or something along those lines. There are a few others but I am too tired to remember them now.

[David-kyo]

And your point is...?

[Despondent]

The OT is decency. CGI represents crap. Lucas smeared crap all over the OT until he finally did something decent and released the OOT.

[Snake Logan]

And your point is...?

Too much symbolism!

[TruJade]

Whats the OOT?
did i miss a major part of the Star Wars saga

[Despondent]

The Original (unaltered) Original Trilogy. Not surprised you didn't know. Lucas obviously made little attempt at publicising it's release (boxed in with the PT 13 months ago, approximately).

I miss Saga City.

[TruJade]

Ohhhhh Yeah i had no clue
my guess was way off

Little attemp? Try none at all
i refuse to check starwars.com every fracking day
just to be kept in the loop

i have a life!
this is an unjustice

and if he can make such a big deal about
the clone wars then th same should be done
for the OT unaltered the way most fans wanted it.

[84summers]

A good observation, "Snake Logan."

I have little problem with symbolicism in general. After all, Star Wars (aka EpIV ANH) works so well because we clearly have a good vs. evil story. And at least he never went for a Jesus symbol, like Matrix Revolutions (which, if you ask anybody, will be cited as the reason nobody liked the film). On that, I wouldn't say the "virgin birth" explicitly counts as a Jesus reference, just lame writing.

I have more of a problem with Lucas's frequent, almost irrelevant and certainly formless use of symbolism. Your examples alone prove how he does this. How many different groups can be America, and how many Vietnam/Iraq?

I applaud your effort at intelligent discussion. Don't let yourself be stopped from speaking on your ideas/theories just because most people are only interested in bashing Hayden Christensen, making pointless video game references, or defending the original trilogy with fundamentalist zeal, all just because they wrongly mistook ChefElf's original observations as some sort of free for all party against Star Wars.

Anyway, good call, good post.

[Snake Logan]

Is the galactic republic senate meant to represent the republic senate of Rome?

[Chefelf]

I think that 90% of the time symbolism is put onto something by the reader or academic that was never meant to exist. Lucas, and many others, always welcome this and sometimes admit that it was intentional so thtye can seem more intelligent.

One of the greatest things about Tolkien is that he always said he never intentded any allegory or symbolism in Lord of the Rings. He just wanted to write a good story. Even when people tried to heap tons of obvious symbolism on the story he said it was all unintentional.

You can read symbolism into just about anything.

[civilian_number_two]

Imagery and Symbolism are different things. If STAR WARS brings up images of former times and cultures, that's just creative borrowing. For it to be symbolism, you have to be able to discern some kind of message. Like if the Empire is analogous to Imperial Rome, then what comment is being made about Roman society? Or is that being used as a comment on our own society?

I don't think there is any symbolism in STAR WARS. Lucas wasn't making any statements that I could make out; it looked to me like just some action films with a lot of pastiche.

[Snake Logan]

Imagery and Symbolism are different things. If STAR WARS brings up images of former times and cultures, that's just creative borrowing. For it to be symbolism, you have to be able to discern some kind of message. Like if the Empire is analogous to Imperial Rome, then what comment is being made about Roman society? Or is that being used as a comment on our own society?

Obviously Lucas was commenting on Rome’s cool spaceships… or something along those lines.