May the 4th be with you.
I’m not going to lie, Star Wars is probably the most responsible for my journey in art and moral compass than most else, aside from Calvin and Hobbes but differently. I think back to my childhood and all the games we played as clone troopers and separatists. My friend Justin always became General Grievous, with a voice and walk to match, and I got consistently annoyed as the lone kid willing to play the Republic and thus lost consistently. But it ultimately didn’t matter, as the great feats and trials we faced in a galaxy far, far, away gave us the adventure we so disparately craved. It was a space of collective imagination that any could engage with, even if one had only seen a singular film, all could come together to be the heroes and villains that so inspired us. It was a gift like no other, a source of inspiration, community, and validation in shared joy and in a youthful hope that one day the cup outside our reach would slide to our outstretched hands — the force seemed with us in those times. But we grow and our minds shift, the loves of the past fade till only the greatest of them remain. We cling so dearly to this that change or reinterpretation are oft rejected without thought or care. So fearful are we of this childhood loss that one does not consider the possibility of a greater understanding that pulses through this most influential work.
This is a drawing I did as a gift for a friend who has fallen in love with Star Wars Unlimited (a TCG). The Character pictured is Aurra Sing who is a bounty hunter and in current lore was a mentor to Bobba Fettwhjo is featured as a leader in the current set.
In 1977, when the first movie released, we were in a time of crisis in this nation. The Civil Rights era that shone so hopeful was floundering as many of its leaders were assassinated. The Vietnam War’s painful wounds hemorrhaged as the lies and failures of our government became manifest in the Pentagon Papers and Watergate; revealing we had become the very monster Nietzsche warned about when fighting what we fear. The country that had been promised had been shown to be hollow and resentment boiled. Maybe Star Wars was what we needed then, a story of the heroic that made one feel again the connection to our mythic core. Obstinate in the face of a dark empire razing the galaxy, with the only hope of a better day held in a small band of rebels is apart of our history. But I challenge you to put this movie in the context of Cold War and ask who we really look like. To be political is not always dependent on the literal but in the allegories of context, and when we cheer at the destruction of the Death Star its is important to ask why. Star Wars has always been political, and our childhood memories of the untainted tale separate from the world is just that — a memory of child. The prequels were heavily criticized for its focus on politics but again look at what was happening at that time! The War on Terror was in its infancy, the questions of the limits of executive power argued, the military hawks saw their desires, and how to prevent acts of terror like 9/11 without jeopardizing freedom for all dominated the cultural sphere. Even now, Andor was used as a weapon against Disney when they fired Kimmel, and after the killings of Alex Pretti and Rene Good a Loon in the shape of the Rebellion's symbol appeared and served to rally those in Minneapolis on the front lines and in Minnesota as a whole. My point is that Star Wars has always been political and is at it’s best when motivated by it. Iit gives us the strength to face the trials of our own era and to be the heroes we so loved when playing in the school yard.
The custom card I created for my friend.
On this May 4th, let us remember and celebrate something that has continued to bring us hope and wonder even after 49 years of existence. That I still to this day love to draw, read and watch. That is fun to discuss with my students as they discover it for themselves and to revisit with those who we shared it with. May you cheer at the Death Stars destruction, cry at Order 66’s execution, hope for Kylo Ren’s redemption, and find your own honor with the Mandolorian; I have spoken.
May the force be with you.
