The forthcoming release of The Force Awakens, the first entry in the new Star Wars trilogy, provides a timely opportunity to reassess the films of the previous trilogy in the Star Wars franchise, the prequels. These controversial, oft-maligned movies have been derided for poor acting and dialogue, over-reliance on CG effects, a lack of humor, and tedious, intricate plots. This last complaint is the one I will challenge in this paper. Far from being dull and convoluted, the prequels offer a trenchant commentary on American politics. Released in the twilight period between the end of the Cold War and 9/11, The Phantom Menace, the first prequel, conveys a profound sense of malaise and uncertainty, and depicts a galaxy in which corporate behemoths use their private armies to subvert political institutions for their own ends; politicians are hapless at best and corrupt at worst; and nefarious, unseen forces manufacture crises to advance their hidden agendas. These themes would continue in the second and third prequels, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, which see the Republic destroyed from within and the Jedi themselves, the guardians of peace and justice, revealed to be as weak, ineffectual, and moribund as the institutions they exist to defend. The prequels confronted such issues as the breakdown of political structures, the growth of corporate power, and the deterioration of social trust a decade or more before they became salient in American politics. Viewed from this perspective, the prequels appear as anything but a cinematic failure. Instead, they present a sophisticated narrative of decline, one with numerous historical and contemporary parallels. For these reasons the prequels are and remain films of and for our times.
About the presenterVarad Mehta
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