Growing up I bonded with my brother and dad by watching an epic movie about Jedis fighting Sith Lords and against the Dark Side for peace in the galaxy. The Star Wars movies have connected to me on a personal level from the start. I always felt like I could relate to the characters and the creativity sparked my imagination. With the recent release of Star Wars VII, I could not help but watch the other six movies and fall back in love. It had been years since I had last seen the original trilogy straight through, so while watching I noticed similarities between the Star Wars universe and the universe we live in. The struggles we have been through are similar even with the advancement in technology in the world of the Skywalker family. I, personally, have never been the biggest fan of technology. I do see the positives in new breakthroughs, but these advancements will not solve all our problems including war. While the psychological basis of Star Wars is mythological, the historical and political basis are actually inspired by historical happenings (Klein).
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The Imperial officers resemble those of the Nazis from Germany. Star Wars creator George Lucas even refers to Imperial officers as “Nazis”. Another similarity would be the Sand People, who are xenophobic natives that attack foreigners and raid moisture farms set up by locals. The night raids, killings, and kidnappings are similar to the actions of the Taliban (Ciscell). Other battles also inspired Lucas, like the fight of the Soviets attempting to stop the Nazi movement. In The Empire Strikes Back, we are offered a glimpse into the conditions on the Eastern front of World War II (Ciscell). Fast forward a few decades and another battle gave Lucas an idea for the franchise. The guerrilla war between the Rebel Force and the Galactic Empire mirrored a battle from the Vietnam War between a rebellious force and a global superpower as Star Wars was being written (Ciscell). The world of tie fighters and lightsabers, as far away and advanced as it may seem, is a reflection of our own. We have been able to come very far since the days of cavemen and even black and white TV. With technology there has been electricity, concrete, x-ray machines, air conditioners (Woodford), immunizations and so many other wonderful inventions that have made life in some cases easier and have also saved many. Yet, we have found ourselves warring against one another. Technology has had its ups and downs, but no matter how hard we try, there will be some issues that can only be resolved with ourselves. Let’s look specifically at the 20th century. According to Jason Pontin, the editor in chief of TechnologyReview.com, the first half produced the airplane, penicillin, and a vaccine for tuberculosis. During the middle of the century, smallpox was eliminated and polio expunged (Pontin). In February of 2013, Pontin gave a speech at TED and stated how technologists have enriched our lives with “toys” like iPhones and social media apps, but have not solved our dilemmas. These elevations in the technological world have particularly not solved countries warring against one another. During the same century of the first ever jet engine being built, the world saw not just one, but two world wars. These were the
The Imperial officers resemble those of the Nazis from Germany. Star Wars creator George Lucas even refers to Imperial officers as “Nazis”. Another similarity would be the Sand People, who are xenophobic natives that attack foreigners and raid moisture farms set up by locals. The night raids, killings, and kidnappings are similar to the actions of the Taliban (Ciscell). Other battles also inspired Lucas, like the fight of the Soviets attempting to stop the Nazi movement. In The Empire Strikes Back, we are offered a glimpse into the conditions on the Eastern front of World War II (Ciscell). Fast forward a few decades and another battle gave Lucas an idea for the franchise. The guerrilla war between the Rebel Force and the Galactic Empire mirrored a battle from the Vietnam War between a rebellious force and a global superpower as Star Wars was being written (Ciscell). The world of tie fighters and lightsabers, as far away and advanced as it may seem, is a reflection of our own. We have been able to come very far since the days of cavemen and even black and white TV. With technology there has been electricity, concrete, x-ray machines, air conditioners (Woodford), immunizations and so many other wonderful inventions that have made life in some cases easier and have also saved many. Yet, we have found ourselves warring against one another. Technology has had its ups and downs, but no matter how hard we try, there will be some issues that can only be resolved with ourselves. Let’s look specifically at the 20th century. According to Jason Pontin, the editor in chief of TechnologyReview.com, the first half produced the airplane, penicillin, and a vaccine for tuberculosis. During the middle of the century, smallpox was eliminated and polio expunged (Pontin). In February of 2013, Pontin gave a speech at TED and stated how technologists have enriched our lives with “toys” like iPhones and social media apps, but have not solved our dilemmas. These elevations in the technological world have particularly not solved countries warring against one another. During the same century of the first ever jet engine being built, the world saw not just one, but two world wars. These were the