Starwars Marathon Weekend

Egged on by my peppy roomamte who goes hyper when the word Starwars is uttered, I watched all five movies of the franchise available on DVD (of course owned by my roomie Scott).

I am not going to write a review becuase this is much more than just movies. This, to many is philosophy. Some have compared the political setup of the Galactic Republic to various policitcal entities that have been established and proposed through the history of human civilization. From Plato's concept of aristocracy led by a 'Philosopher King', to the short lived Wiemar republic in Germany established immediately after World War I. I think all these allogories have made it attractive to a lot of people.

Although most people might dismiss it as escapist entertainment, Star Wars is really very elitist. For example, the presence of midi-chlorian in a person's blood determines the presence of the force, and the ability to control the galaxy. Again, Luke and Lieah have high midi-chlorian counts on account of being born to Aanakin, which suggests that leadership qualities are almost entirely genetic.

Though the republic's executive is unicameral, the power that the Jedi council holds on its decision is enormous. Further, no distinct judiciary seems to exist, or any other branch of law for that matter, that acts to check and balance the powers of the Chancellor and the Senate. The Republic is not a participatory democracy. The common people of the galaxy (people apart form the politicians and Jedi) have very insignificant say in everything that happens.

Perhaps, the biggest gripe I have is in the definition of light side and dark side of the force. Much could be unraveled while conducting a deconstructive reading of Starwars. The color of the sabers, the attire of the Jedi vs. that of the Sith, all of this could be a post-structuralist's delight. My problem lies in that good and evil are shown to be distinct, but not explained. What is the light side? Is Fear a quality of the dark side? The Jedi are supposed to be compassionate - but their compassion seems to be limited to the politicians. At the end of 'Return of the Jedi', Luke says Darth Vader still has a little of the good side in him. What is this good side - his paternal feelings for Luke? At the same time Luke's feelings for Darth Vader is considered a weakness. That seems illogical.

It was fortunate that I watched two other movies - Central Station (Portugese) and Motorcycle Diaries (Spanish), both directed by the Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles. The latter was a great movie, but Central Station is one for the ages. More about that later.