There are big things going on in the Queen City these days. Our school board members are accusing each other of racism during “secret” meetings that are so top secret, the goings-on make headlines in the Observer. Meanwhile, the superintendent apparently expects severance pay for finding a new job. And the Hornets are leaving in what has turned out to be a two-year-long goodbye.
But none of this is actually news. This school board is consistently childish, and the idea that the Hornets might leave Charlotte quit being news around the same time we got word that the dinosaurs had finally died out.
So on to bigger and, with any luck at all, better things. I always find fantasy much more appealing than reality, and it’s a good week to hanker for fantasy. This week marks the movie event of the summer, since part two of the new Star Wars trilogy, Attack of the Clones opens on Thursday (or Wednesday at midnight if you’re a true fan).
Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be that excited about this one. This is because I got really wound up over Episode I: The Phantom Menace. I mean, I was out there waiting in line on the day it opened and everything. But, like lots of folks, I was ultimately disappointed by the actual film — it just didn’t have the “mythological” feel of the original trilogy. The whole pod race sequence just felt like the set-up for a video game. In fact, I felt somewhat betrayed by George Lucas; he sacrificed his vision for commercial success. Either that, or he had no vision in the first place and the first three movies were the result of a happy fluke — but that’s an even more depressing thought to ponder.
My main problem with Episode I, though, was the same as everyone else’s: Jar-Jar Binks. He’s annoying and childish and not even remotely appealing in the way that R2-D2 is, though he’s intended to fill that same child-pleasing niche. After a few years of contemplation, I’ve decided that R2 rules over Jar-Jar because R2 doesn’t talk. He beeps and whirrs but never makes dumbass comments that wouldn’t even make a toddler giggle, much less an adult.
So after my huge disappointment over Episode I, I just didn’t think I’d ever regain my enthusiasm in time for Episode II. Yet, here we are, and I’m so excited I can hardly sit still. I guess this proves that I’m ultimately an idealistic person, despite my cynical attitude. In spite of the ineptitude of Episode I, and some of the stupid rumors I’ve heard about Episode II (including the possibility that the members of NSYNC portray Jedi Knights — ack!), I’m harboring hope that Episode II will rock.
You see, basically, Star Wars informs my life. I was a little kid when the original trilogy came out, and I remember those movies as being the landmark events of my childhood. My dad loves Star Wars, and he took me to see all of the movies in the theater. Probably it’s because of that early exposure that, for me, Star Wars isn’t just a series of science fiction movies but a way of life. Darth Vader is forever the embodiment of evil for me, and the Rebel Alliance is the force of good that eternally resists that evil. As a child, morality was very black and white, not to use racially loaded terms. But I’ve found that as I’ve matured, those movies have matured along with me. Now I watch them and see levels of complexity I was unable to appreciate when I was younger. Now, I’m entranced by Darth Vader’s struggle between saving his son and obeying the Emperor. Now, I’m caught up in Lando’s moral choice to betray his friends in order to save his people.
The world of Star Wars has prodded me to ponder morality, the nature of friendship, and even the purpose of human existence. I can’t imagine my life without it. Once upon a time, I would have thought myself unbelievably geeky to think such thoughts. This is not to say that I’m not unbelievably geeky (I am), but not because of my passion for Star Wars. I’ve discovered that many people of my generation share my passion for these movies. I’ve met all kinds of Star Wars freaks, with a variety of careers, backgrounds and interests. Though I know Star Wars fans who are both older and younger than me, the love for the franchise borders on fanaticism with many in my age group. I suspect that it fills a void for us. Unlike our grandparents, our parents generally lacked spirituality. You may remember that our parents were the ones who brought about the 80s, the Me Decade. When Star Wars hit the scene, we were young and impressionable, and we were searching for just that sort of spiritual and optimistic worldview that neither our parents nor religion were providing us. By the way, I would never argue that Star Wars and religion are mutually exclusive; I know many avid Star Wars fans who are religious as well, and they find that Lucas’ movies augment their spiritual beliefs, rather than negating or weakening them.
Anyway, it’s a lifetime of love and reliance that will bring me to the movie theater with millions of other people on Thursday when Episode II comes out. I know that Episode I wasn’t really that good, and there’s always the potential that I’ll be disappointed yet again. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from Star Wars, it’s that hope springs eternal, especially when there seems no chance of things turning around and going right.
Here’s what brings me a modicum of hope: I hear that Jar-Jar is still a character but his incompetence has gotten him promoted to a position that will, with any luck at all, keep him from being able to gallivant all over the universe fighting the minions of evil with our hardy heroes.
May the force be with you! *
This article appears in May 15-21, 2002.
