“Luke, I am your non-birthing parent”: The Acolyte and the Wokification of Star Wars
8th August 2024
Most people alive in the West today have grown up with Star Wars films. I was a kid when I saw the original Star Wars (now known as A New Hope) in the cinemas and, like so many other kids, I began to collect everything related to that fantastic universe. Then came The Empire Strikes Back, for me the best of the saga, in which audiences discovered that Luke, the hero, is the son of the villain Vader. Finally, there was Return of the Jedi, where the cruel Vader finds redemption by saving his son, and the whole galaxy, from the evil incarnated in the Emperor.
The Star Wars story is, at its core, a story of good versus evil. That evil is represented by an empire whose methods and uniforms are reminiscent of the Wehrmacht, whose soldiers are ‘stormtroopers,’ and whose leader, Darth Vader, wore a sinister mask with a black helmet very similar to the characteristic model used by Germany in the two world wars. There are many similarities with V, a successful 1980s series. In V, Earth is invaded by a sinister race of lizards who, in human guise and with deceptive smiles, seek to turn the Earth into a larder for their evil empire. Their uniforms, their propaganda posters, and, above all, the symbolism of the visitors, all hearken back with little subtlety to the Second World War. The only thing missing for the lizards is the German language. In both fictional universes, the good guys are the ‘resistance,’ the defenders of freedom who are willing to give their lives to end tyranny.
In 1999, a new trilogy of films began to depict events that happened before the events of the first Star Wars trilogy. Although they were not as original as the first, they were successful, and they revitalised the Star Wars universe in the public consciousness. However, in October 2012, Disney took over the rights to the franchise and announced yet another new trilogy, beginning in 2015, and following the original three films. These films, were as full of special effects as they were empty of meaningful dialogue. Through them, Disney turned a story of fiction and entertainment into a platform for woke ideology.