Whether you love (or loathe) the latest sequel in the "Star Wars" franchise, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," champions anti-authoritarian overtones that are impossible to miss. Could this be the first yelp of a rallying cry for millennials and others who feel truly left behind by the unresponsive, conservative agenda in Washington? Consider the following:
A little exposition
"The Last Jedi" centers around the story of the (nearly crushed) Rebel Alliance from the previous films in the franchise. For the uninitiated, a brief moment of exposition is in order:
Dissipated and scattered to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, the last gasps of representational democracy (or, in "Star Wars" parlance, "The Old Republic") have either been subjugated, destroyed, or isolated by sheer distance from one another, making their opposition nearly meaningless and unsubstantial against the totalitarian might of the sinister "New Order."
New order? Ding: Fries are done
The New Order is a decaying throwback to the remnants of the old Empire, relying on its aged military and technical powers, with which it subjugates any and all planetary systems which oppose it.
Think "Ancient Rome," but with an octuple shot of the Hitlerian and you'll get the basic idea.
Employing an intellectually, morally, and spiritually bankrupt doctrine that prizes obedience and servile boot-licking above the will of the actual people, the New Order uses the cudgel of brute force (as opposed to pure reason) to "Rule" the galaxy - whether the galaxy likes it or not.
A cause truly beaten (must be a beaten cause)
Thus, our story opens with the Rebel flagship finding itself outgunned, outnumbered, and outmatched by the humongous and unrelenting mechanized weaponry of this political juggernaut.
With the pathetic remainder of its fleet in tow, the Rebels find that they must marshal all their resources (however meager) for a crucible of attrition which will ultimately spell the continuation of their cause - or total destruction.
This forms the basis for the real conflict of the film and its characters: a surprising crisis of conscience in which all must rally: Not to a flag, but to each other. And not in the hopes of a definitive "Victory," but merely for preservation of their common aspirations.
'A long time ago' or - not
If it were not so "far, far away," this sounds strikingly familiar to the American Democratic Party of the present day.
With President Trump's approval ratings and with a Republican majority controlling every branch of government, and with said Republicans doing their damnedest to drive a knife-in-the-back into their constituencies in the form of the least-popular tax bill in the history of polling (to say nothing of the overwhelming abhorrence of the Republican-dominated FCC vote to repeal Obama-Era Net Neutrality protections), "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," might not be exactly the escapist fare you hope for this weekend, but it just might be the political message this country needs.
