A Long Time Ago, In A Galaxy Far, Far Away…
I’m writing this on Sunday, May 4th. Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you!
It was 1977 and I had just turned twelve. The new movie Star Wars had been released in May, but our local movie theater didn’t get it until nearly that Fall. It was driving me crazy that this new movie that was getting so much hype on the television and radio (yes, radio was a BIG thing way back then) wasn’t available to me yet. I was desperate to find anything Star Wars related. I bought the “movie-based” book that came out that Summer and read Star Wars before I saw it in theaters. Yeah, I’m as nerdy as they come. It was an awesome read but, I must admit, the movie was much better. I don’t get to say that very often. When you’re presented with galactic battles between space Jedi’s and dark lords of the Sith on a big screen when you’re twelve…that’s hard to compete with.
I built Rebel X-Wing and Imperial Tie Fighters from model kits. I even had a model of the Millenium Falcon. I listened to the Radio Play version of Star Wars when they put it on in serial form for a whole afternoon. I even recorded it with my shoebox-sized tape recorder. (I ran out of tape before it ended) I read the Star Wars comic books put out by Marvel. I went to the opening week of The Empire Strikes Back and The Return of the Jedi. I watched with fascination as we all learned that Luke’s father (Spoiler Alert!) was his arch enemy, Darth Vader! Yeah! Vader had cut his hand off and was giving him an ultimatum to either join the Dark Side or face death…. Okay, okay! I won’t explain the whole thing to you. If you wanted to know, you’d know by now. What I’m trying to say is that I lived and breathed the Star Wars Universe when it arrived. I loved it. I wanted to live in that Universe. At the ripe old age of somewhere less than sixty, I seem to be getting my chance. The world has made my dreams of Star Wars come true. How? Check this out:
The Grand Republic had a politician that hyped a bunch of real problems (some of which he made up, caused or fabricated) so that the ruling body (Senate) elevated him to greater power (Emperor/President). He declared a bunch of emergencies that enabled him to be granted Emergency Powers. He took those powers and made himself an Emperor. In the name of peace and safety, he took rights away from the governing states and the people they governed. He controlled information, calling anyone who disagreed with him a traitor (and “fake” news), stamped out dissent by decree and the barrel of the blaster (that’s a gun) and then disbanded the ruling body (Senate), leaving himself to be the Supreme Ruler of the Galaxy. All throughout this story, a rebellion began. People recognized his actions were those of a despot and dictator. They tried to legally challenge him. They were imprisoned. They tried to get out the truth to the people. They were silenced. (sued in court). Then they began to resist in earnest, by sabotage and intrigue. In underground (not really under the ground, but on planets on the out rim of the civilized galaxy) they formed armed groups that ambushed and attacked the Evil Empire when and where they could. They were The Rebel Alliance. The Resistance.
Today, we are living somewhere in the middle of that last paragraph. I’m not happy about it, as we are missing all the space flight, laser blasters and alien creatures and planets that made the movie so much fun. Don’t fool yourself, though. It’s real. We’re in the fight of our lives. One that will determine if our grandchildren grow up in a place that has individual freedoms, free elections, and the right to due process. Wake up, my fellow Americans. Don’t bow to the Emperor. Be a Rebel. Join The Resistance.
God bless Y’all.
Rolling Stones 