Why the Star Wars prequels deserve due recognition....

Rating: 10/10 (21 October 2012)

People habitually criticise George Lucas.
A far cry from the days when he was seen as an untouchable cultural genius on the same plain as J.R.R. Tolkien, Gene Roddenberry, Joss Whedon, or Stan Lee.
For all it's flaws, the prequel trilogy, is one of the most important cultural works of our age. I think George Lucas, in spite of perhaps not being the best writer of dialogue, is something more important: one of those writers who manages to articulate the timeless truth about how we should live. J.R.R. Tolkien was also accused of being someone who couldn't write characters, yet his book, firmly grounded in subtle English culture and morality, inspires billions.
At a time when civilisation is mired in self-doubt, bombarded by a huge variety of opinions.... people (especially adults exposed to competition, blame, guilt and shame) have lost their sense of what is good and bad in life.
Is there such a thing as right and wrong, or are these just culturally-instilled? The Romans thought that keeping slaves, and having them kill each other for other people's entertainment was fine. Who is to say they were wrong, in an age when 50 different religions, and 500 different cultures, all say different things?
This is an example of the confusing reality that we live in, with every TV show, film, comic, novel or game, having a different opinion on history and morality. It's pretty easy to either lose self-respect, or hate others, in a confusing storm like that. Either way, they lead to anger, hate.... and a dark life.
The Star Wars saga, and the prequel trilogy in particular, show how a man can lose self respect, and become an addict. Someone who fears everything, and who's fear becomes hatred. Anakin Skywalker believes what many people now believe; that we can change ourselves for the better, become more powerful, take control of our fate.
The truth is that we have no control over what will happen to us in life; all we can do is try our best to be happy, and not be afraid. A person who thinks they can control the world, will inevitably hate themselves, because the universe is too big, with too much momentum, for us to ever have certain power over it. The illusion of the self-made man makes us hate ourselves and others.
Anakin's long journey toward self-hate and hate of others, concludes in Revenge of the Sith.
The peaceful Jedi order, for all their many flaws, were a people who strove to accept themselves and others. They tried to do some good under unfortunate circumstances, and to understand the mysteries of life a little better. They did not believe in the cult of self-improvement. Their training was not to become the ultimate swordsman, or the greatest seer. It was a constant journey of learning, and not everyone agreed on what path was best, with Jedi like Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu taking different approaches. They tried to do what good they could, embraced difference, and the spirit of the law. They were never perfect, but strength of character can give a person respectability.
Anakin had different ideas. His personality was torn. Perhaps in many ways he was a victim of his own prophesy. Having been told he was the chosen one, he perhaps believed that he could change the galaxy. Fundamentally, where other Jedi knew the limits of reality, Anakin believed that with enough power, a person could shape their own destiny. This has never been true. The last straw that finally broke him, was the idea that he could prevent his wife's death, if only he could learn force magic powerful enough. Think about this. Nobody can prevent death. It was futile, and failing, he would blame himself where others wouldn't.
Like an addict, or people suffering from the neurosis of modern life, he experienced a thrill, followed by the inevitable shame. Like so many people, he sought to explain his pain, and his dread by projecting it's cause outside of himself. Such people reason like addicts. Addiction is a mental problem as much as a physical one, and does not require a drug. The circle of blame widened and widened, until his views were so different and illogical compared to a healthy man's reasoning, that we couldn't understand him anymore.
Why didn't Obi Wan feel guilt and self-hate, for failing his apprentice? Because, for all Obi Wan's flaws as a man, he never believed he had control over the world. He just tried to never wrong anyone. He refused injustice when he noticed it. He did his best.
The Sith played on the weaknesses of their times, and rode the current, hardly needing to do anything. If the Confederacy won, they world gain a droid army. If the Republic won, they world gain a clone army. A million short sighted politicians with no strength of character could not see the weakness of their system.
A film will never be perfect; rather by not trying, they often become more interesting. Attempts to craft perfect films, with no blemishes, have resulted in some of the blandest 'experiences' in living memory.