Summary

• George Lucas intentionally included political messages in the Star Wars movies, drawing inspiration from real-world events such as the War on Terror and the Iraq War.
• Some viewers criticized Lucas for politicizing the franchise, but he openly embraced the political nature of his films and wanted them to have a meaningful impact on the real world.
• Lucas saw his movies as a way to address injustices and make political critiques, using the science fiction setting to present these issues in a different context and engage a broader audience.

Star Wars may take place in a galaxy far, far away, but that has never stopped real world political similarities from being drawn, and a quote from George Lucas in 2005 shows that he wanted audiences to make them. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith was released that year, which was also in the middle of the War on Terror. 9/11 was the reason for the war, which included fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. President George W. Bush was facing extreme criticism for the war, and Lucas added his voice to the criticism with his movies.

As shared by jere7my, an article from 2005 shows that American conservatives quickly realized the similarities between Anakin Skywalker and Bush, which Lucas confirmed was intended.

Lucas took issue specifically with the Iraq War, which earned him a spot on a conservative boycott list. Movies throughout Star Wars has a history of drawing inspiration from real historical events, some more recent than others.

George Lucas' Movies Have Always Been Political

In one of the quotes, Lucas explained that even the original Star Wars trilogy was influenced by American politics and the Vietnam War, and that he took a similar approach to the War on Terror. Politics have always played a part in Star Wars, and Lucas's political leanings have tended to be left-wing, including anti-war sentiments and critiques of American imperialism. These views were featured prominently in all the Star Wars movies Lucas created. His depiction of the problems with the Galactic Senate allowing the Empire to rise, the characterization of the Empire as a totalitarian regime, and the Battle of Endor being won by a local population fighting with guerrilla tactics are just some examples of his views.

Lucas Never Minded The "Political" Complaint

When viewers complained that Lucas's Star Wars movies were too politicized, he responded by joking that he hoped people would see the political situations he was describing. He never took the complaints to heart because he was actively trying to inject politics into his movies, and he knew that would anger some viewers. Another source in the post noted that Lucas could have easily quashed the accusations of Star Wars containing political messaging, but he instead opted to confirm them outright. This shows that Lucas wanted the franchise to be political and say something meaningful about the real world.

Lucas was very open about the fact that his movies were meant to be a critique of the real world told through the lens of science fiction. He saw injustices in the world and decided to fight them the way he knew best: through his movies. By putting his allegories into a fantastical galaxy that had no connection to the real world, he could show viewers the political issues he wanted to address without the preconceived notions they might bring to channels such as news. To Lucas, calling his films political was not an insult or accusation, it was just a statement of fact.

He saw injustices in the world and decided to fight them the way he knew best: through his movies.

Star Wars has been a series of movies with many political messages to share since its inception, a fact evidenced by Lucas's own words. From the Vietnam War to the War on Terror, Lucas used his platform as a moviemaker to speak out about the political topics that mattered to him. The messages he included in his movies often earned backlash from viewers with opposing political ideals, but Lucas didn't care. Star Wars is an inherently political franchise because Lucas always intended for it to make political statements.

Source: jere7my