Ostensibly about two orders of mystical lightsaber-wielding monks and the triumph of good over evil, the Star Wars franchise is actually more of a political thriller, a cautionary tale of how a democracy can slowly be corrupted and turned into a dictatorship.
If you take the entire franchise as a whole, you can see that a failure from the mistakes of the past almost inevitably leads to those same mistakes being repeated once again, often to devastating effect.
After all, the entire saga takes places within a lifetime – 66 years to be exact…
Prequels
Whilst there are dozens of comics, novels and other media that chronologically predate the Prequel trilogy (though comparatively little since Disney’s acquisition of the franchise in 2012), our story starts with 1999’s The Phantom Menace.
The Phantom Menace
The film opens with the Trade Federation’s blockade of the Mid-Rim planet of Naboo under the guise of a trade dispute. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jin and his Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to negotiate an end to the blockade when they are suddenly attacked.
Surviving the attack, the two Jedi discover that the Trade Federation is preparing an invasion and stowaway on separate transports to reach the surface. Once here, they meet up with the now-captured Queen and free her (after meeting the rather strange Jar Jar Binks).
Hoping to convince the Intergalactic Senate to intervene on Naboo’s behalf – as the Trade Federation’s invasion would be deemed illegal – the Queen and her Jedi companions flee Naboo for Coruscant, the heart of the Galactic Republic.
Sadly, their ship is damaged in their escape and are forced to land on the planet of Tatooine to make repairs. But the planet isn’t under Republic control, a powerful crime syndicate known as the Hutts control it and do not recognize the Republic.
Indeed, it’s even stated that there is no one friendly to the Republic on the planet. Traders won’t even accept Republic currency. Despite Republic anti-slavery laws, the practice is still much alive and seems to be thriving.
After making their repairs, the Queen and her Jedi companions return to Coruscant. Though its outward appearance is of a cosmopolitan metropolis (the entire planet is a city), we find a galaxy headed by an incompetent bureaucracy full of infighting.
Instead of realizing and sympathizing with the plight of the Naboo, the Senate would rather send a commission to verify the Queen’s claims of an invasion.
What’s even more weird is that corporate bodies, like those of the Trade Federation, also have representation in the Senate, just as sovereign planets do. No wonder the Queen was easily convinced to move for a vote of no confidence in then-Chancellor Valorum’s leadership.
By some miracle (in reality, skillful use of backroom politics aided by his Sith powers) Naboo’s own Senator Palpatine was nominated as one of three people to be nominated as a candidate for Supreme Chancellor.
Attack of The Clones
Clone Wars
Revenge of the Sith
Original Trilogy
Sequels
A Warning to Future Generations
Whether we like it or not, Star Wars is actually closer to reality than ever before.
Granted, we won’t be building our own Death Star any time soon, but the notion of us having multiple planets with human life on it isn’t that far away. Billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are currently attempting to place human on the Moon and Mars respectively.
So the entire possibility of their being an Intergalactic Senate – a kind of intergalactic UN if you will – doesn’t really sound that far-fetched and could easily be something many of us see in our own lifetimes.
And here is where Star Wars should serve as a cautionary tale.
The Chancellor of this Intergalactic Senate (or whatever the title of the Senate’s leader may be) must be weak enough that he can never unilaterally declare himself emperor like Palpatine did, but also be powerful enough to prevent individual senators from also doing that.
When we do establish our our intergalactic senate, we need to have a strong independent watchdog or body that ensure politicians act in the best interests of those they serve and not themselves.
Kind of like an intergalactic version of Congress’s Government Accountability Office or the UK’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
The Chancellor’s exact powers should also be enshrined in legislation – just as the American President’s is in Article 2 of the Constitution. At least in theory, this should prevent him or her from abusing their power like Palpatine did.
However, this legislation should also outline both vaguely and in detail what the Chancellor can’t do, in such a way that it is virtually futureproof. No matter how technology changes, the Chancellor shouldn’t be able to loophole their way out of things.
And here’s where I’m undoubtedly going to earn the wrath of many readers: term limits.
One of the main reasons why the Republic became the Empire was that there were too many career politicians serving their own interests over those of their people. Ryloth senator Orn Free Taa is perhaps the best example.
To counteract this, there should be term limits placed on both senators and chancellors alike.
Senatorial terms will be limited to six years each, and each person will have the right to serve a total of two terms throughout their lifetimes, whilst those senators in their final term will be eligible to run for Chancellor one year before their second term is up.
The Chancellor will be elected by a vote in the Intergalactic Senate to serve a term of six years. Chancellors are limited to one term, without exception (as Palpatine should’ve been replaced during the Clone Wars but couldn’t due to the war).
Both are done to prevent any one person from gaining too much power and will prevent people from being career politicians, though it’s likely that political families – such as intergalactic equivalents of the Kennedys or Bushes – will still emerge.
When the Senate is not in session, senators should be required to return to the planet or space colony they represent and hold a certain number of meet-and-greets (sometimes known as “surgeries”) with their constituents to better understand their needs.
So what do you think? Is the politics in Star Wars a cautionary tale for when humanity eventually spreads beyond the stars or is just a popular film franchise meant to entertain? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image copyright Lucasfilm Ltd.