Welcome. I know you've come here because most of the STAR WARS sites on the web don't satisfy you. You're looking for someone out there who appreciates the STAR WARS Trilogy in a deep, thoughtful, and respectful way.
You've been looking for a site that doesn't merely exhaust your love of STAR WARS by squeezing every last drop out of your previous experience of it. Instead, you've been looking for a site that deepens your love of STAR WARS, taking you to new heights of understanding, enlightening you to the ways of the Force.
You've finally found it. Welcome to The Unordinary STAR WARS page. The purpose of this site is to facilitate serious discussion of the moral, cultural, and political implications of the STAR WARS Trilogy. This site isn't just about a fantasy universe. And its not primarily about pictures, movie clips, sounds or prequel rumors, all of which are cool but are also for the most part the commercial domain of Lucasfilm Ltd. Rather, this site is about treating the STAR WARS Trilogy as a cultural text which, though set a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, contains many lessons for us human beings here on planet Earth, in the Milky Way, at the present time.
If your are interested in such topics as multiculturalism in STAR WARS, the moral status of technology in STAR WARS, gender roles in STAR WARS or the morality of the conjectured decimation of the Ewoks, this is the site for you. If you are tired of so much internet garbage concerning who in the prequel is a clone of who, you might find here instead an actual discussion of the moral implications of cloning and what thematic statement, if any, we might expect George Lucas to make about it. Perhaps you are even interested in such philosophical subjects as how metaphysical realism affects our understanding of STAR WARS and fiction in general. This site will eventually offer opinions on all these subjects and more, and will also report reader feedback (if it isn't too inane).
So jump in and start enjoying STAR WARS in a whole new way. Together we will explore the depths of our minds and the intricacies of our civilization through the lens of the greatest films of all time.
That all sounds too nice and friendly, so if you don't believe it, here is the real story behind Why I Created this Site. Also note that for the most part, I am no longer updating this site. The most recent update for this page is 12/12/02. Updates in this light green color. As you can see, I changed very little on this date besides adding the Prequel and Jedi pages, where you can find out why I've lost interest. There probably won't be any futher updates, at least not before Episode III is released. I still welcome your e-mail though.
Is technology good or bad or neither in the STAR WARS films? The main point of this page is that there is a significant anti-technological theme throughout the trilogy, which sets STAR WARS apart from other science fiction.
Metaphysical Realism in Fan Reaction
A discussion of the common pattern among fans of pretending that the STAR WARS universe actually exists, and why this can be a bad habit when you're not actually watching the movies.
STAR WARS is rich with evocative details. This page is an ongoing collection of all those little things of interest that make STAR WARS so real and complex (even though they are so minor they may not deserve their own full page).
STAR WARS and Triumph of the Will
See for yourself how George Lucas borrowed from the infamous Nazi propaganda
film, and read why its not a big problem.
Obviously, my opinion isn't the only one in the world that counts. I welcome your opinions and questions. You can send them to me here. Also, please write to me if you just want to say that you like the page and are hoping to see more. This will encourage me to keep writing.
My response to questions and comments will follow the general pattern of Internet etiquette. If you send me a question, chances are I will answer it. I consider just about any question interesting. You can ask me questions as academic as "What about the Japanese influence in STAR WARS?" or as simple as "Why is Yoda so short?" Remember there are no stupid questions, just stupid answers. I will try to answer questions to the best of my ability and tell you who can help you out.
If you send me a comment, I will do one of three things. If it is an additional point in favor of something I have already said, I will put it at the end of the pertinent essay. If it is an argument against something I said, I will also put it with the pertinent essay, probably with a few words in response. If extended debates develop, and I hope do, they will get their own pages.
If what you send me is really stupid or completely ignores the mission of this site, I will ignore it. If you write to say that STAR WARS role playing games are really cool and I should play them and not bash them, I have to tell you now, politely but honestly, that I just won't care.
What is the Force anyway, and what does it have to do with Richard Nixon? The Force is a symbol, a symbol very bound to us politically, morally and culturally. Any efforts to understand it otherwise are missing the major point. This page analyzes the Force, the differences between the light and dark sides of the force, and their relation to human society.
Cloning
Everyone seems to be interested in cloning, so I guess I'll have to write about it. I sincerely hope that George Lucas doesn't adopt the notion of short term, substandard clones that is prevalent among fans on the internet. Hey, I wrote that in 1998. So the stormtroopers are clones, I guess we could've all seen that coming.
Multiculturalism
The STAR WARS films are full of strange beasts and aliens. What does STAR WARS teach us about living with people who are different from ourselves?
The Ewoks
There are some people who maintain that the destruction of the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi must necessarily have resulted in the practical extinction of the Ewoks on Endor's Moon, due to catastrophical environmental effects. I feel obligated to point out that such an assertion goes against all thematic content of the STAR WARS Trilogy, and therefore needn't be accepted as true and needn't contaminate the moral status of the Rebels. At the same time, the conjecture prompts a serious moral question: suppose the Ewoks did die? Was it still worth it?
Why Return of the Jedi is a Good Movie
It's all about Luke, his father, and the Force. Actually, I DID start to write this essay. I just never finished. I decided to publish the aborted effort, anyway. It's really just a rant against people who hate Jedi. This subject doesn't need a long argument anyway. How can you not find the final destiny of Darth Vader dramatically moving? This is the stuff great stories are made of. That's all I really need to say.
The following pages have been chosen because the authors are intelligent, not just because I think they're "cool."
Go ahead, visit the official star wars page at www.starwars.com. It's really the best there is.
Also, you must visit the STAR WARS site at the National Air and Space Museum. It is basically a web version of the exhibit that is currently on display there, and it has some of the best pictures out there of costumes, models, and artwork that were part of the making of STAR WARS.
The Dark Side Prequel Rumors. A prequel rumor page more levelheaded than most.
The STAR WARS Technical Commentaries. By Curtis Saxon. You could say it's metaphysical realism run wild, but I respect his seriousness and depth of his research. He also has some good words to say about Continuity, Canon, and Apocrypha as well as Images and Copyright. And has links to other pages of an analytic nature, not all of which interests me which is why I don't list them here.
B Squared's STAR WARS stuff. B Squared is Robert Brown. (I assume the nickname is because he is called Bob.) He has a really good page on the Millennium Falcon. Also an essay on Myth in STAR WARS which analyzes what makes STAR WARS special and why the apocrypha is bad. A little long and unfocused, but all insightful. He also slashes Return of the Jedi in a way I don't agree with, but it's food for thought.
This site was created and is edited and will be edited by Joel Frangquist.
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Deformed Frogs -- they are gone. I'm sorry.