******STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!******

I want to begin by saying this will not be a conventional review (the kind normally found on this site), but rather a look at how “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” impacted me after a recent anniversary rewatch.  I first saw the film on opening weekend in 2005 on an uncommonly hot May afternoon with my wife and some friends of ours.  Our consensus at the time was that it was the best of the otherwise disappointing Star Wars prequel trilogy (each of which we attended on opening weekend), and we appreciated its explicit warnings on the dangers of falling in line with authoritarianism out of fear for security.  

That said, the movie was filled to the rim with mind-numbing, eye-glazing visual FX action for its own sake; as well as some of the most tin-eared, godawful dialogue I’ve ever heard, delivered in a painfully stilted acting style. By all accounts, the acting style was an (inexplicably) deliberate choice by director/creator/cowriter George Lucas for his talented cast (Samuel L Jackson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman have all done far better). One could spend a week untangling the movie’s many unwise decisions (see: RedLetterMedia’s detailed breakdown of the film on YouTube). Suffice it to say that “Revenge…” is a very flawed film, no question. However, what I’m more interested in examining here is how its messaging lands today, 20 years later, after the US has fallen into a situation seemingly paralleling the movie’s Old Republic.

While I’ve been a Star Wars fan for most of my years on this planet, I’ve made little secret of the fact that the Star Wars prequels aren’t my cup of blue milk (my 2019 review of “The Phantom Menace”), despite the original film changing my life as a kid back in that summer of 1977.  While everything that’s followed has largely been a mixed bag of profound enchantment and disappointment, I still consider “Star Wars” (1977) and “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) two of my favorite movies of all time.  I exited that first screening of “Star Wars” a profoundly different kid. It was life-altering. That feeling can never change for me, no matter the merits or demerits of the franchise’s many sequels, prequels and spinoffs.

However, new generations are rediscovering the formerly maligned prequels, and more importantly, they are responding very positively to them.  While I still don’t find much to love with either “The Phantom Menace” or “Attack of the Clones” (my personal least favorite Star Wars movie), the current political climate here in the United States has sadly aligned with the third movie’s dire warnings about the dangers of autocracies. That’s what interests me in reexamining “Revenge of the Sith” now.

After a brief, Wookiepedia-lifted summary of the movie’s synopsis, I want to detail why my latest rewatch of “Revenge of the Sith” resonated so strongly with me this year, despite the film’s many missteps.

“Revenge of the Sith” (synopsis from Wookieepedia): 

“Three years after the First Battle of Geonosis and onset of the Clone Wars, the noble Jedi Knights of the Jedi Order have been leading a massive clone army into a galaxy-wide battle against the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

The Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic (Ian McDiarmid) reveals his true nature as a Sith Lord as he unveils a plot to rule the galaxy by transforming the Republic into a Galactic Empire. The Jedi war hero, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) is seduced by the dark side of the Force to become Darth Sidious’s new apprentice—Darth Vader.

The Jedi are all but eliminated with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Jedi Master Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) surviving the event and forced into hiding. The only hope for the galaxy is Anakin’s own offspring—the twin children born in secrecy who will grow up to become Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa.”

The End.

Rewatch of the Sith

Watching the movie again recently under optimal conditions (large screen, dark room, etc), I found myself skipping past the endless spaceships pitching & rolling, overly-long lightsaber duels, and extended rides on the backs of giant colorful iguanas, etc. as I focused on the real story; the story of a once democratic society devolving into iron-fisted authoritarianism—and doing so voluntarily.

To quote Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) as she watches in horror as the Galactic Senate overwhelmingly approves Chancellor Palpatine’s creation of the First Galactic Empire; “So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.” In 2005, that line was meant to resonate with post-9/11 America, and the immediacy with which both of its political parties rallied behind the “Patriot Act”; which voluntarily surrendered sensitive privacy rights in the name of “national security.” 

Today, I see that line echoing the brutal “new” America emerging almost overnight; one which is needlessly bullying and threatening its allies, such as Greenland, Mexico and Canada, while also dramatically rolling back protections for the environment, healthcare, and civil rights for minorities as well as other marginalized persons. I don’t typically do columns focusing on modern politics here in the United States, because frankly, they depress the hell out of me, and I prefer focusing on sci-fi and fantasy as an escape from it all. However, things are reaching a point here in the US where putting hands over one’s ears won’t always do the trick. 

That said, I’m not turning this sci-fi site into a political column; it’s only that the events depicted in this 20-year old Star Wars movie now resonate robustly with the current US political climate, and that deserves a look.

Star Wars’ Vietnam War Origins

To anyone who argues that Star Wars isn’t meant to be political, I’d remind them that war is the ultimate and most violent expression of political power. In fact, 1977’s “Star Wars” (retitled “A New Hope” in rerelease) began in treatments, circa 1973, as a “Flash Gordon”-style allegory of the unpopular war in Vietnam. Lucas has said in countless interviews that the Rebellion was represented by the low-tech, cave/jungle-dwelling Vietcong and that the United States, with its overwhelming technology and firepower, was the Empire. The unseen Emperor Palpatine was originally intended to represent disgraced ex-president Richard Nixon in the original Star Wars’ earlier drafts.

“Revenge of the Sith,” which debuted some 28 years later, also featured allegorical commentary on the US invasion of Iraq, as well as then-president Bush’s alleged abuses of power (before the unwisely named ‘Patriot Act’ made some of it legal, post de facto). There are many scenes/elements of “Revenge of the Sith” that Lucas and screenwriter Jonathan Hale wrote over 20 years ago that could almost be ripped from headlines chronicling the dramatic events in the United States right now. 

“I am the Senate.” 

When it’s learned that Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is a Sith Lord, Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and a team of Jedi are sent to arrest him after he refuses to abdicate, according to law.  Palpatine tells the arresting Jedi that “I am the Senate,” meaning he has the Senators firmly in his pockets.  Windu’s own attempt to stop Palpatine is foiled by Palpatine’s apprentice Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). Later, as his power apexes, Palpatine removes the lingering, nagging oversight of the Galactic Senate altogether (“A New Hope”).

Note: Right now, as Trump enters his second non-consecutive term, he has both Houses of Congress and the Supreme Court stacked with conservative majorities, along with 27 governors across the 50 states; essentially guaranteeing him the power to do nearly whatever he wishes, within and often beyond the boundaries of law (which he routinely chafes at, only three weeks into his presidency). Trump also illegally fired eight independent inspectors general of government oversight (without the mandated 30 day warnings). The only checks to his power seems to be the federal courts, which are only slowing him down at best.  Recently, Trump also confirmed that the once-impartial Department of Justice is now directed to do his bidding.

“Execute Order 66.”

As Palpatine assigns his own clone army to hunt down and “purge” (i.e. kill) the Jedi knights, which have acted as peacekeepers of the Republic. His apprentice, Anakin is rechristened Darth Vader, as he mercilessly slaughters his former colleagues, including “youngling” trainees—all to rid the galaxy of any threat to Palpatine’s power (that last action made the character permanently irredeemable to me; a child killer is past all salvation).  

Note: Likewise, President Trump has recently assigned tech multibillionaire Elon Musk (the wealthiest man in the world) to direct a team of private ‘inspectors’ called “DOGE” (a congressionally non-sanctioned agency with no government experience) to pore through other government agencies looking for “wasteful spending”; slashing at the livelihoods of thousands of govt. employees, while creating chaos and mass unemployment in their wake.  Similarly, DOGE also accessed federal payment data for millions of American citizens without their consent. Most of these lost jobs are meant to secure future tax breaks for the wealthiest one-percent of the US income bracket (people like Musk). This assures future power consolidation of a ‘ruling class.’

Betraying Allies.

In “Revenge…” the Neimoidian leaders of the “Trade Federation” are betrayed by their former ally Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious), before being slaughtered by Darth Vader on the lava world of Mustafar. Palpatine was working both sides, as his alias Darth Sidious conspired with the Trade Federation to facilitate the Clone Wars, which ensured Palpatine’s ascension to Emperor.

Note: While not entirely analogous, Trump has implemented “trade wars,” imposing tariffs (import taxes) against longtime friendly allies to the United States, including Mexico, Canada and Greenland; the latter two countries he’s expressed an imperious desire to annex—threatening them with increasing economic pressure if they don’t comply. Trump has even hinted at using military force to achieve his ends. This is shameful treatment of our allies; particularly of Canada and Mexico, who recently sent vital firefighting aid and personnel into California as unprecedented wildfires burned over 40,000 acres and killed 29 people. 

The Empire as a Humans-Only Club

In the Star Wars universe, we see much diversity within its imagined galaxy, as giant furry Wookiees (including Chewbacca) team up with their “little green friend” Yoda (voice of Frank Oz) to liberate their homeworld of Kashyyyk from the “Separatists,” until they’re betrayed by the Empire as well.  The Empire, as we’d see in the original trilogy (“A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi”) is largely composed of white human males (this was later retconned with Disney’s Star Wars sequels and TV shows); lacking the colorful diversity we see within the ranks of the Rebellion (Admiral Ackbar, Nien Numb, Chewbacca, et al).

Note: Right now, the Trump administration is actively terminating employment of people it deems to be “DEI” hires (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion); essentially anyone the administration believes got their employment only by virtue of gender, race or sexuality. The administration is also looking at pursuing legal action against private universities it believes to be accepting unqualified applicants on the basis of their race, gender identity or sexuality; ignoring the fact that removing those persons in favor of white, straight male applicants is exactly the same practice, but backward.

Term Limits

In the prequels, former Senator Palpatine (aka Sith Lord “Darth Sidious”) worms his way into becoming Chancellor and eventually Emperor Palpatine by manufacturing a crisis (using his own readymade clone army) between the Republic and the Separists. This convenient conflict, which began by using the Trade Federation to occupy his own home world of Naboo (“The Phantom Menace”), allowed Palpatine to use wartime powers to stay in office past his mandated term limit. 

Note: Trump has “joked” that his team are already looking into ways to find a loophole in (or nullify) the 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution, which would allow him to remain in office beyond the mandated two-term limit imposed by the 22A (which was enacted into law in 1951, after the late president Franklin D. Roosevelt’s four consecutive terms). Whenever Trump ‘jokes’ about doing something? That means he’s already looking into it (except for lowering egg prices, of course; something he promised to do on Day One).

Summing It Up

These are just a few of the many unsettling parallels with current reality that resonated with me as I rewatched “Revenge of the Sith” for this anniversary. Such disturbingly prescient allegory gives the movie more heft than it arguably deserves. The acting is still wooden (a choice by director Lucas, not the otherwise talented cast), the dialogue is still tin-eared (“It’s because I’m so in love with you,” “I have the high ground,” etc), and the CGI-heavy visual effects are still mind-numbingly excessive and downright boring over the movie’s 140 minute runtime. 

These distractions take away from the movie’s terrifying central notion of a once-stable democracy slipping away into authoritarianism “with thunderous applause,” which is the darker and more compelling story buried under all of its CGI padding and clumsy dramatics. As they later proved with “Rogue One” and Disney+’s “Andor,” Star Wars fans are more than capable of dealing with darker, political-heavy themes in this otherwise swashbuckling “galaxy, far far away…”

Despite the movie’s issues, there are still many moments of genuine Star Wars feeling peppered throughout; which made this rewatch more than tolerable, despite being soured at nearly every turn by its almost Ed Wood-inspired wordplay. The scene depicting the birth of reborn-cyborg Darth Vader is still every bit as dark as I imagined when I first read Alan Dean Foster’s “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” back in 1978–despite Vader’s melodramatic cry of “Nnnoooooooooo” afterward. At least the final Vader incarnation is still voiced by the irreplaceable James Earl Jones (1931-2024).

I also enjoyed the nonverbal scene of a separated Anakin and pregnant Padme each tearfully staring off into a smoky red sunset on Coruscant, as both of their lives reach critical junctures; with a regretful Anakin poised to betray his fellow Jedi, while Padme faces painful truths. It’s a small, but memorable moment, reinforced with wails of sorrow over John Williams’ magnificent music.  I also enjoyed the final moments where the separated infant twins Luke and Leia are sent to their respective homes on Alderaan and Tatooine (once again, Williams’ music is sublime).

Still a decidedly mixed bag, “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” does make for a somewhat different experience today than it did for me 20 years ago, as I now identify with some of its main characters, who watch helplessly as their universe painfully plunges into something dark, brutal and unrecognizable overnight. It’s a terrifying experience, for which I can now personally vouch. 

In these dark and deeply uncertain times, may the Force be with us all…

Where to Watch

“Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” can be streamed on Disney+ with subscription, as well as rented/digitally-purchased on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Premium and other platforms.  The movie can also be purchased on DVD, Blu-Ray/4K physical media through various sellers (prices vary).