The Means to Impose Imperialism

The imperialistic efforts made by large imposing countries with an immense amount of power and the Empire in the Star Wars saga can be paralleled through the means by which the oppressors imposed their rule. The best examples are found in the use of genocide and repeated bombings and general attacks in both real life and in Star Wars. The imposition of power and the means to do it include also the overall struggle of power between the colonizer and the colonized. Throughout the globe, minority groups have been subject to terrible events in an effort to oppress entire groups of people. It is these events that allow imperialist powers to remain in a dominant stance throughout history. Star Wars tells a story of how a rebellion can perhaps fight back against their colonial oppressors, a notion that is difficult to find in real life historical examples.

Russia right after the fall of the Soviet Union is an example of this concept. Much like the Empire, The Soviet Union enjoyed almost hegemonic power over their sphere of the world for decades upon decades. But, this came to an end in the early 1990s. Without the regime whole anymore, Russia was left with a dilemma on their hands if they wished to maintain control of their former subjects. Chechnya was a part of The Soviet Union, but they declared independence in the early 1990s during the fall of the Soviet Union, much to the dismay of Russia. This fight for independence was met with opposition by Russia, and this came to a head in late 1994 when Russian troops invaded Chechnya. This led to the first of two Chechen Wars, in which both sides of the conflict committed unspeakable atrocities, and both sides experienced large losses in numbers. Retroactively, it is recognized that Russia’s efforts in this battle could be considered genocide (Britannica – Chechnya). In an article on The Independent in 1996, journalist Phil Reeves outlines the accusations against Russia, “Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) accused the Russian forces of blocking humanitarian aid, targeting schools, mosques and hospitals with bombs, and firing on fleeing refugees from helicopters…it was an ‘urgent call’ to the heads of state to pressure the Russians to stop ‘gross and systematic targeting of civilians and the violations of humanitarian law in Chechnya’” (Reeves). It was not long after the “end” of this second Chechen conflict when Russia took back partial control of Chechnya through former Chechen separatist leader Akhmad Kadyrov, who switched sides in 1999 and joined Russian attacks on Chechnya. This led to Russia regaining power in the region by 2003, when Kadyrov was elected president of Chechnya. Since then, the two countries’ relationship has been strained at best. Chechnya remains a federal subject of Russia, but are not actively controlled by the government in Moscow. Nonetheless, Chechnya’s government is Russian at its core, and Russia still maintains control of the region. But, there are numerous examples of Chechen separatist groups committing terrorism attacks throughout Russia since 2005 (Mirovalev).

The use of genocide as a tool to establish power and maintain it at the core of the Empire’s rise to their dominant presence at the beginning of the original trilogy. Although the quality of the prequels as movies themselves is in question, the events surrounding The Republic, Chancellor Palpatine, and the rise of the Empire are incredibly pertinent to this discussion. The time of the Clone Wars in the Star Wars universe was one that parallels well to many modern day situations like the Soviet Union and Russia. Much like the Soviet Union, the Old Republic enjoyed relatively undisputed power in the galaxy for a long time. But, once Chancellor Palpatine was outed as a villain, and that he had been a part of the resistance led by General Grievous, the Old Republic resorted to dastardly means to gain and maintain control. In Attack of the Clones, Palpatine is granted emergency power to deal with the current crisis (Star Wars Episode II). Therefore, the Senate that controlled the Republic lost all powers to Palpatine. But after Palpatine is outed as Darth Sidious, he imposes Order 66: Operation Knightfall. This order essentially allowed Sidious to press a button and turn the entire Republic against the Jedi through the clone army that had been working with the Jedi. Darth Sidious’ plans of genocide are completed by Darth Vader. Having succumbed to the dark side, Vader led all of the Jedi like sheep to the Jedi temple on Coruscant, where they were systematically murdered by the Clones. Their bodies were burned, and Empire tightened their grip on the galaxy. Without the powerful Jedi in the galaxy protecting those from the dark side, every citizen of the Republic was subject to the whim of the Empire, because the galaxy was essentially defenseless, until the Rebel Alliance arises and gains power in A New Hope. The only survivors were Obi Wan Kenobi and Yoda, who both go into hiding until Luke and Leia are adults. Similar to Chechnya, genocide was the catalyst for the evolution of the Republic into the Empire. It was this one major event that led to the rise of the Empire as a powerful and dangerous dominant force (Episode III).

In Robert J.C. Young’s Postcolonialism: A Short Introduction, there is a chapter in which the narrator is told a story about how the British and Americans had continued bombing and attacking Iraq, even though their occupation had long expired. The storyteller, named Sadiq, tells a story of pain and suffering through multiple generations, “It’s the British again. They have been bombing my family for over 80 years now. Four generations have lived and died with these unwanted visitors from Britain who come to pour explosives on us from the skies,” (Young, 34). His story is interesting, because he explains that Britain’s control over Iraq extended far beyond their actual occupation of the territory. He goes so far to even outline the attacks that Britain had been subjecting them to far into the turn of the century in 1998 (Young). The use of attacks by the British to oppress regional groups relates to the event in A New Hope in which Princess Leia’s home planet is destroyed simply as a demonstration of the reach of the Empire’s power (Star Wars: Episode IV).

In From a Certain Point of View, the reader is offered a more detailed analysis of the destruction of Alderaan from the story “Eclipse”. Breha and Bail Organa are king and queen of Alderaan, and are Leia’s parents. They watch as the sun is extinguished by the enormity of the Death Star moving in front of it. They are horrified and surprised that the Empire would destroy such a historic and culturally significant planet. But, as the author explains, it was “The perfect symbol to destroy…No planet was too sacred, too populous…No planet was safe” (Roux, 245). As the couple realize their impending doom, the realize that Leia is not on the planet and that she is safe. But, the final words of the chapter demonstrate the pain and destruction brought by the Death Star, “The mountains rose up, folding toward them, swallowing them whole. She felt her husband’s warmth, his breath on her neck, then the scent of ash and smoke, and in the next moment, oblivion” (Roux, 246). In this situation, the Death Star parallels well to the aircraft of the United States and the Royal Air Force, discreetly and frequently imposing physical attacks through impersonal means. It is the use of these means of destruction that allow imperial forces to maintain power without compromising military personnel.

Another example of the Empire’s use of their mass weaponry to relay a message of power is in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In this film, the final scene places all of the main characters, both good and bad, on an Imperial base on Scarif. To prevent the protagonists from stealing the plans for the death star, the planet is destroyed. The Empire sacrificed their own personnel and base to prevent the plans from leaving the planet, and to convey a message of power to the growing Rebel Alliance. Despite the Empire failing to stop the sending of the plans, this event speaks volumes to the heartlessness and persistence of the Empire as an oppressive regime (Rogue One).

The obvious parallels between real life imperialistic efforts and those of The Empire are ample in the Star Wars canon, and this paper only scratches the surface of what can be analyzed. The sheer amount of examples of The Empire, Old Republic, and even the First Order demonstrate that this was deliberately intended to be similar to actual colonialism. The sheer despicableness of the acts against minority groups and colonized countries speaks volumes about the overwhelming desire a “dark side” has in maintaining their “order” throughout a region, galaxy, or country. Each instance analyzed in this paper is an example of just how exactly imperialists left their marks on colonies, even after their occupation. The Iraq, Chechnya, the Caribbean are all subject to persistent cultural oppression through their former imperialist powers. These examples are similar to those in Star Wars, like the persistence of the overall concept of the “dark side”. Aside from the religious undertones of the light and dark side and how they must equal each other, it is demonstrated in Star Wars that through these acts of violence and oppression, the dark side remains a nuisance and dominant force in the galaxy. At every stage of the Star Wars canon, throughout all of the trilogies, there is an overwhelming presence of an evil side that aims to scare and intimidate their subjects into submission. This notion is one that rings true in Star Wars, and in history itself.

An often overlooked form of oppression transcends physical acts or atrocities. The island nations in the Caribbean have been subject of some of the most despicable events in history. The plight of this region began when Europeans began exploring the new world. When Europeans arrived in the Caribbean, they decimated the civilizations of the native people of the islands. For example, the Arawak people were destroyed. After these genocidal acts, Europeans brought over poor Europeans to be their servants, along with millions of enslaved Africans, thus beginning the slave trade. As time wore on, Caribbean societies became almost all Creole, “[Referring] to the new civilization based on African, Asian, and European culture. This rich medley is the dominant characteristic of the contemporary Caribbean” (Toney). These cultures of people from different walks of life created an racially ambiguous region in which none of the people living in the region were natives of the land. Since the European’s arrival in the Caribbean, much of the islands were consumed by their colonial oppressors. For example, it was not until the 1970s when Britain granted the island of St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (Toney). Many islands gained their independence around the same time, and all of the islands have experienced similar issues of institutionalized oppression through their former colonial oppressors. Jamaica Kincaid’s essay titled A Small Place outlines the damaging effects of colonialism of Kincaid’s home: Antigua. Kincaid’s writing paints a picture of a grim reality underneath the guise of a beautiful paradise. She dislikes the tourism aspect of Antigua, calling tourists, “morally ugly”. She also posits that the people of Antigua have been ‘trained’ through the British education system to think positively of Britain, the exact same people who were their colonial oppressors (Kincaid). This sort of cultural Stockholm syndrome can be seen throughout the Caribbean, and the overwhelming presence of the remnants of imperialism still remain to this day in the Caribbean.

The events in the Caribbean, and how the institutionalism of slavery and oppression remained true for generations can be related to the experience of the Wookies on their home planet Kashyyyk. Kashyyyk is the home of Chewbacca and the rest of the Wookies in the galaxy. The planet is known in Star Wars canon as an important strategic planet because of it being a large navigational point. It became a large part of the Galactic Republic, and was later taken over by the Empire during the uprising and the Great Jedi Purge. What came of this was the enslavement of the Wookie race and the destruction of much of the forestry on the very forest-dense planet. The Wookies were sent out into the galaxy to work on projects for The Empire, such as finishing the Death Star. The story of Kashyyyk after the fall of the old Republic is told in a canon novel by Chuck Wendig, titled Aftermath: Life Debt. In this story, Han Solo, searching for his co-pilot and friend Chewbacca, describes the state of Kashyyyk, “Kashyyyk, that’s where he comes from, that’s his home. But it’s not his anymore. I’ve been there. I’ve seen what the Empire has done. They ripped down the trees. They put cuffs and collars on all the Wookiees. Some of them they cut open. Others they ship off to work the worst jobs the Empire has on offer” (Wendig).

The story of Kashyyyk can be compared to the colonization of the Caribbean, and how the people of these regions, once colonial power had taken hold , were treated, and what happened to the region as a whole. Similar to Kashyyyk, the Caribbean was the primary importer of slave labor, something that is outlined by Solo’s quotation about the planet. Similarly, the Caribbean was used also for its abundance of nature and timid climate for farming and such. Furthermore, the documented use of Kashyyyk forests for lumber is a parallels many imperialists efforts of draining natural resources in colonies, just like in the Caribbean. It is worth noting, though, that these stories of history and fiction are not entirely similar. In the Star Wars canon, Kashyyyk is rescued from its Colonial oppressors by Chewbacca and Han Solo, and it has been shown Wendig’s writing that the planet remained free and prosperous moving forward in the timeline. This is not like the real world, where the colonial legacy remained in the Caribbean, causing many institutionalized issues. It is important to recognize the difference between fact and fiction; not everything wraps up neatly in real life like it does in fictional stories. That being said, the similarities between the forested land of Kashyyyk and the Caribbean is difficult to refute.

The Empire’s reign on the galaxy and its allegorical connection to the real world is a facet of the Star Wars universe that is often overlooked, and in some instances, may be seen as unintentional. For example, the original trilogy contains much less connections to colonialism than the prequels and the new trilogy do. Nevertheless, each trilogy has contributed important aspects to the concept of persistent imperialist power. This essay has analyzed different versions of imperial oppression, and how examples throughout recent history relate to that in the Star Wars canon. As a whole, the Empire can be seen as a perfect allegory to a power like France, Britain, or even the United States. Imagine each planet in the galaxy as a country, and the Empire’s desire to control all is just like these traditional powers. Whether it be through genocide, bombings, or cultural oppression, the Empire has demonstrated itself to be just like a power in the real world, and the means to impose their power are one in the same.

 

Works Cited

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