Diversity From A Galaxy Far, Far Away or:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Jar Jar Binks.
Diversity is a word we hear often, it is a concept as old as existence itself, but to embrace diversity one must learn to appreciate things that are unusual to us, things outside of our comfort zone. In creating a fictional universe, a writer draws inspiration from many sources. George Lucas and the designers at Lucasfilm ltd. drew from the cultures of our world to make a fictional space society come to life. From the teachings of The Force, to the famous Jamaican inspired accent of Jar Jar Binks, Star Wars is itself a tribute to cultural diversity.
It is difficult to explore diversity in the Star Wars universe, with out starting with the religious influences at the core of the films, influences that led to the spiritual amalgam that is The Force. In the documentary Empire of Dreams, it is said that in creating Star Wars, George Lucas tried to find the common themes found in the world’s greatest legends like, King Arthur, Beowulf, and Greek Mythology, universal themes of Good vs. Evil, the virtuous hero, and the arduous journey of destiny. (Becker and Burns. 2004.) Religious texts are always chock full of stories like this; they also contain bits of philosophical truth one can appropriate for dramatic narrative.
In The Phantom Menace (Lucas. 1999), the Christian concept of “Immaculate Conception” was appropriated for Anakin Skywalker’s birth, most largely the influences of the ideology behind Star Wars can be traced to eastern roots. Philosophical Taoism and Zen Buddhism are the main influences. In A New Hope (Lucas. 1977), “The Force” is described as “an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” This is very similar to the Chinese concept of “chi.” Zen Buddhist teaching, which led to the channeling of “chi” through fighting, evolved into Kung Fu. Traveling Buddhist monks would share their knowledge with worthy students. The King of Silla on the Korean Peninsula invited these masters to train an elite order of warriors to be known as “Hwa Rang“. Those chosen were taken at a young age, trained in Kung Fu, to be pure of mind, and to follow a strict code of honor, the “Hwa Rang“ also had authority over the regular military forces, just as the Jedi do. Japanese Shintoism and the traditional samurai can also be seen as an influence. Samurai adhered to a strict code, and lived to serve their nation and the Emperor. The sword is referred to as “the soul of the samurai” in much the same way as the Jedi connect to their lightsabres. (Robinson. 2005)
In 1976 when principal photography was taking place, location scouts asked to rent a section of the Sidi Driss Hotel in Matmata, Tunisia. This backdrop would eventually become known to the world as the interiors of the moisture farm where Luke Skywalker grew up, exteriors of the farm, the desert and cliffs R2-D2 and C-3PO travel through, as well as the makings of Mos Eisley spaceport, were filmed near the dried salt flats of Chott el Jerid near the Algerian border. (Sawano. 2001) This kind of piecemeal production design is indicative of the thinking behind all of the Star Wars films. While the desert dwellings may be entirely terrestrial in nature, they serve the needs of a space fantasy film quite nicely, to unfamiliar eyes, Tunisia is galaxies away.
When one mentions Star Wars, it is tough no to mention its cultural counterpart Star Trek. There seems to be something or a friendly rivalry amongst fans of each respective franchise. Personally, I have always been a fan of both, I lean more to Star Wars, also I do not like mustard, and raw onions. However, is a preference to one franchise or the other a choice, or could it be a calling? Star Wars, as detailed above, has always been based in religious ideology, whereas Star Trek, firmly in science. Science and Religion have always been at odds, well ever since somebody decided to scientifically prove or disprove God’s existence, anyway. In the Star Trek universe, it has been said that Religion has been phased out on Earth. A global higher consciousness has been adopted, making belief in higher beings obsolete. Statements like that I’m sure tick off plenty of spiritual types. I have always been amused that at their core, in a nutshell, Religion and Science have shockingly similar explanations of existence. Religion states, once there was nothing, God snapped his fingers and everything exploded into being. Science states, once there was nothing, and then everything exploded into being. Religion: “You mean like a higher being snapped his fingers and said, ‘Let there be.’?” Science: “No! No! Not like that at all!” I believe that if there is a God, he would want his creation, namely us, to ask questions about the nature of existence. Over time as answers are found, these questions would become much more complex, or these questions would evolve, as it were. Is it too far a stretch to believe in a God that could create creatures that evolve?
Fear not dual “Star” franchise fans, progress is being made in the quest for peace. Recently a new Star Trek film was released, R2-D2 the patron droid of Star Wars, makes a cameo in the new film. (starwars.com. 2009) It is always nice to see someone trying to smooth out the bumps in the road.
In March 1983, President Ronald Reagan announced an ambitious space-based defense system against enemy missile attacks. This plan consisted of laser firing, automated orbital battle stations, or “death stars.” This Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) became known as Star Wars. (Anzovin. 1986) When the leader of the free world leans over and says, “Mommy, I want to build a ‘death star.’” that speaks of diversity. The far-reaching appeal of Star Wars ensured that everyone knew what he was talking about, in just a few words. That fact that the movies were so good made everyone believe that the plan was feasible.
Jar Jar Binks, the Gungan introduced in The Phantom Menace (Lucas. 1999), a gangly orange lizard-dog with floppy ears, who speaks with an accent ambiguously Jamaican inspired, not since Poochie was introduced on The Simpsons, has a character been so universally loathed. Personally, I have never hated Jar Jar, I’ve tolerated him. I have noticed in life that many times we have to deal with individuals we may not like, people that irritate us for whatever reason. Circumstances arise which we have to deal with these types whether we like it or not, at work, school, and even family members, the proverbial Gilligan, the ones you can’t help think; life would be better without. Sometimes we may feel a sense of obligation, or feel sorry for them, whatever the reason, we put up with them. Jar Jar Binks would be one of those people. It is said in the documentary, Star Wars the Legacy Revealed, that Jar Jar Binks has much in common with the ancient Greek character of “The Parasite”. A comedic sidekick character, prone to misfortune, a character that may mean well but is often a screw up, he is there to make the hero’s journey more difficult, and by default more interesting for the audience. In the end, Jar Jar helps save the day by rallying the Gungans to fight the droid army invading the planet of Naboo. (Burns. 2007), Perhaps Jar Jar is there to teach us a lesson, not all heroes, seem like heroes. Maybe the accent is a clue to a deeper social commentary, like the United States tract record of misappropriating African-American soldiers as cannon fodder. In The Phantom menace, the “white” people come to the Gungans, and ask them to fight a bunch of laser-gun wielding robots with what basically amounts to sticks, I am reminded of Bob Marley’s song “Buffalo Soldier”, it’s just a thought.
In Ways of Reading 8th edition, pg 501 Pratt writes, “…in order to lay out some thoughts about writing and literacy in what I like to call the contact zones. I use this term to refer to social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power, such as colonialism, slavery, or their aftermaths as they are lived out in many parts of the world today.”
Using this definition Star Wars can be seen as a contact zone, an auto ethnographic work, recording the ideas and philosophies of an entire planet. Truth observed by a resident of a global society. It may be cloaked in a work of imagination, but truth resonates through the layers of spaceships and droids.
When I set out to explore diversity in Star Wars, I didn’t really know what directions to go. Religion was a logical first step, but then what? Diversity must be embraced to understand our world; diversity is the essence of existence. When examining other cultures you must have an attitude of empathy, or you risk missing the point, not to focus on the differences, but find the similarities. At their very core, most cultures seem to have the same goal, to thrive. Occasionally, someone will come along that wants to squelch independent thought, but without great thinkers, and their wisdom to build on, we would all still be primitives. Wisdom is the core of development, truth needs to be shared and spread throughout the universe, embracing the uniqueness of others is the essence of understanding.
