Star Wars in the Public Square

Speculative science fiction, with its underlying socio-political dialogue, represents an important intersection of popular culture and public discourse. As a pop culture text, the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars offers critical commentary on contemporary issues, marking a moment of interplay whereby author and audience come together in what Russian philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin called collaborative meaning making. This book critically examines the series as a voice in the political dialogues concerning human cloning, torture, just war theory, peace and drone warfare.

Derek R. Sweet is an associate professor of communication studies at Luther College and writes, primarily, about the intersection of rhetoric, popular culture, and politics. He lives in Decorah, Iowa.

“Sweet’s book is a significant development in communication and media studies…it tells the story of humanity in an appealing way to mass audiences”—H-Net Reviews.

Derek R. Sweet.

Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 224
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7764-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2347-4
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Acknowledgments x
Preface 1
Introduction: Star Wars and Politics 4
One—Science Fiction, Rhetoric and Dialogue in the Public Square 19
Two—Congress and the Clone Troopers 41
Three—Torture and the Path to the Dark Side 67
Four—Obama, ­Obi-Wan and the Contradiction of Fighting a Just War 96
Five—Guardians of Peace 121
Six—Attack of the Drones! 150
Seven—The Clone Wars, Dialogue and the Public Square 179
Chapter Notes 189
Works Cited 202
Index 211