Robert O'Callahan. Christian. Repatriate Kiwi. Hacker.
Tuesday, 26 April 2005
Star Wars
Viewing the episode 3 trailer, I'm struck by the way Palpatine refers to the "Dark Side". Why don't the Sith put a more positive spin on their agenda? Surely PR is a Dark Side power. Here's a tip to get you started, guys: "Jedi for a Free Choice".
"Vote Sith and you'll have free electricity in the palm of your hand, no more cold winters!". "Vote Sith and you really can strangle the neighbour's cat... from the comfort of your own home (or anywhere else you fancy)". ...And so forth.
While I agree that it would make more sense that Palpatine views the Dark Side as something more like "the Powerful Side", this apparently isn't the case. Perhaps there is some kind of admission by Palpatine and the other siths here: they are conscious of the path they are taking. I like how the phrase works with Darth Vader using it. Now that I know that he is a mislead innocent to some degree, his original appeal to Luke at Cloud City seems flagrantly desperate.
Heh, well, perhaps they're referring to their stellar fashion sense. I mean, surely no one could confuse their side with being the Care Bear Contingent. It'd be hard to advertise as the 'Free Choice Light Force' when wearing all black garb that casts shadows so deep they have to be digitally added to film prints...heh heh.
*Spoiler warning* What he offers is the power to stop people from dying. In the same way that Anakin had dreams about his mother dying, in ROTS, he starts to have dreams about Padme dying. Palpatine tells him the story of a Sith lord who learnt to stop people from dying, but his apprentice killed him, after learning that power. Palpatine then reveals that he is the one that knows that power.
Actually, based on asking random people about their favourite side in Knights Of The Old Republic, "killing people and laughing maniacally" seems to have a pretty large draw. Classical evil is really pretty attractive in the first place. I never understood the tippie-toes approach to The Lure Of Evil. After his mother died, Palpatine could probably just have said "hey Ani, fancy killing everyone and laughing maniacally?" Would have been much less effort. - Chris
*More spoilers* I should also add that Palpy makes the Jedi look like bad people to the Republic, and himself look like a victim. He advertises the dictatorship as a way of creating a safe and secure society. It's as Yoda says in AOTC, "Joined the dark side. Lies, deceit, creating mistrust are his ways now."
What do you mean by "put a more positive spin on their agenda"?
ReplyDeleteNo-one ever says "Join us! Vote for Evil". They always offer something that might at least appear to be Good.
ReplyDelete"Vote Sith and you'll have free electricity in the palm of your hand, no more cold winters!".
ReplyDelete"Vote Sith and you really can strangle the neighbour's cat... from the comfort of your own home (or anywhere else you fancy)".
...And so forth.
While I agree that it would make more sense that Palpatine views the Dark Side as something more like "the Powerful Side", this apparently isn't the case.
ReplyDeletePerhaps there is some kind of admission by Palpatine and the other siths here: they are conscious of the path they are taking.
I like how the phrase works with Darth Vader using it. Now that I know that he is a mislead innocent to some degree, his original appeal to Luke at Cloud City seems flagrantly desperate.
Heh, well, perhaps they're referring to their stellar fashion sense. I mean, surely no one could confuse their side with being the Care Bear Contingent. It'd be hard to advertise as the 'Free Choice Light Force' when wearing all black garb that casts shadows so deep they have to be digitally added to film prints...heh heh.
ReplyDelete*Spoiler warning*
ReplyDeleteWhat he offers is the power to stop people from dying. In the same way that Anakin had dreams about his mother dying, in ROTS, he starts to have dreams about Padme dying. Palpatine tells him the story of a Sith lord who learnt to stop people from dying, but his apprentice killed him, after learning that power. Palpatine then reveals that he is the one that knows that power.
Actually, based on asking random people about their favourite side in Knights Of The Old Republic, "killing people and laughing maniacally" seems to have a pretty large draw. Classical evil is really pretty attractive in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI never understood the tippie-toes approach to The Lure Of Evil. After his mother died, Palpatine could probably just have said "hey Ani, fancy killing everyone and laughing maniacally?" Would have been much less effort.
- Chris
*More spoilers*
ReplyDeleteI should also add that Palpy makes the Jedi look like bad people to the Republic, and himself look like a victim. He advertises the dictatorship as a way of creating a safe and secure society.
It's as Yoda says in AOTC, "Joined the dark side.
Lies, deceit, creating mistrust are his ways now."