A RadTrad Editorial: A Star Wars Liturgical Analogy

By Nicholas Wansbutter

I liken the Star Wars Special Edition that we were stuck with on DVD lo these many years (until the release of the unedited version for a limited time in September '06), to the 1962 Missal. As the readers of RadTrad reviews will know, the '62 Missal it was one of Hannibal Bugnini's early attempts at destroying the Mass. To name just three of the more eggregious examples: the Confiteor before the distribution of Communion to the faithful was suppressed, St.Joseph was inorganically added to the Canon, and perhaps worst of all, the kalendar was gelded.

I forgive the C.G.I. being grafted onto the original Star Wars because, well, what self-respecting Star Wars fan doesn't want to see more creatures, better Death Star and Alderaan explosions, more Cloud City backdrop instead of blank walls, &c. just as traditionalists' devotion to St. Joseph allowed his name to be wrongly placed in the canon. The Special Edition is still the "original trilogy", but subtly altered (often to the movies' detriment) as George Lucas tried to cram in more fancy effects and other cheesiness that foreshadowed the debâcles that are the "new" Star Wars films. I mean, the C.G.I. Jabba in Episode IV complete with Boba Fett in his entourage (at a time that Boba Fett would definitely not be serving the Hutt) was plain cheese; the updated Sarlacc was dumb looking; and Greedo shooting first wussified Han Solo (not to mention made him stupid). George Lucas truly was the Hannibal Bugnini of his own work!

So if the unaltered version that they are giving us is clearly a pre-1956 missal, and the Special Edition is 1962; then Episodes I, II, and III are obviously the Novus Ordo of Star Wars. While they are vaguely of the same Star Wars universe in that we still have the Jedi, the Force, the Republic, &c., they are clearly a totally new and different creation. They are watered down, campy, lacking in the dirt and grit that made the original Star Wars universe feel "lived in", and replete with weak characters. There's lots of eye candy, but almost none of the substance that made the old films great classics of science fiction. Like increased lay "participation", "culturally relevant" music, improvisation, and use of the vernacular, they provide us with appealing visual goodies like stylish weaponry and great lightsabre duels, massive battles with lots of explosions, the very pretty Natalie Portman, big celebrities like Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson and Jimmy Smits (versus the mostly unknown cast of the old films, especially the solid core of British actors) and "fan favourites" likeBoba Fett. Well, okay, Jango Fett, but we all know he was written into Episode II just because Boba is one of the favourite characters of the original movies -- i.e. letting the laypeople shape the liturgy. Yet more proof that what is popular makes neither proper liturgies or StarWars films.

Episode III, the last of the "new" films, is the Latin Novus Ordo; it was significantly better (in my view) than Episodes I & II, yet still not the true Star Wars. It had some of the trappings (the "smells and bells", if you will) of the original, perhaps enough that it might fool the uninitiated. It has a much better plot than its predecessors, is less watered down and "darker", the battle scenes are not quite as over-the-top and overwhelming as Episode II (which was like watching someone else play a video game, really) and actually had something to do with the plot. But do not be fooled, it is still the Novus Ordo: it still lacks the "lived in" feel of the originals and thanks to C.G.I. is far too polished; the characterisations remain lacking and overly black-and-white compared to the beloved populace of the classic S.W. (not that Luke Skywalker was outstanding, but he was better than "Annie"), not to mention idiotic and blatant liberalisms like "only the Sith deal in absolutes".

Fortunately, George Lucas didn't descend to the levels that the Novus Ordo has in his foray into novelty with Episodes I-III: he didn't go for a Life Teen soundtrack and kept John Williams for the scores; he didn't introduce lay Eucharistic Ministers or stealth priestesses and kept lightsabres and manipulation of "the Force" firmly in the hands of Jedi (well, there was General Grievous -- I guess that was a lay lector), he didn't opt for liturgical dance and kept the films clean (i.e. no sex). But as with the Novus Ordo, even an Episode with fewer abuses than are possible or seen elsewhere (i.e Episode III) does not make it as worthy as the traditional form.

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I wrote this in August of '06 ... I've since thought that Return of the Jedi may well be the 1965 liturgy given that it features Princess Leia in that immodest bikini, and the Ewoks who were silly. It certainly wasn't up to the standard of Episodes IV and V. Also, friends have pointed out to me that the scene with "Annie" naked from the waste up in bed with Padme might constitute a sex scene. Others have said that JarJar Binks and Medichlorions bring Episodes I, II, and III down to the level of clown Masses and liturgical dance -- they may be right, but at least JarJar was suppressed by Lucas in Episodes II and III. http://tradreviews2.blogspot.com/2007/07/radtrad-editorial-star-wars-liturgical.html