Totalitarianism is a frightening notion and, in theory, one of the things the Rebels fight against in SW. The last pre-reboot book, Honor Amongst Thieves, had Han and Chewie pay a visit to a cold, tightly controlled Imperial world called Cioran. It makes for a quite chilling example of what the Empire’s vision of utopia is. At the same time the story is smart enough to know that for Star Wars a light touch is better where totalitarian systems are concerned. Why? Because totalitarianism is both a past and present horror.
With the end of the Cold War, the spectre of totalitarianism faded to a degree. To many now, the Cold War is two decades away and consigned to history. Yet, while the world has the sheer lunacy of North Korea to remind it of totalitarianism’s excesses, its more subtle form embodied in China tends to be missed. To do justice to what totalitarianism embodies would be for SW to abandon much of what it is. No looking up, no hope for the future, no freedom to even think, never mind act! Read More
Sometimes it’s the little things that have the biggest impact. Such was the case with Dark Horse Comics’ solicitations for August 2014, for these included their last Star Wars listings, save for a Dark Times Gallery Edition due before the end of year which will cost you! (Probably be well worth it though) I’ve been reading DHC’s Star Wars output since 1992, that’s 22 years and, unlike the books, there has not been much in the way of reduction in my buying of the comics either.
