Peter Trumbore: Observations/Research/Diversions

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Seven things (revisited)

July 11, 2016 By Pete Trumbore

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Almost exactly a year ago (July 9, 2015 to be precise), I posted a little piece called “Seven things I want to believe.” These weren’t predictions, per se, more like short observations, hopes, and expectations.

Even so, I thought it was worth it to look back and see how these panned out. In case you don’t want to read any further, here’s the short take:

I got some right (Clinton-Sanders and the Iran nuclear deal), I got some incredibly wrong (Trump and the Grateful Dead), some partly right but wrong in tragic ways (Confederate flag and dialogue on race, ISIS sympathizers and domestic terrorism), and one (Han Solo origin pic) where it’s too soon to tell but the signs are promising.

On to the original list, with an update for each.

1) Republican voters are not so completely alienated from the political process that they will actually cast their ballots for Donald Trump.

Wow, did I get that one wrong. It’s some comfort knowing that virtually everyone else got it wrong too, but still. Come next week the billionaire (maybe) blowhard (definitely) with authoritarian tendencies will officially go from presumptive to official Republican nominee for the White House. Who saw that coming a year ago? I sure didn’t.

2) The chances of reaching a deal with Iran on its nuclear ambitions are better than 50/50.

This one did pan out, despite intense political opposition in Congress. But in the end, Iran agreed to terms, it’s nuclear weapons program has been almost completely dismantled, most economic sanctions have been lifted, and the way is clear for the country to re-enter the international community.

It also represents an impressive diplomatic victory for Obama’s legacy which will make the US safer and the region more stable. Assuming some psycho blowhard doesn’t become the next president and tear the thing up.

3) Removing the Confederate battle flag from the lawn of the South Carolina statehouse will be the start of a meaningful national dialogue on race.

We’re having dialogue, that’s for sure. But black men are still dying at the hands of police, protests are still roiling American cities in ways reminiscent of the late 1960s, and racial politics still seem paralyzed. And we still have Rudy Giuliani.

4) The Grateful Dead are done.

Dear God, they’re actually on tour. Well, at least the creaky remnants.

5) Bernie Sanders will force Hillary Clinton to actually compete for the Democratic nomination.

Nailed this one. Not only did Clinton have to compete, she had to compete all the way into June before locking up the nomination. Sanders has dragged his feet on endorsing Clinton for the last month, trying to use every last ounce of the influence he won during the primaries to try to push her and the Democratic Party as far to the progressive left as possible.

And it has worked. Clinton has embraced a number of the proposals he championed, like a $15 national minimum wage and free (public) college education. Tomorrow Sanders and Clinton hit the campaign trail together.

6) FBI arrests of supposed ISIS sympathizers actually foiled July 4th terror plots.

Who knows if they did or didn’t. Doesn’t really matter, I suppose. After all, we still got San Bernardino and Orlando. Given the nature of domestic terrorism and patterns of radicalization, we would be foolish to assume that those will be the last.

7) The Han Solo origin movie will be awesome.

This one is too soon to call. But based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the trailers for the upcoming Rogue One, I am more than cautiously optimistic.

Hell, I’m downright giddy.

Why the New Republic had to die

January 3, 2016 By Pete Trumbore

Bye-bye New Republic! (Photo: Lucasfilm)
Bye-bye New Republic! (Photo: Lucasfilm)

Three weeks out, I think it’s finally safe to write something about the newest Star Wars installment, Episode VII: The Force Awakens. But still, here’s your obligatory warning: If you haven’t seen it yet, and don’t want even a single plot point spoiled, quit reading now.

Still around? OK, let’s continue.

While the reaction to the new film has been mostly ecstatic (a staggering 94 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), several plot points have come in for real criticism, in particular the destruction of the New Republic at roughly the halfway point of the movie. Spencer Kornhaber, writing at The Atlantic, put it this way:

Return of the Jedi ended with galaxy-wide celebration following the deaths of the Emperor and Darth Vader, implying a hopeful and freer society could then thrive. The Force Awakens snuffs out that dream midway through and then moves on, quickly. If it had dwelled on the moment, viewers might realize that the heartwarming tale of overcoming they remember from the original movies was just rendered a horrific tragedy.

Do you really want Sen. Jar Jar back?
Did you really want Sen. Jar Jar back? Did you?

Kornhaber’s beef is that the destruction of the New Republic seems to him driven by needs outside the narrative of the universe bequeathed to us at the end of Jedi, allowing the reboot to once again focus on “scrappy underdog fighters versus a ruthless fascist force.”

He’s right. But you know what, I’m totally OK with that. Because consider the alternative. That’s right, instead of scrappy swashbuckling underdogs, X-Wings in the morning, and stormtroopers with personality and soul, the new film would have forced us back into the dismal depths of Republic politics, the likes of which we already had to endure in the prequels. Remember Sen. Jar Jar? Yeah, let’s have more of that.

Because as long as the New Republic is still kicking around, the story revolves around a proxy war between it and the First Order, with the Resistance playing the part of proxy. Zack Beauchamp lays it all out at Vox, likening it to the real-world fun of the Syrian civil war:

A foreign country (the Republic) is supporting an insurgency (the Resistance) against a nearby country (the First Order) that it doesn’t like. … That leaves us with a situation that’s quite familiar from the real world: An insurgency, supported by a neighboring power, is waging a guerrilla campaign against a local regime.

Under this scenario way too much of the drama will have to revolve around the decisions being made by the Resistance’s political masters back on Hosnian Prime.

Riveting debates in the Galactic Senate on the morality of backing proxies! Budget battles over the costs of covert war! Deep disagreement about whether to put Republican boots on the ground! Soul searching as the new chancellor considers abandoning the Resistance lest the conflict escalate into open warfare! Back room conniving as sniveling advisors urge her to betray our scrappy underdogs in the name of caution!

Thankfully we get spared all that. Hosnian Prime, its four inhabited moons, the New Republic and its fleet, all are sacrificed so that we could have the kind of movie we so desperately wanted.

After seven Star Wars movies, we know what works and what doesn’t. Adventure beats politics any day.

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