Galactic Green Cred: The Environmentalism of Star Wars
July 8, 2008 · Print This Article
Not to make sweeping generalizations, but it’s probably safe to say that if you’re reading this blog you’re more than just a little familiar with Star Wars (and by Star Wars we mean the first three Lucas made). Maybe you can quote the movies at will. Maybe you still have your Return of the Jedi bedsheets. Maybe you read the fan fiction (hell, maybe you write the fan fiction). But, if you, like us, are nerdy little fanboys at heart, well, buckle up, because you’re about to love George Lucas’ space opera even more. It turns out that there’s actually a fair bit o’ green to be found in Star Wars.
1. Clean Energy For The Droids?
We see C-3PO and R2-D2 shut down occasionally, but we never do see them do anything to power themselves. Solar? Really big batteries that last through the film? The Mr. Fusion from Back To The Future? We don’t know. But we don’t see them suck in anything remotely resembling a fossil fuel, nor do we see them plug in.
2. Jawas = Recycling Freegan Gods
Sure, the little bastards shot R2 and stole him so they could sell him, used car style. But did you look around that sand crawler? There’s a treasure trove in there! The Jawas are thieves, but they’re also salvage experts, keeping the desert and backstreets of Bestine clean. If Jawas were around today, it’s not crazy to think they’d be stealing manhole covers.
3. The Force. Duh.
So this is kind of a gimme. And also strangely paralleling most major religions, except for the whole “lacking a deity” thing, and “self-determination.” But come on, all living things in the universe are linked together, and being conscious of that link gives you power to use it for good or evil? Tell me this isn’t at least marginally applicable to the green movement today.
Except that we can’t choke people. Even when we want to. Though some of us wish we could sometimes.
4. Uncle Owen’s Energy-Efficient Home
Tatooine is hot. Really really hot- with two firey suns beating down on anyone unlucky enough to live there. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru dealt with the oppresive heat in the same way the Berbers have for centuries: by going underground. There won’t be any high electricity bills from running air conditioning for those moisture farmers.
5. Know what was missing in Owen And Beru’s meals? Meat.
While we’re down on the farm, watch the scenes where they’re eating and preparing food again (all 30 seconds of them). Go ahead, we’ll wait.
No, we don’t know what the blue milk is either. But she’s cooking with something called an endive, which, while we could give a shit about, we hear is quite tasty, seems to be taking the place of meat. Why is that important? There aren’t many types of food out there that contribute more to carbon dioxide emissions and water usage than beef, and, um, we think those might be even bigger issues on Tatooine than they are here, it being a super heated desert planet and all.
6. Interspecies Relations Are Pretty Awesome
Maybe a bad choice of picture for the point I’m making here. Given, Han blasts Greedo like a tin can, but the more important thing is that before, you know, pulling guns on each other, they were in the same bar together. Along with about 50 other species known but to God, George Lucas, and our fan encyclopedias. While the Empire has an attitude of human superiority, and refusing to acknowledge the capability of any other species, the outer territories and the systems in rebellion operate on a rather egalitarian scale.
Except, of course, for the droids. We don’t serve their kind here.
7. The Empire’s awful waste management practices, and the monster it creates.
So remember how good the Jawas were at reusing everything, and making sure it got even more than the full life? Looks like the Empire doesn’t play that game–they rule the goddamn universe, so if something breaks, they’ll just get another one (sound like a government we know?). Of course, this doesn’t actually prove to be bad for the Empire so much as it just has scary consequences–a MONSTER IS LIVING COMFORTABLY IN THE TRASH COMPACTOR. Allegory, anyone?
8. Repurposed Buildings–The Rebel Base Is In Ancient Temples
So that’s Yavin IV. If you look beyond the spaceship, however, you’ll see temples–which the Rebels have daringly re-purposed into a base with which to wage an intergalactic war. But beyond being an anachronism on film, they’re sending us a message about salvaging our own old building instead of knocking them down to make them new again. Rest assured, there has to be a better starfighter base than the ruins of Tikal, but it’s faster, cheaper, and easier to set up shop where the hard work has already been done, and then make your improvements. The Death Star wasn’t LEED certified, but we bet these mothers were.
Comments? Ideas of your own? Comments section, young padowans. We look forward to this…
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[...] The Environmentalism Of Star Wars! I am now, and will always be, a geek so big I have a gravitational field. [...]
Indeed. My geekness requires me to point out that Luke plugs in R2 in the Dagobah swamp, albeit to what looks like a portable heat lamp (hope it’s not an oil lamp!).
Also, the X- and Y-wings are seen being fueled (with something) before they go into the Battle of Yavin (end of Ep. IV). Whatever fuel it is, it requires a hose, so it’s some sort of liquid, gas, or plasma. Of course we’re talkin’ bout the force here. Maybe they pump those bad boys fulla midicloreans…little tiny space hamsters. A sub-cellular life form that can take a giant hunka metal to .5 past light speed? Not bloody likely. All you expanded universe nerds step in here and clue it in.
Uh has no one ever Noticed the Complete Absence of Plastic in Starwars?
The Empire were huge litterers, too. Space garbage!
Well it’s not entirely fair to completely knock the Empire. I mean they did use solar panels on their fighter ships
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Not only does Luke plug R2 in on Degobah, but in the first movie, I think he plugs him in, either when he is talking to Ben, or just after he buys them and is cleaning them up…..atleast I think he does?
Not sure about this one. Is it good that the Rebel Alliance has re-used a brownfield site, or is it bad that they have damaged historic buildings and used them to fight a war? Hmmm.
I believe they put Tibanna gas in the engines if I’m not mistaken. My memory is pretty bad, but I think that was part of Lando’s mining operation on Cloud City.
R2 does plug in. Empire Strikes Back on Dagobah
You missed out the oh-so-green TIE fighters with their HUGE pane of solarpanels that serves to drive its Twin-Ion-Engines!
The pipes connected to the X-Wings etc were probably for refueling compressed oxygen-nitrogen mix for the pilot. That would have applied to the TIE fighters. Or maybe it is some coolant.
Hmmm .. I seem to recall the pilots carry a pack / suitcase thingie connected to their suit? Anyone remember that?
One thing for sure, the TIE fighter pilots had sealed helmets while the Rebel pilots didn’t, so more oxygen and power is probably needed to maintain the required atmospheric consider in the fighters for the Rebels compared to the Imperial TIE fighters. Again the Imperial Navy again wins the green card there.
In The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke is with R2 on Degobah, he pulls out a glowing device and says “Alright, R2, you ready for some power?” and plugs him in. I guess the glowing was to show it had stored energy, but that’s beside the point. The droid did need to recharge.
Apologies all around for not specifying that this was only for the first film–episode V breakdown is coming (and so is VI, but if you think we’re touching the suck that was I-III, you’re crazy).
GREAT catches on the Dagobah thing, though, everybody. Obviously I didn’t remember, and it occurs to me that most of you all did immediately.
As somebody smarter than me once said, “Your commenters will be smarter than you”
the blue milk is actually bantha milk.
and not only do the jawas recycle droids(etc) the also recycle old blasters to make their ionization blasters.
….dear lord im a nerd…
[...] turns out that there ’s actually a fair bit o’ green to be found in Star Wars.read more | digg [...]
[...] Breaking down the original Star Wars trilogy (because the newest episodes were lame and don’t count) episode-by-episode, you’ll learn everything from Yoda’s use of eco-friendly holographic conferencing (Just like Al Gore and Prince Charles!) to Uncle Owen’s Energy-Efficient Home and vegetarian lifestyle. Oh yea, and don’t forget about all those solar-powered TIE-fighters. [...]
There is good and there is good.
This is definately good.
Great piece as well.
Cheers. Master Jedi-Robe
http://www.Jedi-Robe.com
[...] has a post titled Galactic Green Cred: The Environmentalism of ‘Star Wars,’ in which they examine the environmental message in George Lucas’s space saga (just [...]