Galactic Green: How Eco-Friendly Is The Return Of The Jedi?

We’ve been examining the hidden green cred of the Star Wars Trilogy (Eps 4-6, 1-3 don’t count) for the last few weeks here on EarthFirst.com and have come around to the last chapter as we throw down a few of the green things to be found in Return of the Jedi.

1) That Bikini. Yeah, you know the one.

This is pretty simple: less clothing in a desert environment means you don’t have to crank up the AC and pump loads of carbon into the atmosphere. This probably has something to do with why Jabba is always naked, too. Ewww….

2) Jabba’s Eco-Friendly Executions

The most evil nudist in the galaxy doesn’t stop his green living at strutting around in the buff.He also makes sure that every time he kills somebody, it’s in a natural way; rather the rely on the high energy drain from having to recharge blasters, he simply dumps his victims into a monster filled pit and lets nature run its course. The rancor? The Pit of Karkoon? A long-overdue update to the old-fashioned firing squad, if you ask us. Texas, are you paying attention? Feed ‘em to the Armadillos!

3) Herds of Banthas on The Way To The Pit

Not only are we fairly crazy about the Pit Of Karkoon, but if you pay attention to the trip out there by Jabba and crew, you’ll see his skiffs buzz a herd of wild banthas–proof positive that the government of Tatooine understands how to live peacefully with these giant desert space buffalo, and avoid hunting them to extinction.

4) Yoda’s Carbon-Reducing Death

Yoda–like all of the Jedi that bit it in the first three films–doesn’t leave his body behind to become more carbon dioxide in the swamps of Dagobah (which is a perfect example of what Florida will look like in 100 years). No, he is absorbed into the power of the force, preventing his breakdown (or his funeral pyre) from releasing the C02 in his little green body into the atmosphere.

5) The Ewoks. Everything About The Ewoks.

We’ve already called the Jawas “Recycling Freegan Gods”, Ewoks could easily be labeled “Eco Forest Ratbears”. They’re clearly masters of adapting to their environment by using sustainable development; even their weapons are eco-friendly, using what look like hemp ropes and old tree trunks to bring down the Empire’s lumbering H3-ish AT-STs. Sure, many die hard fans hate the little suckmuppets, but you’ve gotta give them some badass credit for reusing the helmets of their vanquished foes to jam on at the end of the battle.

6) Force Lightning

This might be the most eco-friendly thing the Empire does, which isn’t saying all that much because the Emperor uses it to try to kill Luke. Just think of the electricity he’s creating when launching the deadly arc at young Skywalker; he could probably power a city for months. If only Order 66 had been to trap all the Jedi in a power plant instead of killing them.

7) Darth Vader’s Funeral Pyre

OK, so we’re flipping this one around and giving Luke an Eco-Fail for this one. Vadar’s suit was made of plastic and composite metals that surely released scads of pollution into the air when Luke set it to flame. In addition, Vadar’s body was pumped full of synthetic hormones, immuno boosters, and other nasty artificial additives. It would have been better to just have given him a space funeral- maybe a nudge with the nose of the ship towards a nearby star.
That wraps up our series looking at the green cred of Star Wars, but fear not dear green sci fi geekstars, we’ve got stories in the works that examines the eco-love of other beloved sci-fi series. So check back, grab our RSS feed, and May the Force be with you.

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