Review: Chris Kempshall’s The History and Politics of Star Wars
By Meg Dowell
Star Wars is inspired by politics. And history. The real world has shaped a galaxy far, far away since before it premiered on the big screen in 1977. To say the franchise and its stories aren’t based on the global events of the past is to ignore the facts. If you’re looking for such facts, all compiled into a fascinating book on the subject, Chris Kempshall’s The History and Politics of Star Wars: Death Stars and Democracy is your ideal next read.
Kempshall, a post-doctorate research fellow and historian, is best-known in Star Wars publishing for his work on Star Wars: Battles That Changed the Galaxy (2021), and has now combined his knowledge of history and fascination with media to create a vast picture of not just the history of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, but also how history and politics have encouraged the franchise to evolve over time.
From Vietnam to the War on Terror to the increasing inclusion of diverse creators in modern Star Wars media, the book leans not just on the films to make its points, but also the books and games that — quite literally — expand the universe beyond the screen. Depending on the era — the early 1990s, or the mid-200s, or post-2012 — different stories were inspired by real-world events, whether the authors always intended to draw such parallels with their plotlines or not.
Even more importantly, Kempshall spends the final chapter of the book focusing on how Star Wars fans react to the media they consume — especially as the world changes, and the frames through which we view Star Wars stories change along with it. The point, of course, is that Star Wars isn’t something that is only inspired by the past; it will continue to draw from current events for as long as the franchise exists.
What is the bigger message Star Wars is trying to communicate with every new piece of media it releases into the real world? That is the question The History and Politics of Star Wars attempts to answer. It’s worth a deep dive, even if a more academic approach to this fictional world isn’t something you normally gravitate toward. To best understand Star Wars, one should try to also understand the historical and political foundations on which Star Wars continues to build.
Kempshall’s book opens the door for many others to analyze specific points in our world’s history and how they connect to Star Wars, its creators, and its stories. It is a vast, brilliant overview of many decades of events, and is possibly the most comprehensive account of the specific connections between fact and fiction when it comes to Star Wars, and belongs on every bookshelf.
The History and Politics of Star Wars: Death Stars and Democracy by Chris Kempshall is available now wherever you normally get your Star Wars books.
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