Industrial Revolution Beliefs in Star Wars

601 Words2 Pages

There are many instances of covert racism, Social Darwinism, and sexism in the movie franchise Star Wars. For instance, native population as dispensable cannon fodder is a recurring theme in the films. During the Battle of Endor in Episode VI, Luke and his companions ally themselves with the short, cuddly, teddy-bear-like Ewoks, which are depicted as a primitive race. In the battle, scores of Ewoks are killed and sacrificed as Han Solo leads a rebel strike force to destroy the Death Star's shield generator. This illustrates Social Darwinism. The idea first originated in the Industrial Revolution, when people began applying the “survival of the fittest” principle of Darwinism to society. This is illustrated by the Battle of Endor because the primitive, less important Ewoks are sacrificed by the dozen, while most of the main heroes are barely injured. This suggests that the main heroes are stronger and superior to the weak Ewoks because the heroes are the ones who survive better than the Ewoks. This accurately illustrates the “survival of the fittest” principle of Social Darwinism. Als...

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