0 10D - The Michigan Daily - New Student Edition A LONG, LONG TIME AGO ... THE SAGA UNDER SCRUTINY BY JEFF DICKERSON - DAILY ARTS EDITOR EPISODE I: CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE REBEL ALLIANCE Scenes of space battles between Rebel X-Wings and Imperial Tie Fighters have been imprinted on the minds of our entertainment savvy generation. Simultaneously, these sci-fi images cater to the white majority while ignoring minority interests. The numerous characters in the "Star Wars" universe are ruled by the human species, more specifically white males. Two of the main characters of the saga, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, epitomize the image of a narrative genre severely lacking in social diversity. The grandiose award ceremony following the Battle of Yavin illustrates the problem at hand. Hundreds of mili- tant rebels stand-at attention, not a non-white face in the crowd, applauding the medals given to space crackers Luke and Han. After the glaring omittance of minorities in "A New Hope," creator George Lucas wisely put a minority in a sup- porting role for the next installment, "The Empire Strikes Back." Billy Dee Williams played Lando Calrissian, a space- age pimp with a suave mustache and flowing blue cape. His ghetto was the picturesque Cloud City, a sterilized villa filled to the brim with Ugnaughts and ethnic security guards. Calrissian never grew out of the supporting moniker. His appearance in "Return of the Jedi" may seemed to have expanded the role of the man, yet he - --- - i still served a supplemental position in ghtlife I the Rebel Alliance even with his [ acquired title of General. ipecia 1 Never was racism more evident than $'' .00 Q 1in "Return of the Jedi" during the cli- mactic space battle. The first rebels to Show tis coupon 'perish are an Asian, an African-Ameri- 1 can and a husky pilot. Meanwhile, the 'to o t'100 1 Caucasian pilots slay numerous Imperi- your next [ al ships with some fancy flying. Is this Vst to me i how the rebels define equality? Billiards I There is only one way to kill a white person in "Star Wars" without offend- EPISODE II: I i When it comes to music in the "Star j Wars" universe, few if any musical tussbus. acts get any recognition. Songs are - " ". scattered far from one another between ing the ticket paying majority - slap on white body armor and snazzy looking helmets and call them Stormtroopers. In doing so, Lucas makes the audience comfortable by labeling these unnamed soldiers "the enemy." The societal turmoil of humans in "Star Wars" are incon- sequential when compared to the ills faced by non-human characters. Prior to entering the Mos Eisley Cantina, white knight Obi-Wan Kenobi declares "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." As the characters enter the seedy bar, a pan reveals the eclectic montage of bizarre aliens. The proclamation reveals the Jedi Master's lack of appreciation for the Cantina regulars, most of who are non-human. Wicket, Chief Chirpa, Logray and the rest of the tree- dwelling Ewoks are relegated to throwing spears at Imperial scouts in the forests of Endor. Their assistance is paramount in the battle against the Empire, yet Rebel humans look down on the furry creatures as a primitive species. Perhaps the most disturbing relationship in the "Star Wars" saga is between the stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy looking, nerf herder Han Solo and his devoted accomplice Chewbacca. The epic master-slave relationship highlights the superiority of humans in the "Star Wars" universe. Close analysis of the award ceremony reveals Chewbacca, although- standing alongside Han and Luke in front of the uniformed mass, does not receive the honorary medal bestowed on his Lando and Han pretend to be friends. friends. Civil rights tossed right outside the Millennium Fal- con window. Going further down the civil liberties ladder, droids have few if any rights in the universe fought between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. To illustrate this theory, we must go back to the Cantina on Tatooine. "We don't serve their kind," utters the bartender as C-3PO and R2-D2 come in with their human counterparts. If the aliens are "scum and villainy" what does that make droids? The Rebel Alliance is no better than the evil Empire it so vehemently opposes. Until Asian pilots earn medals, Chew- bacca gains his freedom and R2-D2 can enter the Mos Eisley Cantina unoccosted, civil rights in the Rebel Alliance will remain a galaxy far, far away. JIZZ WAILERS VS. THE CANTINA BAND Semester Memberships - Free Group Exercise, Spinning, Pilates & Yoga Classes " Area's Largest Selection of Equipment - Basketball, Racquetball, and Volleyball " Less Than 2 Miles From Campus space battles and lightsaber show- downs. From the four films in the epic science fiction series, only two bands get any screen time, The Modal Nodes (commonly refered to as the Cantina band) and The Max Rebo Band. While the bands get similar screen time, one band's musical talent gets overshadow by the other's pop sensibilities. The first music introduced in the saga is found at the halfway point of "A New Hope" in the Mos Eisley Can- tina. The Modal Nodes, a seven mem- ber garage act (Figrin D'an, Doikk Na'ts, Ickabel G'ont, Nalen Cheel, Tedn Dahai, Tech M'or and Lirin Car'n) entertain the mass of humans, hammerheads, jawas and a host of oth- ers. Their postmodern jazz-inflected songs often go unnoticed with the commotion in the seedy bar, neverthe- less, the band plays on. Unfortunately the dynamic musical compositions of the Modal Nodes was long forgotten by the time "Return of the Jedi" hit theaters. As the ambigu- ous droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO enter Jabba's baroque-style palace, a trifecta of pop savvy creatures, known simply as The Max Rebo Band sits quietly before their rousing set. This would be the end of the brilliant act, The Modal Nodes and the genesis of the mass- marketed-over-played-radio-garbage that is The Max Rebo band. Irony is no stranger to those in the "Star Wars" universe. The Modal Nodes first started their illustrious musical career in Jabba's Palace, only to be replaced shamefully by The Max Rebo Band. The band of Bith musicians was a part of the Intergalactic Federa- tion of Musicians, but some gambling debts by group leader Figrin D'an forced the troupe to seek other econom- ic opportunities. After playing some wedding gigs, the Modal Nodes were long gone from the desert wasteland of Tatooine and their Hutt employer. The story behind how Figrin D'an I U . .. .m . - ... - - - Voted by Michigan Students As One on One Athletic Club 2875 Boardwalk Drive, Ann Arbor, MI (734) 761-4440 ' FREE 1 Nand 1 Qlaster when y bring in 1ad. - 1 1 1 1 1 1 ti Ann Arb~orI i I this Science has never been this much fun! Ignite your imagination with over 250 interactive' science and technologv exhibits. and the Modal Nodes ended up in the Mos Eisley Cantina has become some- what of a myth. Rumor has it when Jabba learned of the band whoring themselves out for weddings and other special events, he put a bounty on their heads. Fleeing the the most wretched hive of scum and villainy where they could lay low, the band became a lounge act in the busy spaceport. Jabba needed to find a quick fix for his lack of musical accompaniment, thus Max Rebo, Droopy McCool and Sy Snootles became staples of the crime lord's lavish surroundings. Max Rebo is the highly derivative leader of the eponymous Max Rebo Band. The blueish-hued-flop-eared- red-ball-j ett-keyboard-playing-alien led bandmates Droopy McCool and Sy Snootles as part of a group called Evar Orbus and his Galactic Jizz Wailers. Their sound could best be compared to early Bob Marley & The Wailers meets post Here Come the Warm Jets Brian Eno. Soon after the group had its first hit single with the techno-induced "Lapti Nek," the group renamed itself and met up with their future employer Jabba the Hutt. After a successful 90-day trial period, the slug-like crime boss gave Max Rebo and his two jizz-wailing associates a lifetime contract. Back on Tatooine, The Modal Nodes were content playing their Birth of Cool-esque set lists without the fame and fortune achieved by their successors. Sadly, the talented musi- cians will be nothing more than a lounge act in a universe unwilling to accept musical revolution. For every hit single produced by the Max Rebo band, the more gifted musi- cians such- as Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes will get shoved aside in favor of mass-produced chorus heavy songs. Perhaps with the fiery death of The Max Rebo Band on Jabba's sail barge (courtesy of Luke Skywalker and company), the trend of over-com- mercialized music will die with it. E Just a short walk from campus located at 220 E. Ann Street Special admission rate with student ID 734.995.5439 www.aahom.org I I I I I I - --m m- - - - - - - 4 ml m A