Review: “Welcome to the Rebellion: A New Hope in Radical Politics” by Michael Harris

“Although set ‘A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….,’ the Star Wars narrative feels increasingly relevant with a very real empire, one of corporate domination, at large on earth today.”

As an unprecedented level of support for the Black Lives Matter movement continues to grow across the United States and Europe, the release of Michael Harris’ Welcome to the Rebellion: A New Hope in Radical Politics (2020) provokes a timely discussion, arguing for the importance of good storytelling in driving constitutional and social change.

In drawing parallels between George Lucas’ spaghetti western space opera and our current socio-economic landscape, Harris considers the political significance of the Star Wars franchise and why its story of rebellion still speaks to millions of people today.

As Lucas often reminds us, the original films were foremost created for children. They are basic morality plays, upholding the importance of friendships, honesty, trust, doing the right thing, living on the right side, and avoiding the dark side. As such, they have often been dismissed by film scholars—being frequently interpreted as light entertainment and better known for their special effects and merchandise, rather than for their stories and themes. However, in recent years the saga—simply known as “Wars” by its fandom—has found itself elevated to the subject of political theory, with many, including Harris, suggesting that the films are a lot more radical than we often recognize.

Despite being weaned on great narratives such as Lucas’ epic, Harris believes that the Left’s disinterest in spinning a good story lies at the heart of our defeats.

In Welcome to the Rebellion, Harris recalls a deleted scene from A New Hope (1977) in which Luke Skywalker and his best friend Biggs Darklighter vow to join the Alliance’s efforts against the “rotten” Empire. In doing so, Harris considers how the Rebellion is already a significant part of Luke’s life: influencing his opinions and ambitions well before he is politicized by Obi-Wan in the theatrical release. Indeed, from this scene alone, it is clear that Luke is overtly aware of his repressed role in this extreme totalitarian society.