"'This is how liberty dies -- to thunderous applause.'
So observes Queen Amidala of Naboo as the galactic
senate grants dictator-to-be Palpatine sweeping new
powers in his crusade against the Jedi in the final
"Star Wars" movie opening this week.
It's just one of several lines in "Star Wars: Episode
III -- Revenge of the Sith," that reveal the movie to
be more than just a sci-fi blockbuster and gargantuan
cultural phenomenon.
"Revenge of the Sith," it turns out, can also be seen
as a cautionary tale for our time -- a blistering
critique of the war in Iraq, a reminder of how
democracies can give up their freedoms too easily, and
an admonition about the seduction of good people by
absolute power..."
Read the rest of Dan Froomkin's article
here.