A History of Heresy

 The title of this blog originated in an old series I worked on courtesy of Space.com colorfully known as The Phantom Heresies. It was devoted to bringing academic study to the first Star Wars prequel, and was "heretical" in that it was during a time when the films were under fire from critics and some "fans" alike (notice my use of sarcastic quote marks around "fans"). The basic heresy was that Star Wars was worthy of scholarly study, and the results showed that not only was it worthy, but it thrived under it.

Much like the saga itself, this tradition of Star Wars Scholasticism refuses to go quietly into the night. As The Clone Wars continues to blast across the galaxy and win over a third generation of fans, the ForceCast is developing a forum in which Star Wars can once again be critically analyzed and discussed.

These essays are a reminder that this tradition has been around since the start of the prequels, and here are a few excellent examples.

The Jungian analyst Stephen Galipeau framed a great critical review of The Phantom Menace at The Jung Page.

David Begor likewise crafted an excellent look at the symbolism in Attack of the Clones at Bright Lights Film Journal.

And this is a great piece on the Clone Wars series by Jason Tiearney at The Forcecast.

As a side note, I had no idea this existed until a few days ago, but the Saga Journal is a truly inspiring online Star Wars academic site. 

Hope you all enjoy as we take our own first steps into a larger world, and realize just how deep the mythos of this wacky space opera runs ...