Oh No Another Star Wars Video Essay: The Ideology of the First Order

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Angela Marshall

This is some good shit

Iron

I thought this was very well done.

Ray Richards Thought Ray

This is brilliant and I've watched it twice. Also the disappearing and reappearing ketchup bottle every time there's a close-up is fave.

Actually, very nice blog!!

A really interesting exploration.

Paganomation

TWIST ENDING: HEINZ KETCHUP WAS A FORCE-GHOST ALL ALONG!

Lorne Kates was going to change this name for April 1st but clicked SAVE too soon.

Yeah, especially since District 9 has the Nigerian gangsters as the "primitives" who want alien parts for magic rituals or powders or whatever. I think it's not a terrible point (if aliens arrive there'll definitely be human hucksters), but it'd much better if the movie had also shown the rich weirdos on like a "Juicero Prawn Cleanse" too.

4:07- isn't it pronounced "Pi-ett?" Or am I thinking of someone/something else?

Peter McDevitt

I wonder how much influence the filmmakers had over the marketing of the film, or what influence the marketing department has over it. Could it just be the case of the the filmmaker thinking "I want to lean hard into this fascist imagery", while the marketing team goes "Man the kids sure do love these storm troopers", and the two sides not communicating with each other?

Jesse

I have an old Boba Fett comic from childhood where the plot is Boba Fett liberates a concentration camp of non humanoid people. And in the plot they talk about the empires “ethnic cleansing” of space. So I always had that side note in my head, and thought it was odd to merch-out the empire the way they do

I've been waiting for a discussion of this for ages! I sort of hit this rock a while ago while trying to doodle down ideas for protagonists that would easily be recognisable as generic order/empire bad-guys. There was some influence there that I wasn't comfortable with. I was drawing on the villains of my childhood media which in turn where influence by real world villainy. That got me thinking about the topic and this videos really helpful in processing and articulating tose thoughts.

LL

Thank you for your continued excellent work. You teach me so much.

Taekook

Interesting as always

Anders Twetman

Fascinating, as always.

1. The observation that the overall status of the fashy badguys has changed post-Disney is a fascinating one and now I'm very curious to start comparing development timelines. 2. I always wrote off the heavy merchandising of Vader, Fett, stormtroopers in general, and now Kylo Ren as sort of the cheap way to do Star Wars merch-- if it's someone in a mask, you don't have to a) make your sock design look like an actual person and b) you don't have to worry about likeness rights. It's literally the only way to explain why C-3PO merchandise exists in any form. But I do recognize that might be letting the rights-holders and mechandisers off too easy since at some point someone should have said "yes but should we really put the whiny manchild quasi-fascist on baby onesies?" 3. Lindsay's lipstick game is consistently on point and I want to know her secrets. 4. @11:00 HOW CAN THAT BE (god bless literally anyone for remembering Clerks TAS)

"What else were you expecting?" Not That, but damn.

j/k I don't read the comments, haha

Bailey Spencer

Great video! My only complaint is that the music is too loud!

Aaron Nemoyten

I was waiting for the point when you used the scene from 'JFK' - "When it smells like it, feels like it, and looks like it, you call it what it is: Fascism!" - because it's so delightfully vague and out of left field. So disappointed that you didn't! Kidding - I actually really liked this analysis. Snuggly, cuddly fascists indeed - worthy of marching dow Main Street at Disneyland. Excellent work as usual! Even though I know you'll never read this anyway.

Rich Stoehr

Hallelujah thank you Lindsey!!

Toryana Frazier

Not video sadly, but the Angry Staff Officer has written a few things here: <a href="https://angrystaffofficer.com/tag/star-wars/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://angrystaffofficer.com/tag/star-wars/</a>

Joe G

Yessss. I have mixed feelings on the sequel trilogy and I don't yet know why. It's so hard to find analysis of this movie. If you try to search for critique you get a lot of blathering about "omg SJW are ruining everything." This video is so great and much more along the lines of what I want to see out of Star Wars critique.

I wonder what are your thoughts on something like District 9? That kinda stuff always rubs me the wrong way, when an author leans so hard into allegory you end up erasing the real people effected from their own stories. Your essay provides a lot to chew over but its also a nice reminder that fascists are ridiculous people and can go munch a butt.

This is AMAZING!!!!! But you did, of course, forget the other great line in the Prequels "I don't like sand, its rough and irritating and gets everywhere." (I kid, the Prequels are great, and full of great lines, including both 'I don't like sand', 'this is how liberty dies' and everything Obi-Wan says). But I was wondering if we were going to get anything for May and this was so totally worth it!!!!!!!

Peyton Palmour

Saw the notification on my phone and I had to pull up the video. A great look at Star Wars and I'm glad you included the scene with the medal ceremony when comparing the visual inspiration with Triumph of the Will. A lot of people overlook that.

Emily Daenzer

*Well, actually :P

Brent C.

I really like your point at the end about pointing out these things in fiction doesn't necessitate telling the audience to take any specific action. It's important to remember that all fiction exists in a context and will inevitably reflect that in one way or another. It's not a matter of specific action, but rather contextualising the media one consumes and how it affects, and is affected by, the world around it. The audience just has to be open to reflection and discussion. (Also, quick note - I think you spelled my name wrong in the credits!)

Mo Quirk

I always saw the inspiration in the original Storm Troopers, but never found myself relating them to Nazis. I think the costume design did a great job of making them look fascist without actually making them look like Nazis.

Cosmic Frog

Ideaologye - I'm working on it

Joss Strand

I woulda ran with it like I typed ideaology on purpose. Just sayin..

Callen

The swap out of Turn Down for What with Nickelback and diet mayonnaise had me in stitches. Great work, can'twait for more news on It's Lit!

Chelsea Monk

I'm weird, I always liked the soulless masked dragon figure. Reaper, Witch King, Deathstroke, Dr. Doom, and especially Vader. I would never want to BE like these men, but the aesthetic and mystique behind each of them always spoke to me.

Jennifer Miller

Good video as always. I've often wondered myself about how the empire and first order are modeled off real world evils like Nazis and fascists yet still seem to be popular with the audience regardless of personal beliefs.

Wow, that line about thanos XD great vid as usual, thinking about it now, the storm trooper thing always kinda made me uncomfortable because I thought they were cool looking. Hell, I enjoy most of the disney villains more than the hero characters, so it's always been an iffy thing with me.

Heartlessfang

*pushes up glasses* It's pronounced Admiral "Pee-yet", not Admiral "Peet".

JJ Gauthier

AND just write!

Harmony

a tiny editing thing, there's a funny little audio bubble at 18:35, where it starts to play the next line, cuts, and then plays it again. it happens really fast and is barely noticeable but i thought i would point it out! really great video! &lt;3

melissa m

Awesome video... Maybe it`s just me being overly hopeful and the fact that Starscream is in the background... But could we expect this same sort of analysis concerning the Decepticons? I think there's a lot to unwrap there, including how the fans perceive them (not just the edgy fanboys either. i wish the Kylo Ren fangirl contingent was tackled more in here because it is fascinating.)

Kirkeyressa

Did anyone else think they had a stroke at 23:11?

Andrew H

Lessons from the Screenplay and Lindsey Ellis on the same day?!? Must be Star Wars Christmas... (aka the Holiday special)

Player13

I'm still waiting on the day some glorious soul comes along and does a video essay on how both the Resistance and the First Order have all the military and strategic skill of a thirteen year old boy screeching into a headset while playing Battlefield.

Is it just me, or is it in the close up shots, you have a ketchup bottle on the desk? If so, I relate.

Considering Disney's corporate strategies over the last 30 years (especially regarding copyright), I'd say embodying the merger of state and corporate power comes pretty naturally to them. Perhaps more importantly however, I love the random Clerks Cartoon reference, "Bear is driving!" LOL.

I am 90 seconds in and screaming because I had this EXACT conversation when I was in Disneyland last week. "Cosplay fascism" is way more articulate than I was at the time but the idea is the same. I feel so validated. And off to watch the remainder of the video.

"What does the First Order want?" I'm glad Disney decided to keep some mystery to this question, whatever their reasons. The non-specifics behind the First Order's flavor or fascism makes the First Order 'mask-like'. As viewers, we can imagine different 'eyes' or ideology peaking through that mask. This invites viewers to be proactive with the concept of the First Order. What do you see peaking though the mask? Maybe... something you have seen creeping and growing in the real world?

Yay! Also, at around 16:48 you repeat "ideology is never logical" line, I think you wanted to edit that a little differently. ...and then again at around 23:00, the "sweet green" line repeats.

TomNoLongerInCanada

Awesome video! Loved it!

Around 23:05, to be more specific.

Great video, a double line around 23:18 minutes.

Clare (Agrippina) Belshaw

You repeat the line about selling Boba Fett and Darth Vader.

Brian Kelleher

My cup truly runneth the hell over tonight.

Jody Schaeffer

Yay! It feels like ages since I've seen one of your videos. &lt;3

YES YES YES!!

Paddy O'Furniture

Unless there's a central idea to the ideology you're talking about then it's clearly an intentional brilliant pun.

Mathew Sforcina

I knew all that Kylo Ren stuff on your Twitter wasn't just for fun

ArthurCrane