STAR WARS "Legacy" on History Channel

By: News Editor
Date: Monday, May 28, 2007
Source: History Channel

This is a reminder to any and all that tonight at 9pm (ET/PT), The History Channel premieres STAR WARS: THE LEGACY REVEALED, a 2-hour special exploring why the emotional impact of the Star Wars Saga remains as relevant as ever.

Through interviews with politicians, academics, journalists and critics, we'll learn about the similarities between the tales of Luke Skywalker and King Arthur and Buddha and Yoda. We'll see how Star Wars' intensely compelling stories - borrowed from diverse traditions, from Greek mythology and American westerns to the Bible and even Vaudeville - force us to explore some of the biggest questions of our time.

Here is a list of the people interviewed for tonight's program:

J.J. ABRAMS Filmmaker

TOM BROKAW Journalist

STEPHEN COLBERT Political Satirist

DR. JOAN BRETON CONNELLY Associate Prof. of Fine Arts, NYU

LINDA ELLERBEE Journalist

STEVEN GALIPEAU Author, "The Journey of Luke Skywalker"

NEWT GINGRICH Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives 1995-1999

MARY HENDERSON Author, "Star Wars: The Magic of Myth"

EDWARD L. HUDGINS Executive Director, The Atlas Society

PETER JACKSON Filmmaker

DR. JOHN C. LYDEN Prof. of Religion, Dana College

ELVIS MITCHELL Film Critic

DR. CAMILLE PAGLIA Prof. of Humanities and Media Studies, Univ. of the Arts

NANCY PELOSI Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives

DAN RATHER Journalist

DR. CARL A. RUBINO Prof. of Classics, Hamilton College

DR. CARL SILVIO Co-Editor, "Culture Identities and Technologies in the Star Wars Films"

KEVIN SMITH Filmmaker

DR. KEVIN J. WETMORE, Jr Author, The Empire Triumphant: Race, Religion and Rebellion in the Star Wars Films

JOSS WHEDON Filmmaker

LEON WIESELTIER Literary Editor, "The New Republic"

DR. JONATHAN YOUNG Founding Curator, Joseph Campbell Archives

Click here for more info on the show or here.

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Comments/Responses

GentlemenDeath • May 28, 2007, 02:07pm •

NEWT GINGRICH Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives 1995-1999.....Really, is this needed??

jppintar326 • May 28, 2007, 02:16pm •

I agree. What's a blowhard like Gingrich doing on this show? At least they gave equal time to current House Speaker Pelosi. At least she's from San Franscisco and George Lucas's company is near there so she plugs the local economy. Isn't that what most people in Congress do?

bernini • May 28, 2007, 10:24pm •

Nancy Pelosi? Linda Ellerbee? Exactly what on earth do these two dim bulbs have to do with anything? Maybe Miss America Pelosi can describe for us how the concept of balance in the Force explain her extra-Constitutional visits with Mid East thugs and dictators (Bashar al-Assad, I'm looking at you).

cheaptrick1977 • May 28, 2007, 10:43pm •

That's hilarious. A right-winger worried about the Constitution when bushbot wipes his ass with it on a daily basis. I guess Pelosi was just so used to having to deal with a thug and dictator on a daily basis it just seemed natural. (bushy-boy
& Darth Cheney, I'm looking at you). Okay, you may now respond with today's talking points.

bdd • May 28, 2007, 11:10pm •

Yeah bernini , you are just a dumbass that doesn't know, or understand, the facts. When Nacy Pelosi went to the middle east to talk, somethnig Bush can't do at all, she asked the CIA first and they said fine and gave her some talknig points that they would like to bring up!

So instead of lying and starting another pointless war that has killed almost 3,500 soldiers and almost 1,000 Americans working there and the tens of, if not hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who are not "terrorists and displacing millinos more we desided that talknig might help out. You never lose when you talk, most of the time no one dies when people talk.

Hell the Bush "people" are even talknig to iran now, most likely because they are a real threat and we can't invade or protect ourselves for at least 7 more years.

Do you even watch or listen to the news? Big tonato hit a few weeks back and they can't clear up the area because all the NATIONAL Gaurd are in Iraq dieing for what? Oh yeah whatever ly Bush gave us today.

TayDor • May 28, 2007, 11:37pm •

Talking with terrorists only gets you dead talkers and live terrorists. When will liberals get a clue? And before you ask, I'm not sure we should have gone into iraq. But we are there now. So stop whining about it and help us figure out a rational way to end it. Immediate pull out is not an option as Iraq would end up in an even worse situation.

TheDarkRaven • May 29, 2007, 06:01am •

I know the prequels weren't very good and the show probably should have focused more on "Becoming a Marketing Whore 101", but is it really that boring that you guys would rather talk about politics?! 8(

To quote the non-sucky Star Wars films: "Stay on target!"

Captmathman • May 29, 2007, 08:40am •

Didn't bother watching this. I assumed it would just be a retread of his Bill Moyers interview, paying homage to Joseph Campbell.

monkeyfoot • May 29, 2007, 10:11am •

Let me be the first here to say I saw it last night and thought it was great. Many of the things I knew but some I had not. It gave you perspective on all the mythic elements that are incorporated into the storyline. Things like a young hero's journey from boyhood to man, the wise mentor, the spiritual aspects, et cetera. These are themes that run through a great deal of storytelling including comics and other movies (LOTR, Mad Max movies, and westerns, for instance). They are storylines that are in everyone's subconscious.
Like alot of people I've had some problems with the execution of some of Lucas' movies, but I really appreciated the epic theme he weaved, and whether you like them or not everybody knows those characters and ideas.

dsaluga • May 29, 2007, 10:21am •

I watched some of this last night and I have to say a couple things that some people will not agree with.

I grew up with Star Wars. Saw Episodes 4-6 hundred of times in the theaters (no comments on age now) but I have to say that I could nto believe the marketing bs that was happening last night in this program.

They want to put STar Wars as this almighty myth and how "Lucas meant this" or "Lucas meant that" or my favorite line "Did George really mean for me to think this deep into the myth of the movie or am I actually being a writer of my own myth." The latter being from some freak lady (cannot remember name) who was trying to place pieces of the movie into greek mythology.

You know, the "walk of the Hero" can be placed in so many moves, books, plays, poems, literature, etc. Pirates 3 has Will Turner going from boy to man. Eragon has Eragon going from boy to man.

I am sorry, but this is my opinion and I turned off the show because I could not believe all of the bullcrap that was being put on a movie. It's entertainment people, not a Bible.

I just do not see why Star Wars has to be marketed like this. It is a movie with great storytelling and morals. Although, Episodes 1 to 3 lacked the greatness of 4 to 6.

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