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Reaction to The Secret History of Star Wars, Part I

This article i suppose is more blog-like than I intend for the rest but I felt it time to address reaction...

After being out for a few weeks, I've recieved quite a few e-mails and message board responses regarding the book--made all the more interesting since many people have probably not had the time to actually read the whole thing yet. The vast majority is very positive, and the overwhelming response has been one of a new understanding of how the series came to be--and most surprisingly, a strange newfound respect for George Lucas. While some have actually viewed the book as one that is critical or outright hostile to him (as expected), I am surprised at how many people are writing to tell me that they have a new appreciation for Lucas' talents, and even that they better understand why he did some things that have been deemed questionable. Many have even very generously offered me their services in pointing out errors or inconsistencies, and providing valuable feedback which i will be taking into account for the second edition which is coming out in a few weeks.

As predicted, however, some hyper-sensitive fans have taken offense to various aspects of the book to various degrees. Some feel that I am too critical of him (i hate to think of what they esteem of the significantly-less-praise-biased Mythmaker by John Baxter, written by a non-fan, which even i myself feel to be pretty negative at times), some actually assert that i am trying to present Lucas as a fraud for the improvisational nature of his creative process (I have to wonder what book they were actually reading to draw this conclusion, which goes against the entire book's philosophy) while others have predictably seen it as a product of the "gusher-basher" political war and thus reacted accordingly--in almost all cases it is Lucas Apologists' feathers being ruffled by a view which does not "account for his full genius" or does not "appreciate all aspects of his work." Some have even gone as far as asserting that i could not possibly be a true fan! At other times i have even been accused as norrow-minded for the refusal to democratically account for these extremists' views.

Well, some of it is a bit personal but most of it I have so far taken with a grain of salt. The Secret History of Star Wars, is, after all, a polemic of sorts, and one that is probably completely unique in that it deals with a fictional creation, however one that is nonetheless expected to stir up passions and create reaction. It is, by its nature, controversial to a degree. My goal, in writing this, was to approach it as a non-fan would, and in fact that is also how i have tried to evaluate the series--it has, it would seem, placed me lumped in the same category as "bashers" and the critics who simply "don't get" certain aspects of the series (how further this could be from the truth!) with diehard fans of the series, though i suppose it is naive of me to not have expected this. Many other critics of mine have suggested that i am overstating the weight of evidence that is also conjective--although barely a single one of these has even bothered to address any of the specific arguments and proofs which i present, instead stating the tired notion of trusting Lucas' word since only he knows the truth. Such a statement conjures the image of one with their head in the sand. To adress this, while it is true that only Lucas knows the real truth regarding the aspects which I described as "covered up", "hidden", "obfuscated" or "denied", his statements on certain matters do not add up and we are left with glaring contradictions that cannot be ignored. While it is true that we cannot state with absolute certainty, for example, that Darth Vader really was merged with Father Skywalker in 1978, or that Lucas' inaccuracies regarding his early script material are deliberately misleading, we can at least state the more neutral stance that "Lucas is in err where the truth is concerned" and that certain aspects of the story "have been made obfuscated." I am taking a step further, however, and arguing that we can assert many hypotheses which, while not being provable one hundred percent, are the most probable answers and are more likely and coherant than Lucas' own.

In any event, I am however, attentive to my critics, even if some of them are refutable and biased; I am attempting to tone down (slightly) the sections berating Lucas and expand on my argument and hypotheses, in order so that the all-important middle-road fans are not risked being alienated. I am also making some sections a bit clearer as to intent, and it has come to light that, indeed, there are a small handful of minor factual errors (ie "the son of suns" is not actually heard in the films). Such is the benefit of the fluidity that web-based content allows. I am not, however, shaping it by committee--i stick by my words and I have pondered about certain issues longer than I'm sure most of those in disagreement with me have, and so I am not opening up an invite as to "what you would like to see included or excluded."

Whether cherished or despised, I am at least glad that fans are taking notice of my work and that a dialog is being created to address these issues. Below are some choice excerpts from reader reaction, both positive and negative:

"I have to say, this is the grandest, most comprehensive work I've ever seen related to a single work of cinema--what you've uncovered and presented should change the entire fandom's outlook on Star Wars"

"Simple astounding. I've been a fan since 1977 and I've learned more about the series from the nine days i spent reading your book than i did in all those thirty years. This truely is the untold side of Star Wars."

"I was thinking that maybe some day someone would write a book like this but never did i dream that it would come so soon and with such force. Whatever one may say about this thing, i think that this is without a doubt the most important piece of literature ever written about the star wars saga--and every fans owes it to themselves to read this thing from cover to cover."

"Your arrogance and slanderous voice throughout is demeaning and hurtful in the ways in which you try to look like you know more than George Lucas himself. I still am trying to fathom how you can claim that this piece of bantha poodoo is an important piece for history to have--maybe in showing history how certain critics try to overcompensate for their own personal failures as artists by trying to tear down those admired by others."

"A fascinating read but I remain unconvinced--I am not George Lucas, you are not George Lucas, and if George Lucas says something happened a certain way then he is the only one in the position to make such a statement. A good try but you should have spent your time on something more worthwhile than such shakey tabloid material."

"I liked your book more when it was titled The Bashers Sanctuary"

"I could not believe that there was so much to learn about the series. My respect for Lucas has deepened to such a degree that i think i can forgive him for Phantom Menace--wow, i can't believe i just said that. The most interesting part is for the first time i feel like i understand him as a human being. I think this work is irrefutable proof that affirms him as one of the twentieth century's most genius storytellers (however flawed and -human- he may be)."

"Simply astounding. I started reading it last week and I've already absorbed almost the entire thing. I never thought i would ever read a book that fast."

"Makes Empire of Dreams just look like marketing fluff"

"Laced with contrivances and out of context quotes. Who paid you to write this? I hope not very much, judging from the spelling mistakes i am seeing."

"Your critical tone often irritates me as a Star Wars fan who loves all six films but the way in which you so persuasively argue many of your points--i hate to admit it, but i think you may understand the series better than anyone on the internet! I dont totally agree with all of it but I'm swaying more and more."

"Too much of this is personal interpretation and subjective analysis. I'm thinking you had to rely on such biased and unreliable methods because the facts alone would not form the picture you wanted them to form. Good in parts but overall its too much conjecture and sensationalism."

"This book seems to me to be more of an attack on Lucas attempting to make out that he's a liar."

"I feel like throwing away all those other books on star wars because this is the only one i need. Its so meticulously researched, so accurate and intelligently written, so oozing with truth, whether joyous or painful. No one has done anything quite so honest as this before."

"You bastard! It's 4:40 AM and i have to get up at 6 AM to get ready for work but i can't stop reading!"

"Might be nothing less than a true epic of curtain pulling; in this book, [Kaminski] plucks us up from Kansas with the force of a raging hurricane and lands us deep in Oz, taking us to the Emerald City, showing us the Wizard in all his splendour, and all his mundane reality, then finally depositing us back home, never to be the same again. Quite simply, this thing is a BEAST. For all my disagreements, clashes, analyses, discourses and whatever else, all ultimately in favour of the films as a single story, which I still hold to 100%, there is this whole other side to Star Wars that I have been waiting to see written about."

04/06/07