44 BBY: Legacy of the Jedi: Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Written in 2003, two years after the September 11th attacks on America, Watson, an American and resident of New York, through her book Legacy of the Force and the sub-story of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, seems to be reacting to the historic events of that day.

Or maybe she’s not and I’m reading way too much into this short narrative.

Landing on Junction 5, a planet heavily scrutinized by its government, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan investigate the cause of the immense fear that has gripped the populace. They quickly discover Dooku’s old nemesis Lorian Nod is behind this fear. He is now head of security for the planet, and perpetrator of a giant lie.
Fearing a weapon of mass destruction, the “annihilator”, from their celestial neighbors on the moon of Delaluna, Lorian Nod had covertly taken control of the government of Junction 5 by convincing the people that the citizens of Delaluna are planning an imminent attack with their new super weapon.

The basis of this simple plot synopsis is why I wondered if Watson was making political commentary here: weapons of mass destruction (Iraq) and a distant threat (Bin Laden) are all great reasons for a government to scrutinize its citizens and slowly erode civil rights. I could be grasping at straws here, but it’s always interesting to note how the politics of a certain period in history affects an author’s work.

I believe it was in 2003 where the idea that it was the Bush administration that was responsible for the attacks began to grow in notoriety and belief. Conspiracy theories grew and eventually this idea became the standard belief of what “really” happened that day. I don’t put too much credence into this belief myself, but I do think the way conspiracy theories have gained such popular opinion is a new and interesting aspect of our culture.

Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History seems to be an interesting book by David Aaronovitch which examines how the culture of conspiracy theories has grown in modern times. I haven’t read it myself but I did listen to an interview he gave with George Noory on COAST outlining his thesis. Also, there was an article about the book and an interview with its author, here.

With that being said I still love conspiracy theories. Aliens, big-foot, the Loch Ness monster, I love it all. My favorite conspiracy theory is reptilian people and the New World Order – Illuminati and all that crap. I even subscribed and listened to Coast to Coast AM with Art Bell (when Art was hosting at the time) for many years. I still listen to COAST. On a Saturday morning I look at what shows were running that week, find them on YouTube, and listen while I clean up the house. I don’t believe any of it – it’s great entertainment, that’s all.

I am not calling Watson a conspiracy theorist here. Like I said earlier, I simply think it’s interesting how the political climate of a country can influence an author’s work.

As it is, the story of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in Legacy of the Jedi was fun little diversion from the Jedi Apprentice series. Order was restored, good government won out, and the bad guy was put back in prison.

For my next post I’m going to jump into The Star Hyperspace War, and move from the pages of a book to the images of a comic. Until then my friends, may the Force be with you.