Me: What is Star Wars about? I get that there's a family saga but it's all against this political backdrop that's never clearly defined. Palpatine wants to rule the galaxy. Okay, why? That George Lucas couldn't illuminate this in the prequels and just gave us a bunch of platitudes about liberty dying is just inexcusable. All I see is an ineffectual republic that can't do anything about slavery and doesn't know about the planet full of clones. Shouldn't there be regulation? I mean, Rogue One, okay, yes, that seems to be a parable about the military industrial complex ruining lives and Saw Guerrera is apparently extremist for actually thinking people should do something, but why is there a military industrial complex? We know of a light side and a dark side but no true ideology. Is this a vaguely defined religious war? Is this the English Reformation? And in the new trilogy, we know the First Order wants to Make The Galaxy Great Again, but why? What about the Empire's ideology appeals to people? Was there an economic crisis after the Empire fell? Did Captain Phasma's dad lose his job down at the battle droid factory? Does it seem odd that there is a wildly popular cultural phenomenon with no clearly defined ideology? On Star Trek we have clear ideology, we know why Hydra sucks, X-Men, got it, but can someone please tell me the fundamental difference in political ideology between the Empire and Rebellion? Was that the real problem? The empire fell but there was an ideological vacuum because we had no idea what the Rebellion stood for other than rebelling? You can't hold together a coalition based on no ideology other than throwing out the ruling power when the ruling power is gone! But otherwise, I'm good and I'm going to see the new Star Wars this weekend.