Cass Sunstein’s book — The World According to Star Wars — is a must for Star Wars fans who are also interested in behavioral economics/law/public policy. This is probably a surprisingly big intersection. What do we find out about Star Wars and the US constitution?
Star Wars: Why?
I must confess to not seeing the appeal of Star Wars. I’m not too cool for Star Wars. I’m a Star Trek person. I find Star Wars badly written, stereotypical, and which cheats by using magic to drive the key plot points. It all seems a bit rubbish to me.
That said, Sunstein definitely did the project because he loves it. To be honest given his stint in government and excellent academic work if anyone deserves a self-indulgent project it is him. This one holds insights buried throughout the text. Sometimes they are well hidden but interesting if you spot them.
Story Unfolds Over Time: Even The Writers Don’t Know The Ending
Perhaps the most interesting relates to a key issue in US law/politics. I’m in no way qualified to speak about it but, as an academic, that never stops me from having an opinion. To get there Sunstein describes how the Star Wars trilogies came about. He describes the unfurling of the story over time. He makes it clear that the ending was not known when the story started. The most obvious example is the blossoming romance between Luke and Leia in the original movie. Then suddenly it turns out that they are brother and sister. Leia says she “knew it all along”. This seems highly unbelievable given her actions.
What is the point of all this? Sunstein suggests that even if we have a basic idea of where things are going (as did George Lucas writing Star Wars) it doesn’t mean all the details are fleshed out. You shouldn’t trust everything that is said afterward about planning. Even in the unlikely event that Lucas is trying to be truthful when talking about the creation of Star Wars, rather than creating an origin story, he must be confused given he contradicts himself.
Star Wars And The US Constitution
What does this mean for big battles in the US? Sunstein discusses the intent of the US’ founding fathers. Some argue for a more literal interpretation of the US constitution. Sunstein, I think, convincingly argues why that doesn’t make sense. If George Lucas didn’t think through the Star Wars plot but it evolved to (some) people’s satisfaction, there is little reason to think the founding fathers could have come up with a coherent plan for the US constitution. Stories, and constitutions, are better when they have a bit of flexibility to respond to the times.
Here is the end of, probably, my only post on the US constitution. Let’s hope its development over time has left it better written than Star Wars.
For more on Star Trek see here.
Read: Cass Sunstein (2016) The World According to Star Wars, HarperCollins