Not So Long Ago in a Beltway Not So Far Away

George Lucas hasn't exactly been known to feel the force of politics. Unlike his friend Steven Spielberg, Star Wars supremo Lucas doesn't make campaign contributions to the Democrats or, as far as we know, anyone. But could there be a heavy hint of party affiliation in his latest epic? Consider: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, written in the mid-'90s and shot in scandal-filled 1998, opens with a hot-headed character named Nute (pronounced Newt), whose attack on the defenseless planet of Naboo has all the speed and surprise of the Republican revolution. Nute's ally in the Galactic Senate is known...

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