Elitists drive popular culture, control the internet, finance films, control the airwaves, radio waves and ipod podcasts. Replace elitist (a loaded word) with 'educated, active and resourceful people' and you have the real picture.

I find fascinating that such an essay with 2 single Lucas quotes lifted from a NY Times piece could be used as the basis to damn Lucas to the spot reserved for many leftist antichrists.

Brin is full of it. His premise is classic leftist brain mush:

When the chief feature distinguishing "good" from "evil" is how pretty the characters are, it's a clue that maybe the whole saga deserves a second look.
Just what bill of goods are we being sold, between the frames?

Elites have an inherent right to arbitrary rule; common citizens needn't be consulted. They may only choose which elite to follow.

"Good" elites should act on their subjective whims, without evidence, argument or accountability.

Any amount of sin can be forgiven if you are important enough.

True leaders are born. It's genetic. The right to rule is inherited.

Justified human emotions can turn a good person evil.

That is just the beginning of a long list of "moral" lessons relentlessly pushed by "Star Wars."

It's almost hysterical. Han Solo is an Elitist? He was genetically born to rule? Who are these elites he sees everywhere? Luke Skywalker, the desert farmboy?

Did Brin, or you for that matter, even SEE the Star Wars films? Or does any leftist, anti-rich, class warfare commentary spouted by elitists at "SALON" act as a post-hypnotic suggestion and becomes immediately acted upon by their mental slaves?

Princess Leia, the closest thing to an elitist in the films, is the equivalent of Fay Wrey, the screaming female victim. "Help me Obi Wan...you're my only hope." Darth Vader is Kong. A monster who imprisons the princess. The farmboy and the scoundrel save her with the help of a "Wookie" - is the Wookie another genetic "ubermensch" born to rule? It's laughable. Obi Wan Kenobi is the old master, the old sage who is consulted. Is he the elitist living out there on Tatooine all by himself? C3PO was obviously an elitist robot - after all it had an English accent and acted gay! Perhaps the elitists were those annoying teddy bear creatures who save the day in Return of the Jedi? Yoda, too, is clearly an ubermensch genetically bron to rule!

Only the leftist control culture can read all this into a succesful film franchise designed to make maximum $$$.

Elitists are those who think they know better and seek to force their doctrines on everyone else. Elitists are the folks who find hidden elitist agendas in numbingly simplistic plotted money makers. Elitists don't need money or birthright to be elitist. They merely need to have a active superiority/inferiority complex. Elitists name their website "SALON.COM" and tell people what to think.

Lucas defends his elitist view, telling the New York Times, "That's sort of why I say a benevolent despot is the ideal ruler. He can actually get things done. The idea that power corrupts is very true and it's a big human who can get past that."

In other words a royal figure or demigod, anointed by fate. (Like a billionaire moviemaker?)

Leftist materialist jealousy is an ugly thing.

George Lucas was not born royal, a demigod nor was he anointed by fate. His money was earned by creativity & demand in a capitalist infrastructure.

Star Wars is simply not that deep. It's 1950's comic book level plot development. Star Trek was "Wagon Train to the stars" with the same morals instilled as would be found on a wagon train where everyone pitches in to survive and the befriend hotile Injuns, while making other injuns their lifelong friends. Star Wars was solely written by Lucas, while Star Trek had a whole bunch of writers with their own views and agendas.

Heck, I didn't see the latest trilogy in the theatres either - but only because the snippets I had seen were horribly acted, poorly cast and uninteresting. The last three movies are amazingly bad, but not because they carry some elitist payload - quite the contrary - it is because they have been streamlined to maximize profit over content and quality control - and because Lucas, himself, isn't really that deep a guy and not much of a writer.