Making Sense of THE News

The escalating events of the past few weeks have made it very clear that one American male is without question the most polarizing figure in the world. I honestly thought all the controversy had spun itself out, that the shameful past was behind us, that we, the global public, could move on to a better, shared vista of genuine hope.

The headlines, alas, reveal the sad truth. The way forward is ambivalent, and almost certain to be wrought with controversy. The minutiae of one man's vision, and all the little decisions — and his many duplicitous attempts to double-back and alter the official history — will continue to be pored over by historians of every conceivable stripe, while the man himself remains an inexplicable enigma.

I'm talking, of course, about George Lucas.

I didn't think the sale of Star Wars to Disney was particularly controversial. Lucas & Co. have had a creaky ride in the California theme-park for decades. The Saturday morning serial is certainly on par with, if not slightly above, Disney television standards. And with last summer's bloated, sluggish and nonsensical John Carter of Mars, Disney finally proved itself Lucas's cinematic equal. The time was ripe for a passing of the torch. As Yoda once said, “Be, you must let it.”

But I was just being naive (or too weary to pay attention and care). Tom Carson, who's spent his professional life sniffing with disdain at Lucas products, isn't so sure this is a good thing — for anyone. On the other hand, Dale M. Pollock seems to think this deal might have saved Lucas' life. Fans are all over the map on the issue. As for me, if my experience with the recent Star Trek reboot has taught me anything, it's best to keep the tomatoes holstered until I've actually seen the new product.