In a nifty piece of contrarianism, Jonathan Last expands on his 2002 essay, "The Case for the Empire", by bringing it up to date in an NPR broadcast that discusses Star Wars: Episode III. As Jonathan says, "A Flawed Despot is Better than a Smug Jedi".

It's also reminiscent of James Lileks' take on the second Matrix movie:

I thought it was a ponderous, boring mess. Sure, it had a certain buzz, but so does a beached flyblown whale carcass. The metaphysics were sophomoric, the acting stiff and pained, the action without consequence or drama. The FX, while amazing, were just a demo reel for new CGI programs. Nothing meant anything. Why should I root for Zion? The machines had built this enormous civilization for themselves, and the guys down in the Rave Hole hadn’t even figured out how to make decent shoes. Me, I’d be begging for admission to the Matrix, but not Morpheus and crew: oh, no, you’re not sending me back to the world of steak, tailored shirts, cigars and fine bourbon! I’m staying right down here in the Temple of No Particular Deity with Cornell West and that guy who used to be in Night Stalker!

Update: For drolly funny "Straussian reading" on the failures of the Jedi Council and their successors, the Rebels, check out Tyler Cowen's "The public choice economics of Star Wars".