Shatterpoint and Today: Modern Events in the Galaxy Far, Far Away
by Andrew Liptak, June 15, 2003

 

Throughout the history of literature, political and social events and ideas have often permeated many books and authors and have since been influential on the course of these events. The same is true with science fiction. Often, science fiction writers concern themselves with what will happen, and how the present will influence the future, making them a unique resource in social commentary.

In the recent STAR WARS novel, SHATTERPOINT, a modern social event has been brought into the Galaxy Far, Far Away. During the course of the novel, Mace Windu has been sent to his homeworld, Haruun Kal, to discover the whereabouts and status of his former Padawan learner, Depa Bilaba.

Stover brings Mace to a world that has been torn apart by strife and cultural hatred. On Haruun Kal, there are two prominent societies, the Korunnai and the Balawai. The Korunnai belong to the jungle, herding their native livestock from place to place. The Balawai are the newcomers, and the descendants of offworlders. It is here that the real world comes into focus. The Korunnai and Balawai do not integrate and are at constant war with each other. This is shockingly similar to the Israel and Palestinian conflicts in the Middle East as well as the Catholic and Protestant situation in the United Kingdom.

In the book, Mace explained that the Korunnai are constantly fighting against the jungle, both for their grazers, but also because it represents the evil in the world, in it's darkness and nature. The Balawai don't share this view. Rather, they want to harvest and profit by it. It is here that the two societies clash. Both on physical reasons and on spiritual ones, neither society can co-exist. Again, there are parallels to Palestine and Israel. It both cultures claim the area for their own, because both religions have strong ties and physical locations that are sacred to their orders.

The problems for both societies began slowly over time as the two come into contact more often. As explained in the book, both groups began to feel friction as each had conflicting needs. One Balawai was killed. The Korunnians killed a Balawai. The situation grew. Balawai, equipped with more weapons, began to make expeditions into the jungle to kill Korunnians. Retaliations from each side came and the death toll climbed.

Much like in the Middle East today. Every day, I hear on the radio and in the news that people die over there, usually in retaliation for a previous death. It is a never-ending cycle of killings. The Balawai are similar to the Jews, who were given Palestine after World War II. The Korunnai are similar to the Islamic population, which was in the area first, but also because the Korunnai have strong, traditionalistic beliefs, much like the Muslims.

This is not only the case with the Middle East, but also in Ireland, where Catholics and Protestants have been fighting for hundreds of years and in Yugoslavia. They have fought over a difference in beliefs. Like in SHATTERPOINT, these conflicts are rooted in history. In one scene in SHATTERPOINT, Windu comes across a vehicle in trouble, and rescues their occupants, who happen to be Balawai. The occupants are children and teenagers. The driver, a boy about fourteen years old, tried to attack Mace, thinking that he was a Korunnian, which is Mace's heritage. The Jedi Master escapes injury, but we see that cultural hatred runs deeply into both cultures, to the point where both sides have alienated each other past humanity. The same is true with Ireland, where children are taught to avoid and hate each other based on their religion and upbringing. It is a problem that will not be easily fixed in a short period of time.

Unlike many of the other STAR WARS novels, SHATTERPOINT is unique in the fact that these real-world parallels are in the forefront of the plot of the book. This brings the situation to the STAR WARS universe and with it, brings a new level of realism that had yet to come to the GFFA. STAR WARS is now not only the home of an evil government, corruption and war, but also cultural strife and genocide. Now, these ideas and situations have reached a new group of readers that may not have been exposed to them. It is also in literature that some problems are solved. In SHATTERPOINT, the war on Haruun Kal is brought to a halt after Republic forces are brought in as peacekeepers. This has been tried in Yugoslavia, with some success. Could a similar action work in Palestine? In Ireland? Only the future will tell, if that is the path that is chosen in said situation.

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DISCLAIMER: This essay does not reflect the political beliefs of the staff of The Clone Wars Unofficial Site, nor does it reflect the beliefs of the author and publisher of SHATTERPOINT. This essay was only written for observations it's author found in the book.

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