Free Star Wars on Trial by Keith R. A. DeCandido, David Brin, Tanya Huff, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Matthew Woodring Stover Page B

Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, and dismiss our national security adviser's stern warnings about mushroom clouds over Detroit. It's a terrible shame we were so distrustful of authority that nobody believed the president when he told us that sanctions and inspections weren't working to restrain Iraq's nuclear weapons program, and that Saddam Hussein was a clear and present danger to world peace in general, and the United States in particular.

    If only we had trusted them, and let them lead us into that quick, cheap, simple war they were asking for; after all, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld assured the nation-before Congress, under oath-that the whole operation in Iraq would have taken only six weeks, would have been almost bloodless, and cost under ten billion dollars. If only we'd believed them, instead of being suspicious of authority.
    We'd have been so much better off right now.
    Having dealt with the major issue, let's take a moment here to clear up a thing or two. One of the Heroes of Real SF that Opposing Counsel cites, Robert A. Heinlein, had his alter ego Lazarus Long advise, in Time Enough for Love, that we should "Never ascribe to malice what can adequately be explained by..." -well, let me say ignorance. Mr. Heinlein's word is less charitable. In that spirit of charity, let us assume that Opposing Counsel is merely mistaken on the following points-as opposed to intentionally misleading or deceptive-and that he, and the Court, will be grateful for the corrections.
1) The ability to use the Force is not the result of a mutation. Midichlorians are the GFFA (Galaxy Far, Far Away) equivalent of mitochondria. Every living thing so far identified in the GFFA has them. This is what is called a metaphor-relating the Force to the essential energy of life in every cell-and anyone who tries to get technical about it is wasting his time.
    That is to say, everyone can touch the Force, and the Force can touch everyone. Everyone is, in fact, part of the Force, as is everything ("It surrounds us, and binds us," remember?). What Qui-Gon speaks of, when he measures Anakin's "midichlorian count" is Force potential, that's all. Does he have more potential than other people? Yes. Why?
    Because that's the way the world works. Like it or not.
    Some people are gifted. Some people aren't.
    Now, certain ideologues may be uncomfortable with this simple truth. No matter how much self-discipline I have, I will never be a composer the equal of Mozart, nor a basketball player the equal of Michael Jordan; I'll never be as handsome as George Clooney nor as brilliant as Stephen Hawking. Given the current state of cognitive science, it can even be argued that self-discipline is itself a talent, given to us in greater or lesser degrees. Neither Mozart nor Jordan, I might add, became great simply as a result of their great talent; they took great talent and developed it into great ability through years of training. Hawking had to train his intellect; even Clooney has to exert some discipline with diet and exercise to maintain his looks. It is talent that Qui-Gon measured, not actual ability, or power.

    (Is it really necessary to point out that the Jedi possessing the "highest midichlorian count ever recorded" got his high-midichlorian-count butt smoked-literally, as it happens-by Obi-Wan Kenobi, whose own midichlorian count is never described as anything special?)
    This, I need hardly point out, makes a fair hash of Opposing Counsel's preposterous "hereditary mutant elite" accusation.
2) Shmi Skywalker is not from Naboo, nor is she related to Palpatine or Padme Amidala (except by marriage). She just isn't. Sorry. Nor is Palpatine related by blood to Padme. Sorry again. It just ain't so. You might as well drop that Family Feud crap right now.
    Yes, of course there are family elements to the Saga. But those aren't among them.
    I could tell you how I know, but then I'd have to send stormtroopers after your family.
3) Neither Joseph Campbell nor Bill Moyers ever