Star Wars, like any worthwhile piece of art, will always reflect the tensions of trials of the time in which it was created. This was the case for the original trilogy in a post-Vietnam America, and it was for the prequels during the Bush years and the War on Terror. Star Wars clicked with the mood of the times, because the mood impacted the films while they were made. The Disney Star Wars sequels are no different. Tom Luongo joins Beltway Banthas to talk about the ways in which the culture wars of American politics today can be found playing out in the new Star Wars films, and what that says about both our entertainment establishment and the political climate. We cover Kylo and Rey’s tense dynamic in the films, masculinity, femininity and where chaos and order collide in the JJ and Rian Johnson iterations of Star Wars.

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