Now that the new Star Wars film has been released, there has been a flurry of articles drawing facile comparisons between the Emperor (formerly Chancellor) Palpatine and President Bush, and between the Sith and the Republicans. The preening liberal elite, which has hitherto regarded science fiction as the province of lesser mortals, has seized upon statements such as Darth Vader’s “If you’re not with me, you’re my enemy” and gasped with orgiastic delight upon recognising George Lucas as a kindred soul.This liberal interpretation of what is in the final analysis, a fantasy film, has not confined itself merely to an...