Based on this piece by John Hodgman: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/play_full.php?play=232&act=3
(link has been working intermittently, try reloading if it sounds crazy) Please listen to it. It's not necessary to appreciate the TL, but it's great.
Basically Hodgman is saying that the Phantom Menace sucking was the first glimmer of bad things to come for America (Bush, recession, 9/11, war).
So here's the idea: how can the Phantom Menace turning out to be a great movie save the country from the troubles of the 2000's?
1994:
November: George Lucas starts writing the new Star Wars series.
1996:
January: Lucas is seriously injured in a car accident. He survives, but with limited mobility. He will be plagued by poor health and difficulty with fine motor control for the rest of his life. He decides to continue with the production of the new Star Wars movies, but is forced to hand off most of the writing and directorial duties, retaining only more general control.
1997:
June: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace begins filming. While a number of characters and concepts are retained, the script is substantially different from Lucas's original treatment.
1999:
May: The Phantom Menace is released. Star Wars fans around the world are thrilled. Many see the movie over and over again, claiming that it's what they've been waiting for ever since Return of the Jedi. The movie is hailed as a worthy successor to the originals, and becomes one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
July: A mob of English Star Wars fans starts a small riot when their local theater informs them that it will be cancelling a showing of The Phantom Menace due to technical difficulties. Prominent science fiction author Douglas Adams is caught in the riot, having been about to see the movie himself, and suffers a minor heart attack. This turns out to be a blessing, as when he arrives at the hospital he's diagnosed with a more serious condition, which could have killed him had it not been caught this early.
September: The success of the The Phantom Menace spurs renewed interest in science and science fiction, particularly anything to do with space. Colleges and Universities all over the country report record-breaking enrollment numbers into science and engineering programs.
2000:
February: The Phantom Menace is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, but of course doesn't win. Matt Stevens, the formerly unknown Florida born teenager playing Anakin Skywalker is seen as a rising star, and is also nominated for a best actor award.
November: Matt turns out to be a passionate liberal, and works with the Gore campaign in his home state of Florida. He personally pays for several dozen buses to help get out the vote on election day. When Gore wins Florida, and thus the general election, by the unprecedentedly small margin of 187 votes, many joke that Matt and the Star Wars fans influenced by him, swung the election for Gore, but no one takes the idea seriously, though some predict a career in politics for Matt after he completes his Star Wars contract.
2001:
February: In one of the first acts of his Presidency, President Gore announces a major increase in funding for NASA. The newly space-crazy country applauds this move, with visions of space stations and hyperdrives dancing in their heads. More practically, this move helps blunt the effect of the gradual end of the dot-com boom by providing economic stimulus, and plenty of jobs for now unemployed by science savvy internet entrepreneurs. Critics accuse Gore of using the popularity of NASA to funnel money to his pet project: climate change research. There is some truth to these claims.
June: A newly created Star Wars fan club holds a convention in Las Vegas. In a coincidence that will later inspire innumerable conspiracy theories, the EconoLodge where many convention guests are staying also hosts Mohamed Atta and three other young Arab flight schooll trainees. The Star Wars fans become increasingly rowdy, and Atta arrives at their room to yell at them. The situation gets out of control and eventually ends with the four arabs and a dozen convention goers spending the night in a Las Vegas jail.
August: The Mossad delivers a list of suspicious names to the CIA, among the Atta's. His recent arrest makes him easy to find, and a few agents are assigned to observe him. After a week of observation they find that Atta is involved in some very suspicious activities and bring him in for questioning. Atta is uncooperative but unskilled at resisting interrogation, and can't help but give a lot away. Soon more and more of his associates are brought in for questioning or put under observation. The tiny Al Qaeda network operating in the United States comes apart at the seams.
September: Nothing of importance happens.
2002:
January: President Gore demands that Iraq stop all WMD research and construction, and submit to UN weapons inspections.
May: Attack of the Clones is released with much fanfare, and is received as positively as its predecessor. The only criticism comes from the film's rather brutal portrayal of the horrors of war, with some parents groups expressing outrage that such mature themes are infiltrating a series beloved by children. Lucas responds that children watch TV and movies filled with glamorized, consequence free violence every day, and that his more gritty, realistic take is actually a better
June: President Gore makes an address to the nation about the situation in Iraq. He demands that the Iraqis submit to inspections, but, with a reference to Attack of the Clones, chastises groups that have been pushing for armed confrontation with Iraq, saying that America will not initiate a preemptive war.
November: Iraq allows weapons inspectors into the country. They are given fairly free access to Iraqi facilities, and find no evidence of WMDs. The US pats itself on the back and gets back to ignoring the rest of the world.
December: George Lucas dies, succumbing the the lingering health issues that plagued him ever since his 1996 car accident. The nation mourns and thousands attend his funeral, many dressed in full Star Wars regalia.
2003:
March: A number of studies come out of the Earth Climate Research Center at NASA making dire predictions about future global warming. Many environmentalists take this as a call to action, holding rallies in several American cities. President Gore takes to push through American ratification of the Kyoto protocols, which he had been promising to do for most of his presidency. Green jobs are now the fastest growing industry in America, with heavy government support pushing investment in solar power technology, as well as making American homes and businesses more efficient.
April: In the second major NASA announcement in as many months, President Gore announces a new vision for American expansion into space, including tests of space based solar power, a return to the moon, and increased funding for long term R&D into seemingly science fictional ideas like FTL travel and SETI. A new agency is founded to deal with these more far-out concepts, called LISP, or the Lucas Institute for Space Progress.
June: Filming begins for Revenge of the Sith. Anticipations run high as fans get ready for the final installment of a series that has now defined multiple generations. America is prosperous, at peace, and leading the way in both space, and conserving the Earth. Hope dominates fear as all look to the future.
So, thoughts? I tried to tie everything to Star Wars as much as possible and not just rely on butterflies or the beneficial effects of a Gore presidency.
(link has been working intermittently, try reloading if it sounds crazy) Please listen to it. It's not necessary to appreciate the TL, but it's great.
Basically Hodgman is saying that the Phantom Menace sucking was the first glimmer of bad things to come for America (Bush, recession, 9/11, war).
So here's the idea: how can the Phantom Menace turning out to be a great movie save the country from the troubles of the 2000's?
1994:
November: George Lucas starts writing the new Star Wars series.
1996:
January: Lucas is seriously injured in a car accident. He survives, but with limited mobility. He will be plagued by poor health and difficulty with fine motor control for the rest of his life. He decides to continue with the production of the new Star Wars movies, but is forced to hand off most of the writing and directorial duties, retaining only more general control.
1997:
June: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace begins filming. While a number of characters and concepts are retained, the script is substantially different from Lucas's original treatment.
1999:
May: The Phantom Menace is released. Star Wars fans around the world are thrilled. Many see the movie over and over again, claiming that it's what they've been waiting for ever since Return of the Jedi. The movie is hailed as a worthy successor to the originals, and becomes one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
July: A mob of English Star Wars fans starts a small riot when their local theater informs them that it will be cancelling a showing of The Phantom Menace due to technical difficulties. Prominent science fiction author Douglas Adams is caught in the riot, having been about to see the movie himself, and suffers a minor heart attack. This turns out to be a blessing, as when he arrives at the hospital he's diagnosed with a more serious condition, which could have killed him had it not been caught this early.
September: The success of the The Phantom Menace spurs renewed interest in science and science fiction, particularly anything to do with space. Colleges and Universities all over the country report record-breaking enrollment numbers into science and engineering programs.
2000:
February: The Phantom Menace is nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, but of course doesn't win. Matt Stevens, the formerly unknown Florida born teenager playing Anakin Skywalker is seen as a rising star, and is also nominated for a best actor award.
November: Matt turns out to be a passionate liberal, and works with the Gore campaign in his home state of Florida. He personally pays for several dozen buses to help get out the vote on election day. When Gore wins Florida, and thus the general election, by the unprecedentedly small margin of 187 votes, many joke that Matt and the Star Wars fans influenced by him, swung the election for Gore, but no one takes the idea seriously, though some predict a career in politics for Matt after he completes his Star Wars contract.
2001:
February: In one of the first acts of his Presidency, President Gore announces a major increase in funding for NASA. The newly space-crazy country applauds this move, with visions of space stations and hyperdrives dancing in their heads. More practically, this move helps blunt the effect of the gradual end of the dot-com boom by providing economic stimulus, and plenty of jobs for now unemployed by science savvy internet entrepreneurs. Critics accuse Gore of using the popularity of NASA to funnel money to his pet project: climate change research. There is some truth to these claims.
June: A newly created Star Wars fan club holds a convention in Las Vegas. In a coincidence that will later inspire innumerable conspiracy theories, the EconoLodge where many convention guests are staying also hosts Mohamed Atta and three other young Arab flight schooll trainees. The Star Wars fans become increasingly rowdy, and Atta arrives at their room to yell at them. The situation gets out of control and eventually ends with the four arabs and a dozen convention goers spending the night in a Las Vegas jail.
August: The Mossad delivers a list of suspicious names to the CIA, among the Atta's. His recent arrest makes him easy to find, and a few agents are assigned to observe him. After a week of observation they find that Atta is involved in some very suspicious activities and bring him in for questioning. Atta is uncooperative but unskilled at resisting interrogation, and can't help but give a lot away. Soon more and more of his associates are brought in for questioning or put under observation. The tiny Al Qaeda network operating in the United States comes apart at the seams.
September: Nothing of importance happens.
2002:
January: President Gore demands that Iraq stop all WMD research and construction, and submit to UN weapons inspections.
May: Attack of the Clones is released with much fanfare, and is received as positively as its predecessor. The only criticism comes from the film's rather brutal portrayal of the horrors of war, with some parents groups expressing outrage that such mature themes are infiltrating a series beloved by children. Lucas responds that children watch TV and movies filled with glamorized, consequence free violence every day, and that his more gritty, realistic take is actually a better
June: President Gore makes an address to the nation about the situation in Iraq. He demands that the Iraqis submit to inspections, but, with a reference to Attack of the Clones, chastises groups that have been pushing for armed confrontation with Iraq, saying that America will not initiate a preemptive war.
November: Iraq allows weapons inspectors into the country. They are given fairly free access to Iraqi facilities, and find no evidence of WMDs. The US pats itself on the back and gets back to ignoring the rest of the world.
December: George Lucas dies, succumbing the the lingering health issues that plagued him ever since his 1996 car accident. The nation mourns and thousands attend his funeral, many dressed in full Star Wars regalia.
2003:
March: A number of studies come out of the Earth Climate Research Center at NASA making dire predictions about future global warming. Many environmentalists take this as a call to action, holding rallies in several American cities. President Gore takes to push through American ratification of the Kyoto protocols, which he had been promising to do for most of his presidency. Green jobs are now the fastest growing industry in America, with heavy government support pushing investment in solar power technology, as well as making American homes and businesses more efficient.
April: In the second major NASA announcement in as many months, President Gore announces a new vision for American expansion into space, including tests of space based solar power, a return to the moon, and increased funding for long term R&D into seemingly science fictional ideas like FTL travel and SETI. A new agency is founded to deal with these more far-out concepts, called LISP, or the Lucas Institute for Space Progress.
June: Filming begins for Revenge of the Sith. Anticipations run high as fans get ready for the final installment of a series that has now defined multiple generations. America is prosperous, at peace, and leading the way in both space, and conserving the Earth. Hope dominates fear as all look to the future.
So, thoughts? I tried to tie everything to Star Wars as much as possible and not just rely on butterflies or the beneficial effects of a Gore presidency.
