Book Review: 'Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy'

(C) 2016 Harper Design/becker&meyer! and Lucasfilm Ltd. Cover art by Steven Thomas

On October 25, 2016, Harper Collins' imprint Harper Design and becker&meyer! published Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy. Written by Lucasfilm Story Group's Pablo Hidalgo, this 112-page coffee table hardcover is an in-universe look at persuasive art created for various factions during several periods of conflict in the Star Wars timeline.

Propaganda art has become synonymous with life in the galaxy far, far away. Whether it's a poster of a Star Destroyer hovering over a planet in a display of Imperial domination; a symbol painted on a wall to deliver a message of hope on behalf of the Rebellion; or a mural depicting a line of stormtroopers to promote unity within the First Order; this type of art, as an instrument of persuasive fearmongering and impassioned idealism, captures the ever-changing tides of politics and public sentiment across the galaxy. - Publisher's slipcover blurb, Star Wars Propaganda

Star Wars Propaganda is divided into five distinct parts, each of which is devoted to a specific period or conflict depicted in the Star Wars feature films and animated television series up to The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. 

Contents:

A Galaxy of War and Art

Part I: The Republic 

The Last Era of Peace
A Galaxy Divided

Part II: The Clone Wars

Like Fire Across the Galaxy

Part III: Building the Empire

A Thousand Years of Peace

Part IV: Rise of the Rebellion

The New Light of Freedom

Part V: The Next Great War

An Order Resurgent

Artists of the Galaxy

Acknowledgments

About the Author


Though Star Wars: Propaganda was really written on 21st Century Earth by a human being, its narrative is set "in-universe." Its introduction was supposedly written by Janxor of Bith, a 140-year-old artist who specialized in persuasive art for the various regimes and factions that sought to win the hearts and minds of trillions of beings across the galaxy. As Janxor explains in the book's preface, "A Galaxy of War and Art":

I have been a propagandist, a young defender of the Republic, blind to its faults and gripped by a jingoist's fervor to support the soldiers of the Clone Wars. I believed in the rhetoric of Chancellor Palpatine. I believed in the evils of Count Dooku and the selfish damage inflicted by the Separatist Alliance. I believed in the promise of a thousand years of peace and thought the Galactic Empire was just what civilization needed: a strong guiding hand to keep us on a path to a bright future.

Pro-Empire poster created by Janxor of Bith for Emperor Palpatine's New Order. (C) 2016 Harper Design/becker&meyer! and Lucasfilm Ltd.

If you are familiar with the chronology of the Star Wars saga, you'll notice that the art reflects the history of the galaxy, starting with the decadence and decay of the Galactic Republic shortly before the events of Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace and culminating with the devastating emergence of the First Order in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. 

Taxation Without Federation, by Ganamey Davloterra, an anti-Trade Federation piece created shortly before the Naboo Crisis that led to the fall of Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum and the election of Naboo Senator Sheev Palpatine 32 years before the Battle of Yavin. (C) 2016 Harper Design/becker&meyer! and Lucasfilm Ltd.

Star Wars Propaganda is an in-world history that threads together the stories behind these images - why they were created, how they were indicative of the times, who were the artists behind them - and delivers a glimpse into the anger, passion, and corruption that fuel the galaxy's greatest wars. - Publisher's slipcover blurb, Star Wars Propaganda

Readers who are familiar with world history and 20th Century graphic arts and design will recognize that the poster art, pamphlets, and bumper stickers in Star Wars Propaganda resemble Earth-bound persuasive art of our own troubled history. For instance, the styles used by artists in the last years of the Republic and the Clone Wars era resemble those of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in the 1930s and '40s. 

A rare pre-Clone Wars poster by Ansibella Dellu, made at a time when young intellectuals were disillusioned by the rampant corruption in the Republic and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's failure to drain the swamp in the corridors of power on Coruscant. (C) 2016 Harper Design/becker&meyer! and Lucasfilm Ltd.

Interestingly, some of the early pro-Republic, pro-Jedi Order propaganda art harkens to the styles used by American, British, and Russian artists during World War II. The former, which tends to highlight the clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic, is more prevalent than the latter, ostensibly because Supreme Chancellor Palpatine "recommended that images such as [the Jedi Unite for Peace] poster not be used to bolster wartime support for the Republic, citing sympathy for the Jedi discomfort. Very few examples exist of government-approved imagery that showcased the Jedi Knights in their capacity as military leaders."

The art styles used in Imperial propaganda art resembles that of Nazi Germany during World War II and Cold War era Russia when it was known as the Soviet Union, as seen in  the posters "He Can't Do it Alone" (above) and "If the Headgear Fits Wear It" (below). (C) 2016 Harper Design/becker&meyer! and Lucasfilm Ltd.

 In stark contrast, Rebel Alliance propaganda art resembles U.S.-British poster styles that were in fashion during the dark days of World War II and the Cold War era, especially recruiting posters calling for new pilots. The style is reminiscent of Art Deco, the same influences seen in the look of See Threepio's overall design, with simple, minimalist lines and catchy, visually striking colors and fonts. 

This poster works on various levels and is perhaps the most 21st Century-analogous example of persuasive art in Star Wars Propaganda. The slogan not only recalls World War II era exhortations to "Remember Pearl Harbor," but also the Holocaust and, more recently, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda against the U.S. (C) 2016 Harper Design/becker&meyer! and Lucasfilm Ltd. 

Star Wars Propaganda, like most Star Wars reference works published at a time when Disney-owned Lucasfilm Ltd. is making one Star Wars film a year and is wrapping its second animated TV series after a four-season run, is obviously outdated and, probably, will see a second edition in the years to come. Published 10 months after the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, it doesn't have any material related to 2017's Star Wars: The Last Jedi or the 2018 Anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story. 

However, this doesn't mean that Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy is not worth adding to one's Star Wars book collection. On the contrary, this is one of the best books published since The House of Mouse bought Lucasfilm from George Lucas in 2012. 

Not only did Pablo Hidalgo - who is best known for his Q&A appearances on Disney XD's Rebels Recon recap show after each episode of Star Wars Rebels - write a witty and entertaining "in-universe" look at galactic history through propaganda art; he also gives readers food for thought about how governments, protest groups, and other influence-makers use the power of graphics, text, and emotion to sway popular opinion in times of war or political crisis. 

In addition, Harper Design and becker&meyer! include a nice bonus for Star Wars fans and poster art buffs. 

Each copy of Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy comes with a set of 10-frame ready propaganda prints, as well as an attractive slipcover with art by Steven Thomas. 

Clearly, this is the Star Wars art book you're looking for.