Star Wars vs. U.S

If you haven't seen Episode III yet, I'd encourage you to do so. The movie is not political, though some analogies can certainly be drawn. I just read a good article on The Empire compared to the nature of empire (in the present-day world; that is - not long, long ago...)

In part:

“What we can learn from the Star Wars movies, however, is that Republics turn into empires when the people, the legislature, and those trusted most to protect the liberty and security of the population, place too much of their confidence in the executive. More specifically, crises and wars empower the Imperial Executive and Central State, as documented so well by Robert Higgs in his book Crisis and Leviathan. Good intentions channeled through statist means and insufficient jealousy for civil society and liberty allow for monsters to take over, build Death Stars, and lay entire civilizations to waste.”

— The Old Republic Has Been Swept Away... But Hope Remains