Do you think Pope Benedict XVI looks like Emperor Palpatine?
“With the premiere of Return of the Jedi and the prequel films and the accompanying merchandising campaign, Palpatine became an icon in American popular culture. Kenner/Hasbro produced and marketed a series of action figures of the character from 1983 to 2005. According to John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett, “These action figures allow children (‘4 & up’) to handle the symbols of the Force.” Academics have debated the relationship of Palpatine to modern culture. Religion scholars Ross Shepard Kraemer, William Cassidy, and Susan Schwartz compare Palpatine and Star Wars heroes to the theological concept of dualism. They insist, “One can certainly picture the evil emperor in Star Wars as Satan, complete with his infernal powers, leading his faceless minions such as his red-robed Imperial Guards.” Lawrence and Jewett argue that the killing of Palpatine in Return of the Jedi represented “the permanent subduing of evil”.
