Hollywood Gothique
The Vault

Dark Side of the force reigns down on the Rose Parade

I was a little bit disappointed by the two Star Wars floats in this morning’s Tournament of Roses Parade. They weren’t badly done, but the choice of subject matter for them seemed dubious at best: the first featuring Ewoks, the second displaying Princess Amidala on Nabu.

After RETURN OF THE JEDI, I never wanted to see another Ewok as long as I lived, and there are so many more interesting creatures in the Star Wars Universe that could have been the basis for a memorable float. Why they went with Ewoks is hard to imagine – I guess because they’re cute and cuddly.

The second float was simply ho-hum – some nice colors but little else memorable. Both of them were easily outclassed by the other fantasy-oriented floats on display, particularly the nifty one with the two fire-breathing dragons.

It was amusing – in an ironic sort of way – to see the white storm troopers marching down Colorado Boulevard, led by Darth Vader himself. The theme of this year’s parade was “Our Good Nature” – which has about as much to do with Darth and stormtroopers as George Bush has to do with sensible foreign policy.