Ah, after tonight, Tuesday nights will never be quite the same. For the past six weeks, French TV channel M6 have been giving a welcome back-to-back airing of both Star Wars trilogies. Tonight we finish with the Return of the Jedi, not the best of the six. More or less the same story line as  Star Wars a New Hope – Rebel forces trying to destroy a second Imperial Death Star. Things get a bit cheesey when Luke « saves his father » . What ruins the film for e though are those annoying teddy bear like créatures – the Ewoks. The film though is saved by some reasonable special effects and a half decent space battle seen. I much prefer the Empire Strikes back – far more sinister.

Of course, living in France, Star Wars is never very far from my thoughts – just look art French politics and history. There have been Empires and Republics – The first French Emperor was Napoleon Bonaparte, though some might like to cast him in the rôle of the original Darth Vador.

As republics go, old and new, we are currently in the fifth one., and at the current time we have a thriving rebel alliance – taxi drivers, militant Catholic groups, Breton farmers and business leaders …

Not sure who is the current Dark Vador, though back in the days of our last President, Nicolas Sarkozy was dubbed as Sark Vador.

Who is the French Luke Skywalker ???  Possibly not François Hollande, he’s definitle an Ewok )more Ewok than wookie anyway) Julie Gayet is up for the part as the new Princess Leia (without the silly hairdo). As for space craft, fighting machines and such, we don’t have many in France. I’ve just heard that our only Aircraft Carrier is possibly going to be mothballed.

I’m off to switch on the TV.

Oh and before I do, here is my French Presidential Star Wars casting

Charles de Gaulle   Han Solo (because he went solo, a rebel but not always in the Alliance)

Georges Pompidou   An Ewok with Wookie tendancies

Giscard d’Estaing   Luke Skywalker

Francois Mitterand   Yoda

Jacques Chirac    Chewbacca the Wookie with a hint of Obi Wan

Nicolas Sarkozy   Darth Vador meets Luke skywalker with a hint of R2D2 and                               the charm of C3PO

For princess Leia you can only have Carla Bruni