On the surface, it seems a contradiction in terms: in the Star Wars universe, the good guys tend to be ruled by monarchies; it's just that these monarchies are democratically elected (at least, they are on Naboo - who knows about Alderaan?). Having the good guys have monarchies allows princesses to be included in the stories, and princesses are cool and romantic and evoke all those associations the film-makers want the audience to have. On the other hand, monarchies aren't very democratic, and shouldn't good guys be democratic? The solution is simple - have the queens be elected for limited terms of office. This slightly clunky solution may seem amusing, but it does allow "good" queens and princesses to appear in the films without any dodgy serf-oppressing baggage, and a Star Wars movie without a heroic royal is inconceivable. Besides, royalty must appear in the new episodes, just to provide an opportunity for more Amidala-style over-the-top costumes. And this time, the new princess will be a bona fide Disney princess. Will she be able to appear in crossovers with Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, etc.?
Mike has lived in the UK, Japan and the USA. Currently, he is based in Iowa with his wife and 2 young children. After working for many years as a writer and editor for a large corporation, he is now a freelancer. He has been fortunate enough to contribute to many books on Doctor Who over the last 20 years and is now concentrating on original sci-fi & fantasy short stories, with recent sales including Flame Tree, Uffda, and The Martian Wave. Also, look for his contribution on Blake's 7 to "You and Who Else", a charity anthology to be released later this year.
You can find him on Tumblr at https://www.tumblr.com/blog/culttvmike
