Star Wars and the principal contradiction
In the final scene of Star Wars I, the death star battle, the following truths can be seen:
1. It is good to score a direct hit on the death star's anti-aircraft weapons--contradiction between imperialist anti-aircraft gunners and red fighters
2. It is good to shoot down imperial fighter planes-- contradiction between imperialist fighter planes and red fighter planes.
3. It is good to land a torpedo in the shaft to blow up the death star-- contradiction between the imperialist death star and the people
It is absolutely true that failing to do any of these could result in death.
The principal contradiction for that battle is in connection to "3," and the other truths of the situation are related but lesser truths. In fact, if you can unravel number 3, number 1 and 2 don't matter anymore at all until a new death star is built and they can put more enemy anti-aircraft guns and fighters into space. There is a science that goes into unravelling number 3. Not all principal contradictions result in such clean resolution of other contradictions, but in this case unravelling 3 results in 100% resolution of 1 and 2.
The three contradictions are intertwined in one knot, so we say there is interpenetration. We do not follow the post-modernists saying there is "no line" and just chaos in the rebel strategy to fight the empire, just because there are at least three truths to deal with here. It is not true that everyone "did their own thing" to fight the death-star. Furthermore, amongst individuals, we say that the white man Luke Skywalker played the most significant role in the final and decisive battle of the stage. We credit the Princess and R2D2 for laying down the scientific preparations that enabled the final battle. We condemn as rabid running dogs the egalitarian handholder association that wants everyone to do the same job as Luke Skywalker. Some people are flying to cover for the person going to ram the torpedo down the shaft. Other people are damaging the death star defenses in general. Doing the right amount of each of these tasks by knowing what is principal overall brings victory.
Not every battle results in a new strategic stage. This battle did bring a new stage. The many small victories bring the final victory and a new strategic stage where there is no death star for the moment and disarray in the imperialist forces.
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