Star Wars got off to a slow start in the Soviet Union, but from the beginning the swashbuckling space opera was associated not with escapism, but with the blurring of the boundaries between fantasy and reality. As Russia and Ukraine become increasingly dominated by internecine conflict, bombastic rhetoric and political showmanship, Star Wars - with its charismatic bad guys and fairy tale morality - is proving to be a useful way of understanding the world, and of laughing at it.
But nowhere is Star Wars more important right now than in the former territories of that one-time “Evil Empire”, the Soviet Union, where the Forceful franchise’s mythology is becoming increasingly evident in memes, fan fiction and publicity. Millions of fans, willing to overlook the awkward matter of three clunky prequels, are jumping with anticipation like over-excited Ewoks. Like a rebooted Death Star with fully operational merchandising capabilities, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is looming ominously large on the horizon.
