Warning! Spoilers ahead for Green Lantern #1
In DC Comics’ brand new Green Lantern series, the DC Universe has copied one of the Star Wars’ biggest changes from the original trilogy to the prequels, as the homeworld of Oa has been turned into the universe’s political hub for the United Planets conclave. This is not unlike Star Wars central planet of Coruscant, which holds the Galactic Senate of the Republic. Now, a desire for greater peace, diplomacy, and unity through politics hopes to win the day, but true galactic peace in the DC Universe may be harder to achieve than the Green Lanterns think, just like in the Star Wars galaxy with the rise of the Empire.
Beginning the path towards DC’s Future State, the Green Lanterns Corps has invited the new United Planets conclave to met and have its first meetings on their homeworld of Oa, the central planet of the DC Universe which has long dispatched its Lanterns out into the galaxy to keep the galaxy safe. However, the United Planets are actually voting on whether or they still even need the Guardians of Oa and their Lanterns anymore in the new Green Lantern #1 from writer Geoffrey Thorne with artist Dexter Soy and Marco Santucci.
Interestingly enough, the vote and primary orders of business for the new United Planets itself are remarkably being held in a large domed building, and it’s hard to not make the comparison to Star Wars’ own Galactic Senate building on Coruscant. Likewise, each of the gathered delegates have their own floating platforms from which to vote, deliberate, and voice their concerns, exactly like in Star Wars prequel films.
While the introduction and heavy focus on the Galactic Senate and the galaxy’s politics was one of the most controversial parts of the prequel trilogy of Star Wars films, its introduction in the DC Universe wastes no time in keeping the action and excitement going. Not only are the United Planets voting on whether to accept the Green Lanterns into their conclave so they might keep protecting them, but Sinestro and his Yellow Lanterns of New Korugar unsurprisingly vote to deny their membership. The Green Lanterns Corps and Guardians aren’t perfect after all, and Sinestro speaks to their past fears and the resulting consequences that have occurred in the past, such as the Blackest Night. However, while the vote does go through to accept the Green Lanterns into the United Planets, the delegation from the sorcerer’s planet of Zerox seeks vengeance against the Guardians, causing complete chaos in their violent protest against them.
While it seems the dream of complete galactic peace is still a ways off, the formation of the United Planets in partnership with the Green Lanterns feels like a step in the right direction. However, it’s also a lot like the Republic and the Jedi Order in the prequel trilogy, which ultimately resulted in the oppression of the galaxy with the rise of the Empire with the decimation of the Jedi. Thanks to Future State, DC fans have seen the potential future that could lead to the Green Lantern Corps darkly following suit and being destroyed as well. Here’s hoping the comparisons to Star Wars end here with the United Planets’ similarities in this new series from DC Comics.
