ParanoidObsessive posted... You just spent more time writing this post than Lucas ever spent thinking about those things.
He used Nazi imagery and style (as lifted from things like Triumph of the Will) because it was short hand for "bad guys", and he isn't even remotely subtle. He wasn't trying to convey complex political messages, he was trying to homage Flash Gordon serials from the 30s (just like Indiana Jones is homaging pulp adventure serials from the 30s, and American Grafitti is Lucas getting nostalgic about being a teenager).
People have spent years writing books and articles about the underlying philosophy of Star Wars, but it's almost always a case of reading far more into something than was ever really there. And then Lucas agreeing with other people's interpretations after the fact because it makes him look like the genius people keep telling him he is.
The original Star Wars is what you get when you throw a samurai film, WWII dogfighting footage, and Flash Gordon into a pot and stir.
The prequel trilogy is what you get after a crazy old man spends 30 years being told how much of a genius he is, and then tries to write a more complex and symbolic narrative. But half-assed because he's not actually a genius, and was too lazy to spend more than a week or so writing the script.
I can't help but completely concur.