Atwood made the connection while discussing an operatic adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, which started in Denmark in 2000. The stage production featured faked footage of various famous buildings being blown up, including the Twin Towers.
Following the 9/11 attacks the following year, the footage was removed from the opera “because it was no longer in the future.”
“They didn’t get that idea from my opera, don’t worry,” the 78-year-old told Variety. “They got the idea from Star Wars.”
Questioned further about whether she “really believes” that Star Wars inspired the terrorists behind the attack, Atwood continued: “Remember the first one? Two guys fly a plane in the middle of something and blow that up? The only difference is, in Star Wars, they get away.”
Atwood seems to be referring to the final moments of the original Star Wars – now known as A New Hope – where the leading protagonist, Luke Skywalker, with help from Han Solo, blows up the villainous Death Star during the movie's climax.
Parallels between the 9/11 atrocity and the movie would appear limited, however, as Skywalker shoots torpedoes into a vent to trigger a catastrophic explosion of the Death Star rather than fly his fighter into the space station to cause its destruction.
Atwood added: “Right after 9/11, they hired a bunch of Hollywood screenwriters to tell them how the story might go next. Sci-fi writers are very good at this stuff, anticipating future events. They don’t all come true, but there are interesting ‘what if’ scenarios.”
Atwood’s representatives have been contacted by The Independent for further comment.
The author has made various controversial comments recently, including publishing an where questioned whether she was a “bad feminist” for asking whether the #MeToo movement had gone too far.
The Independent
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