[Ads-l] "Evil Empire" in Bartlett's Quotations

[Bill Mullins]

> One example of the weak research in Bartlett's is that it sources the phrase "evil empire" to the film Star Wars.  I am > pretty sure that the phrase in the movie is actually "evil galactic empire."

If you look at the scripts

https://imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Wars-A-New-Hope.html
https://imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Wars-The-Empire-Strikes-Back.html
https://imsdb.com/scripts/Star-Wars-Return-of-the-Jedi.html

the phrase "evil empire" does not appear in any of them.  "Evil Galactic Empire" does appear in the yellow crawl introductory language in the first movie, but nowhere else.


> And Reagan also promoted "Star Wars",
> proposed space laser that would shoot down incoming missiles.

Strictly speaking, I don't think Reagan used the term "Star Wars" much in reference to the Strategic Defense Initiative.  "Star Wars" was from the program's detractors.


The earliest use of "evil empire" by Reagan to refer to the Soviet Union that I can find is:

1983 Los Angeles Times 8 Mar (late edition) 6/4 newspapers.com
Reagan speech before the 41st annual convention of the National Association of Evangelicals on 8 Mar 1983

In your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride -- the temptation blithely to declare yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong, good and evil.

Transcript here:
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/remarks-annual-convention-national-association-evangelicals-orlando-fl

Note that this was 15 days before Reagan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative in an address to the nation:
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/address-nation-defense-and-national-security
(and in this latter speech, Reagan does not use "evil empire" or "Star Wars")

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