STAR WARS DREAMS
on Sunday April 6, 2003 at 10pm ET/PT
repeating Sunday January 9, 2005 at 10pm ET/PT

As the world confronts the prospect of war in Iraq, the multi-billion dollar drama of the Star Wars project has been pushed out of the headlines. But the long-cherished dream of putting "a roof over America" has not gone away. The anti-missile silos are already taking shape in Alaska, and after 9/11, the super-hawk true believers are more committed than ever to the prospect of a Star Wars shield to safeguard America.


THE PASSIONATE EYE, hosted by Michaëlle Jean, presents the North American television premiere of Star Wars Dreams by award-winning British filmmaker Leslie Woodhead. This critical look at President Bush's proposed Star Wars program airs Sunday, April 6 at 10 p.m. ET (10 p.m. PT) on CBC Newsworld.


Star Wars Dreams is the story of a powerful national mythology - a heady mix of deep faith in high-technology, fundamentalist Christianity, political isolationism and a yearning for security which is driven, not only missile defence, but also the War on Terror and pre-emptive war on Iraq. It conveys the hopes and delusions of America's 50-year search for invulnerability-from President Eisenhower's Cold War commitment to anti-Sov iet missile defence, through President Reagan's obsession with Star Wars, to President George W Bush's urgent deployment of a Son of Star Wars defence against "rogue states".


Star Wars Dreams reveals startling archival footage, top-secret locations and in-depth interviews to illuminate America's long-standing fears and pursuit of ultimate safety. Passionate supporters and opponents of Star Wars confront the alarming implications of America's quest for "Global Battlespace Dominance". From a hawkish senator to a Greepeace activist, other interviews include the "Darth Vader" of missile defence Dr. Edward Teller, and historian Frances Fitzgerald, who insists that the Star Wars missile defence program is "surrounded by wishful thinking, fiction and downright lying".


Star Wars Dreams was produced and directed by Leslie Woodhead for the BBC. The executive producer of Antelope Production is Mick Csáky.