IS `STAR WARS' PROMOTING SCIENTIFIC STUPIDITY?

IS `STAR WARS' PROMOTING SCIENTIFIC STUPIDITY?

AMHERST, N.Y. (Wireless Flash) -- The new "Star Wars" flick may turn into a "phantom menace" for the scientific community. That's the word from "Skeptical Inquirer" magazine, which is lambasting the movie because it's promoting superstitions based on medieval beliefs. Magazine spokesman Matt Nisbet claims the new "Star Wars" film depicts New Age-y characters like the Jedi Knights as heroes, while characters who base their decisions on rational scientific concepts -- like Darth Vader -- are portrayed as evil. Nisbet fears the "science is bad" theme in "Star Wars" may prevent children from aspiring to become scientists, which will eventually contribute to the "dumbing down of America." He claims the Heaven's Gate cult suicide in 1997 is a perfect example of what happens when the fiction in science fiction takes precedence over the science.

CONTACT: Matt Nisbet, ****; Amherst, NY; (716) 636-142, ext. 219