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The Walking Dead: Parallels With Current World Events; The Best ‘Star Wars’ Mashups

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 05:54 PST, Jan 8, 2016

The Walking Dead is in the midst of its Season 6 winter break, leaving fans wondering about the fate of the gang at Alexandria and those trying to get back. The Guardian reports that The Walking Dead represents more than a fictional group of survivors protecting themselves from the zombie apocalypse. Instead, there are some pretty deep parallels between The Walking Dead and the world as it stands today.

“Ever since our hero, Georgia cop Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), awoke in hospital five seasons ago in 2010 to realise he was living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, The Walking Dead has [teamed] with uncomfortable political and environmental resonances. The refugee crisis, resentment over immigration, beheadings by Isis, Islamophobia, distrust of government, the ruination of our planet – all have their parallels, for anyone with the wit to watch the show as more than horror thriller.”

In particular, The Guardian draws a parallel between the fence the Alexandrians have built to keep out the walkers and the fences being built, or being contemplated, today. Consider Donald Trump’s plan to build a fence along the Mexican border, which he divulged in a speech he gave earlier this year.

“I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”

It has been suggested that capitalism has a strong correlation with enclosed spaces.

“In his 2005 book, Im Weltinnenraum des Kapitals (In the World Interior of Capital), the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk argued that capitalism functions, in part, by creating exclusive spaces – be they gated estates, malls with security guards, or fortress Europe – to keep out the undesirable and unmoneyed, those who look different and don’t speak the local language. He didn’t mention zombies, but he could have done.”

This is truly fascinating for fans of The Walking Dead who want to look beyond the gore and horror of the show into the deeper political topics of conversation at the heart of the series.

As for The Walking Dead cast, they are looking beyond the surface of the show and finding their inner Star Wars characters. UpRoxx reports that The Walking Dead and its fans have been bringing the zombie universe together with the Star Wars universe in a Twitter mashup that is pretty funny.

Considering the fact that The Walking Dead is the most popular TV show in terms of the 18-49 demographic and the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set to be the biggest movie in history in terms of box office sales, the two seem like a match made in heaven.

Some of the best tweets featuring The Walking Dead/Star Wars mashups include the following:

As for The Walking Dead‘s popularity, it will soon be able to spread far beyond its homeland. Up until now, The Walking Dead has only been available in English, but according to The Wrap, The Walking Dead will soon be dubbed in Spanish and aired on NBC Universo. Robert Kirkman shared the news.

“Opening up the world of The Walking Dead to new audiences who will now be able to immerse themselves in the drama and suspense of the series is incredibly exciting. The show continues to manifest itself in ways beyond my wildest imagination, and I am thrilled for fans to experience it when it’s released on NBC Universo in the New Year.”

Are you excited the zombie-filled show will get a Spanish-language dub?

[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]

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