Title: Travolta a Martyr in Battlefield Earth
Author: German_Scn_News <german_scn_news@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 15:44:32 -0400

Conspirators are among us

The Universe as Delusion and Science:
Scientology in the Movies

Los Angeles, USA
May 20, 2000
Sueddeutsche Zeitung

by Andrian Kreye

John Travolta is an Operating Thetan of the highest level of
clearing, which means, according to the teachings of the
Church of Scientology, that Travolta is capable of
controlling material, energy, space, time, form and life on
the planet earth. Not only that but, as a member of the sect
since 1975, the actor has worked had to liberate himself
from all negative influences of extraterrestrial powers and
reach the stated goal of all Scientology adherents.

But John Travolta is also a superstar of the highest income
level, and, according to the teachings of Hollywood, that
means that he is capable of controlling budgets, producers,
studios and audience. And only on that account was he able
to fulfill a dream: "Battlefield Earth," which was written by
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, was filmed with
Travolta in the lead role

The action can be related quickly. In the year 3000, the
Earth is dominated by extraterrestrial monsters called
Psychlos who keep people on earth as beasts of burden,
until a young hero instigates an uprising of the slaves and
liberates humanity from servitude.

For years, no studio dared risk this project. The association
to the sect was regarded as too precarious, and the book,
in spite of 12 million copies sold, as unfilmable junk. Until
Elie Samaha approached Travolta. The former nightclub
owner had established Franchise Pictures, a B movie
production company, in Hollywood with a concept of
genius. He took on the dream projects of the stars which
nobody else wanted to produce, obtained the rights at a
cheap price and talked the stars into decreasing their wage
to a minimum. That is how he produced "The Big Kahuna"
for Kevin Spacey and "The Whole Nine Yards" for Bruce
Willis; in "The Pledge" with Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn
directed the production. Such names guaranteed not only
prestige in the field, but also a practically unlimited amount
of credit, a distributorship and a fat profit.

Psychiatrists are Extraterrestrials

Nevertheless, "Battlefield Earth" was still a delicate matter.
It is no secret that John Travolta had had no previous
special interest in the genre of science fiction or that he
viewed the film as paying homage to sect founder Hubbard,
who died in 1986. On the other hand, Travolta is also an
especially hot star, and Elie Samaha was not concerned
with contextual trivialities. He wanted to make money and
play in the big leagues. Neither did it bother him that the
conspiracy theories were making their rounds even before
the filming began: Scientology was said to be financing the
film, coauthoring the script and supervising the production.
Accusations which the producers could credibly deny. The
high point of the conspiracy theories was that the film
contained so-called subliminal messages which could drive
moviegoers into the arms of the sect.

That is improbable. In order for subliminal messages, that
means suggestive video and sound clips, to have a direct,
intended effect upon the unconscious, a person would have
to see "Battlefield Earth" for several weeks at least once a
day. And that would not drive a person into the arms of the
sect, but into desperation, because "Battlefield Earth" is
such a painfully stupid work that the New York Times
wrote, "It may be somewhat premature, but this is probably
the worst film of the century."

John Travolta and his Psychlos - seven foot high creatures
with greasy dreadlocks and rotten teeth - stumble around
through the film on their platform shoes as elegantly as a
crowed of drunken transvestites in ski boots. Even the
special effects look like a video game designer programmed
them at home on his iMac; and the landscapes of the future
are reminiscent of the clumsily drawn cover pictures of the
old Perry Rhodan books [a German type of Tom Swift ...
trans.].

Of course elements of Hubbard's worldview show up in the
film script. One does not need special linguistic knowledge
to recognize that the name of the "Psychlo" monsters are
rooted in the Scientology teachings. They are based, for the
most part, on Hubbard's fanatic hatred of psychiatry. An
extraterrestrial population, it is written in the scriptures of
the sect founder, had conspired to stop the spiritual
development of humanity by use of implants. These
extraterrestrial criminals were called "Psychs." Their method
was called "psychiatry." Only Scientology can save the
world from this.

If the teachings of the Master remind one of simple pulp
fiction, that is not completely wrong. In the 1930s and
1940s, Hubbard made a name for himself as an author of
pulp and futuristic fiction. He accumulated his first
experiences with spiritism in Pasadena with the Ordo
Templi Orientis, a sect of adherents of the English Satanist,
Aleister Crowley, whom Hubbard ran into in 1945. In the
years following, Hubbard developed the pseudo-science of
"Dianetics," a combination of science fiction babble,
popular psychology and Satanism, which he published in
1950 as a book. In 1954, he founded the Church of
Scientology.

Hubbard recognized the effect which Hollywood stars had
upon publicity early on. In 1955, he started "Project
Celebrity." The first attempt to win celebrities like Marlene
Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Walt Disney and Groucho Marx for
the sect failed. It was not until Hubbard's successor, David
Miscavige, established the "Celebrity Center," that a
department of the church dedicated exclusively to the task
succeeded in tending to and recruiting stars - besides John
Travolta, actors like Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and
Kirstie Alley, and musicians like Chick Corea, Isaac Hayes
and Al Jarreau belong to Scientology.

The "Celebrity Center developed into an extremely effective
technique. First the recruiters research the psychological
and emotional weak points, the circle of acquaintances and
the past of the target person. Then non-obligatory contacts
are made. A discussion does not even occur until the
"Admiration bombing" phase begins - the complete
overwhelm of the star's fragile ego with admiration and
attention. The perfect bait for a race of people who are
plagued by permanent self-doubt and are on a search for
meaning in life. Once the prominent members are won, they
are held with therapies, professional counseling and
luxurious care. The Church of Scientology has created a
position of power with these stars in Hollywood which is to
be taken seriously. When the German state attorney's office
and Constitutional Security began to investigate
Scientology, the sect launched a human rights campaign and
wrote a letter to Chancellor Kohl which was even signed by
non-members Dustin Hoffman, Goldie Hawn and Oliver
Stone.

According to L. Ron Hubbard's plan to gain key positions
in society with Scientologists, "Battlefield Earth" is a
success. Even if it can be doubted that the film so moved
someone that they would seek spiritual salvation in the
teachings of Hubbard, John Travolta still provided a $65
million dollar testimony to faith. There he stood in the MTV
studio and the moderator boldly asked him about the
book's circumstances. Travolta responded briefly with
something about Hubbard, the best seller author and
spiritual prophet; that was followed by a change of subject,
film clips, commercial break and his appearance was over.
That is marketing: it is not about praising the message or the
product. As long as the Coca-Cola signs are posted along
the street, the trademarks will lodge in peoples' minds.

Perhaps John Travolta will even become a martyr of the
Church of Scientology. Nobody has accomplished such a
formidable comeback as the fallen "Saturday Night Fever"
star who had to keep his head above water for years with
silly clothes. "Pulp Fiction," "Operation Broken Arrow" and
"In the Body of the Enemy" [not sure of English title -
trans.] established him as the most sovereign bad guy in
Hollywood. All his embarrassing flops were forgiven.

The mood of the theater-going public, though, in
unfathomable. One's image can be quickly ruined. And who
would take a sect member in a Halloween costume
seriously.

---

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