Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Margaret Atwood Is Accused Of Blaming ‘Star Wars’ For Inspiring 9/11

Though we will likely never be able to prove definitively that “Star Wars” inspired the attacks of September 11, it seems reasonable to assume that they did not. This is an assumption we should reexamine, according to “The Handmaiden’s Tale” author Margaret Atwood, who said in an interview with Variety that the “idea” for 9/11 came from the first “Star Wars” movie.

Atwood’s interview is now going viral for this quote:

Image by Variety Screenshot

Does the science-fiction author, so famous for her wisdom and wit, really believe that?

Though it is appealing to jump to wild conclusions that Margaret Atwood is a conspiracy theorist who blames science fiction — and by extent, all the Jews involved in science fiction! — for 9/11, it is actually reasonable to assume that she does not. Atwood, who comes off as sharp as a tack and highly quotable in the rest of the interview, seems to be joking. Again, we can’t prove it, but the idea that Margaret Atwood participates in hysterical conspiracies is one we should probably reexamine.

Jenny Singer is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.