Kevin J. Wetmore, Jr. is professor of theatre arts at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, USA, the author and editor of ten books including "The Empire Triumphant: Race, Religion and Rebellion in the Star Wars Films", and a contributor to numerous volumes on sci-fi, pop culture and religion, including essays on "Godzilla", "Star Wars", and" Battlestar Galactica". His areas of expertise include Japanese theatre, African theatre, Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, stage combat and comedy. He is co-editor with Patrick Lonergan of Bloomsbury Methuen Drama's Critical Companions series.