Wade’s Star Wars Page
My Star Wars Series Film Rankings
Impact
Influences
Star Trek & Star Wars
Notes on Each Film
Cultural Impact of Star Wars
Some may argue that too much has already been said about Star Wars, that it is merely a piece of pop culture, fadish in nature,
and unimportant in a consideration of art, that too much time, attention, praise, & admiration have already been lavished upon
George Lucas & his cinematic progeny. On another level, however, it may be that enough can never be said about Star Wars—at
least with respect to its influence on science fiction in every medium, as well as nearly every aspect of the art of film making itself.
George Lucas achieved with science fiction what the combined efforts of Jules Verne, HG Wells, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Walt Disney,
Gene Roddenberry, Frank Herbert, Rod Serling, Irwin Allen, George Pal, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Wise, Byron Haskin, & Fred Wilcox
did not accomplish. Not only did Lucas make SF popular & profitable, but he made it mainstream. He made SF respectable. He
lifted it from the B-movie, creature feature limbo of the 1940s & 50s & set it alongside enduring, big-budget masterpieces like
Gone with the Wind & The Ten Commandments.
Lucas was for SF what Walt Disney was for animation & theme parks & what Stephen King was for horror.
Lucas took an adventure story of galactic scope, added a tightly-focused plot, larger-than-life heroes & villains, humor of the perfect type & amount,
revolutionary special effects, heretofore unknown realism, a wonderful classical score, & brilliant casting, & produced a cinematic marvel—an all-time classic.
Audiences had seen films with humor before, but they had never seen it presented in this way—by robots & aliens in a setting created with such realism. And
moviegoers had seen oncreen villainy, but they had never seen antagonists blithely destroy entire planets just to make a point. They had seen robots & spaceships before
Star Wars, but these had always appeared immaculate & antiseptic. In Star Wars, equipment looks as if it has been used, lived in, & real. Lastly, no one
anywhere had ever seen swordfights & spaceship battles like those delivered by Star Wars.
Not only did Star Wars generate a flood of SF products into the film, television, & literary markets, but Star Wars changed
Hollywood’s approach to moviemaking. Star Wars-style special effects appeared in films of almost every sort. Star Wars
re-ignited a “sequel fever” that continues today &, along with Jaws, fueled Hollywood’s present-day “high concept” blockbuster
mentality. And George Lucas (with a bit of help from John Williams) may have advanced the cause of classical music almost as much
as he did that of SF itself. The Star Wars Main Title is at least as well known as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Much was made—in the time of its first release—of Star Wars being science fantasy rather than science fiction. Much of this has died down, I think,
and the fundamental, bottom line is that a story dealing with starships & robots rather than unicorns & elves is SF.
Star Wars stands as the third-highest grossing film series of all time.
Today, it would be as difficult to find someone who had no idea of what a Wookie, Jedi, lightsaber, Death Star, or the Force is as it would be to find someone who did not
recognize Superman or Mickey Mouse. These are terms that have passed into the common cultural language of Americans & the world.
Influences on Star Wars
The cultural predecessors of Star Wars are many. The fast-paced, swashbuckling action is strongly reminiscent of the golden age
space opera of Buck Rogers & Flash Gordon. The special effects & high production values owe much to Star Trek & 2001. Luke’s
desert planet home, sand worms, sand people, a commodity known as spice, & the Empire all appear to be concepts borrowed from
Frank Herbert’s masterpiece, Dune. Furthermore the mystic order of Jedi Knights has much in common with Dune’s Bene Gesserit.
Both employ medieval fighting techniques & have a mind-control power, which the Jedi call a “mind trick,” while the Bene Gesserit
refer to it as the Voice.
Star Wars (especially in early drafts) also shows substantial similarity to The Hidden Fortress, a 1958 Japanese film of a genre known as
Jidai-geki—whence the term “Jedi” may have originated. Additionally, the very name Obi-Wan Kenobi sounds Japanese, while the meditative
Jedi who “use the Force” to guide their blades are much like samurai who used Zen Buddhism to hone their mastery of the martial arts.
Furthermore, the proclivity of the Jedi of the prequels to wear some or all of their hair long is another samurai trait.
One point that has always baffled me is the supposed similarity between Star Wars & The Wizard of Oz. I can see that
Chewbacca, C3PO, & the Jawas bear superficial resemblances to the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, & the Munchkins, respectively, but I
cannot see much beyond that. Dorothy’s quest is to return home. She kills two witches along the way, but the first is accidental &
the other directly impedes her journey. On the other hand, Luke’s quest is to leave home, rescue the princess, & destroy the Death Star. Is Obi-Wan
supposed to be Glinda in this twisted comparison, or is he the Wizard himself? Is Darth Vader supposed to be the Witch of the West, or is the Death Star itself? And who
is the Witch of the East? Tarkin...? Is R2D2 Toto? Is Han the Scarecrow? (Actually, appearance notwithstanding, C3PO is closer in personality to the Scarecrow.)
Sure Uncle Owen & Aunt Beru are Uncle Henry & Aunt Em, but are the Stormtroopers in their TIE fighters supposed to be the Winged Monkeys? And who exactly fills the role of
Dorothy in this farcical analysis—Luke or Leia? I mean, if Leia is Dorothy & Alderaan is Kansas, then no amount of heel clicking is likely to be effective. And
are the Ruby Slippers supposed to be the Millennium Falcon or its hyperdrive motivator? Or is the Falcon, rather, supposed to be the cyclone that carries
Dorothy to Oz? Speaking of hyperdrive, is hyperspace the Yellow Brick Road? And how does the Emerald City fit into all of this? Yavin perhaps...?
Frankly, I see more similarity between Smallville & The Wizard of Oz than Star Wars. At least, they’re both in Kansas!
Finally, there is Star Trek...
Star Trek & Star Wars
Star Wars would not exist without Star Trek (or it would have taken a markedly different shape). Lucas
himself purportedly admits to being a Trekkie & cites Star Trek as his inspiration for getting into SF in the first place.
I have never understood the Star Wars-bashing Trekkies, nor the equally zealous Star Wars fans who disparage Star Trek. The elements
that supposedly distinguish the two universes are either untrue or irrelevant. Supposedly Star Wars is frivolous, while Star Trek is
dry & intellectual, lacking in humor or action. On the other hand, Star Trek is supposedly technically & scientifically
accurate, while Star Wars is pure fantasy. First, Star Trek: The Original Series is neither so dry, humorless, nor intellectual
as one may suppose. Despite Gene Roddenberry’s culling many episode titles from Shakespeare & the Bible, the series was, foremost, a 1960s
television show & displayed the characteristics expected of it. Despite the cries of network executives to the contrary,
Roddenberry’s creation was, more often than not, in his own words, “Wagon Train to the stars.” In spite of the social relevance of many episodes,
the central importance of ideas, the attention to characterization, & the influence of literary SF on Star Trek, the plots nevertheless frequently revolved around
fisticuffs, the monster of the week, &—significantly—starship battles. In spite of the excellent technical advice sought & implemented by Roddenberry from
such luminaries as Professor Isaac Asimov, the science of Star Trek is frequently as fanciful if not more so than that of Star Wars, even if it is more
elaborately planned & conceived.
Humor is a part of every episode of TOS, & some episodes, such as The Trouble with Tribbles & A Piece of the Action are best described as
“comedies.” All of the characters are caricatures (or—more generously—archetypes) of some facet of humanity. Kirk is the roguish, womanizing,
strategically brilliant, egotistical star captain, rather like Han Solo. McCoy is the impulsive idealist (rather like Luke). Spock, the hyper-intelligent, conflicted, &
proud alien among humans, really has no analogue in Star Wars (sort of a fusion of Obi-Wan & C3PO). Mr Scott & Chekov also represent extreme character types. The
humor in the situations in which this crew finds itself is a function of the chemistry between these characters, just as it is in Star Wars.
Finally, & most significantly, no portrayal of SF in a visual medium had ever shown space vehicles with the level of detail of those in Star Trek.
Moreover, no film or TV series had ever depicted prolonged space combat in the way that Star Trek did. The space battles of Star Trek hinged on
the technological differences between ships of different design & complexity. The skirmishes depended on the tactical considerations relating to a variety of
technological systems that had never been mentioned previously on the screen—such as deflector shields, diminishing shield strength, available power,
engine status, backup power supplies, alternate weapon systems, cloaking devices, et cetera. Without this precedent, it is difficult to see what
form Star Wars might have taken.
There can be no mistake that the alternate weapon system of X-wing fighters in Star Wars—proton torpedoes—derives from photon torpedoes. Furthermore,
when Captain Needa in The Empire Strikes Back, speaking of the Falcon, claims that “no ship that size has a cloaking device,” he is referring to
something that no one would be familiar with outside of Star Trek.
The flip side, of course, is that the success & style of Star Wars has affected Star Trek to an incalculable extent, as it has every other SF property.
Whether Star Trek would ever have become a multi-film or -series franchise without the impact of Star Wars remains an open question. Regardless, the
Star Trek franchise is indebted to the new era of special effects heralded by Star Wars.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan & Star Trek: First Contact, in particular, have a distinctly Star Wars feel about them.
Finally, fans of the respective milieux argue over which franchise is technologically or militarily superior. The Star Wars camp makes these basic points: 1) the
Galactic civilization (and technology) of Star Wars is at least 25,000 years old, whereas that of Star Trek is only a few thousand years old,
2) Star Wars space vessels can travel from one side of the galaxy to the other in a relatively short time, whereas in Star Trek, the galaxy has not
even been completely explored and trips across the galaxy require decades or centuries, 3) the space vehicles of Star Wars are
massive & bring commensurately massive firepower to bear— from Imperial Star Destroyers to the Death Star—the size of a moon with the power to destroy
planets, &, finally, 4) the Galactic Empire has essentially the resources of the entire galaxy at its disposal making its fleets and military basing far superior to
those of the Federation, which controls just 1% of the Milky Way. The Trekkies’ only argument is that the presence of the matter/energy conversion technology of
transporters, replicators, & the holodeck imply that the Federation’s scientific & technical knowledge is far advanced over that of the Empire, Republic, or
Rebellion. Some might add that the weaponry in Star Wars all seems to be referred to as “LASERs” from time to time & that the folks in Star Trek
have stated on more than one occasion that LASERs are absolutely incapable of penetrating the shields of Federation Starships.
As intriguing as this speculation is, these arguments, not to put too fine a point on it, really just show that these are fictional creations under discussion, & not terribly
realistic ones at that. In the case of Star Wars, one might ask why their technology is so backward after 20 millenia. Is it due to an over-reliance
on the Force? And one could equally claim that the relative slowness of Starfleet just highlights the fact once more that Star Trek tends toward greater
scientific & technical accuracy than Star Wars (although doing an impossible thing more slowly is still doing an impossible thing). On the other hand, the
magical transporters of Star Trek are so out of step with the rest of Federation technology as to
seem the height of silliness at times, and this, again, merely indicates the imaginary nature of the topic.
I must say, ’though, IMHO, that the superior technology of Star Trek has always seemed to me to give the Federation a decisive advantage over the Empire, who,
after all, have trouble dealing with a few hundred Ewoks... Size & numbers are a poor substitute for technology, at least in open-field conflicts. 100 men armed with
stone knives & enormous catapults are still at a tactical disadvantage over 10 men with M-16 rifles...
Star Wars in other films & TV shows
Star Wars in The Muppet Show
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Star Wars in Saturday Night Live
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#1
Star Wars
- When the film was released in May, 1977 (and when it was re-released in the summers of 1978 & 1979), it was titled Star Wars. When it was re-released in
the summer of 1981 (following the 1980 release of sequel Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back), Star Wars had been re-christened as
“Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.” “A New Hope...?” “A New Hope!” That’s an even worse title than
The Phantom Menace. You don’t just take the most successful movie of all-time & change its really cool name to “A New Hope” with impunity.
To me, it will always be simply Star Wars—not episode anything—and I don’t care how much confusion or ambiguity my use of the original title causes...
- In the 1997 “Special Edition” release of Star Wars, the scene in which Greedo confronts Han in the cantina was drastically altered.
Instead of Han simply killing Greedo, Greedo now is shown firing his blaster at Han first & missing at point-blank range. Han then dispatches the bounty hunter.
Lucas changed the scene, because Han had evolved into a more likeable, family friendly hero, & Lucas felt that Solo’s action in the original film was too vicious &
cold-blooded. This change prompted a fan campaign known by the slogan “Han Shot First.” The underlying principles regarding the type of character Han is
do not annoy me nearly as much as the fact that Greedo’s shot in the revision renders Han’s line, “Yes...I’ll bet you have”—one of
the best in the film—practically inaudible. Lucas fixed this in the DVD release of Star Wars.
- Why does Governor Tarkin not simply use the Death Star to annihilate Yavin, rather than waiting for the Death Star to navigate around the planet to target
its moon? Is he such a sensitive soul that the thought of needless destruction offends his gentle nature? Or could it be that the planet-killing gun of the Death
Star requires too much time to recharge, & he fears that the obliteration of Yavin would not sufficiently damage the Rebel base on Yavin’s fourth moon? The main gun
of the second Death Star (in Return of the Jedi) is shown to require no such recharge period between salvos.
- Five Rebels are shown surviving the assault on the Death Star (known later in printed material as the Battle of Yavin): Luke Skywalker (Red Five), Wedge
Antilles (Red Two), Han Solo, Chewbacca, & an un-named Y-wing pilot. (This Gold Squadron pilot is given the name Keyan Farlander in later printed material.) However,
in the closing scene of the film, Princess Leia bestows medals on just Solo & Skywalker. The novelization makes clear that Chewbacca is to be decorated as well, but that
the princess lacks sufficient height to get the medal physically around the Wookie’s neck. Since they are standing on a large stairway, I don’t see why Chewie
couldn’t have stood at a low enough position to allow Leia to reach him. In addition, I don’t see why Wedge & Farlander are not also awarded medals of perhaps
lesser degree. After all, they helped.
- The term “Star Destroyer” is never used in Star Wars. Han refers to “Imperial starships” once in dialogue, but the Star
Destroyer remains nameless until The Empire Strikes Back.
- Another staple of the Star Wars franchise, the Imperial March (or Darth Vader’s theme), is also absent from the first film & is not
heard until The Empire Strikes Back.
- Some of the exterior shots on Yavin IV were filmed in Guatemala. The footage features the Mayan ruins of Tikal.
- At the time of its original release, Star Wars was the highest-grossing film in history, & remains the second-highest domestically grossing film
when adjusted for inflation.
- Lucas originally tried to acquire the rights to Flash Gordon from Universal. He could not afford this; so he proceeded to create his own characters & story.
Interestingly, when Universal released Battlestar Galactica in 1978, Twentieth
Century Fox sued for copyright infringement. Universal counter-sued, claiming that Star Wars plagiarized ideas from its 1939 Buck Rogers serial. Ironically,
in view of Lucas’ original intent, Universal produced a Buck Rogers television series just two years after Star Wars’ debut & a Flash Gordon film
three years after Star Wars.
- The majority of the members of the Imperial military are portrayed by English actors with the notable exceptions of Darth Vader, Palpatine, & the
Stormtroopers. I’m not sure if this was a conscious decision. On the other hand, all of the members of the Rebellion (or the good guy side in the
prequel trilogy) are American with the notable exceptions of Obi-Wan & Qui-Gonn.
#2
Return of the Jedi
- Released in 1983, directed by Richard Marquand with a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, Return of the Jedi was the eagerly-awaited
resolution of the Star Wars trilogy.
- Return of the Jedi reveals that the “other” mentioned by Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back is Leia, also revealed to be Luke’s twin
sister & daughter of Vader. (I do not personally believe that Lucas had planned this plot twist at the time of Star Wars, as Luke’s attraction to Leia drives
much of the film’s plot.)
- This revelation further begs the question of how Vader knew Luke was his son in the first place. Are we really supposed to think this was due to the
mundane circumstance that his last name is Skywalker? Before Return of the Jedi, I thought that Vader sensed his kinship with Luke through his Jedi awareness (in
the same way he sensed Obi-wan on the Death Star & sensed the Force in Luke at the Battle of Yavin in Star Wars). But this turns out not to make sense as Vader
had had considerably more contact with Leia than Luke by the time in The Empire Strikes Back at which Vader tells Luke of their relation.
- Luke’s revelation that he has no memories of his mother & Leia’s statement that her mother always seemed sad also occur in Return of the Jedi &
are supposed to be evidence of their kinship as Vader’s children. Revenge of the Sith, however, seems to invalidate these statements, as Padme dies in
childbirth.
- Return of the Jedi famously (for Ross Geller, among others) showcases Princess Leia in her finest futuristic swimwear.
- In Return of the Jedi, C3PO displays considerable talent as a storyteller—captivating the Ewoks—his statement in Star Wars to the contrary
notwithstanding.
- The ineptitude with which Imperial forces deal with the Ewoks in this film makes entertaining watching but ultimately at the expense of the trilogy’s
credibility. How can the audience believe that this regime has subjugated & maintains an iron grip on the entire galaxy when it is so ineffective against the
technologically backward, diminutive Ewoks?
- Return of the Jedi was the first Star Wars film to cut back & forth among three simultaneous battles at the climax—a technique used to good
effect in Revenge of the Sith & The Phantom Menace (which actually cut among four battles).
- Return of the Jedi presents another plot problem in the matter of Luke’s training. In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda adamantly implores Luke
not to face Vader before completing his training. Yet Luke completes no training with his Jedi master between The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi, at
which time Yoda claims that Luke requires no further training to become a Jedi—except to face Vader... Huh??? Isn’t that what Luke told Yoda he wanted to
do in The Empire Strikes Back & what he, in fact, did?
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