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We look at the Cultural Impact of
the Star Wars Trilogy.
Even though the trilogy of
prequels received, well, let's say 'mixed reviews'; nothing quite
shouts "space retro" than the original Star Wars trilogy.
The first three films were critically acclaimed not only for the
groundbreaking special effects, but also for the storyline,
characters, John Williams' epic soundtrack, and the cultural
impact they had upon the world.
It's hard to imagine a world without Star Wars. Can you imagine a fancy
dress party without at least 3 Darth Vaders, a couple of
Princess Leias, and the ever-present troupe of Stormtroopers? Can
you envisage a world in which announcing "May the Force be with
you", or "These are not the droids you are looking
for" would be looked upon only with confused stares? Can you
picture a world without endless Star Wars toy figurines and
collectibles, and children adding 'bzzzt, bzzzzm' sound effects to
play swordfights? I think not.
George Lucas' 1977 movie Star Wars
(later to be known as Star Wars IV: A New Hope) heavily borrowed
elements from science fiction, drama and fantasy genres, but somehow
made the whole into a lot more than the sum of its parts. Most
futuristic works of science fiction depicted inter-stellar
civilisations as clean, lustrous and enlightened; but Lucas' Star
Wars painted a squalid, dystopian "used universe" in
turmoil. There was clearly more fiction than science, however; and the
fantasy element was certainly present, with princesses being rescued
by knights, more aliens than you could shake a light sabre at, and an
inexplicable yet ubiquitous 'force' that governs the universe. It was
the combination of genres and Lucas' imaginative adaptation and
treatment of them that created an as-yet totally unique cinema
experience.
Forgetting the revamped special editions and the prequel trilogy for a
minute, with their rather more fancy space
costumes and special effects, the original 3 movies were all
groundbreaking in their own ways (though with Return of the Jedi,
certainly to a lesser extent). Where A New Hope was a moody light
adventure, The Empire Strikes Back was far darker - the full extent of
the Empire's futuristic weaponry on show; Vader, the nemesis, claims
to be the father of Luke, the hero; and Han Solo is trapped in
carbonite. Return of the Jedi was an emotionally-driven end to the
trilogy, finally culminating in that, well, let's just say, still
contentious showdown between Imperial troops and cute fuzzy
forest-dwelling bears.
 
It can be said that few movies cemented as many actors in the minds of
so many as "that one from Star Wars" - besides Harrison
Ford's huge post-Star Wars successes, few of his contemporaries ever
reached such dizzying heights again. James Earl Jones' deep, sonorous
voice never fails to make me think of Vader, and when Carrie Fisher
appears in the 1980 action comedy The Blues Brothers, many of us are
just waiting for her to say "Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my
only hope". In comparison with the new trilogy, I'll be surprised
if Hayden Christensen (brilliantly referred to during Kevin Smith's
Clerks 2 as "Mannequin Skywalker") ever gets serious acting
work again.
The success of the original trilogy can still be seen today, all
around us - and not just in the Star
Wars costumes, the quotes, and the conventions.
The movies gave birth not simply to another three movies 13 years
later, but an entire "Star
Wars Galaxy" - the fictional setting for the entire
franchise, with an encyclopaedic level of planets, colonies, politics,
trade routes, species and languages, and a detailed timeline of
galactic history. This huge canon is still used as a platform for
books, video games, comics and fan fiction; having extended far, far
beyond the comparatively pithy details divulged in the movies.
Something tells me that, even with no more movies on the horizon and
with even the updated special editions looking mighty dated these
days, Star Wars is not going to be forgotten any time soon. There have
already been countless tie-ins, one of the more recent examples being
the video game series combining the Star Wars universe with Lego; and
A New Hope was even parodied from start to finish - with Lucasarts'
permission - by the popular satirical adult cartoon, Family
Guy.
For further information:
Star
Wars Wikipedia listing
Wookieepedia,
the Star Wars encyclopaedia
StarWars.com, the
official Star Wars site
Lucasarts.com
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