Star Wars: A Culture Story

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

The first words to appear on screen for a little movie released in 1977, known then as simply - Star Wars (later changed to Episode 4 A New Hope). No one could have possibly known the impact this movie would have and how it would completely change cinema and movie making as we know it.

Created by George Lucas, very few people where actually interested in the story/idea and didn't have much faith it would perform well, leading to it only been released in a limited number of theaters (which today seems completely unbelievable). However, it soon became a blockbuster hit, leading to a wider release and it actually going on to become one of the most highest grossing films in the world.

Thanks to this reception, we where then treated to two sequels - Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Return of The Jedi in 1983, both of which were also very successful films, in fact Empire is widely regarded as one of the best sequels of all time.

After a 16 year break (and no sign of the fandom slowing down any) we then got to see the first of the Prequel Trilogy - The Phantom Menace in 1999. Now, this film was not as well received as the originals. A lot of fans where unhappy with the amount of CGI used (something Lucas would focus on more and more as time went on) and the character of Jar Jar Binks who became the topic of much controversy.

Regardless of these responses, we then got a further 2 sequels - Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Revenge of the Sith in 2005. These films helped give the backstory of original trilogy villain, now turned sympathetic character, Darth Vader **SPOILER ALERT** AKA Anakin Skywalker and rounded off a nice 6 film saga showing the fall of him to the dark side of the force with a redemption story ending the original trilogy.

As stated previously, no one, not even Lucas himself, could have foreseen just how popular these films would go on to become. So much so the world of Star Wars progressed into other media. We started to get novels, comic books, tv shows and video games expanding on this universe. Some following the story of the 6 film saga and others focusing on brand new characters and stories. Writers from all over the place where given the opportunity to add something new to an already existing story and creating brand new worlds.

Star Wars has become so popular that a UK census included "Jedi" as a form of religion due to how many people stated they identified as this. All this from one film?

Now, it wouldn't be a Star Wars discussion without focusing on one of the most sought after objects in all of cinema history - the lightsaber "the weapon of a Jedi".

Every kid I grew up with had at least one - I still have 6 and I'm not far away from 30. They began as flimsy bits of plastic, but progressed to something much closer to the real thing. People can spend, easily, up to £1000 on a replica lightsaber. One which comes with interchangeable colours and sounds. I would wager even the least interested fan has often thought about picking up one of these, I know I certainly have.

We also need to touch upon the characters it gave us. Two of cinemas greatest ever villains - Darth Vader and the Emperor (later named as Sheev Palpatine following the release of the prequels). They have become a huge part of pop culture with even Presidents of the United States being compared to the characters on more than one occasion.

Now, most of you may have noticed that I have not yet mentioned the sequel trilogy released following the acquisition of Star Wars by Disney (at a sum of $4 Billion I might add). There is a very simple reason for this and it is this - I do not class them as part of the overall story. At this point I would like to point out this is my opinion only, I fully appreciate others feel differently, but the reason for my feelings are as follows. When I watch the sequel trilogy, it just doesn't feel right. Both the original and prequel trilogies had an ongoing plot point. Prequel was to show Anakin's descent to the dark side and the original trilogy was his redemption. To me the sequel trilogy seemed lost. It had potential to be amazing, The Force Awakens was enjoyable, but after this it seemed to get a bit messy and shock factor and nostalgia seem to take precedence over the actual story.

I appreciate a lot of hard work and effort went into these films and some of the performances where great, but to me it just felt like it had lost it's way. Character development didn't seem quite right and I couldn't help but see them as almost remakes of the original trilogy, however, as above this is my opinion only.

There isn't necessarily a point to this piece other than to highlight the impact Star Wars has and continues to have on the world and show my appreciation for what it has given me especially.

We could argue until the cows come home over who is the best character, which is the best film, etc, but I think we can all agree it changed everything with the impact it had. It gave a lot of people something to bond over and one of the greatest plot twists of all time in Empire Strikes Back.

So if you've made it to the end, thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you found some enjoyment from it.

All that's left for me to say now is:

May the Force Be With You!!