Star Wars is, with the exception of perhaps similarly named Star Trek, known as the nerdiest entertainment franchise in America. As seen through its famous big screen films, LEGO sets, video games, and numerous amature and professional parodies, Star Wars could be regarded as a saga with a following greater than any other. Its exciting fanfares are heard everywhere, and its iconic characters are plastered over the walls of American culture. The six movies have made more than almost any other movie series in history, the only exceptions being Harry Potter and James Bond. Despite its large following, its most loyal fans are given America’s cruelest label: geek. It seems a suitable title. Describing the way in which a Twin Ion Engine fighter propels itself through the depths of space, devoting ones life to the principles of Jediism, and developing crushes on Leia because she's the only girl you’ve ever seen in your life are not exactly the most socially acceptable things to do. In fact, these things are absolutely ridiculous. However, the large following of Star Wars indicates that it appeals to more than just the intellectual elite and social outcasts. This then prompts the question: what causes Star Wars to appeal to the average American?
It’s no secret that Lucas is a master of screenplay appeal. Han’s humorous quips, Luke’s daring light-saber battles, and the priceless droids R2-D2 and C3PO all help to make films that are quite easy to watch. Star Wars is fun entertainment and excellent pulp fiction. However, that does not limit the intellectual status of the Star Wars films, for their popularity “is not a symbol of mediocrity” (Oppenheim 21). What makes Star Wars so great goes beyond the superficial coverings. What makes Star Wars the film that America loves so dearly is its manifestation of the roots of American culture. Star Wars is the American myth played out in space. It takes idealized America and puts it somewhere else far away, so far away that it allows Americans to seperate it from reality, and thus, fail to realize the fact that it is really a Western. Lucas uses the original Star Wars trilogy to establish a fictional representation of America that disguises itself so well that he can relay his ultimate message: America needs to believe in itself in order to move forward and continue to make the advances that it made during its first 200 years.
It’s no secret that America’s ultimate myth, the Western, formulates the basis for American thought and is deeply manifested in American society. Americans enjoy thinking of things in terms of right and wrong and good and evil. When the good guy kills the bad guy, it’s a triumph, not a tragedy. This concept is expertly displayed in the Western, with the sheriff always shooting the robbers, or something similar. The fact that the robbers are people is masked by the fact that they are robbers. Rather than reach a diplomatic solution, the sheriff simply shoots them to save the innocent citizens of the town. In Star Wars, Luke and the Rebel Alliance ultimately triumph over the Sith and the Galactic Empire, resulting in the death of the millions. However, this death is merely another victory for the forces of goodness. Despite the deaths of natives and rival imperialists, Americans have always viewed their imperialist expansions as something more than those of other world powers, something that justifies its methods by the goals that drive them. What makes our cause just? According to us, it is the spread of democracy. Even our birth came in the form of violent turmoil. It follows that Lucas would want to pull the freedom of the galaxy out of a similar rebellion agaisnt an oppressive empire. He also appeals to America’s lust for freedom, for standing out against “the man,” when he equates the ultimate force of power and stability with the ultimate force of evil: The Sith. If it were not for characters such as Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi or the cruel Darth Vader, there would be no way to know that the Empire is evil. Through Lucas’s labelling of Jedi and Sith “the viewer is presented with an unambiguous moral dualism--good vs. evil--and given no context to understand the violent disposition of the enemy nor the reasons why most of his troops and other subjects follow him” (Kinnucan). This is very similar to the situation in the Western; what makes the characters good and bad is not what they do, but what the viewer is explicitly told from the beginning.
After utilizing these Western themes, Lucas takes the idea of the American myth further by creating a world of arbitrary good and evil, just as America appeals to its apparent good nature whenever it goes to war. The primary conflict in Star Wars traces the group of rebels who have set out to overthrow an evil Empire. Although “we know there’s a revolution, we have no idea what the various political issues are” (Wright 120). It then follows that the central conflict in Star Wars is arbitrary, a side that is arbitrarily good struggling against and eventually defeating a side that is arbitrarily bad. This arbirtary conflict continues as Luke goes to Dagobah to learn the ways of the Jedi from Yoda, a Jedi Master. Despite giving Luke excellent advice, one thing Yoda never does is reveal to Luke the reason that he must avoid the “dark side” of the Force. The Jedi themselves are good for good’s own sake. There is nothing they believe that makes them good, it is simply enough that they are. This is important to the the myth: all that matters is that there is good versus evil. Lucas makes his point about good and evil, but it compromises the American myth if good is tied down to one simple meaning. That is what the Jedi are there for: they are merely the symbol of goodness, not of any specific idea.
This arbitrary conflict is used to guide the sympathies of the viewers as the witness the battle between old and new and the fight between society and liberty. A prime example of this conflict is illustrated through the primary climax of two of the films: the destruction of a Death Star. The Death Stars are the product of the government, the product of society. They are built through hard, restless labor, with the sole purpose of expanding the power of society to encompass all individuals. The goal of the rebels in two of the films is to destroy these symbols of society’s power, and in the end they achieve victory. These victories represent Luke’s victory over organized society, a reaction to “the man.” By assigning the rebels to goodness and the Empire to evil, Lucas is able to firmly establish that victory over society as a good victory. Throughout American history, this idea is found everywhere, from our founding fathers to the Wild West. Americans have never wanted to bow to authority, even at the expense of societal stability. Trancendentalism, an American movement, advocates leaving society to become one with nature. This idea is also brought in through the location of Dagobah, the nice swamp planet that lacks artificial buildings. This planet is the home of one of the most benevolent and wise Star Wars characters: Yoda. The planet serves as “an oasis, a place to recover from a horrifying, exhausting experience” (Sammons 359). In order to recover from the pains of conflict, in order to reconnect himself with the nature, Luke must travel away from the technological world in which he lives. It is the only way for him to be at peace. Once again, this idea portrays America’s desire to seperate itself from society. As America pushed increasingly West, as well as in the Transcendentalism movement, nature and isolation were always viewed as the conditions of divinity. With all this evidence relating Star Wars and the Western, it seems clear that there are no real fundamental differences. Of course, this is far from the truth. If Star Wars was just another Western, there would still be as many people playing with their toy Cowboys as there currently are playing with toy Storm Troopers. It is clear that this is not the case. That means that something is lost in the Western; something has changed about America that makes the Western an improper way to convey America’s myth.
The primary appeal of Star Wars over traditional forms of the Western, aside from its obvious aesthetic appeal, is twofold; the first reason concerning the ease with which Lucas can create a universe with the ideal conditions of the American myth, conditions long since gone from America’s history. No longer are the Western settlers regarded as the romantic, all-American men. Rather, due to issues of political correctness with regard to race and sex, the Old West seems to be a place that America needs to apologize for once having, not a romantic past. However, by setting Star Wars in a far off galaxy, Lucas creates “a particularly appealing myth for an alienated and rather desperate time, a myth in which heroism, love, and success are made to look accessible only through the setting aside of all social, historical, and even natural realities” (Wright 121). We can no longer romanticize the West because we no longer think it is good. In fact, we no longer think anything is good at all, regardless of whether or not we attribut it to ourselves. America no longer believes in itself, or for that matter, in reality, especially in the latter days of the Cold War. Happiness, it seems, is a myth. The price of becoming dissillusioned is that of a new illusion, one of emptiness and despondency. Americans no longer respond to the Western because they find the Old West to be real, and as a result, bad. Set far, far away, Star Wars has the capacity to excite the American who has long since rejected this world as barren and foreboding. America’s heart, it seems, has been blown away by the winds of reality into the realms of the imagination. However, this is only one reason that the West shall no longer win the hearts of Americans.
In addition to addressing the West’s lost appeal, Star Wars reflects America’s desire to move into the new age, with its modified formula for the American myth, including stronger females and the conflict between the young generation and the old. Obviously, the outer space setting is futuristic. This futuristic setting allows Lucas to use futuristic characters and ideas, following America into its new age. The Western, with its old technologies, old ideas, and old ways of living, is no longer appealing to the America who wants more than what’s current; this America wants what’s next. Leia, arguably one of the most assertive and outspoken characters of the Star Wars movies, is female, and not just any female, but a princess. In the age of the Western, the ideal female was weak. She was totally dependent on the strong men in her life: husbands and brothers particularly, although often friends as well. However, with feminism on the rise, the weak woman was no longer appealing to an American audience. By taking away the old caste of the female and replacing it with the new role, in which women are allowed to take on roles just as important as men, Star Wars reflects a new era. The other manifestation of this idea is rather simple: Darth Vader is Luke’s father. Just as the American young were learning to rebel, so were the young in a galaxy far, far away. Luke represents the new generation that will replace its parents, people making the world how they want it to be and who are sick of the way it has been made for them. Luke represents progress. What then is Vader but the reactionary who wants to keep doing the same thing, following the same patterns, and yielding the same failures? Luke and Vader “are placed into the inevitable conflict of father and son” which, in this case, derives from the fact that Vader has become corrupted (Gordon). In fact, where Darth Vader failed (turning to the Dark Side), Luke succeeded, staying true to the Jedi Order and in doing so, saving the galaxy. By portraying the new generation as good, fighting against the despotism of the old, Lucas appeals to the American’s desire for the new.
While simultaneously romanticizing the new, Lucas also appeals to the spirituality of America; not its faith in any particular religion, but rather in its faith in something supernatural, perhaps the Spirit of Man, that will ultimately triumph over any technology. Lucas creates two extreme settings: The good and spiritual Dagobah and the bad and scientific Death Star. While the “Death Star is ultimately evil, Dagobah is ultimately good” (Wood). America builds itself on spirituality. Its belief in goodness, liberty, and the work-hard attitude of America can best summed up as belief in inherent human goodness. This goodness lends itself to some spiritual belief, though not necessarily organized religion. It is for this reason that Lucas creates a new, vague, mysterious religion, and associates it with everything good. What this does is create a system where following the the good nature of living things leads to good results. In both cases, there is the existence of a presence that trancends scientific understanding that can manifest itself in the natural world in only the most mysterious ways. Meanwhile, the cold and hard world of scientific fact does not appeal to the American. We like to believe in love, in joy, in goodness, and in hope. While science does not explain these things in any way, even the most rational American will accept their existence. Similarly, Lucas states that science cannot overcome spirit: “the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.” In the climax of the first film, Luke turns off his targeting computer to save the galaxy, as “only a return to an ancient religion, against all our instincts, against all rationality, against all common sense, can make victory possible” (Wright 124). America cannot simply rely on scientific fact to drive itself. In order to function as the nation that it is, it needs more. Star Wars, ever the American myth, takes this into account to appeal to the American, telling a competitor in the unforgiving capitalist system that there is something else. It does not matter what it is that drives America, so long as the driving force is there.
This then creates a new role for Star Wars. It is no longer the pulp Sci-Fi that continues to capture the imaginations of every American boy, and will likely continue to do so for a very long time. Star Wars is the manifestation of American identity. Not only does it take the American spirit and present it to the American, but it never tells anyone explicitly that it is doing such a thing. America does not know what it is; at least, not what it has the capacity to be. It still believes in its myth, but refuses to admit it. Star Wars takes everything that gives America its identity, from its cultural diversity to its faith in hard work and freedom, and applies it to a distant galaxy. This is the truth of America’s story and simultaneously the myth that America believes in. It is everything America needs in order to maintain itself, in order for it to continue to be America. What Americans need to realize is that these things are its backbone. We create ideas and then attack them, never willing to except anything without the utmost skepticism. What does that leave us to believe? Nothing. America, the land of the free, the home of the brave, is built on a myth. It is built on the myth that it is inherently good, that its enemies are inherently bad, that the good guys will always win, and that there is always something newer and better away from society. But at the root of this myth is the driving force behind America, and it truly is the Force. America cannot justify its existence, or any existence, in the intellectual realm it is becoming. In order for America wants to justify its myth, it must first accept that something exists, either apart from or part of humanity, that is good. If we do not accept this, then we have sacrificed what it is to be American. That is the last sacrifice we can afford to make. Our American identity has driven us through ups and downs, and in our short history, we’ve accomplished what other countries could not do in millenia. For better or for worse, what will not change is that it is for our country. This is the ultimate message of Star Wars. No matter what must be sacrificed, it is clear that the Jedi must win and the Sith must be defeated. In order for America to remain prosperous, we must make ourselves the Jedi. In order to do this, we will have to return to our old myth, precisely what Lucas does in Star Wars. May the Force be with America.
Works Cited
Gordon, Andrew. ""The Empire Strikes Back": Monsters from the Id." Science Fiction Studies 7.3 (1980): 313-18. JSTOR GCHS Library. Web. 18 Jan. 2010.
This document analyzes the way in which the fifth movie manifests Freudian psycology, particularly the Oedipal complex. Darth Vader, Luke’s father, “castrates” Luke by cutting off his hand, and Luke himself is wrapped in the desire to kill his own father. Numerous other relationships and events in the film are reminsent of Freud.
Kinnucan, Michelle. "What Star Wars Teaches Us." Common Dreams | News & Views. Web. 13 Jan. 2010.
This article analyzes the way in which “Star Wars” reflects the American culture of the time. Specifically, it calls upon the idea of good vs. evil that is prominently figured in American culture, with the good ultimately emerging at the top. Kinnucan cites numerous sources, including interviews with Lucas himself.
Oppenheim, Irene. "Masscult, Midcult, and Starcult." The Threepenny Review 4 (1981): 20-21. JSTOR GCHS LIBRARY. Web. 20 Jan. 2010.
This document analyzes the way in which Star Wars, a form of mass media, is able to impact the public. For the most part, the most popular films are the most superficial, the most artificial, and the most mediocre. The primary differences between Mass Culture and High Culture is the dependence of commercial success for its overall success. Star Wars falls into the latter category, despite its commercial success.
Sammons, Todd H. ""Return of the Jedi": Epic Graffiti." Science Fiction Studies 14.3 (1987): 355-71. JSTOR GCHS LIBRARY. Web. 18 Jan. 2010.
This document analyzes the “middle trilogy” of the Star Wars series, looking at the motifs and symbols illustrated throughout the first three movies. Each film is distinct, yet still connected as part of the story of the rise of Luke Skywalker and the redemption of Darth Vader. Most importantly is the way in which Lucas reenacts the epic in “Return of the Jedi.”
Wood, Denis. "The Empire's New Clothes." Film Quarterly 34.3 (1981): 10-16. JSTOR GCHS LIBRARY. Web. 18 Jan. 2010.
This document analyzes the way in which Lucas uses the old methods that worked so well with the first Star Wars in order to recreate the magic. The document demonstrates that although Lucas puts the same things together, he fails to fully recreate the perfection of the first film.
Wright, Will. "The Empire Bites the Dust." Social Text 6 (1982): 120-25. JSTOR GCHS LIBRARY. Web. 20 Jan. 2010.
Star Wars is the myth that comes in to fill the place of the almost forgotten Western. Star Wars is a Western in Space. The Space setting makes our romantic myth just that: a myth, something that is fantasy, rather than the romanticized history of the traditional Western. However, parallels between the two run deep, ranging from the adventure of the hero to the happiness of the American myth. Additionally, technology is made second to ancient religion, especially in Luke’s battle with the first Death Star, where Luke turns off his computer to rely on the Force.
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