The Modern Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a man by the name of George Lucas who wanted to create a modern fairy tale. A tale complete with an evil sorcerer, a princess, and a knight in training. In the year 1977, he accomplished his goal. However, he didn’t just create a fairy tale, or a series of movies; Lucas created an iconic collection of images, sounds, and characters that withstood not only the test of time, but the fickle likes of movie goers. Star Wars became the nerd bible. Quotes like “Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope” and “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine” became the Ten Commandments. With just one idea, Lucas not only birthed an American classic, but a global phenomenon. My cousins in Russia religiously watched the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Star Wars: The Old Republic, the newest game addition to the ever growing Star Wars family, is available in three different languages and is played all over the world. There are over a hundred books, written by a plethora of authors, which strive to expand our knowledge of that galaxy far, far away. And all that started in the beginning, with a new hope.

So why did Episode IV have such a huge impact on the society? When the Star Wars movies came out, there was a void, waiting to be filled by something different. Something that actually spoke to the audience, something that didn’t simply scream: sex and violence. A movie that had the feel of a great romantic epic. A movie that looked to the future, while reliving the lessons that were taught to us in fairy tales. A movie where good overcame evil, even if it was at the greatest of costs. A call was made, and Lucas answered with Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

However, it is not just the quality of the movie that made it so exceptional, but the detail that went into creating the world that A New Hope took place in. And that, I believe, is the true reason why the impact of Star Wars is so great on society and why the audience took to it so eagerly. Suddenly, the future world looked lived-in and familiar. There were people with political agendas, soldiers, civilians, the lowest of the low, and the noblest of the noble. The audience could, and still can, relate to the movie through the interactions and conduct of the characters on the screen, yet get away from their everyday lives when being presented with things like lightsabers and Ewoks. The movie, and the Star Wars series, appeals to such a wide spectrum of people, it is allowed a greater impact than any other movie that has yet been made. To put it simply, if a bit childishly: it rocks.

This scholarship is sponsored by USDish.com