Star Wars Turns 30: Reflections, and Reasons for Success

I was reminded tonight through television advertisements, and through a program broadcast live from southern California, that 30 years ago today the first Star Wars film began in U.S. theaters, and several months later it was on its way to becoming an international popular culture phenomenon. I thought I’d use the occasion to touch on two areas, my own personal reflections, and a few suggestions as to why this film series has been so successful.

First, my reflections. I remember just prior to this film’s release, as a young thirteen-year-old with a strong interest in science fiction and fantasy, that my brother and I were not really interested in seeing the film. The reason was because we had seen George Lucas’s previous film THX-1138, and in our estimation, the film was awful, and therefore we did not hold out much hope for another cinematic effort by the same director. Obviously we were wrong, and after we saw the film we were hooked. The fairytale and fantasy story was wonderful, and the special effects were unlike anything we had seen before (although those in 2001: A Space Odyssey came pretty close). It’s amazing that this film became a franchise that captured the imagination of not only one generation, but now going on to incorporate others. In my own family its magic went beyond myself to include my own children, and I hope in the near future my grandson.

How might we explain the success of Star Wars? Two factors stand out in my thinking. First, Lucas consciously created a contemporary fairytale that drew upon myths and archetypes that have spoken to the human imagination for centuries. They continue to resonate with us in the present. This first reason is related to the second, and that is the time frame and cultural circumstances surrounding the original release of the first film. Star Wars came out in the 1970s which, of course, followed on the heels of the 1960s. I’ve commented in a previous post on the significance of the counterculture of this period, but it appears as if the culture was experiencing a hunger for imagination, a hunger that was not being satisfied with standard Hollywood fare at the box office. Star Wars and its mythology filled this vacuum, and the rest is history.

One last thought. As I sit here and watch a television special on the 30th anniversary two guests commented on Star Wars launching the first film franchise that made other franchises like The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, and Spiderman possible. I can understand how they might entertain this assumption in the heat of celebration, but it is inaccurate. Actually, it was another Twentieth Century Fox film became the first science fiction film franchise. The film was The Planet of the Apes, and it launched its own franchise through multiple films, a television series and merchandising that would open the door for the future megahit in the Star Wars franchise.

It’s great to reminisce about this film, but now I feel old.