Written by: Kevin Berge
Star Wars Reviews: Episode I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | Rogue One | Solo | Clone Wars (2003)| The Clone Wars (2008) | Rebels (S1/S2/S3/S4)
In 1977, George Lucas released one of the single most influential films ever made. It was a movie about a farm boy who saved everyone from an evil fascist empire attempting to control the galaxy by threatening to blow up planets.
It was a remarkable science fiction experience, but it was truly a fantasy, a hero's quest. 42 years later, that hero's quest has defined cinema. Technology and storytelling has grown because of the film that was the first in a trilogy.
That trilogy spawned a second trilogy that began in 1999. Once more, George Lucas helmed a fantastical tale though this time it was a Greek tragedy. It was about the rise of a republic driven by the fall of a promising young inventor turned warrior.
In 2015, the final trilogy of this Star Wars saga began with Lucas handing over the reigns to Disney. This story returned to the series' roots exploring the story of a young orphan who finds she has the power to topple a fascist order with the help of her friends.
In 1977, George Lucas released one of the single most influential films ever made. It was a movie about a farm boy who saved everyone from an evil fascist empire attempting to control the galaxy by threatening to blow up planets.
It was a remarkable science fiction experience, but it was truly a fantasy, a hero's quest. 42 years later, that hero's quest has defined cinema. Technology and storytelling has grown because of the film that was the first in a trilogy.
That trilogy spawned a second trilogy that began in 1999. Once more, George Lucas helmed a fantastical tale though this time it was a Greek tragedy. It was about the rise of a republic driven by the fall of a promising young inventor turned warrior.
In 2015, the final trilogy of this Star Wars saga began with Lucas handing over the reigns to Disney. This story returned to the series' roots exploring the story of a young orphan who finds she has the power to topple a fascist order with the help of her friends.
Each of these film series have defined the landscape of cinema even though the quality has wavered considerably. Star Wars is an event. It is a cultural phenomenon that has long passed up these movies, which is why it is best that Star Wars is moving past these episode trilogies.
However, I do think there are elements many miss about what made these defining movies so special. They are fun fantastical romps through an ever-expanding world, but these movies also manage to more than that. They are explorations of heroism and power and belief.
Before seeing the last movie in the franchise, I wanted to go back and explore exactly what Star Wars means to tell us all, the themes that define this franchise sometimes hidden behind a wall of effects and flash.
However, I do think there are elements many miss about what made these defining movies so special. They are fun fantastical romps through an ever-expanding world, but these movies also manage to more than that. They are explorations of heroism and power and belief.
Before seeing the last movie in the franchise, I wanted to go back and explore exactly what Star Wars means to tell us all, the themes that define this franchise sometimes hidden behind a wall of effects and flash.
Star Wars wasn't real subtle about the marketing strategy with Princess Leia in the 80s. (Image Courtesy of: nerdist.com)
The Original Trilogy: Belief Can Conquer the Greatest Obstacles
George Lucas conceived of Star Wars as a science fiction epic inspired by Flash Gordon. What he created was far more fantasy than sci-fi. Magic space wizard Obi-Wan Kenobi teaches a young farmhand to be a space wizard like him and save the galaxy from the power of the Dark Side.
Belief is a huge focus of the original trilogy. Luke Skywalker must accept his role and his power by trusting those who want to train him. Obi-Wan Kenobi may die and leave him behind, but Luke's mentor does not disappear. His belief allows him to remain to watch over Luke.
The Empire Strikes Back forces Luke to fully challenge his beliefs. He must accept that Yoda is more than he appears, that his teachings will help. He has to accept that what is right in front of him is not always as it appears. It takes until The Return of the Jedi for Luke to accept it all.
In the end, Luke uses that belief to not only save the galaxy but also his father. Darth Vader is a character shrouded in mystery, who seems to be an embodiment of evil, but Luke's belief in the man that he realizes is his father helps both men overcome their own personal darkness.
Belief goes beyond just Luke though. Han Solo must learn to believe in himself. He is a scoundrel with no hope of redemption to begin the series, but he finds his way through the two people most important to him and their belief in his ability to do good.
Luke inspires Han, but it is Princess Leia Organa, who pushes him to be better. Her steadfast belief in The Rebels and growing willingness to trust Han allows the scoundrel to become a hero. The two make each other better and keep Luke alive. Han even eventually comes to believe in the Jedi and Luke's abilities as a Jedi.
The original trilogy is not complicated. It is so heavily wrapped up in the conventions of fantasy that it is mostly known for the small but memorable twists it employs. It all works though because of the committed execution. Sometimes, the simple stories are the best.
Belief is a huge focus of the original trilogy. Luke Skywalker must accept his role and his power by trusting those who want to train him. Obi-Wan Kenobi may die and leave him behind, but Luke's mentor does not disappear. His belief allows him to remain to watch over Luke.
The Empire Strikes Back forces Luke to fully challenge his beliefs. He must accept that Yoda is more than he appears, that his teachings will help. He has to accept that what is right in front of him is not always as it appears. It takes until The Return of the Jedi for Luke to accept it all.
In the end, Luke uses that belief to not only save the galaxy but also his father. Darth Vader is a character shrouded in mystery, who seems to be an embodiment of evil, but Luke's belief in the man that he realizes is his father helps both men overcome their own personal darkness.
Belief goes beyond just Luke though. Han Solo must learn to believe in himself. He is a scoundrel with no hope of redemption to begin the series, but he finds his way through the two people most important to him and their belief in his ability to do good.
Luke inspires Han, but it is Princess Leia Organa, who pushes him to be better. Her steadfast belief in The Rebels and growing willingness to trust Han allows the scoundrel to become a hero. The two make each other better and keep Luke alive. Han even eventually comes to believe in the Jedi and Luke's abilities as a Jedi.
The original trilogy is not complicated. It is so heavily wrapped up in the conventions of fantasy that it is mostly known for the small but memorable twists it employs. It all works though because of the committed execution. Sometimes, the simple stories are the best.
These posters would have you believe the prequel trilogy really wanted to be a sweeping fantasy epic with a western edge. (Image Courtesy of: porchdrinking.com)
The Prequel Trilogy: The Blindness of Power
Returning to a franchise after so long is a dangerous gambit. It's important to feel like you have something to say. Lucas certainly knew what he wanted to say with the prequels. Even if the ultimate results was not well received, the ideas were all there.
The story of the fall of The Republic is driven by blindness. No one sees what Palpatine is brewing. He twists the government to his will by creating a false war to gain support in The Phantom Menace then steals power from the Senate by raising the ante repeatedly with the war he controls in Attack of the Clones.
While he easily manipulates the government, his insidious influence is felt more gradually with the Jedi. The Jedi are in the wrong from the opening frame, and they never realize it. They don't see that they have set the stage for their own doom through their rules.
Anakin Skywalker is naturally gifted, but his best trait is his empathy. He wants so badly to protect those he cares about, and that goodness is likely what makes him so powerful. However, he is working in a system that is constantly attempted to hold him down.
He is wrenched away from his mother. He is constantly kept away from Padme Amidala. Obi-Wan is told repeatedly to treat Anakin as more of a student than a friend. No one wants Anakin to love anything beyond the abstract, and it destroys him long before Palapatine gets involved.
It is not love that turns Anakin. It is repression. If Anakin was allowed to see his mother growing up, she would not have died on Tatooine. If Anakin had been allowed to be open about his relationship with Padme, he would have never feared for her life and taken extreme measures to save her that stole his empathy in Revenge of the Sith.
The Jedi made Darth Vader possible, and Palpatine gladly took advantage. The Force is a balance between light and dark. It is never completely focused on one side of the other. Both sides needed to learn that through experience. It is worth wondering if The Jedi ever truly learned.
The prequels have so many great ideas. Lucas came into them with such a wondrous passion for portraying what he saw in the world. Unfortunately, he did lose that in the execution especially in the early chapters.
The story of the fall of The Republic is driven by blindness. No one sees what Palpatine is brewing. He twists the government to his will by creating a false war to gain support in The Phantom Menace then steals power from the Senate by raising the ante repeatedly with the war he controls in Attack of the Clones.
While he easily manipulates the government, his insidious influence is felt more gradually with the Jedi. The Jedi are in the wrong from the opening frame, and they never realize it. They don't see that they have set the stage for their own doom through their rules.
Anakin Skywalker is naturally gifted, but his best trait is his empathy. He wants so badly to protect those he cares about, and that goodness is likely what makes him so powerful. However, he is working in a system that is constantly attempted to hold him down.
He is wrenched away from his mother. He is constantly kept away from Padme Amidala. Obi-Wan is told repeatedly to treat Anakin as more of a student than a friend. No one wants Anakin to love anything beyond the abstract, and it destroys him long before Palapatine gets involved.
It is not love that turns Anakin. It is repression. If Anakin was allowed to see his mother growing up, she would not have died on Tatooine. If Anakin had been allowed to be open about his relationship with Padme, he would have never feared for her life and taken extreme measures to save her that stole his empathy in Revenge of the Sith.
The Jedi made Darth Vader possible, and Palpatine gladly took advantage. The Force is a balance between light and dark. It is never completely focused on one side of the other. Both sides needed to learn that through experience. It is worth wondering if The Jedi ever truly learned.
The prequels have so many great ideas. Lucas came into them with such a wondrous passion for portraying what he saw in the world. Unfortunately, he did lose that in the execution especially in the early chapters.
The sequel trilogy is just the original trilogy, but this time there's no scantly clad Leia. (Image Courtesy of: comicbook.com)
The Sequel Trilogy: Anyone Can Be a Hero
If belief can create heroes and blindness can be the downfall of anyone, it stands to reason that it does not matter what you start only where you end. What decisions do you make to help yourself and help everyone around you?
The Force Awakens sets a familiar scene of an isolated but gifted individual rising up against tyranny, but Rey differs from Luke because she never wavers in her belief in the Force. She wavers in her belief in herself. She needs to comes to understand what she can be.
In order to allow her to believe in herself, she must first come to terms with who she is. She must come to also see that no one is perfect. The Last Jedi twists her understanding of heroes. She comes to Luke expecting a great hero and finds a shell of a man, driven by his own failure.
Unlike the Jedi of the prequels, Luke is not blind to his failure. He sees what he has done and acts in haste. He gives up on his beliefs because he was meant to be great. He was born to be great. He cannot understand why he failed.
Rey has come not just to learn from him but to remind him of who he was. In the end, we all realize that unlike Luke she doesn't have a great father. She isn't gifted with the power to be the Chosen One and heralded as such from the moment she arrives.
She is just an orphan connected to the Force. The balance has come again to bring back the Light Side, and she has been chosen. In her, we all are witness to Star Wars' defining message: we all can be heroes if we learn to be empathetic and believe in what is right.
It will be interesting to see what The Rise of Skywalker brings to this idea. This final movie could bring it all home or complicate the message of this final trilogy. What is most important is that Star Wars has always been and will always been a story about heroes and goodness that can be celebrated at its best and its worst.
The Force Awakens sets a familiar scene of an isolated but gifted individual rising up against tyranny, but Rey differs from Luke because she never wavers in her belief in the Force. She wavers in her belief in herself. She needs to comes to understand what she can be.
In order to allow her to believe in herself, she must first come to terms with who she is. She must come to also see that no one is perfect. The Last Jedi twists her understanding of heroes. She comes to Luke expecting a great hero and finds a shell of a man, driven by his own failure.
Unlike the Jedi of the prequels, Luke is not blind to his failure. He sees what he has done and acts in haste. He gives up on his beliefs because he was meant to be great. He was born to be great. He cannot understand why he failed.
Rey has come not just to learn from him but to remind him of who he was. In the end, we all realize that unlike Luke she doesn't have a great father. She isn't gifted with the power to be the Chosen One and heralded as such from the moment she arrives.
She is just an orphan connected to the Force. The balance has come again to bring back the Light Side, and she has been chosen. In her, we all are witness to Star Wars' defining message: we all can be heroes if we learn to be empathetic and believe in what is right.
It will be interesting to see what The Rise of Skywalker brings to this idea. This final movie could bring it all home or complicate the message of this final trilogy. What is most important is that Star Wars has always been and will always been a story about heroes and goodness that can be celebrated at its best and its worst.
