Why Is Star Wars So Popular?

Those of us who collect action figures are at least aware — if not directly influenced by, the juggernaut that is STAR WARS!

Every time I post an action figure photo, if a Star Wars character is involved, I get more views, likes and comments than I do if I post a photo featuring a non Star Wars character.

No matter where I go — I am surrounded by Star Wars. Every time I go toy-hunting, or to a con (convention for short) or a meetup, Star Wars is there.

To think that a science fiction movie that opened decades ago in local theaters would so significantly impact our culture would have been unthinkable back in 1977, when George Lucas got together with a bunch of special effects geeks, actors, etc. to make the film.

There’s no denying it — Star Wars is an American epic space-opera multimedia franchise created which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon.

But why has it lived on?

It doesn’t hurt that there are dozens of sequels and spin offs. It doesn’t hurt that their are comic books, action figures and whole conventions devoted to the genre.

But the real reason it is so successful is. . . it’s based on one of the most popular and powerful literary tropes called — The Hero’s Journey.

You’ve seen this trope in thousands of books and movies. And tropes are tropes because they work.

It always boils down to good v. evil, i.e., a good guy v. a bad guy and a love interest, a hooligan compadre and in the case of Star Wars, robots — thrown into the mix.

But Star Wars wasn’t just any hero’s journey. It was a western set in outer space and rather than take itself too seriously, it was light-hearted and THAT made it accessible to everyone. Even people who didn’t fancy themselves as science fiction fans got caught up in the myth and the legend.

I think that — like all good stories which depict the hero’s journey — Star Wars actually really resonated because it had an awesome bad guy — Darth Vader — complete with dedicated and loyal storm troopers.

SOME SURPRISES

If you ask George Lucas (and I’ve seen interviews where someone did) what made Star Wars a success, he will say some of the things I have said but the surprise to me was he also gave a nod to the music.

Ask another sci-fi director who is equally admired; Steven Spielberg and he agreed. “Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches. Dinosaurs do not walk the Earth, there is no Force, we do not wonder, we do not weep, we do not believe.” Music and visual storytelling go together. Mr. Williams’ score will live on — probably 1000 years past Mr. Williams.

Then there was that lightsaber. If you look up lightsaber in Wikipedia it says: “A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the Star Wars franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about 3 feet (0.91 m) in length emitted from a metal hilt around 10.5 inches (27 cm) in length. First introduced in the original Star Wars film, it has since appeared in most Star Wars films, with at least one lightsaber duel occurring in each installment of the “Skywalker saga”. The lightsaber’s distinct appearance was created using rotoscoping for the original films, and with digital effects for the prequel and sequel trilogies.”

But somehow, that description doesn’t do the lightsaber justice. It’s the hardest thing in the world to describe to someone who’s never seen one so if you’re in that group (a very small club to be sure) go look at one online and you’ll get it. There’s a reason that every toy store in the free world has an aisle with a pretend lightsaber for sale. It’s that iconic.

And while far from cutting edge today, the special effects in the 1977 film were also a big part of the original movie’s success. You could argue that the SFX had a starring role as much as any actor did in the film.

Star Wars set the standard for the industry and Lucas’ special effects company is still busy doing what it did in 1977 — pushing the envelope to make the effects more realistic.

CONCLSUION

I’ve saved the best for last. If I were to sum it all up, I think Star Wars has captivated all of us because it’s real message is — have hope. We all want hope. We need it to live. Star Wars talked of a place in a galaxy far, far away where the characters were just like us — they needed hope. And that ladies and gentleman is probably why I have 100 Star Wars action figures laying around my house.

Remember — Toys are joy.