Is Star Wars Relevant?

Star Wars is arguably the most popular science fiction franchise in history. Since the release of A New Hope in 1977, George Lucas’ dream has been defying expectations and reinventing the motion picture industry. Having said that, as we slowly approach the release of The Force Awakens later this year, I have started to realize that it is assumed that Star Wars is relevant to modern geeks, and to wonder if Star Wars it truly is.

After much consideration, I have to say that it is still relevant. This conclusion was not made easily. I am a massive Star Wars fan. My new office will be decorated almost exclusively in Star Wars stuff, from prints and posters to action figures and unique pieces of art. I have seen all of the movies countless times, and while Empire Strikes Back is my favorite, the original trilogy all fit into my top ten favorite movies of all time. Despite all of this I had my doubts. Something deep down inside me was telling me that I couldn’t justify jumping to the obvious conclusion without spending some time to really evaluate and not just answering what my ten year old self would want me to.

The biggest reason I have to believe Star Wars is relevant is because of what it is at its core. Beyond all of the cool effects and spaceships, Star Wars, especially the original trilogy, is a hero’s journey. It’s well documented that Lucas was a student of mythology scholar Joseph Campbell. Best known for his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Campbell put forth the idea that myths, regardless of the source, were universal and that we as humans connected to them because of this fact. Star Wars is simply an exploration of the same myths that everyone learns about in school, only with a veneer of science fiction laid over the top. Lucas would constantly call Campbell and discuss elements of the story with him, to ensure that the details were correct, or that he understood the underlying myth he was trying to tap into. This is largely what makes Star Wars so engaging and relatable. Everyone wants to be the hero and through Luke the audience is able to take the journey.

George Lucas and Joseph Campbell

Not only is Star Wars grounded in these ancient traditions, but Star Wars is also bigger than Star Wars.  There is far more to Star Wars than just the films. The sheer magnitude of the Star Wars Expanded Universe is mind blowing. If you can think of an object–any object, it probably has had the Star Wars logo stamped on it at some point. Hell, Spaceballs even makes a huge joke out of the marketing for the movie. Star Wars is almost more important as a brand than it is as a series of films.  That logo and font made their way into the very heart of American culture; they are nearly as recognizable as Coca-Cola or McDonalds. Even unrelated marketing with the same font and color scheme immediately evoke a relationship between it and Star Wars in most peoples’ brain.  If Star Wars weren’t relevant, it wouldn’t be able to provoke such an involuntary reaction out of people.

Finally, I think the point must be made that if Star Wars weren’t relevant, Disney would not have dropped so much money to acquire Lucasfilm. If it weren’t relevant, they would certainly not be planning a brand new canon with a new trilogy and spin-off films to go along with it. Companies like Disney don’t waste their money on intellectual property that isn’t still an important part of pop culture. While there are certainly critics of Disney and their business practices, it is hard to argue that they have made poor decisions when it comes to their acquisitions.

The Star Wars franchise means as much to many people as almost anything else in their lives. It is something that has managed to bridge generations and still continues to be discovered by new people each day. Sure, it’s not perfect, but even in today’s society there is much we can identify with, and that is the most honest test of relevancy.

Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition