Star Wars Thought

[itsnotmymind]

 I've been watching the original Star Wars for the first time, and something that's struck is that Star Wars is as much fantasy as sci-fi. The Force is a fantasy concept, not a science fiction one.

Comments

[elisi]

Oh totally. It just happens to have spaceships, but it's structured like a fantasy, complete with princesses and knights and evil 'kings'. :)

[itsnotmymind]

Yeah, Leia being a princess seem kind of...random? But it is in keeping with medieval fantasy theme.

[selenak]

To be sure, from the opening credit ("A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away") onwwards, deliberately evoking fairy tales.

(There's a neat little homage in one of the recent Disney+ Star Wars shows, where an android actually uses that opening for a story told to children.)

Plus George Lucas very self consciously structured the whole thing after Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces.

[itsnotmymind]

I always thought the choice to set the story in our past (or at least we are told it is in our past) to be interesting), and it is a contrast to conventional sci-fi.

I can't remember if I'd heard of the Joseph Campbell influence or not, but it doesn't surprise me.