‘Star Wars’ at 30 still honors the force — of friendship
A milestone anniversary “Star Wars” is having.
Thirty years have passed since “Star Wars” exploded on to America’s silver screens on May 25, 1977.
George Lucas’ ingenious blend of Campbellian archetypes, the American western, World War I dogfights, escapist fantasy and appealing young actors swept across the nation, then the world, at the speed of the Millennium Falcon in hyper space.
“Star Wars” spawned two classic sequels in 1980 and 1983, then three disappointing prequels in 1999, 2002 and 2005.
Yet, the original trilogy has remained alive and relevant for new generations of fans who’ve adopted the movies as their own. Unlike most pop hits of the 1970s, “Star Wars” transcended being a mere cultural touchstone for the baby boomers.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith has frequently capitalized on “Star Wars” geekdom by stuffing Jedi references into his scripts. Yoda-speak has permeated the culture. Quotes from the movies have become part of an international lexicon.
What was it about those first three “Star Wars” movies (technically, episodes four, five and six) that enthralled audiences in 1977, then continued to captivate new fans for the following three decades?
The answer is simple.
The propelling theme of “Star Wars” is far more powerful and profound than mere good vs. evil.
Each episode in the original trilogy hones in on the adolescent conviction that friends matter more than anything else in the universe.
More than romance.
More than power.
More than riches.
In the “Star Wars” universe, friendship conquers all. The three movies perfectly capture and render an adolescent dream world where adventure awaits around every planet, and romance is vague and safely distanced from intimacy and sexual contact.
In “A New Hope,” Harrison Ford’s soldier of fortune Han Solo gives up a clean escape and booty to save Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker during the nail-biting climax.
Why? The power of friendship compels him.
In “The Return of the Jedi,” Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia and Luke risk their lives to save Solo from his carbonite prison at Jabba the Hutt’s cave crib. The power of friendship compels them.
But it isn’t until Luke confronts the evil Emperor aboard his ship that the script confirms the message reinforced by the trilogy.
“Your overconfidence is your weakness,” Luke says.
“Your faith in your friends is yours!” the Emperor barks.
There it is!
The original three “Star Wars” movies thrill and appeal to each new generation because they testify to a basic truth that adolescents believe: Faith in your friends is not a weakness, but a powerful weapon.
At the end of “Return of the Jedi,” we don’t get the usual man/woman smooching on a horse riding into the sunset while birds chirp in approval.
It’s a family snapshot of the lead characters, a portrait in buddyhood, a picture of what it feels like to belong to a group of friends who would risk their lives for you.
That is one reason why Lucas’ technologically superior prequels lack the magic of the first trilogy. They are not about friendship. Or much anything else.
They are extended back stories — long, visual manifestations of the exposition that the original “Star Wars” covered in a single, introductory narrative crawl.
Then came the now-classic shot of an Imperial destroyer, lumbering from one side of the screen to the other, rumbling like an earthquake, and introducing us to a far away galaxy where friends — not power, not money, not possessions — define success.
dgire@@dailyherald.com