SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.
A huge influence on Lucas was Joseph
Campbell, the famous scholar who studied and wrote about the world’s myths.
This story, like ancient epics, and even Christian ones (such as John Milton’s Paradise
Lost) begins “in media res,” that is in the middle of a lengthy tale.
Subsequent parts of an epic go backward in time to show what led up to the
middle part, and the whole tale concludes with sections that carry the story
forward. That is the way the central nine Star Wars movies are
structured. The first film introduces us to the opening words, “A long time
ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” which reminds the audience of the standard
fairy tale opening, “Once upon a time.” The initial words evoke a feeling that
we are to be presented with a very old story that is important enough that it
has endured for a long time. As the movie progresses it presents technology
that is advanced for us, but for the inhabitants it many times looks battered
and in need of repair, as we would have to replace an aging washing machine.
Through this manner Lucas is able to make science fiction relatable, and adds
to the longevity of a timeless tale. As Roger Ebert notes in The Great
Movies, this technique (and I believe along with beginning in the middle of
the story) “gave the saga the aura of an ancient tale and an ongoing one.”
Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is trying to get
the stolen schematics of the Death Star to the Rebel forces in order to find a
way to eliminate this powerful ship. Her craft is damaged by the Imperial
vessel and boarded by the Empire’s storm troopers (the name is an obvious
reference to Hitler’s Nazi troops). She is able to program a droid (a nice
abbreviation of the word “android” which is a robot that has human
characteristics) with the specifications. She adds a holographic message to Obi-Wan
Kenobi (esteemed Oscar-winning actor Alec Guinness) who she believes is on the
sand planet Tatooine, which the two ships are orbiting. The droid is R2-D2
(Kenny Baker) who pals around with another piece of artificial intelligence,
C-3PO (Anthony Daniels). The droids are the technological equivalents of movie
sidekicks that are found in cowboy and adventure films. Lucas is able to
successfully display the human aspects of these machines as R2-D2 is loyal and
devoted, and his beeps, whistles, and shrieks mirror upset and exhilaration.
C-3PO is fussy, pessimistic (“We’re doomed!” is one of the first things he
says), and humorous. He, being a piece of technology, is ironic when he says he
hates it when R2 spouts high tech concepts at him. He also at one point says
how he hates “space travel” even though he is in a story about star wars. (The
movie wouldn’t be anywhere near as appealing without the comic element
involving the droids and later the character of Han Solo). 3PO’s cautious,
almost off-balance walk with hands out makes him look precarious, like he is
trying to navigate a tightrope between the two warring factions. The droids
exhibit basic human qualities that those serving the fascistic Empire no longer
have and which make the latter’s lack of individuality seem more robotic than
the robots.
The Empire’s second in command is Darth Vader
(David Prowse, but it’s James Earl Jones’s deep voice and obscene phone caller
heavy breathing that penetrates into our consciousness). His name sounds like
“dark” and “invader.” He wears a black outfit, including a cape and a Nazi-like
helmet which, according to Ebert, has a scary “fanged face.” The primal color
of evil is black, an unfortunate fact, probably because it absorbs all light.
White light, in practically all religious scriptures, represents the revealing
of truth since it contains all the colors in its inclusivity. Someone who is
masked appears more powerful, and scarier, since the abstract mystery displayed
seems less understandable and more invulnerable. Vader is especially
frightening because he has extrasensory abilities that can detect the presence
of some others and is able to use his thoughts to control matter, including
power over objects and an individual’s ability to breathe. This aspect of the supernatural
is another element that resides in all mythological and spiritual stories,
lending universality to the story.
R2 and 3PO are able to escape to Tatooine but
Vader imprisons and interrogates Leia to find out the location of the secret
Rebel base. Since the two droids left in an escape pod, and the plans for the
Death Star are not on board, Vader assumes the details about the Death Star are
now on the planet, and sends soldiers to investigate. The droids are captured
by Jawas (whose language sounds like early versions of Despicable Me Minions).
They are short technological junk scavengers that wear what look like monk’s
robes. Their more mischievous nature contrasts with the similarly cloaked
religious-like figure of Ben Kenobi who appears later.
In cleaning up the droids, Luke releases a part
of Leia’s message to Obi Wan-Kenobi, who Luke knows as Ben Kenobi. 3PO
translates that R2 says he belongs to Obi Wan-Kenobi and wants to protect the
complete message from being heard so only Obi Wan can hear it. 3PO calls
his new master “Sir Luke,” which adds a sense of chivalry to Luke, as if he is
part of a history of knights, which we eventually learn he is. Luke’s
disenchantment with his boring life is evident, and he is excited when 3PO
mentions that the droids were involved in Rebel action against the
Empire.
At dinner, Luke says that R2 said that he
belongs to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Knowing, furtive glances are exchanged between the
uncle and aunt, and we get the hint that there is more to Luke’s story than the
bland surface of his life suggests. Owen wants Luke to erase the droid's memory
so there will not be any indication that it was stolen. He calls Ben a
“wizard,” which hints at special powers, but says the man is crazy, and warns
Luke to forget about him. Owen says he thinks that Ben died about the same time
as Luke’s father. Luke, wanting to know more, asks if Ben knew his father. Owen
dodges the question, not wanting to reveal the truth of Luke’s heritage. Luke
wants to go to the Academy earlier, another example of wanting more out of
life. But Owen says he needs him now, which shows his hidden agenda of wanting
to prevent Luke from putting himself in danger. After Luke wanders off, Aunt
Beru says Luke has too much of his father in him so he will not be restrained,
which is what Owen is worried about. Of course we don’t learn why Owen is so
afraid until the second film.
R2 escapes to complete his mission and Luke and
3PO look for him. When they find him, the dangerous Sand People attack Luke and
he is rendered unconscious. But a howling sound wails and scares the Sand
People. It is the robed and hooded Ben Kenobi who scared them away. His attire
makes him look like a member of a religious order, which he is as we learn. He
puts his hand on Luke’s forehead and is able to revive him, so we see he has
special powers.
When Luke says R2 says he belongs to Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ben shows awareness and concern. He admits that he is Obi Wan, and decides to tell Luke that the young man’s father was a Jedi Knight, like Ben, and that they both fought in wars. The “knight” reference is another instance of adding a sense of ancient history to a modern tale, again making the story feel like a timeless rendering of heroic deeds. Ben praises Luke’s father for being a “cunning warrior,” and a great pilot. Ben acknowledges he has heard of Luke’s ability as a pilot of a landspeeder, cementing the father-son heritage. He says that Owen didn’t want Luke to know about his father for fear Luke would go on some quests, putting himself in danger. But, that is what a crusading knight does.
Ben gives Luke his father’s lightsaber, one of
Lucas’s most well-known creations. It combines future technology with the
medieval version of a sword, again nicely welding the old and the new into one
uniting object. Ben calls the lightsaber, “An elegant weapon for a more
civilized age.” Many times science fiction shows a future that comments on the
shortcomings of the present by metaphorically placing events in the future and
suggesting the solutions to problems exist in the past. Ben stresses this idea
when he informs Luke that for thousands of generations “the Jedi Knights were
guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic, before the dark times,
before the Empire.”
Luke asks what happened to his father. Ben says
that he had a pupil named Darth Vader who became “evil.” He betrayed and killed
Luke’s father (a distorted version of the truth, which we do not learn until The
Empire Strikes Back). We now see that Luke’s connection to the primal fight
between good and evil is part of his destiny. Darth Vader hunted down and
destroyed the Jedi Knights, and they are all but “extinct.” Ben says that Vader
was corrupted by the dark side of the Force, which Ben says “gives a Jedi his
power.” Ben describes it as “an energy field created by all living things. It
surrounds us, penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” By introducing us
to the Force, Lucas accomplishes a few goals. He inserts the religious,
supernatural element that is in mythological stories. By doing so, he taps into
the ageless desire to connect with some power beyond the individual’s basic
abilities. It also contrasts materialistic technological achievements with
something that transcends the limitations of science. (Even Vader says that the
power of the Death Star is “insignificant next to the power of the Force”).
And, it offers a hopeful feeling that everyone is connected to each
other.
Since R2 has found the person Leia sent him to
deliver his message, the droid plays back the full message. The holographic
Leia says that her father served with Ben and she is trying to get the
information stored in R2 to help the Rebellion in its most “desperate” time.
She says that Ben is their “only hope” of getting R2 to her father on Leia’s
home planet of Alderaan since she has failed in that mission. Ben decides that
he needs Luke to learn the ways of the Force and help him complete the task.
Luke says he can’t abandon his uncle and aunt, but promises to get Ben to a place
where he can acquire a transport spaceship. We have the elements of a classic
story of a young person who is caught between the draw of staying in the safety
of his home and the desire to venture out to expand one’s experience and
develop one’s potential. The story of the orphan who discovers his true
heritage is also a standard plot in fiction, as that youth seeks a parental
figure to fill a void that existed since birth. Ben is that father figure and
mentor in this episode of the series
The story taps into the shared fear of losing
liberty by having the high ranking Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing) on the
Death Star informing his staff that the Emperor has suspended the Imperial
Senate. He now runs the Empire with his local governors. With the use of the
Death Star, the plan is to wipe away all that is left of whatever democracy
remains in this sector of the galaxy.
Luke and Ben find a destroyed cargo vehicle that
belonged to the Jawas. Ben determines that Imperial storm troopers engineered
the attack, and Luke now knows that they are tracking down the information
contained in R2. So, he realizes that his family is in danger since the Jawas
sold the droids to his uncle. Luke finds the burned remains of his home and
aunt and uncle. He no longer has anything to hold him there, so we have him
tragically freed to go on his hero quest. Now that he has some understanding of
his past and has been personally affected by the evil enemy, he tells Ben he
wants to go to Alderaan, learn about the Force, and become a Jedi. Finding
one’s purpose is another example of a theme that resonates with everyone.
While haggling over the deal to go to Alderaan,
the rivalry between Han and Luke begins. The proud Han boasts about the speed
of his ship, the Millennium Falcon, and the price he charges makes Luke feel
like they are being cheated. Han is condescending about Luke’s claim that he is
a good enough pilot to fly a ship himself. After Luke and Ben must quickly
leave when storm troopers show up, Han tells Chewbacca that the payment will get
him out of trouble. So, we know he has a huge outstanding debt, which is in keeping
with his unlawful ways. He runs into Greedo (Paul Blake), a pointy,
rubber-faced alien with a money-loving name, who is employed by the infamous
Jabba the Hut, the creature Han owes money to. Greedo is trying to get the cash
for himself and appears ready to do away with Han. Han is cool and can defend
himself, blasting away the collector. (The revised version adds a scene that
was edited out of the original film where Han meets the giant slug-like
criminal, Jabba. Jabba’s gross appearance paints him as a stereotypical fairy-tale villain. Han persuades Jabba to give him more time to compensate for
the smuggled cargo he dumped when being chased by Imperial forces. The scene
shows Han is only concerned about his own interests at this stage).
Back at the Death Star, Vader notes that Leia
has been able to surprisingly resist the use of “mind probe” drugs during the
interrogation. Her character in fairy tales would make her the “damsel in
distress” who must be rescued by the male protagonist. But, Lucas has made Leia
a feminist heroine. She is the one who has taken on the dangerous mission to
deliver the Death Star specifications. When Luke eventually says he has come to
rescue her, she berates him and Han for not even having a plan, and is the first
one to grab a weapon to blast open an escape route. She has a wicked sense of
humor when she tells Grand Moff Tarkin that she recognized his “foul stench.”
Later she calls Chewbacca a “walking carpet.” The David versus Goliath theme is
depicted when she says when she first sees the disguised Luke, “Aren’t you a
little short for a storm trooper?” It is again stressed in her words to Tarkin
when she says, “The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems
will slip through your fingers.” It is a good line, which visualizes how the
small by their nature can evade those that are larger, and can live to fight
another day. But, Tarkan demonstrates the total destructive nature of the Death
Star by obliterating Leia’s home planet of Alderaan. It is an act of genocide,
another reference to what the Nazis and other brutal civilizations have tried
to accomplish. This action shows how technology can be vastly abusive when in
the hands of those whose morality is completely corrupted by power.
Luke criticizes the Millennium Falcon for being an old ship, but it fits in with Lucas’s providing a lived-in, realistic version of a science fiction tale. Han’s upgrades make it exceptionally fast. Lucas again shows the link between the old and the new, emphasizing the epic scope of the story and showing how those who are young need the wisdom of history and older individuals who have lived it. Likewise the elderly need the vitality of the young to fight for just causes, which is shown as the Falcon and its passengers are able to escape storm troopers and Imperial cruisers.
Ben feels the pain of the millions destroyed by
the Death Star, showing how the Force symbolizes how everyone is connected, and
the wrongful harm against one affects everyone else. Luke is practicing
lightsaber maneuvers and the disbelieving Han says, “Hokey religions and
ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster.” At this point he is a cynic
who just wants to put his faith in the material aspect of the world. Luke takes
Ben’s advice of having his eyes shielded against the small drone used in the
exercise. Ben tells him that what one sees can be deceiving, and he should “act
on instinct,” and his “feelings,” intangibles that use one’s inner strength,
which is the opposite of what Han says. Luke is successful, and Ben says,
“You’ve taken your first step into a larger world.” All of us can relate to
that path that takes one from the self-centered myopic view of a child to a
vision of existence that has more depth and a wider lens of perception. (On a
humorous note, one of my favorite alliterative lines occurs here. Han advises
not beating Chewbacca at a holographic game because Wookiees can pull arms out
of their sockets. 3PO tells R2, “Let the Wookiee win.”)
After realizing that Alderaan is no more, The
Falcon encounters the Death Star which draws it in with a tractor beam. Han has
hidden compartments in which he smuggled cargo, and the crew remains there
until they can escape before being detected. It is an example of what Leia said
about the small evading the larger foe. They overpower a couple of storm troopers and are able to hide in plain sight using the uniforms. Once R2
accesses the computer system they know where to release the tractor beam. Ben
says he will handle that, and he already knows that Luke’s “destiny lies along
a different path” from his. It is another universal example of an individual
leaving the instruction and protection of a parent to find one’s own road on
which to travel. Ben says the Force will always be with Luke. So, this otherworldly
power that Ben has introduced Luke to is Ben’s legacy to his protege, one he
hopes will turn out better for Luke than it did for Vader. Vader, however, with
his powers of the Force, can feel beyond that which the senses can detect, and
notes an old “presence” which he can’t determine just yet. It is that of his
old teacher, Obi Wan.
When R2 discovers that Leia is on board, Luke,
who has seen her recording and is drawn to Leia, wants to save her. She is
scheduled to be executed. Han doesn't want to stick his neck out, saying,
“better her than me.” Luke appeals to Han’s selfish interests by saying there
will be a reward if they rescue Leia. After she shows her toughness, Han’s
admiration for her is evident when he says he’s “either going to kill her, or
I’m beginning to like her.” A little later she admits to admiring his courage
as he charges at the enemy so that the others can reach the Falcon. It’s that
traditional love/hate relationship that is beginning to reveal itself, with the
accompanying humor as the romantic leads insult each other, with their true
passion simmering below the surface.
Lucas has some more fun with the traditional
hero quest story as he places the protagonists in a garbage compartment, and
even though it is a dangerous situation as the compacting walls close in on
them, it is still an unusual and comical challenge which in this case the
sidekicks, 3PO and R2, not the principles, as is usually the case, save them.
As Luke and Leia head to the ship they are pursued by storm troopers. There
follows an Errol Flynn type of scene where, instead of high-tech tools, Luke
slings a rope with a small grappling hook around a high outcropping of metal
and swings them across a deep air shaft. Leia even gives him a kiss for luck,
as an old-fashioned heroine might do, which again links the past to the future
appearing setting.
The ages-old face-off between the forces of good
(Ben) and those of evil (Vader) is actually a diversion set up by Ben after he
deactivates the force field restraining the Falcon. He wants to give Luke, the
one who must continue the nobility of the Jedi, and the others time to get
away. Vader sees the fight with Ben as a way to show that he was once “the
learner” but is now “the master.” But Ben’s morality is superior since to him
it’s a desecration to turn the uniting power of the Force into a weapon to
foster arrogance. That is why he says Vader is only a “master of evil.” Vader
seems to defeat Ben with his lightsaber, but actually Ben transforms himself
into a pure spiritual form, leaving no corporeal remains behind. He transcends
this world and completely merges with the Force. The scene depicts a spiritual
rising above material existence. Luke is devastated as he sees Ben “lose” to
Vader, but as he and the others get away, he hears Ben’s disembodied voice
telling him to run.
The Falcon arrives at the Rebel base on a moon
orbiting the planet Yavin. They review the Death Star schematics. The David and
Goliath metaphor appears again here as Rebel Commander General Dodonna (Ales
McCrindle) says the Death Star was designed to defend against a large-scale
attack, but a smaller fighter craft can penetrate its defenses. It can fly down
a narrow trench on the surface and drop torpedoes into a shaft with a small
opening that leads to the reactor which will destroy the spacecraft. Luke, the
David in this analogy, feels he has the experience to accomplish the task
because he “used to bulls-eye womp rats,” back on Tatooine. Dodonna’s last line
is now the often repeated “May the Force be with you.” It is an obvious
variation on “May the Lord be with you,” the Christian blessing, which connects
to the audience by invoking a centuries old phrase, and which also links us to
an otherwise alien civilization.
Han loads up the Falcon with his reward and Luke
tries to appeal to his humanitarian side by stressing that Han can add meaning
to his life by joining a fight for the greater good. Han does not see attacking
the Death Star as an act of “courage” but instead calls it a “suicide” mission,
and wants Luke to go along with him since he’s a good fighter. Luke tells him
to take care of himself, because that's what he’s “best at,” indicating Han’s
inability to see past his own interests. Han, the previously self-proclaimed
non-believer in anything that transcends materialistic personal gain, now is able
to give the “May the Force be with you” blessing to Luke.
After landing, the three main characters hug as
they rejoice, and Leia says she knew there was “more” to Han than “just money.”
Even the self-absorbed 3PO (who originally told R2, “Why I should stick out my
neck for you is far beyond my capacity”), shows how the desire to help others
is contagious as he offers to donate any of his parts to repair the damaged R2.
The film ends in a large hall filled with the troops of the Rebellion, now
showing that their size and accompanying spirit has grown in size to take on
the Goliath dimensions of the Empire. To John Williams’s triumphant music,
Luke, Han, and Chewbacca stride down to the dais where Leia presents medals of
valor to Luke and Han, with 3PO and the restored R2 in attendance.
Despite the emphasis on special effects and
technology, Lucas’s focus in the story emphasizes the intangibles inside a
person, one’s morality, courage, and faith and the desire to care for others.
The next film is The
Big Short.
