Cultural impact of Star Wars

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Imperial Troops invade Riverbend Music Center (Cincinnati, OH).
Imperial Troops invade Riverbend Music Center (Cincinnati, OH).

George Lucas' six-film Star Wars saga has had a significant impact on modern global popular culture. The films are one of the biggest cultural benchmarks of the past thirty years. Star Wars references are deeply embedded in popular culture;[1] references to the main characters and themes of Star Wars are casually made in many English-speaking countries with the assumption that others will understand the reference. Darth Vader has become an iconic villain. Phrases like "evil empire" and "may the force be with you" have become part of people's lexicon.[2] The first Star Wars movie in 1977 was a cultural unifier,[3] enjoyed by a wide spectrum of people.[4]

Science fiction since the original 1977 Star Wars, particularly in film, has often been influenced by and compared to Star Wars. Sounds, visuals, and even the music from the films have become part of the tapestry of American society. The film also helped launch the science fiction boom of the late 70's and early 80's, and made science fiction movies a blockbuster genre.[5]It has also been parodied in movies and short videos, such as Space Gines.

Star Wars fundamentally changed the aesthetics and narratives of Hollywood movies,[6] as well as changing the Hollywood film industry in fundamental ways. Before Star Wars, special effects in movies had not appreciably advanced since the 1950s.[6] Star Wars was also important in the movement towards the use of computer initiated imagery in movies.[2] The commercial success of Star Wars created a boom in state-of-the-art special effects in the late 1970s. There was increased investment in special effects. Companies like Industrial Light and Magic and Digital Productions were created to provide them. The 1977 Star Wars pioneered the genre pastiche, where several classical movie genres are combined in one movie. In Star Wars the genres were science fiction, the Western, the war film, and the quasi-mystical epic.[5] Along with Jaws, Star Wars started the tradition of the summer blockbuster movie in the entertainment industry, where movies open on a lot of screens at the same time and profitable franchises are important.[4][2] It created the model for the major movie trilogy and showed that merchandising rights on a movie could generate more money than the movie itself did.[3]

20th Century Fox optioned Star Wars. When it unexpectedly became the decade's blockbuster, grossing $100 million in three months, Fox's stock soared from $6 to $25 per share and generated revenues of $1.2 million a day for the studio. Fox purchased the Aspen skiing and Pebble Beach golf corporations with the increased cash flow and still declared excess profits in 1977. Income from Star Wars re-releases, sequels, and merchandising enriched the studio in the following decades. Star Wars helped Fox to change from an almost bankrupt production company to a thriving media conglomerate.[5]

The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum had an exhibition called "Star Wars: The Magic of Myth". It was an exhibition of original production models, props, costumes, and characters from the first three Star Wars films.[7] In October 2007, NASA launched a space shuttle carrying an original lightsaber into orbit. The prop handle had been used as Luke Skywalker's in The Return of the Jedi. After spending two weeks in orbit, it was brought back to Earth on November 7th, 2007, to be returned to its owner George Lucas.[8]

John Williams' score for the films, especially the recurring theme "The Imperial March," has become part of the musical repertoire. "The Imperial March" and other Star Wars symphonic themes are often used as fanfares at sporting events.[citation needed]

In television commercials, public interest group critics of the Reagan administration's Strategic Defense Initiative program deridingly referred to the orbital missile defense project as "Star Wars". Lucasfilm originally sued to try to enjoin this usage of its trademark, and lost, in Lucasfilm Ltd. v. High Frontier, 622 F.Supp. 931 (D.D.C. 1985). Explaining its decision, the court said,

"When politicians, newspapers, and the public generally use the phrase star wars for their convenience, in parody or descriptively to further a communication of their views on SDI, plaintiff has no rights as owner of the mark to prevent this use of STAR WARS. ... Since Jonathan Swift's time, creators of fictional worlds have seen their vocabulary for fantasy appropriated to describe reality. Trademark laws regulate unfair competition, not the parallel development of new dictionary meanings in the everyday give and take of human discourse."

On 4th May 1995 during a defence debate[9] in the UK parliament, MP Harry Cohen related the Star Wars Day joke: "May the Fourth be with you". Star Wars also made its mark in the Jedi census phenomenon, when over 390,000 UK respondents entered their religion as "Jedi".

Furthermore, whole films have now been dedicated to the legends, such as Family Guy's spoof episode called "Blue Harvest", in dedication to Star Wars Episode 4: a New Hope. There are also plans to make another parody called "Something, something, something....darkside".

[edit] References

  1. ^ Brooker, Will, 2002, Using the Force: Creativity, Community, and Star Wars Fans, ISBN 0826452876.
  2. ^ a b c Caro, Mark, May 8, 2005, The power of the dark side, Chicago Tribune.
  3. ^ a b Emerson, Jim, How 'Star Wars' Shook The World, MSN Movies.
  4. ^ a b Star Wars: Space Saga, May 19, 2005, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
  5. ^ a b c Cook, David A., Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam, 1970-1979, History of the American Cinema, V. 9, University of California Press, ISBN 0520232658.
  6. ^ a b Bigsby, C.W.E., 2006, The Cambridge Companion to Modern American Culture, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521841321.
  7. ^ Lancaster, Kurt, and Mikotowicz, Thomas J., (editors), Performing the Force: Essays on Immersion into Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Environments, McFarland & Co., ISBN 0786408952.
  8. ^ NASA.gov - Items Taken Into Space Reflect Accomplishments on Earth
  9. ^ Hansard, Column 784, May 4, 1994, UK Parliament Hansard, Column 784.

[edit] External links