The Saturday Serials - A New Hope!

There's little chance of overstating the impact of Star Wars on films, science fiction, and the popular culture in general. We were all living our lives quite quietly, discontented with a decade which was not delivering on the promises of the previous two. America was, if not crumbling, then at the very least showing its age with its big cities becoming wildly dangerous places (at least in the imagination) and the world increasingly not listening to our demands, especially in the Middle East where it turned out "our oil" was not actually ours.

In the wake of America's two hundredth birthday it seemed that life was turning a bit gloomy all around. Then Star Wars hit. It saved Hollywood from itself , rescuing an industry which had gotten old but not mature, and it saved comic books when the license bailed out the company which would become the behemoth Marvel. For a fantasy and sci-fi fan it was manna from heaven giving us all something new and shiny to discuss and obsess over. It was indeed as it would come to called, a new hope.

For me personally it was eye-opening to the extreme. I grew up a comics fan, a science fiction fan, and was just coming away from several years entranced by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and his imitators. I'd read lots of Asimov, some Ellison, but not enough Heinlein. Dune was perhaps my favorite sci-fi novel, maybe still is. I went to see most all the fantasy and science fiction movie releases that hit my area including the Harryhausen and Heston epics.

But when I went to see Star Wars, already having read a somewhat lackluster comic appearance, I came out changed for all time. While it seems a bit old and worn these days, back then those spaceships were visions of an imagination larger than mine and the characters were at once stunningly weird and comfortably familiar. Movies like Logan's Run suddenly seemed like out-sized episodes of Lost in Space and a new game was afoot.

Like most folks I saw it multiple times, four I think. In those days when video was just blooming there was no such thing as waiting at home for it to drop in a few months. These will-of-the-wisps had to be chased and wrestled to the ground. My tired bones like the new age of countless films at my fingertips, but I confess the old days were fun for muscles eager to run about.

I'm not going to spend any time reviewing the plot of Star Wars because if you don't know it, you ain't reading this blog. But here are few things that have stuck me in recent viewings. Luke is set up elegantly as our hero from the magical repetition of his name when we first meet him to the twin moons of Tatooine, one shining and one dusky, which symbolize the twin natures of his heritage and his soul. We know who is father is, who is sister is, but he doesn't and he's a young man set adrift when his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are murdered. They seem too quickly forgotten it now seems as I watch the movie, but I didn't think that then as he clings to a new mentor named Kenobi, who opens a box and draws forth a magic sword that will lead the youngster toward his destiny.

I prefer to watch the original version of the movie as opposed to the refined and retooled one that Lucas dropped on us to make them more compatible to his prequels. Seeing some unidentifiable beast lumber across Mos Eisley doesn't really add value to my experience though I confess the sweetened explosions don't hurt.

When Lucas made Star Wars that was it, the only one for all the chatter about chapters and such. Because it was an enormous success he could make the sequels (neither of which surpasses the original --spoiler alert) and years later when cash-strapped he'd finally launch his own personal "Silmarillion" on the world. (I confess I like them fine, but you're only a virgin once.) Of the new movies only Rogue One has captured the exciting essence of this very first New Hope and that's because like its predecessor it was only supposed to ever stand alone really. One shiny object from a time and a galaxy far away to behold and enjoy forever and ever.

More next week when...you guessed it...the empire will strike back.

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