Do we read too much into Star Wars?

So I just finished watching the History Channel special presentation on Star Wars and I suddenly had the thought that maybe we are reading too much into these movies. Don't get me wrong, I do think that it's interesting to learn what inspired the story and all that, but how much is too far when we try to find hidden meaning? Take this History Channel special presentation, for example, and notice that there are tons of people being interviewed (politicians, philosophers, and etc etc etc) and each is giving this drawn out explanation on how Star Wars is symbolic of this, that, or the other reason. It was as I watched them give their opinions on this that I suddenly realized, how about loving Star Wars because it's very enjoyable entertainment? When I was a kid, I didn't watch it to be enlightened, I watched it because I loved watching Lightsabers, space ships, and battles.

Anyway, sorry to ramble on so, I just thought I'd get some of your opinions on this.

 

See, I don't think we read too much into Star Wars. The way I see it, Star Wars can be both entertaining AND enlightening if you let it.

 

If a piece of artwork/film is truly great, it can be enjoyed on many levels. People can watch it purely for the fun or they can read deeply into it. Sometimes I do both. I enjoy the action and quick dialog and sometimes I have deep conversations about the saga. If a movie can go both ways like that you know that it is a true classic.

 

I think that we often read too much into it as well as reading things into it that aren't there and at times are the exact opposite of what Lucas intended(see: arguments that the Empire was good), though I do think there are things in the films other than the surface things.

 

It's impossible to read too much into something. Remember, read INTO it. As long as we're IN it, it's fair game.

 

Like the lady said in the History Channel show, that's the joy of it: guessing what was intentionally put in the films, what mythic archetypes were subconsciously put in, and trying to determine what symbols are entirely your creation.

 

I completely ignore the concept of intentionality and just look at what's THERE. If you can make an argument based on the work and it holds up to scrutiny, it IS true whether it was intended or not.

 

Well said, sith_rising and MisterVader. And this doesn't just apply to Star Wars, either. I see people "read too much" into stories like Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Superman, etc.

 

True, though I think the distinction between intended symbolism, subconcious symbolism, and personal epiphany is one that should be noted more often.

 

In a word, yes.

 

That actually reminds me of an argument I had in another thread a few years back. I compared some of the elements in the Prequel Trilogy to Shakespeare's Iago, whereas my opponent was comparing Anakin to "Dubbleyah" in reference to his "If you're not with me, you're my enemy" line.

The difference was, I indicated that my comparison was just my personal outlook on the saga, whereas my opponent believed that George Lucas was deliberately criticizing Bush with the "with me/enemy" line.

 

It's actually fun to watch any type of film and look for certain things: the call to adventure, the wise guide, the encounter with the threshold guardian, the journey to the underworld, reconciliation with the father, etc. You'd be surprised. If you look hard enough, they're usually there in some form.

Some things, I think, are a little forced, like when the author of The Magic of Myth was talking about how the Death Star was a hollow, soulless, artificial planet, etc. Let's be honest, chasms are cool and threatening looking, and they didn't have much of a budget in ANH. If Lucas shot it today, it would look entirely different.

 

Exactly...sort of. See, budget and stuff can explain a lot, but sometimes it's tricky to actually figure out what was possible at certain times and what was done through artistic intent alone. That's why I just assume it was done artistically and leave it at that.

The hollow Death Star idea is not a consistently held motif throughout the saga. It doesn't represent the hollowness of the Empire any more than the hollow Tatooine homestead would then have to represent the hollowness of farm life. Silly, huh?

That isn't reading too much into SW--that's just making stuff up.

You can find examples of this sort of hackneyed criticism anywhere--stuff like "The blue butterfly represents destiny."

Well, is there anything IN THE FILM and not just in your imagination to back up that claim?!

In this case, no.

But you COULD say that the destruction of the similarly designed reactor cores of the Death Star and Trade Federation ships invite comparison regarding the collapse of the "inner workings" of their respective establishments. You can see the difference, right?

It's not a simple, unsupported throwaway.

So, "reading into things" is sort of impossible, I think.

What that phrase really aims for is reading OUT of things, that is, applying things to the work and then blowing it out of proportion.

 

i agree, i can sometimes watch it to have fun, or i tend to read into it too much!!!!not many movies can do that for me....a classic is right..... im always trying to learn something more from it...and sometimes i do to!!!!

 

IMHO, I think most people do read too far into Star Wars. Fans handle and examine Star Wars as if it's an actual galaxy, far, far away. Really, I've found, the more you look into the films, the less sense it makes. A lot of Star Wars, looking very closely at it, is unbelievable and very coincidential, even with the Force.

 

I remember reading or hearing somewhere that there are only about 5 different stories ever to have been written. All others are just basic varients thereof. One of these was the "Romeo and Juliet" story.

So basically, you can compare a "story" with countless other events whether fact or fiction.

But it's always fun finding comparisons

 

There is a lot going on in Star Wars. That said, I think many of us do read too much into it. Afterall, it is six hours of film; at this point more has been read into Star Wars than has been into the works of Homer! Only the Bible, the Q'aran and Shakespeare have more written into them. I think this is exagerated. Just look at some of the threads here at TF.N; looking for deep meaning in the antics of JarJar, etc. Just because there is alot going on in a story and it follows many of the formula that certain theorist like Campbell stress does not mean it isn't first and foremost a great adventure story; but like many classic adventure stories, it works because it hits on many themes in our collective consciousness. So there is indeed a lot in Star Wars, which is part of the greatness of the franchise; all the same, many of us here do read way too much into it.

 

Here Here!

I'm definitely guilty of reading too much into Star Wars. However I think if one approaches this practice with the knowledge that they may be reading their own perceptions into the films, it's a healthy hobby. When one becomes tunnel visioned and insistent that every little thing means what they think it does, it's gets out of hand quick.

 

Don't forget Tolkien.

 

I totally agree. I've read into Star Wars a bit, and yeah, there's meaning behind some stuff. Lucas did indeed base it off Campbell's "Hero with a Thousand Faces", and the same character archetypes and basic events are there. But some people really do try to read into it way too much. Star Wars isn't really about deep, hidden meanings. Star Wars is generally pretty simplistic, and what meanings are actually in there are usually pretty obvious.

Stuff like the deep meaning behind Jar Jar, or the fact that the Death Star is hollow inside is delving too deeply. Jar Jar is in there because George thought the kids would like him, and the Death Star is hollow because where else is the crew going to go if it doesn't have it's own atmosphere?

I think there's a point where looking too deeply into anything gets a little silly. Call me a little shallow, but instead of appreciating art by some deep meaning hidden within it, I'll often look at a picture and say, "Oh, that's pretty." Deep meanings are great and all, but sometimes you need to appreciate the simple things in life.

Like big wookiees, really fast spaceships, awesome lightsaber fights and really big explosions.

 

People who read too much into these movies are usually the folks that give a fan like me a bad rep.

I'd much rather be me - the loser standing in line to TPM in 99 with my lightsaber and Darth Maul shirt ...

rather than some geek who thinks Star Wars has "deep" or "hidden" symbolism or messages.

 

Sometimes I honestly think that we do read into it too much. No other movie has this type of message board [maybe save for SW's evil competitor, Star Trek.] that has so many forums,posters and the amount of daily posts usually exceed some message boards post count for a year.

But thats what makes this movie so great, that so many people can talk about every aspect of it. However, if most of my friends saw some of the topics of this board, they'd put me on a whole new level of nerd for participating in this forum for over 3 years.

 

One can also be both though. I tend to look at Star Wars differently depending on my current state of mind. Sometimes I like to really sink my teeth into the subtext, often I just want to sit back and geek out to it all.

 

I love star wars for what it is, a great story.whether its perfect is irrlevant to me.

 

I couldn't agree more, the fact that we can enjoy it on a philosophical level really shows that these movies are truly great.