The Storytelling Elements of the Star Wars Saga

At some other game forum this dude had this to say about Revenge of the Sith but the Star Wars Saga in general.

"Um... Sword fights and battle scenes... and emotions... that's what a fairytale is... King Arthur... Battle of Troy... fairytales of epic battles and heros and sword fights... SW is just a space fairytale... Just like LoTR is a fairytale... Doesn't mean it's horrible, or unentertaining... it means it's a fairytale... and it's not a fairytale IMO, it's factually nothing more than a fairytale... Good vs. Evil... period. It doesn't delve into philosophical issues like Memento or the Matrix... it doesn't reveal ironic or interesting facets of the human condition like Fight Club or Equilibrium... It's a plotline... a story... nothing deep or powerful or meanigful... a simple fairytale."

That bothers me because I have this deep feeling that Star Wars DOES have philosophical issues and ironic or interesting facets of human condition. I know that Star Wars is more then just a Space Opera/Fairytale/Good vs Evil. But....I just don't know how to prove it. Maybe you guys could help me out.


Changed title.

 

Its really the story about a father and a son, when you strip it down to its most basic form and IMO that makes it very relevant to real life, especially todays world and absolutely NOT a fairy tale. Most importantly its about a father and a son who never knew each other, who are very much like each other, who despite their similarities, fate has set them against each other, and like most fathers and sons, a shared destiny in which one will sacrifice himself for the life of the other, not for the Galaxy primarily, not for peace primarily, not for anything other than at the moment of truth he looks at his son and see's himself as he could have been. It IS a cautionary tale not to repeat the mistakes of a parent and the importance of recognizing shortcomings in yourself. It IS the stuff of classic mythology but that in of itself is meant to teach, not just entertain.

EDIT: I posted this in the Brin thread that Spike has bumped:

"SW addresses something thats very powerful no matter how its told or who tells it: a fatherless child, or more accurately put: a fatherless BOY. Boys need fathers. REAL fathers. Not big brothers, not a council of teachers, but a father. A boy thats doesent have a positive, authoritive male figure throughout his childhood is headed for the darkside. SW is really that simple and yet its told in such a majestic and romantic fashion that sometimes people get washed up in it and miss that point totally. When your gifted and you dont have a dad to watch your back growing up, the Palpatines of the world come out of the shadows."

 

severian28, what you say is right but most of that of what you said deals with the OT. But can can any of that relate to the PT?

 

Sure it relates to the PT because it shows you the father growing up and the decisions that he made in his life.

 

Thanks severian28, so do you think that stuff alone would be good enough to present to him? Or is there more that you'll like to add.

 

No philosophical issues?
About the only thing Yoda says relates to philosophical issues.

From Yoda:
"war is not to make one great."
"do or do not, there is no try"
"for once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny. Consume you it will"
"fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. I sense much fair in you."
"All your life you've looked away. Adventure! Ump, Excitement! ump, a Jedi craves not these things. Never your mind on where you where, hmmm. What you were doing."


From Obi-Wan:
"He is more machine now than man, twisted and evil. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader."
"You and the Naboo form a symbion circle. What happens to one of you effects the other, you must understand this."

From Master Jinn:
"The ablity to speak doesn't make you intelligent"
"When you gamble my friend, you eventually lose."

To say there is no philosophical issues is to ignore so much of the plot. It is mythology and a fairy tale but it tells a very human story. The corruption of innocent into evil, the decay of civilization and government. The rise of extreme governments in times of political chaos. The philosophy mixed in with adventure. There is more to it than just a myth or just a fairy tale.

-Seldon

 

That and pretty much everything that Seldon is saying too. To classify it as a two dimensional fairy tale is not doing it justice, even for skeptics of the films that attack the acting and certain plot points.

 

Severian, I see what you are saying about the parentless child motif; I'm noticing that this is much more relevent to Anakin's storyline in the PT than it is to either Luke or Leia. Both of the twins have loving adoptive families which they are not separated from until they are around 20. Anakin, meanwhile, is separated from his mother late enough to know clearly what is happening but far too young to deal with it properly, made to deal with the tragic death of his patron and protector Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan who takes over is both sorely shaken by that death and completely uneqipped to deal with Anakin as a true father. And when he is grown a bit, he finds his mother tortured and dying. Out of all of this comes Darth Vader, of course.

 

It doesn't delve into philosophical issues like Memento or the Matrix... it doesn't reveal ironic or interesting facets of the human condition like Fight Club or Equilibrium...

I fully disagree with these statements, though the fact that some people do NOT pick up on these elements in the SW movies perhaps is an indicator that it's either too subtle for mass audiences to see (whether intentionally or through bad filmmaking).

I think the movies' central focus on The Force, the nature of evil and how one can so easily fall into the Dark Side is enough for volumes of philosophical discussion. As for the human condition...the struggles of Luke and Anakin are allegorical to the very nature of the human condition.

IMHO that is.