The Force Unleashed: The Impact of Star Wars on Science Fiction

Not too long ago in a galaxy not so far away a new science fiction film entitled Star Wars (Dir. George Lucas, 5/25/77, United States/UK) was unleashed on the unsuspecting public and the ramifications cannot be understated. The film's impact on the genre of science fiction and culture in general is something to behold and, upon closer examination, is something that is quite remarkable. Science Fiction film is a peculiar genre of film. It can be defined in a number of ways, depending on the source. In generic terms, science fiction tends to explore and depict science concepts that aren't always accepted in the mainstream scientific community, such as extraterrestrial beings, alien worlds, and time travel. The genre uses these "fantastic" ideas to display and express social commentary, comment on political issues, and explore the human condition. Star Wars can be identified as science fiction easily. Just pop in the DVD and start watching. In fact, one could say that the film is the very definition of science fiction. Upon the conclusion of the opening credits, the camera pans down upon the starlit background to reveal an alien planet, and the viewer is immediately hit with a spectacular image of a small freighter ship hurrying to escape the clutches of an absolutely immense, gargantuan space ship. The ship “glides. And glides. And glides…throws our learned sense of scale into the scrap heap. (1). This opening sequence of Star Wars is noted for being a highly influential moment for many in that in the time of the film's release, 1977, nobody had ever really seen special effects of this scale and clarity. The realism was astounding to some, and science fiction, not to mention the entire film industry, would ever be the same.

George Lucas, an already established director at the time, set out to create a science fiction world on film that had never really been seen before. His first film, THX 1138 (1971, United States) explored the concept of a dystopian futuristic society. This film helped to create a new world of science fiction that he would later use to further the concept and imagery that would be used to create Star Wars. Lucas wanted to establish new and innovative special effects techniques that he could apply to the finished product of Star Wars. His filmmaking experience of the creation of THX 1138 helped to establish this. He created a new film special effects division, Industrial Light and Magic. They ultimately created imagery such as the Millennium Falcon exploding out of the Mos Isley spaceport that both dazzled the eye as well as the mind. Such imagery and special effects are commonplace today, but were unprecedented during the time period that Star Wars first came out. Other film releases of the period, such as Alien (Dir. Ridley Scott, 1979, United States) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1978, United States) immediately made use of these special effect techniques to further the visual imagery of the Science Fiction film realm.

Star Wars was produced and financed through 20th Century Fox in 1976. The United States was in an economic downturn at the time, and was faced with such difficult tasks as dealing with a large unemployment rate. Other events during this historical period in the nation's history were also of a more downtrodden nature. We were just recovering from a loss of trust in our government with the Watergate scandal as well as the "loss" of the Vietnam War, both of which events occurred shortly before the beginning of production of Star Wars. Whether or not these events influenced the writing of the film is not really known, but I think it had some effect in the formation of the evil "Galactic Empire" and the overall story of the Rebels fighting the oppressive government. I think that the film's mise-en-scene and narrative reflect the countries woes at the time. “The Blockbuster represents a response…with political, economic, and technological changes that began to occur in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.” (2) The gritty nature of the planet Tatooine's Cantina Bar is an example of a society full of dirt and grime, with questionable characters and "scoundrels" frequenting the place. The cold, industrial nature of the Death Star is also reflective of a government hell bent on oppression and destruction in the search of ultimate control and power. This is personified by the light saber duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader. This battle between good and evil is one that is iconic in both the Star Wars Universe as well as the world of film.

Overall, the impact of Star Wars cannot be understated in the world of science fiction film. The film not only provided an escape with its thrilling narrative to a society that was in hard times, but also influenced a plethora of filmmakers to look at science fiction under a different light.

Works Cited
(1) Bukatman, Scott. Zooming Out: The End of Offscreen Space. Film 301 Course Reader Page 233.
(2) Corena, Christine. Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality. Page 113. New Brunsiwck, New Jersey, 2007.

Book Reference
Cook, David A. Lost Illusions: American Cinema in the Shadow of Watergate and Vietnam. University of California Press, 2002

Film Reference
Star Wars. Dir. George Lucas. Perf. Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Alec Guiness. 1977. DVD. 20th Century Fox, 2005.

Website Reference
“How George Lucas Created a Cultural Force”
http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=c782db39-0f36-4ad1-bdf2-27a115ecb422