Why is Star Wars so popular?

6,465 Views | 89 Replies | Last: 6 mo ago by maroon barchetta
2girlsdad
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5:06a, 5/26/24
I'm a huge Lego dork, and you get bombarded by Lego sets and Lego reviews on YouTube. I tried watching the movies in the past, but just didn't care for them (maybe because I'm a Star Trek guy?).

What am I missing, why is Star Wars so popular?

Also, I hope Lego makes Star Trek sets one day!!
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Philo B 93
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7:49a, 5/26/24
Simple answer: "The Force"

It's mystical, it's religious, it's just outside our understanding so it challenges us no matter how old we are. It's what makes Star Wars special.
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jokershady
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8:01a, 5/26/24
AG
It's better than Star Trek.
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jokershady
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8:09a, 5/26/24
AG
Serious answer:

It's the most perfect accident in cinema. Its popularity is nothing new and was popular from when the original Star Wars movie (Its A NEW HOPE deal with it) was released. My dad would tell me stories about how when the music started and text scroll began how the audience began cheering their heads off…..and how when Darth Vader first showed up on screen there boos coming from the audience…..

No one knew what to expect and what they got blew their minds…..

The music….the effects…..the story…..the lore…..the characters….everything hit the perfect note it needed to to make the most epic impact on the general audience….

And that's only a quick "sitting on the pot" summary I could have a blast writing a whole paper on why this movie (now huge series) hits home with so many people….

And yes nowadays not everything is 100% great but it'll never change the magic that made this franchise great….

I have spoken.
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EclipseAg
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In reply to jokershady • 8:59a, 5/26/24
AG
jokershady said:
My dad would tell me stories about how when the music started and text scroll began how the audience began cheering their heads off…..and how when Darth Vader first showed up on screen there boos coming from the audience…..
Every now and then, there's a post on this board that makes me feel ancient.

This is one of those times.
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Cinco Ranch Aggie
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In reply to EclipseAg • 9:04a, 5/26/24
AG
EclipseAg said:
jokershady said:
My dad would tell me stories about how when the music started and text scroll began how the audience began cheering their heads off…..and how when Darth Vader first showed up on screen there boos coming from the audience…..
Every now and then, there's a post on this board that makes me feel ancient.

This is one of those times.
Right there with you.

I am that dad, although I don't recall cheering and booing.
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Cinco Ranch Aggie
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9:07a, 5/26/24
AG
To answer OP, Star Wars is popular because it took a familiar story and told it in a such a way as to look new and fresh. It was the visual effects. It was the characters. It was the musical score (I kid you not, there were jukeboxes in public places like Pizza Inn where you could place a disco-version of the Star Wars Force theme - ask me how I know this).

Star Trek is great as well, but it tends to have messages and can even be a bit preachy at times. Star Wars (at least prior to the sequels) was never that. The Star Wars movies were just great stories filled with great characters that resonated with massive numbers of people around the world.
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Quad Dog
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9:08a, 5/26/24
AG
Right time, right place, right thing.
Came along just at the time that pop culture was being invented. Sparked the minds of people just the right age that went on to create and define pop culture for the next 50 years.
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EclipseAg
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9:19a, 5/26/24
AG
Everyone wanted to capitalize on Star Wars' broad popularity. Here is Maynard Ferguson (famous jazz trumpeter) promoting his version of the theme song.

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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Cinco Ranch Aggie • 9:20a, 5/26/24
Cinco Ranch Aggie said:
To answer OP, Star Wars is popular because it took a familiar story and told it in a such a way as to look new and fresh. It was the visual effects. It was the characters. It was the musical score (I kid you not, there were jukeboxes in public places like Pizza Inn where you could place a disco-version of the Star Wars Force theme - ask me how I know this).

Star Trek is great as well, but it tends to have messages and can even be a bit preachy at times. Star Wars (at least prior to the sequels) was never that. The Star Wars movies were just great stories filled with great characters that resonated with massive numbers of people around the world.


I might have called KGOL a time or two to request this version.

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maroon barchetta
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In reply to Cinco Ranch Aggie • 9:25a, 5/26/24
Cinco Ranch Aggie said:
EclipseAg said:
jokershady said:
My dad would tell me stories about how when the music started and text scroll began how the audience began cheering their heads off…..and how when Darth Vader first showed up on screen there boos coming from the audience…..
Every now and then, there's a post on this board that makes me feel ancient.

This is one of those times.
Right there with you.

I am that dad, although I don't recall cheering and booing.


There was no cheering and booing on opening night. We were sitting there in awe.

The white hallways and white stormtroopers, with that amazing armor, contrasted by super tall black caped Vader entering with that voice and helmet and mask…we were stunned.

Plus we didn't know who Vader was. We were figuring it all out as we watched the movie. I went in cold on that one.
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EclipseAg
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9:30a, 5/26/24
AG
I do remember waiting in line in hopes of getting a ticket. And I remember going back a couple of times to see it again (three times total).

That's the only movie I've ever seen multiple times in a theater.

But like a lot of things in the '70s, once it became popular, you literally could not escape it. Star Wars was everywhere -- from cereal boxes to pajamas to variety shows to disco/pop/jazz music to commercials. People today can't fathom how incredibly oversaturated cultural phenoms could be back then.

Today we are so segmented that a movie or TV show can be super popular and half the country has never heard of it.
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Cliff.Booth
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9:32a, 5/26/24
Lucas just did an excellent job galaxy-building. His creation straddles the line between sci-fi and fantasy really well.
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EclipseAg
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9:34a, 5/26/24
AG
To answer OP:

1) Classic tale of good vs. evil
2) Throwback style to serial tales of the '30s and '40s
3) Space setting was unique and offered opportunities for cool things like robots and weird creatures
4) Decent special effects for the time period
5) Easy to understand plot

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Flashdiaz
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9:44a, 5/26/24
AG
Lightsabers are still the coolest weapon in cinema. Even now.
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TellMeMore
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9:47a, 5/26/24
Just a fun sidenote:

https://www.wired.com/2015/11/lawrence-kasdan-qa/
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oragator
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9:47a, 5/26/24
For those that weren't around then, it's impossible to overstate or explain how big a deal it was. It was the first of its kind in terms of the action adventure sectors, special effects were ground breaking, it helped legitimize sci fi as a genre…basically every sci fi acrion movie you watch today has its roots there. Now put all that together through the eyes of a kid seeing wizards, villains, princesses, farm boys, pirates, good vs. evil, mysticism etc…in a completely world where you could totally escape.
For my generation, that's carried through to now, it was a major part of our childhood.
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Reno Hightower
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9:50a, 5/26/24
Family Guy has a parody of Star Wars you might like, OP.
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Sponge
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9:56a, 5/26/24
AG
Lots of people have hair fetishes so they really like seeing wookies.
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General Jack D. Ripper
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10:35a, 5/26/24
It was successful for all the reasons the new ones failed

It used the classic hero story set in space.

It was a simple plot.

It wasn't overly sci-fi. More of a pirate story in space.

The new movies are convoluted crap with multiple plot lines, too complex and too much sci-fi stuff.
Well…you sounded taller on radio.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to General Jack D. Ripper • 10:37a, 5/26/24
General Jack D. Ripper said:
It was successful for all the reasons the new ones failed

It used the classic hero story set in space.

It was a simple plot.

It wasn't overly sci-fi. More of a pirate story in space.

The new movies are convoluted crap with multiple plot lines, too complex and too much sci-fi stuff.


And the politics didn't help.
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General Jack D. Ripper
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In reply to maroon barchetta • 11:01a, 5/26/24
When you say the politics, do you mean:

1. The politics in the film like space politics and parliament scenes; or

2. The politics of the creators and the resulting script?
Well…you sounded taller on radio.
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maroon barchetta
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In reply to General Jack D. Ripper • 11:04a, 5/26/24
General Jack D. Ripper said:
When you say the politics, do you mean:

1. The politics in the film like space politics and parliament scenes; or

2. The politics of the creators and the resulting script?


1
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General Jack D. Ripper
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In reply to maroon barchetta • 11:06a, 5/26/24
Yes. That was terrible.
Well…you sounded taller on radio.
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jokershady
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In reply to Flashdiaz • 11:13a, 5/26/24
AG
Flashdiaz said:
Lightsabers are still the coolest weapon in cinema. Even now.
Fact.

Of course the ZF-1 from the 5th Element is also pretty sweet…..

Of course Gary Oldman somehow makes it even cooler….

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Definitely Not A Cop
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11:34a, 5/26/24
AG
Casual incest
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Brian Earl Spilner
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11:40a, 5/26/24
AG
It was a universal story which took elements from many different influences, so there was something for everyone.

It was the hero's journey, overlaid with elements of 40s/50s sci-fi serials, samurai movies, westerns, and car culture. (Among tons of other stuff.) It had humor, it was fun and entertaining, but also had a wider mythology for those who cared to look.

Add to that groundbreaking special effects that hadn't really been seen before.

And then there was John Williams' iconic score, one of the best of all time, lifting it all up.

Basically it was a perfect storm, and it appealed to people of all cultures and ages.
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dmart90
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In reply to maroon barchetta • 12:03p, 5/26/24
AG
maroon barchetta said:
Cinco Ranch Aggie said:
To answer OP, Star Wars is popular because it took a familiar story and told it in a such a way as to look new and fresh. It was the visual effects. It was the characters. It was the musical score (I kid you not, there were jukeboxes in public places like Pizza Inn where you could place a disco-version of the Star Wars Force theme - ask me how I know this).

Star Trek is great as well, but it tends to have messages and can even be a bit preachy at times. Star Wars (at least prior to the sequels) was never that. The Star Wars movies were just great stories filled with great characters that resonated with massive numbers of people around the world.


I might have called KGOL a time or two to request this version.

I have that on 45. F I'm old!
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tx1c
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2:16p, 5/26/24
AG
Don't forget the toys!
That's part of the whole Star Wars experience of my childhood.
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CapCityAg89
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2:33p, 5/26/24
AG
I was a 10 year old boy when Star Wars came out (not A New Hope. Not ever). I had never seen or heard of anything like it. Manor East Mall and its theater was about a 15 minute walk and we must've seen that movie 50 times that summer of 77.
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CapCityAg89
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In reply to tx1c • 2:34p, 5/26/24
AG
I will never forget how mad my dad was that I'd spent 5 bucks on a stupid little darth vader. Hilarious in hindsight.
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Dekker_Lentz
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3:59p, 5/26/24
AG
Episodes 4-6 are almost the perfect children's fable as it is almost the perfect hero's journey story.

All the Heroes shown could easily be someone kids want to pretend to be. All of the heroes get one epic moment.

Now, I don't agree with everything George said recently, but he had a point that they are movies for kids and that helps hook you.

Most people I know personally who don't like Star Wars watched them as an adult and not in its first run. So maybe there is something to watching it as a kid.

Also I think you can love Star Wars and Star Trek.
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LRHF
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11:46p, 5/26/24
AG
I lived in NW NM and currently in SW CO. This may surprise some but Navajos LOVE Star Wars.
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Brian Earl Spilner
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In reply to LRHF • 12:10a, 5/27/24
AG
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AlaskanAg99
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2:00a, 5/27/24
AG
I was 1 when Star Wars was released and I saw Jedi with my dad in the theater. It's the intersection of timing, politics, special effects and storytelling. There's nothing unique about the story but the setting is amazing.

"A Long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...."

That's effing epic! Especially as we were learning about the vast universe at the time. It's also why Ep 1-3 are so reviled. It was a huge letdown.
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