The Structure of Star Wars: This is Where the Fun Begins

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Where has Star Wars gone? Perhaps the batter question is, where has my childhood gone? And the answer is, well, quite bluntly, back where you left it. The problem with Star Wars is not Jar-Jar Binks, politics or bad acting. The problem with Stars Wars is that it continually starts over. Now, I say “problem” more as a generalization than a proclamation of an issue, because it is this stating over that makes Star Wars, Star Wars.  “The Force is forever, for all generations.” The classic VHS commercial chimes; I really admire this commercial, not only for its ability to generate emotion, but also for its ability to express George Lucas’s intent for the series. 

Star Wars is meant to extend far beyond its first stories and characters. As Joseph Campbell suggests in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, myths only belong to the cultures that create them. For a long time I thought that Star Wars challenged this idea, being as it is a series watched and loved the world over. in some ways that is true, but in others not so much. In this particular case cultures have been replaced by generations.  

To narrow down this idea of generations even further Lucas Film and Disney Pictures grant us three distinct trilogies the Original Trilogy (OT) 1977-1983, the Prequel Trilogy (PT) 1999-2005 and the Sequel Trilogy (ST) 2015-2019. To get out ahead of it, this piece is not primarily about the story content and character motivations contained within the films. Instead, it is an exploration of the structure of the Star Wars series first used in the Original Trilogy and then deepened in the Prequel Trilogy. In this piece I hope to illustrate that Star Wars is ultimately not defined by its characters or even plots, but by how these elements are brought to life in the structure first explored by George Lucas in 1977.

What is this structure you may ask? It is easy to point to Joseph Campbell’s mythic structure of the Hero’s Journey as the primary influence behind Star Wars, though it is not the only one (Reference: The Hero with a Thousand). Even though there are elements of Campbell’s mythic structure spread throughout the series it is not always at the forefront. That honor goes to the Saturday matinée serial (See: Star Wars Episode 1-6 commentaries 2004 and 2011). This progenitor to the modern television series is the backbone of the entire Star Wars saga. From the opening crawl to the end credits, the Star Wars saga owes quite a bit to this seemingly out dated mode of film storytelling. Yet it is one of the primary reasons that Star wars as a series continues to work so well.

Take for instance a mainstay of the Saturday matinée serial the opening crawl. This simple element of scrolling text at the opening of the film offers the storytellers quite a bit of storytelling freedom. This freedom is granted in two ways. First, the opening crawl allows for a recap of what came before. Saturday matinée serials being film stories told in weekly instalments a recap is very helpful for the audience. Second the opening crawl keeps the audience focused and on their toes. It is here, in this aspect of the Saturday matinée serial that the Star War saga truly shines.   

“Keep your concentration here and now where it belongs.” (Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace) As “Star Wars” blasts on to the screen in its iconic deep yellow and John William’s score swells in the background. It does not matter if you have seen the film that came before or since. What matters is that moment, that opening crawl, be it followed by a Star Destroyer or a trade dispute. That’s why the opening crawl exists, to mark the beginning of your Star Wars and to inform you about someone else’s. And that, as they say is where the fun begins.

This idea of fun and engagement is inherent in both the opening crawl and episodic structure of the Star Wars saga (See: Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope George Lucas commentary).  Now we are brought back to the opening question.  Where has Star Wars gone? I hope the above sufficiently expands on my earlier pithier answer, though it remains true. Your Star Wars is right where you left it, wherever that may be, graciously waiting to be recalled. As we travel back a long time ago to a galaxy far far away.