In Star Wars: A New Hope we see Lucas really beginning to come into his own. It is often said that a writer/director/producer’s third piece is their finest, “third time’s a charm,” and Lucas proves this to be accurate through his intense exploration of the cosmos. Star Wars, of course has garnered much attention over the years and is now a cult classic that has inspired the sci-fi genre to push the limits of cinematography. The intense following that Star Wars gained remains one of the most impressive fan bases of any film series paralleling contemporary series like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. A New Hope marks the dawn of an era, an era many wish had ended with Return of the Jedi, but still acted as a catalyst for Lucas’ prolific career.
One of my favorite scenes from this episode in the Star Wars trilogy features C-3PO and R2D2, two droids with the emotional intelligence of humans, and Obi-Wan Kenobi with Luke Skywalker. In this scene at the capital of Tatooine Imperial troopers are looking for C-3PO and R2D2, but Obi-Wan utilizes “The Force” to convince them they are not the notorious droids they’re looking for. The Force is clearly one of the most significant pieces of the Star Wars puzzle in that it ties all of the episodes together as well as providing a connection between the Dark side and the Good side. Star Wars is, after all, a battle between good and evil. The Force is the connection between all of the Jedi Knights, described as that which “surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together." I find this scene particularly meaningful because it immediately follows Luke’s decision to train to become a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan’s successful use of the Force against Imperial powers proves to Luke just how influential he can be on those around him, and ultimately leads to how integral a piece Luke becomes to saving the galaxy. Between Obi-Wan and Han Solo (yet to be introduced at this point) Luke’s character fully develops, so facilitating and solidifying Obi-Wan Kenobi’s relationship with Luke is essential to the development of our hero.
The droids’ as characters also add so much to the development of Lucas’ argument about technology as a necessary innovation, but one that should be considered with great hesitation. The machines in almost all of his films are either controlled by humans or controlling the humans. In C-3PO and R2D2’s cases they are neither controlled by or controlling humans, rather they are portrayed as humans with a sense of humor and emotional attachments to each other. Their close relationships with each other and the humans they come to love and protect are evident from the first time they are introduced to Luke Skywalker when C-3PO says, “And I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. And this is my counterpart, R2D2.” The mere fact that C-3PO’s function as a droid is to facilitate robots as they relate to humans, whether it is translating for R2D2, providing the perfect one-liner for comic relief, or making good judgment of moral character (as he so often does), accentuates their purpose as more than mechanical beings in the films. They are a blending of the technological advancements and human creations that Lucas tends to exploit throughout the rest of the Star Wars series, but not all of the technology in A New Hope is so forgiving. The Death Star itself is exemplary of the complex labyrinth that technology can become when left unrestrained. It is the ultimate model of man pushing the limits of technological modernization to extremes because Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire are aiming for supreme domination over the galaxy. The Rebel Alliance, therefore, combats these efforts and represents the constraints humans necessarily place on mechanisms in order to have control over them.
Lucas himself acted as a role model for technology as it relates to film in that he utilized revolutionary techniques that are still useful in contemporary filmmaking. This movie pushed him to create Industrial Light & Magic where many cinematographers have yearned to work since its inception in 1975. He began using a method known as motion control photography, which allowed him to design most of the special effects that set Star Wars apart from other sci-fi films of this generation. The complex plotline of the story trails Lucas’ creative journey after the release of THX 1138 and American Graffiti, two totally opposite ends of the allegorical spectrum, and leaves Star Wars at an in between ground where societal messages are conveyed, but are light-years more digestible than either of his previous works.
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