May The Fourth Be With You
It is May 4, Star Wars Day and time to start writing again.
I have neglected the Short Word Stories these past months, but I have been working on a book - a piece of science fiction that has been brewing for some time. Today seemed appropriate to share some thoughts on the Star Wars journey and why sci fi hooks us.
Before Star Wars there was Star Trek, and not much else other than books to engage a sci fi addiction. Star Wars (A New Hope) was the visual and sensory confirmation that a ‘galaxy far away’ existed, that ‘the force’ could be tapped, that the eternal struggle of good versus evil would always be present. The story was not new but the telling of it was. All awe and amazement cloaking an old and recognisable human condition. A story-telling formulae that resonates without any need for further explanation.
That Star Wars, its vernacular and characters, has become a part of our everyday culture is the legacy of good literature. Replace Yoda with Gandalf, Luke Skywalker with Frodo, Princess Leia with Galadriel, and Darth Vader with (can you guess?) and the similarities are breathtaking. Instead of hobbits, orcs, dragons and rings we were given rebels, stormtroopers, a Death Star and light sabres - for which I am ever grateful.
The lesson for a writer? Don’t mess with the formula - may the force be with you.
PS - I am off now to binge ‘all’ of the Star Wars movies - in chronological order.