I don't get Star Wars

[Katy]

Perhaps it's because I didn't watch it as a kid, but I REALLY don't get it.  

 

Is there anyone who can help me understand the obsession?

[happypamama]

I don't get the appeal either.

[Carol in Cal.]

The first Star Wars movie broke a lot of new ground.

 

It was the first movie to have sound that was timed to seem like realistically portraying something in motion, with the sound volume changing from one pair of speakers to the next.  When it was released, there was only one theater in the San Francisco Bay Area that had the technological capability to showcase this feature, and people lined up around the block for weeks and weeks to see it there.  I was one of them.  The theater had to hire an attendant for each house on that block to keep people from blocking the driveways.  I remember how startled I was to hear a space ship 'coming' from behind, and then when it appeared on the screen to hear it overhead, and then hear it in the distance.  It was absolutely revolutionary.

 

It had an orchestral soundtrack with original music that was excellent and quite unique.

 

The attention to detail in model making was tremendous and unprecedented--this was before animation had gotten far beyond cartoons, so everything had to be modeled in miniature and then filmed as if it was very large.  This had never really been done before.

 

And then in general, the story line was quite engaging, the odds tremendous, and 'good guys win' deeply satisfying.

 

So that set the hook.

 

Beyond that, the following two movies were like revisiting old friends.  The last one felt like that, too.  I'm not much of a fan of the middle three, but whatever.

[Loowit]

I think it is like a lot of movies some people really like it, some are meh about it, and some don't like it.  There are plenty of other movies that are very popular that I don't care for.

 

I really like sci-fi/fantasy movies and Star Wars is one I really enjoy. The special effects for the original movie, while by today's standards are not great, was new and done really well.  The movie was classic in that it had bad guys, good guys, and action/adventure.  I think it is a lot of fun, but not everyone's cup of tea.

[OneStepAtATime]

If you are referring to the original three movies (4, 5 & 6 going chronologically) they were very unusual and cutting edge for their time.  I think probably the majority of people who love Star Wars love it because they loved it as a child, then raised their kids in a Star Wars friendly household so a lot of their kids like them, too, and have all continued to follow the saga.  My family fits this description, at least.  

 

If I were watching those original 3 movies now, for the very first time, I don't know if I would enjoy them as much since sooooo many movies have been made in their likeness or were inspired by Star Wars in some way.  They would probably seem pretty surface and cliche.  I don't know that for a fact, though.  My son loves the movies, the books, the comic books, etc. and there are many things I would like him to like that he absolutely doesn't so it isn't just DH and I liking those movies that keeps him interested.  My daughter likes them, too.

 

I think they appeal to a certain type of Sci Fi fan but are just not that interesting to a lot of average viewers.  I am a HUGE Sci Fi fan so there was an automatic draw from the beginning.  

 

I do know some who love them because they like action adventure movies in general but they would watch nearly anything in that genre.

 

I honestly am not entirely sure why the HUGE following for Star Wars.  I only know that I still care about the franchise, still enjoy the movies, still read the books with my son and still have a fondness in my heart for the people who brought it to life.

[Garga]

I don't think it's a movie one can enjoy easily, if they first see it almost 40 years after it was made as an adult mom. There are probably some, but I think you have to be a kid or a teen when you first see it to really latch onto it.

 

I'm sure there are some moms who see it and love it the first time, but it just seems to be something you have to have grown up with.

 

When my kids were super into it a few years ago, I started to hate it, even though I was one of those people standing in long lines to see it for myself. Something about having the kids drone on and on about it ruined it for myself. I'm not sure why.

 

Now that they're older, I like it again.

Edited February 2, 2017 by Garga

[happi duck]

I think part of it is sharing across the generations.

 

As far as why the obsession...

Think of something you or your family loves and the same reasons why probably apply: tradition, memories, appealing xyz, relaxing, connection etc.

[trulycrabby]

When I first saw it as a teen, I thought it was unlike anything I had ever seen before; it was a wondrous experience because special effects had never been good enough to forget that they were special effects. Also, I was a teenage girl and thought Mark Hamill was pretty darned cute, and of course Carrie Fisher was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. I made my poor dad sit through it twice the day we saw it.

Edited February 2, 2017 by trulycrabby

[zoobie]

There's a How I Met Your Mother episode on this. :rofl:

[SparklyUnicorn]

zzzzz

 

I don't get it either.

 

 

[Guest]

Space Opera is a genre that isn't for everyone. I'm not a huge SW fan but I love a lot of other franchises.

[bookbard]

I just went and supported my partner in watching the latest star wars movie.

 

I hated it. He loved it. 

 

I hated the violence, the theme (revenge is fine, even if it kills literally everyone you've ever known, if you are a 'goodie'), the token female characters, the fact it was so incredibly boring.

 

He loved the violence and the special effects. Cool man. 

 

I said our kids will not be watching it . . . he has agreed for the moment. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

Add me to the club. Star Wars. Star Trek. *ducking* LOTR.

Not my cup of tea.

[poppy]

It is the same thing as Lord of the Rings, but with different weapons and monsters.

Archtypes battle in an imaginative landscape that is poignantly reminiscent of our own.

You are a fantasy person, or you aren't.... it's OK if you aren't.

[maize]

Add me to the club. Star Wars. Star Trek. *ducking* LOTR.

Not my cup of tea.

I can forgive the first two.

 

The third...I will forgive if you are referring exclusively to the movies. If you include the books in your disdain you are committing an unforgivable sin.

[Happy]

If you are referring to the original three movies (4, 5 & 6 going chronologically) they were very unusual and cutting edge for their time.  I think probably the majority of people who love Star Wars love it because they loved it as a child, then raised their kids in a Star Wars friendly household so a lot of their kids like them, too, and have all continued to follow the saga.  My family fits this description, at least.  

 

If I were watching those original 3 movies now, for the very first time, I don't know if I would enjoy them as much since sooooo many movies have been made in their likeness or were inspired by Star Wars in some way.  They would probably seem pretty surface and cliche.  I don't know that for a fact, though.  My son loves the movies, the books, the comic books, etc. and there are many things I would like him to like that he absolutely doesn't so it isn't just DH and I liking those movies that keeps him interested.  My daughter likes them, too.

 

I think they appeal to a certain type of Sci Fi fan but are just not that interesting to a lot of average viewers.  I am a HUGE Sci Fi fan so there was an automatic draw from the beginning.  

 

I do know some who love them because they like action adventure movies in general but they would watch nearly anything in that genre.

 

I honestly am not entirely sure why the HUGE following for Star Wars.  I only know that I still care about the franchise, still enjoy the movies, still read the books with my son and still have a fondness in my heart for the people who brought it to life.

 Okay, am I the ONLY person on this board who saw the original Star Wars in the theater as an adult--a young one, yes, but an about to be married adult? I saw it and LOVED it....still love the original movie the best.

 

The original SW was written with the Hero's Journey in mind. It is, if you look at it, the same story as King Arthur or even Harry Potter. (Young person with unknown power goes on a journey, learns from others, fights a battle, and returns victorious.)

 

It was fun and over the top for 1977....I still love those characters the best. I'm not a fan of more recent SW offerings and I detest the other trilogy--jar jar binks--gag.

 

 

[Farrar]

I understand people not enjoying it. Nothing can be everyone's cuppa.

 

But... I guess I find it baffling that anyone wouldn't get why it became so popular. Like, I feel similarly about LOTR - I think it's deeply flawed. I don't love it. But I get it.

[Guest]

Escapism, fun to figure myths and legends its based on, R2, Harrison Ford..

[Happy]

Escapism, fun to figure myths and legends its based on, R2, Harrison Ford..

 

Yes....most definitely Harrison Ford.

 

He was not a big star yet in those days...

[Carol in Cal.]

 Okay, am I the ONLY person on this board who saw the original Star Wars in the theater as an adult--a young one, yes, but an about to be married adult? I saw it and LOVED it....still love the original movie the best.

 

The original SW was written with the Hero's Journey in mind. It is, if you look at it, the same story as King Arthur or even Harry Potter. (Young person with unknown power goes on a journey, learns from others, fights a battle, and returns victorious.)

 

It was fun and over the top for 1977....I still love those characters the best. I'm not a fan of more recent SW offerings and I detest the other trilogy--jar jar binks--gag.

 

 

I WAS THERE!  And I was there with my (former) fiancé, as a college student. 

[MFG]

Okay, am I the ONLY person on this board who saw the original Star Wars in the theater as an adult--a young one, yes, but an about to be married adult? I saw it and LOVED it....still love the original movie the best.

 

The original SW was written with the Hero's Journey in mind. It is, if you look at it, the same story as King Arthur or even Harry Potter. (Young person with unknown power goes on a journey, learns from others, fights a battle, and returns victorious.)

 

It was fun and over the top for 1977....I still love those characters the best. I'm not a fan of more recent SW offerings and I detest the other trilogy--jar jar binks--gag.

 

 

You are not the only one. I saw it with my college roommate. It is one of the few films I saw twice in theaters.

[Happy]

You are not the only one. I saw it with my college roommate. It is one of the few films I saw twice in theaters.

 

Whew! I was feeling kinda old there for a minute...

[Rachel]

I don't get it either, but oh boy my kids love it. We started with the original episodes and weren't sure if they would be impressed since CGI is so much better now, but they do. We have a family movie night every week and have watched the original 3 movies and then episodes 1 and 2, I enjoy watching my kids watch it, but it's not my thing.

 

What's funny is I remember playing Star Wars as a kid although I don't think I saw the movies as they came out just before I was born and VCRs weren't every where yet. I have no idea how I knew about them. All I can figure is the neighbor kids must have influenced me.

[purplejackmama]

I can send my 5 year old to talk.non.stop. for hours on end about all the plots! characters! to see if any that can help. He's cute.

[Guest]

I was about 20...21? when these came out.  It was so nice to just have FUN for once at a movie.  I don't have the exact timeline of all that was going on in the industry but it was really depressing to go to a movie for a lot of years.  You were always getting preached at about something or other or everyone died or or the experimental shots made you either car-sick or confused or both, or everything was unjust and unfair and it was all your fault.

 

And then a bunch of characters in pajamas came and battled on the side of Good against evil and they had amusing friends and hilarious lines and wonderful music.  That movie would NOT have made it without the music.  

 

It was just super fun to go to a movie and have a great time for once.  Lines were around the block.  No one gave away spoilers.  When the StarWars title came on the screen with that GREAT John Williams music, everyone in the theater leaped up and cheered, fists pumping!  We were just so HAPPY.  

 

I never got into all the backstory stuff, but there's plenty of it for people who like that kind of thing (e.g. my son who was schooling his adorable girlfriend the other night...poor kid).  I'm not that much into SciFi, for the record.  I have watched StarTrek, but it's got a lot of the messaging going on, and I have to think too much.  :0)

 

I think it is the same reason that people liked Errol Flynn movies back in the day.  Swashbuckling fun.  

 

ETA:  We have tried to show this to my mother but she has fallen asleep within minutes, three times. My MIL loved it.  I would not have called that.  :0)

 

[Guest]

One of my favorite play dates of all time was when a little neighbor girl who was a horse-riding fiend came over to play with my Star Wars-fiend son.  They worked it out by playing Star Wars on Horseback.  :0)

 

I have an only, and he always wanted to play Star Wars.  I copped playing R2D2 because you don't really have to know what is going on, you just have to make silly noises once in awhile, and you even get to burp in character.  LOL.  Dh was Chewbacca.  Same reason.

[bookbard]

The thing is, I like LOTR (even though it is also violent), and I quite like the new Star Trek movies, and when it comes to Space Opera, well I LOVED Farscape.

 

But the underlying idea of "the force" really turns me off Star Wars; if you REALLY believe in something, it will happen, right - and otherwise it's your fault, of course. And the whole "baddie dressed up so you can't see their face, so it's no big deal if you shoot them" thing. Dehumanizing. Star Wars just seems to have less depth to me. 

 

However, I do "get" why it's so popular - space explosions and so forth, humour, and Jim Henson! For me though, if I want humour, brains, and Jim Henson - I'd go Farscape every time. 

[Guest]

The thing is, I like LOTR (even though it is also violent), and I quite like the new Star Trek movies, and when it comes to Space Opera, well I LOVED Farscape.

 

But the underlying idea of "the force" really turns me off Star Wars; if you REALLY believe in something, it will happen, right - and otherwise it's your fault, of course. And the whole "baddie dressed up so you can't see their face, so it's no big deal if you shoot them" thing. Dehumanizing. Star Wars just seems to have less depth to me.

 

However, I do "get" why it's so popular - space explosions and so forth, humour, and Jim Henson! For me though, if I want humour, brains, and Jim Henson - I'd go Farscape every time.

There was a lot of heavy handed philosophy in Star Wars, its true. I also much prefer Farscape and the like!

[Lady Florida.]

Okay, am I the ONLY person on this board who saw the original Star Wars in the theater as an adult--a young one, yes, but an about to be married adult? I saw it and LOVED it....still love the original movie the best.

 

The original SW was written with the Hero's Journey in mind. It is, if you look at it, the same story as King Arthur or even Harry Potter. (Young person with unknown power goes on a journey, learns from others, fights a battle, and returns victorious.)

 

It was fun and over the top for 1977....I still love those characters the best. I'm not a fan of more recent SW offerings and I detest the other trilogy--jar jar binks--gag.

 

No, you're not alone. I was a recent college graduate when it first came out and I loved it. I only like those original three movies. There's definitely a myth aspect to them. After that it was just Lucas trying to milk the franchise.

[gaillardia]

 Okay, am I the ONLY person on this board who saw the original Star Wars in the theater as an adult--a young one, yes, but an about to be married adult? I saw it and LOVED it....still love the original movie the best.

 

The original SW was written with the Hero's Journey in mind. It is, if you look at it, the same story as King Arthur or even Harry Potter. (Young person with unknown power goes on a journey, learns from others, fights a battle, and returns victorious.)

 

It was fun and over the top for 1977....I still love those characters the best. I'm not a fan of more recent SW offerings and I detest the other trilogy--jar jar binks--gag.

 

 

Not that we're receiving awards for who the oldest may be here...I was not married yet, nor engaged, and maybe graduated from high school that year, maybe. 

 

I am not a total nerd for Star Wars, but I do enjoy watching most of the movies... Except the one where Anakin becomes Darth Vader. Bleh. Melting flesh. And I don't care for Jabba the Hut so much.

I'm not a total freak about them, but I know a few who are just fanatic about it.

If you don't like that kind of entertainment, I understand. There are a lot of things I don't like, I don't get, just no, for entertainment.

[Guest]

Star Wars is essentially a space cowboy movie.

Edited February 2, 2017 by Kinsa

[Garga]

When I posted that I thought you had to be a kid or teen when you first saw them I thought, "I should probably include people in their 20's, too."  Sounds like I should have!

 

 

[IfIOnly]

Not a fan. DH and our boys went to see the newest SW movie in the theatre this weekend, but I passed. Good thing is we buy tickets from Costco in 2 packs, and now there's a spare ticket for me to use on something I would like to see.

[happypamama]

When my kids were super into it a few years ago, I started to hate it, even though I was one of those people standing in long lines to see it for myself. Something about having the kids drone on and on about it ruined it for myself. I'm not sure why.

I believe yours were obsessed at the same time mine were, and anything my DD gets obsessed with takes over everything, lol. I was so sick of Star Wars. So sick of it. Now they're down to pleasantly interested, and that I can handle. But yes, for a long time, it was Star Wars everything all the time. The local Jedi knight team even knew them by name because they went to multiple events. The 3yo had barely learned to walk when they took him to a Jedi event and showed him how to wield a light saber. Sigh.

 

I absolutely cannot stand Jar Jar Binks. The only fictitious character I dislike more is the singing purple dinosaur whose name we do not say.

 

(I don't have any interest in Star Trek either. I do however love LOTR quite a bit.)

Edited February 2, 2017 by happypamama

[Scarlett]

I am a little confused.......you guys are saying SW started in 1977......but I would have been 12 then and I swear I saw the first one when I was 15. But anyway, I enjoyed it well enough way back when....didn't watch any of them again until this past year. All the years melted away and I was 15 again watching Princess Leia and Hans Solo...

[Garga]

I believe yours were obsessed at the same time mine were, and anything my DD gets obsessed with takes over everything, lol. I was so sick of Star Wars. So sick of it. Now they're down to pleasantly interested, and that I can handle. But yes, for a long time, it was Star Wars everything all the time. The local Jedi knight team even knew them by name because they went to multiple events. The 3yo had barely learned to walk when they took him to a Jedi event and showed him how to wield a light saber. Sigh.

 

I absolutely cannot stand Jar Jar Binks. The only fictitious character I dislike more is the singing purple dinosaur whose name we do not say.

 

(I don't have any interest in Star Trek either. I do however love LOTR quite a bit.)

 

 

A picture from when they were all obsessed.  My kids were miserable because they had to miss all but one of the Jedi Knight team events.  Every stinkin' time there was an event, we had some other unbreakable obligation to attend.

 

Jar Jar is horrible.

 

Edited February 2, 2017 by Garga

[poppy]

The thing is, I like LOTR (even though it is also violent), and I quite like the new Star Trek movies, and when it comes to Space Opera, well I LOVED Farscape.

 

But the underlying idea of "the force" really turns me off Star Wars; if you REALLY believe in something, it will happen, right - and otherwise it's your fault, of course. And the whole "baddie dressed up so you can't see their face, so it's no big deal if you shoot them" thing. Dehumanizing. Star Wars just seems to have less depth to me. 

 

However, I do "get" why it's so popular - space explosions and so forth, humour, and Jim Henson! For me though, if I want humour, brains, and Jim Henson - I'd go Farscape every time. 

 

I don't think that's what the force is.  It's not law of attraction nonsense where you harness it with your willpower. It's an ubiquitous element in nature that only special people can harness.  Han Solo couldn't ever use it (muggle) but his son can (because it's genetic).

 

I agree with you, Farscape > Star Wars.

[happypamama]

Garga, I remember that! They were all so little! Oh, they grow up too fast.

[Ellie]

 Okay, am I the ONLY person on this board who saw the original Star Wars in the theater as an adult--a young one, yes, but an about to be married adult? I saw it and LOVED it....still love the original movie the best.

 

The original SW was written with the Hero's Journey in mind. It is, if you look at it, the same story as King Arthur or even Harry Potter. (Young person with unknown power goes on a journey, learns from others, fights a battle, and returns victorious.)

 

It was fun and over the top for 1977....I still love those characters the best. I'm not a fan of more recent SW offerings and I detest the other trilogy--jar jar binks--gag.

 

 

 

Mr. Ellie and I saw Star Wars, first run, in the theater. Stood in line to buy the tickets, then stood in line to get in. Actually, we sat in the grass in a field, for a couple of hours, because the wait was so long to get in. :-) The line for The Empire Strikes Back was around the building. Didn't see The Return of the Jedi in the theater, though.

 

And FTR, it will always be Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Return of the Jedi--none of this "A New Hope" business. :001_tt2:

 

The "prequel" trilogy was dreadful.

 

I like the two new movies, especially Rogue One. I cried at the end. :crying:

[Katy]

It came out before I was born, and I didn't grow up in a sci-fi or fantasy family. 

[AHASRADA]

I remember there being SW promotional photos on cereal boxes as a young child, but that's it. Never saw it, still haven't. Just never struck me as something I or my family would watch.

[busymama7]

I have kinda a weird Star Wars story. It came out the year I was born but I never watched them growing up. I remember seeing bits of it like at parties and I knew what it was and what the ewoks looked like and R2D2 and C3PO and that was about it.

 

We were young married college students when episode 1 came out. I went to a midnight showing with my husband because he was so excited. And hey, popcorn 😂

 

I LOVED it. I even still to this day like jar jar and love that episode (more than 2 and 3)

 

So we soon watched all the original movies with lots of stopping to explain things and such and me REALLY getting in to it. (Like learning who darth vader was, luke and leia etc. My husband didn't spoil it be just let me watch them and discover it all)â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸

 

We have since been big Star Wars fans. I can see why people don't like the prequels and I myself don't care for episode 3 much. But my kids have watched the rest many many times. I absolutely loved the force awakens even if it was a duplicate plot. We still discuss "who is Rey?!??" fairly frequently. My husband has told me that this was how it was with the originals. Wondering and such and waiting for the next movie. I get why people loved it when it was new.

 

I am an extreme girly girly who's real favorite movie is Anne of green gables. I don't even like sci fi in general. Not a fan of LOTR even. I can't think of a single movie similar to Star Wars that I even like. But for some reason I LOVE Star Wars and came to love it through the prequels which I realise is unusual. But there you have it :)

[OneStepAtATime]

I am a little confused.......you guys are saying SW started in 1977......but I would have been 12 then and I swear I saw the first one when I was 15. But anyway, I enjoyed it well enough way back when....didn't watch any of them again until this past year. All the years melted away and I was 15 again watching Princess Leia and Hans Solo...

Yes, 1977.  I know the year of each original release for the first 3 movies (4, 5,6).

 

But it got replayed in theaters so maybe you saw it when they played it again?  Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 and some theaters re-ran Star Wars ahead of Empire.  Might you have seen it then?

[Guest]

Yes, 1977.  I know the year of each original release for the first 3 movies (4, 5,6).

 

But it got replayed in theaters so maybe you saw it when they played it again?  Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 and some theaters re-ran Star Wars ahead of Empire.  Might you have seen it then?

 

I'll bet that is what happened because back in the day it was still pretty awkward even getting video tapes, let alone the fact that Lucas didn't release them into the wild until he pretty much had to.  So they got a lot of replay in theaters, especially as a double-feature kind of thing with the new movie coming out.  

[OneStepAtATime]

I remember when the newspaper TV Guide had a two page center COLOR spread of Star Wars.  I was so excited.  My best friend across the street and I kept looking over those pictures wondering what the story would be about.  We were young but we were all things Sci Fi already and both of us read voraciously.  I do remember thinking Leia's hair looked goofy in those pictures.  Our cul-de-sac went to see it at the local theater.  It was so much fun.  Parents and kids alike enjoyed it.  There really weren't many movies like that then.  There just weren't.  It was unusual, and exciting, and I cared about the characters.  And they were funny.  And after seeing the movie I wasn't so bothered by Leia's hair.  And I was so attached to R2D2.  I wanted an R2D2 of my own (of course just a few years before I had thought Speedy Gonzalez the cartoon mouse was marriage material so maybe my judgement is a bit off  :laugh: ).  

 

My best friend decided she wanted to be Han Solo when she grew up.  We would act out Star Wars stuff all the time.  I was usually Leia and my best friend and her sister were Han and Luke.  Her baby brother was the only one left to play Chewbaca, though, and he was 3 so he was a bit short for the part.   :lol:

 

What's funny is years and years later, as adults, my family and hers got together to watch the old Star Wars movies again and we "kids" dressed in costume.  FINALLY, her little brother was tall enough to make a decent Chewbaca.  :)

[gstharr]

 Okay, am I the ONLY person on this board who saw the original Star Wars in the theater as an adult--a young one, yes, but an about to be married adult? I saw it and LOVED it....still love the original movie the best.

 

The original SW was written with the Hero's Journey in mind. It is, if you look at it, the same story as King Arthur or even Harry Potter. (Young person with unknown power goes on a journey, learns from others, fights a battle, and returns victorious.)

 

It was fun and over the top for 1977....I still love those characters the best. I'm not a fan of more recent SW offerings and I detest the other trilogy--jar jar binks--gag.

 

 

  No. i saw it in Boston's China town as a recent college grad.  The theater was one of the first multiplex, and state of the art at the time.

[LucyStoner]

I saw snippets of Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as a young child. On VHS in a rented VCR back when people still rented a VCR and 2 tapes for the weekend. I don't think I saw them all the way through though it is possible I did but don't remember.

 

I saw them but didn't think all that much of them when I was a young adult. I watched them with my now husband in advance of seeing the first prequel with him. That prequel was so bad that I nearly walked out.

 

It took seeing them through the eyes of my very enthused sons to make a SW lover of me.

[Ottakee]

Do I get the award for havingseen the first 10 minutes of the movie 50+ times but have never seen an entire star wars movie?

 

Dh turns them on , I watch the first few minutes and then fall asleep.

[MaeFlowers]

I don't get it either. Or Star Trek. I'm just not a fan of space based sci-fi on the whole.

[lailasmum]

I love sci-fi but find Star Wars extremely dull. My husband loves it and my son likes it. I just don't find it at all engaging. I love Star Trek, Firefly, Stargate etc. basically most other big sci-fi series.

I love a series with a good spaceship.

Edited February 2, 2017 by lailasmum