Why is Star Wars so Popular?

[Goodieluver]

Star Wars has Twilek women. Trek really has nothing that compares. Thus, Wars wins.

 

[FlockOfSeagulls]

holy crap.....


let`s not dive too deeply on this and dissect like Freud

The special effects were light years [thought you would like that ] ahead of anything else at the time.

It was one of the few movies that parents and their kids could see together and enjoy as a family.

It was a different kind of movie than most that were made at the time.

Ultimate good vs. evil in outer space mind you; yet it used a bit humor at the appropriate time.

You could see it over & over and find new things in movie every time you watched it.

So many iconic characters that were easy for people to connect with and pull for on a personal basis.


It wasn`t just a movie phenom, it seeped into mainstream`s psychy on such a level that few or no movies had ever done before or since for that matter

Kids of my generation also loved the fact of being able to take their kids, nieces & nephews to see something they enjoyed at that age. How many things can you say that about ????



First movie to really have a true merchandising frenzy; Lucas was so far ahead of his time on that one. He owns all merchandising rights in full.

 

[Excess]

Eh, her skin is all a nasty looking green. No thanks.

 

[alchemy]

Because of this opening scene. Greatest movie opening ever.

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[Sandrock74]

Because of Boba Fett!

 

[Adam]

Lightsabers, man. I mean really, who wouldn't want such a kick-ass weapon?

 

[desdemona]

My brother was such a Boba-Fett fan! He insisted that he didn't die in Return of the Jedi (yeah, like he was spit back out because that monster thingy didn't like his metal armor....and yes, I know someone knows what that thing was called!)

 

[Artoo]

yeah, like he was spit back out because that monster thingy didn't like his metal armor....and yes, I know someone knows what that thing was called!)

It's a Sarlaac, and it didn't spit Fett out; Fett blew it up from the inside with a thermal detonator, nearly killing himself in the process.

 

[desdemona]

OH...dear Lord, thank you for answering. But does that mean the bastard lives?? I did find it amusing how they introduced him in Attack of the Clones or #2 or whatever. Or one of the prequels.

 

[Goodieluver]

OH...dear Lord, thank you for answering. But does that mean the bastard lives?? I did find it amusing how they introduced him in Attack of the Clones or #2 or whatever. Or one of the prequels.

Yes he survives

They thought of showing him escaping in Jedi but they felt it would take away from the scene\movie so they left it out\advanced on it in books

 

[Excess]

OH...dear Lord, thank you for answering. But does that mean the bastard lives?? I did find it amusing how they introduced him in Attack of the Clones or #2 or whatever. Or one of the prequels.

Yes, in the Expanded Universe stuff, he did indeed live on. The power of the Ensemble Darkhorse should not be underestimated.

 

[desdemona]

I've actually read some of the fiction. But it escaped me whether he lived or died.

 

[Sandrock74]

Thank you Artoo for explaining what happened with Fett escaping that damn vagina pit. Even THAT couldn't keep the Fett-man down!

 

[DEV]

And yet, when he figured it out it didn't look like a work of brilliance, did it?

When it works within the boundries of logic, yes. The Hydra application was an intersting twist that worked within what was set. But the Death Star... gah.

1: They build a gigantic ball of death with a flaw.
2: Rebels find out said flaw.
3: Despite the second point, the Empire sends out the weapon that has a flaw the Rebels know about to destroy them instead of, oh, I don't know... A Fleet which they already have which outnumbers what the Rebels have and can destroy them, even if they have to resort to attrition alone instead of risking everything on a weapon that the enemy knows how to destroy with a half decent shot?

obi-wan stayed with luke in order to train him at the right time.

Why the right time though? Why not send him with Yoda in the first place, train him up to be the Uber-Jedi and then send him to join the Alliance instead of risking it all in about a two year time slot? Look, I understand the MST3K Mantra as well as anyone but this is really spreading it thin.

and paid well for information about them.

Considering Kenobi was able to hide away for twenty years on one of the most corrupt Planets in the Galaxy, I don't think they were paying enough.

Yes, and the thing that Palpatine was better than anyone at.

Apart from Samuel L. Jackson.

...

Alright, I'll admit, that one is somewhat justified.

and star trek is better

Beyond a shadow of a doubt.

 

[Ticklerguy4u]

Personally I like the Jedi Knights and Sith Apprentices concept. The rest of the Star Wars world I could give or take. I was around when Star Wars came out and as everyone said..most of your sci-fi centered around humans or aliens being better by technology...whereas Star Wars had broken down ships...clumsy captains...humor...people that acted like people in spite of the technology and the orchestra tic music not to mention new sounds instead of your typical laser sounds. I love how the lightsaber sounds in battle and when its activated and retracts.

Lucus got the idea of jedi from Oriental samarai fighters called a Jedai if I remember correctly and knights were fighters that stood by a code of honor in medieval times..so they became a Jedi Knights.

For all you Ewok haters...

In an interview with Lucas. The Ewoks were actually not in the first draft of the Return of the Jedi. It was supposed to be a tribe of wookies but since Chewbacca had become a character of his own merit instead of a sidekick. Lucas changed the fight against the Stormtroopers (Nazi influence) against eight foot tall fur balls to two foot tall fur balls. So in the original draft the wookies won but instead it was replaced by the Ewoks.

Lucas also admitted that he had no idea that there was ever going to be any other movies following Star Wars so when prequels came later it he had to write stories to answer what was said by a movie twenty years ago with absolutely no intension of answering in the first place. So who's fault is it ...

WE FANS!!!

 

[Dussicar]

Yes he survives

They thought of showing him escaping in Jedi but they felt it would take away from the scene\movie so they left it out\advanced on it in books

Let me get this straight.

Lucas decided that it would be BETTER to stay with the "stupidest death in cinematic history" motif???

Yep. This is why I think he's a badly shaved ape impersonating a human.

 

[Redmage]

When it works within the boundries of logic, yes. The Hydra application was an intersting twist that worked within what was set. But the Death Star... gah.

Same thing, you just refuse to see it. I wrote earlier that I wonder if you actually saw the films, but I'm beginning to think that this is simply something you have you have to believe, for some reason having nothing to do with the movies themselves.

Heracles' solution to the Lernaean Hydra seems obvious - cauterize the neck stumps. It's not particularly "logical" that the Gods should have designed that "flaw" into the beast, nor that it should have taken all that long for someone to figure it out. Nevertheless, he was the first to think of it.

1: They build a gigantic ball of death with a flaw.

You write as though this is just shockingly unbelievable, in a world where the Titanic sank and the entire city of New York was blacked out for nearly 24 hours.

Huge, complex systems often have flaws. Believe it or not.

2: Rebels find out said flaw.
3: Despite the second point, the Empire sends out the weapon that has a flaw the Rebels know about to destroy them instead of, oh, I don't know... A Fleet which they already have which outnumbers what the Rebels have and can destroy them, even if they have to resort to attrition alone instead of risking everything on a weapon that the enemy knows how to destroy with a half decent shot?

And here I begin wondering what movie you saw. Most of your criticisms are answered directly or indirectly in the films themselves.

A) The Empire did not know that the Rebels had identified the Death Star's Achilles Heel. In fact, the Empire didn't know it had one. If you watch Vader's interactions with the Death Star command staff, and Tarkin's response when informed that there was a potential problem, it becomes clear that most Imperial officers serving on the Death Star didn't believe it could be defeated. In just the same way the Titanic's engineers thought it was unsinkable - they believed it so faithfully that the ship had only 1/3 as many lifeboats as it needed to evacuate its crew and passengers.

B) By the time of Episode IV, the Empire's fleet had been battling the Rebellion for nearly 20 years. It had become clear that the fleet alone could NOT defeat them, and had enough ships been pulled off the line to destroy Yavin, Rebel battle groups would have moved in where they had vacated and raised all manner of hell. That's why the Death Star was built: to give the Empire an enormous concentration of firepower without requiring the fleet to abandon other critical posts.

There really is an internal logic here. You just can't see it, for reasons I don't understand.

Why the right time though? Why not send him with Yoda in the first place, train him up to be the Uber-Jedi and then send him to join the Alliance instead of risking it all in about a two year time slot?

As I wrote before, raising a baby on Dagobah - a jungle planet dotted with dark-side shrines - would have been next to impossible.

Considering Kenobi was able to hide away for twenty years on one of the most corrupt Planets in the Galaxy, I don't think they were paying enough.

Tattooine was extremely remote. Kenobi lived as a hermit in one of its least accessible regions. He cultivated a reputation as just a crazy old man, and used his force abilities quietly when he used them at all. He took advantage of the fact that everyone believed the Jedi to have been wiped out in the Empire's purge.

In other words, he stayed very, very quiet - in contrast, for example, to roaming the galaxy recruiting "potential Jedi" to send to Yoda for training. That would have been waving a neon banner saying "Surviving Jedi HERE!!!!" and would have gotten him killed very, very quickly.

Apart from Samuel L. Jackson.

Whom the Emperor killed, remember? You could suppose that he had to have Vader's help to do that, or that he simply let Anakin Skywalker believe that he needed help in order to complete his fall to the dark side. But whether through raw power or low cunning, the fact is that Palpatine killed every single person that ever came at him directly - including Vader, in the end.

 

[asutickler]

It's a Sarlaac, and it didn't spit Fett out; Fett blew it up from the inside with a thermal detonator, nearly killing himself in the process.

I thought it was because Fett had piss-poor personal hygine, and the thing spat him back out as soon as he took off his armor?

 

[Artoo]

Thank you Artoo for explaining what happened with Fett escaping that damn vagina pit. Even THAT couldn't keep the Fett-man down!

You're welcome.

I believe the only creature that the Sarlaac wasn't able to digest was Zorba the Hutt.

The immense beast swallowed the Hutt whole—but later, the combination of the Hutt's bulk and protective mucous coating gave the sarlacc a fit of indigestion. The sarlacc vomited Zorba into the desert night.

 

[Sandrock74]

GAAAHH! Is there anything more gross than the sarlacc pit vomiting someone out?

 

[Artoo]

GAAAHH! Is there anything more gross than the sarlacc pit vomiting someone out?

😉

 

[Excess]

😉

Isn't his/her genitalia a sarlacc pit?

 

[DEV]

It's not particularly "logical" that the Gods should have designed that "flaw" into the beast, nor that it should have taken all that long for someone to figure it out.

Lets be honest here. Logic and the Greek Pantheon didn't exactly go hand in hand. The most sensible of the bunch was probably Hades and that's not saying a lot.

A) The Empire did not know that the Rebels had identified the Death Star's Achilles Heel.

This is despite the fact they knew full well the Rebellion had stolen the plans and had time to study the plans which gave them access to full intimate knowledge of the Death Star's inner workings with the said flaw? Were they just crossing their fingers and hoping on that one?

Huge, complex systems often have flaws. Believe it or not.

But the Death Star could have all been avoided just by building a simple wall right in front of the vent. Or better yet, a laser turret or dozen with full access to whatever was coming down the vent?

Come to think of it, wasn't the laser on the Death Star somewhat redundant? A thing that size, all they'd have to do is get close enough to mess up the gravity of a Planet. Not as showy true but could have saved a little on the budget.

to give the Empire an enormous concentration of firepower without requiring the fleet to abandon other critical posts.

Wouldn't the resources have been better spent expanding the Fleet itself thus making the Empire's Military more flexible and easier to deal with threats as opposed to making a gamble on a cumbersome weapon that can only be in one place at one time? Bulk vs. flexibility I know but I can spot one or two flaws in such a Military doctrine.

Rebel battle groups would have moved in where they had vacated and raised all manner of hell.

Didn't the Rebellion spend some time after the Death Star getting beaten across the Galaxy before what happened on Endor?

would have been next to impossible.

Where were these Dark Shrines exactly? Unless they were like that place where Luke had to fight himself. Which Yoda actually had to guide him to in the first place...

He took advantage of the fact that everyone believed the Jedi to have been wiped out in the Empire's purge.

But Vader and the Emperor know he's a threat, they'd have been searching for him. And the fact he doesn't even change his last name really hurts his chance of staying incognito. You'd have thought that you'd at least see wanted posters of someone who tried to kill the Emperor's right hand man or something.

including Vader, in the end.

I think the shorn off hand and general beating Luke gave him might have been a factor as well.

 

[Dr. Vollin]

edit

 

[Redmage]

Am I reading this wrong, or did you just say that Luke cut off Vader's hand? If you did, then I wonder what movie you saw; it didn't exactly happen that way.

Luke severed Vader's prosthetic hand in the final lightsaber battle before the Emperor.

Lets be honest here. Logic and the Greek Pantheon didn't exactly go hand in hand. The sanest of the bunch was Hades and that's saying something.

To the Greeks, all creatures were creations of the Gods. And yet all creatures have flaws. They saw this as either deliberate or unavoidable.

This is despite the fact they knew full well the Rebellion had stolen the plans and had time to study the plans which gave them access to full intimate knowledge of the Death Star's inner workings with the said flaw? Were they just crossing their fingers and hoping on that one?

As I pointed out earlier, the Empire didn't believe that the Death Star could be defeated. As far as they were concerned, there was no flaw in the design that the Rebels could exploit in the time they had. Even when his own tactical analysts warned him that there might well be a threat, Tarkin refused to believe it.

Sort of like you refuse to see things like this, even when they're pointed out to you multiple times.

But the Death Star could have all been avoided just by building a simple wall right in front of the vent. Or better yet, a laser turret or dozen with full access to whatever was coming down the vent?

Sure. If they'd noticed the problem, and if they'd thought it was serious enough, they could have fixed it.

And the Titanic could have had enough lifeboats, if the people who built had realized that its design was not, in fact, unsinkable. I'm not sure why this is so hard for you to understand.

Come to think of it, wasn't the laser on the Death Star somewhat redundant? A thing that size, all they'd have to do is get close enough to mess up the gravity of a Planet. Not as showy true bu cut have saved a little on the budget.

Um, no. Now we're getting to basic physics.

A) As a construction of humans, the Death Star was impossibly huge. On the scale of planets though it was still very small. It was described as comparable to a "small moon" - not even a large moon.

B) Unlike a moon, the Death Star was mostly hollow - all those barracks and detention cells and power plants and suchlike. Thus it had far less mass (and far less gravity) than a planetary body its size.

C) If it approached within the Roche limit of a planetary body, the tidal forces would tear it apart.

Again, there actually is a logic to most of Star Wars, if you can set aside your prejudices and look at it.

Wouldn't the resources have been better spent expanding the Fleet itself thus making the Empire's Military more flexible and easier to deal with threats as opposed to making a gamble on a cumbersome weapon that can only be in one place at one time?

Arguably. However the military design philosophy of the Empire tended toward Bigger Is Better. That's why they moved to replace the perfectly serviceable Star Destroyer with the much larger Super Star Destroyer. The Empire used intimidation as a primary weapon, and the Death Star was simply the culmination of that trend: one ship that could destroy a planet.

This isn't unique to the Empire. Armies throughout history have tried to make one big weapon that could rule all battles against their enemies, even though it could be in only one place at a time. Look into the history of the Bismarck for an example.

Didn't the Rebellion spend some time after the Death Star getting beaten across the Galaxy before what happened on Endor?

Yes - their fortunes took a turn for the worse after the Battle of Yavin. However the Imperial fleet had not been able to defeat them for 20 years, and it couldn't defeat them then. It was simply one end of the back and forth see-saw that had defined the whole war against the Empire. Had the Emperor believed that his fleet alone could beat the Rebels, he wouldn't have commissioned the construction of the second Death Star.

Where were these Dark Shrines exactly? Unless they were like that place where Luke had to fight himself. Which Yoda actually had to guide him to in the first place...

Yep, that was one of them. And Yoda did show him where it was, but there's no reason to suppose that a curious boy couldn't have found it on his own, given time. And Yoda had to stick reasonably close to such places, because they were what camouflaged him from force detection by Vader or Palpatine.

So, yeah...predator-laced jungle planet infested with the dark side does not make a good spot to raise a baby by oneself.

But Vader and the Emperor know he's a threat, they'd have been searching for him. And the fact he doesn't even change his last name really hurts his chance of staying incognito.

Assuming that "Kenobi" is an unusual last name, yes. However it's clear from the context of the film that Luke has no special associations with that name. Clearly he's never heard of any badly wanted fugitive named Kenobi.

Lots of people on Tattooine are wanted by the Empire. That's why many of them go there. For that reason most of them are just as happy to stay away from Imperial attention, and people don't ask nosy questions.

From the point of view of the Empire, the Jedi are a settled matter. Even if they suspected that Kenobi had survived it would be in their interest to pretend that he had not. Putting out an all-points bulletin would just let people know that there were still Jedi around, which the Empire preferred they not believe. And the longer they went without hearing anything from Kenobi, the less likely it seemed that he was still alive.