{"id":15408,"date":"2023-09-05T02:56:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T06:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/?p=15408"},"modified":"2023-09-05T02:56:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T06:56:41","slug":"how-star-wars-revolutionized-entertainment-and-star-wars-the-magic-of-myth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/2023\/09\/05\/how-star-wars-revolutionized-entertainment-and-star-wars-the-magic-of-myth\/","title":{"rendered":"How Star Wars Revolutionized Entertainment and Star Wars: The Magic of Myth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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First, in the late 1970s,\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0revived the marketplace for space science fiction as a genre. Space adventures had found wide audiences in the 1930s through characters such as\u00a0Buck Rogers\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Flash Gordon<\/em>\u00a0that began in short stories or comic strips and developed through movie serials and radio programs. The toys from\u00a0Buck Rogers<\/em>\u00a0even have\u00a0a holiday story of their own. But by the 1950s, space science fiction appeared mostly in alien monster movies or as children\u2019s television programming that was cheaply produced and melodramatic. The unexpected success of the first\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0movie in 1977 inspired other production houses to rediscover space adventures as a bankable genre. For instance, the planned television series\u00a0Star Trek: Phase II<\/em>\u00a0was revamped and greenlit as\u00a0Star Trek: The Motion Picture<\/em>\u00a0(1979). The success of science fiction and fantasy movies in the 1980s and beyond owes much to\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, in addition to reviving the genre,\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0fundamentally changed how licensed toys and memorabilia were created and marketed. After\u00a0Star Wars\u00a0<\/em>creator George Lucas initially had trouble finding a manufacturer for toys associated with the movie, the Kenner Products toy company signed on. Their 3 \u00be-inch action figures, created to be small\u00a0and affordable, became a runaway success. In fact, Kenner became overwhelmed by the demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third,\u00a0Star Wars\u00a0<\/em>introduced the concept of toys as collectibles, not just children\u2019s trinkets. As author and toy historian Sharon Scott has argued in her book\u00a0Toys and American Culture: An Encyclopedia<\/em>, \u201cWhen vintage\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0toys in good condition became quite expensive, consumers began to realize that other toys in good condition might be valuable over time as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars: The Magic of Myth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Wars: The Magic of Myth<\/em>\u00a0explored the mythical message of Luke Skywalker’s journey from his first call to adventure to his final victory. Showcasing models, costumes, props, and original artwork from the archives of Lucasfilm Ltd., the exhibition traced the\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0films-Star Wars: A New Hope<\/em>\u00a0(1977),\u00a0The Empire Strikes Back<\/em>\u00a0(1980),\u00a0Return of the Jedi<\/em>\u00a0(1983), and\u00a0Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace<\/em>-and how it presents the young Luke and other characters as archetypes from stories and legends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interpretive panels throughout the exhibition pointed out the mythological and literary elements that made\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0a newly cast epic. Drawing on the work of Joseph Campbell in his series\u00a0The Power of Myth<\/em>, the exhibition text identified the classic characters of young hero, faithful companions, damsel in distress, wise guide, and others that enliven the saga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source:<\/strong> National Air and Space Museum, S. (1999). Star wars: The magic of myth<\/em>. Homepage. https:\/\/airandspace.si.edu\/exhibitions\/star-wars-magic-myth<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source:<\/strong> National Air and Space Museum, S. (2023). How star wars revolutionized entertainment<\/em>. Homepage. https:\/\/airandspace.si.edu\/stories\/editorial\/how-star-wars-revolutionized-entertainment<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analysis:<\/strong> It is an amazement that a piece of entertainment had such an impact on culture at large that not only is the series still ongoing but was also featured within the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. I think it’s important to acknowledge media, especially older media, that shaped the way we fantasize\/see\/think about flight. I think it points to opportunities of speculative design or engaging with entertainment to educate about flight. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First, in the late 1970s,\u00a0Star Wars\u00a0revived the marketplace for space science fiction as a genre. Space adventures had found wide audiences in the 1930s through characters such as\u00a0Buck Rogers\u00a0and\u00a0Flash Gordon\u00a0that began in short stories or comic strips and developed through movie serials and radio programs. The toys from\u00a0Buck Rogers\u00a0even have\u00a0a holiday story of their own. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":102,"featured_media":15421,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15408","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/102"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15423,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15408\/revisions\/15423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desis.osu.edu\/seniorthesis\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}