Because everyone loves a good story
Disney’s Star Wars: Stories and Themes
After decades of creating, crafting, and controlling the Star Wars universe, George Lucas has finally passed the baton—or the light saber?—to Disney, and things will never be the same.
I don’t know how you took the news of this massive acquisition, but when I heard that Lucas sold out to Disney for $4 billion, I was disappointed. Sure, Episodes I-VI had their flaws (as I’ve discussed previously), but at least Lucas was deeply invested in the Star Wars universe. The originals were classics, and I trusted that the prequels weren’t (only) about money.
But I can’t trust Disney in the same way. As soon as the purchase was finalized, they started cranking out a movie per year (not to mention a theme park), no doubt eager to make back the dough they dropped on the company. But have the new movies reeked of Mickey Mouse? Have they been thinly-veiled attempts at milking the cash bantha? Or have they succeeded at luring a fresh generation into new Star Wars-esque stories? I can’t offer a definitive answer to those questions, but after we examine the story, characters, and effects of Disney’s four Star Wars films, maybe you can.
THE STORIES
The Plot of Episodes VII-VIII
The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi are Episodes VII and VIII in the main saga, and you can find plenty of nods at the original trilogy within the stories. In fact, it seems like they barely changed the plot around from A New Hope to The Force Awakens. Maybe they were trying to make it feel nostalgic, hoping to placate long-time fans with a familiar storyline while introducing new characters. Regardless, the similarities are pretty obvious: the film starting out with a droid; some secret plans getting stored inside said droid; a pit stop at a lively cantina; a short, ancient guru who seems quirky but has great insight; and even the plan to blow up a big, round weapon. The story itself has new elements, but the main plot point feels pretty familiar.
The Last Jedi has some similarities, too: Rey seeks guidance from Luke just as Luke sought it from Yoda; the conflicted villain, Kylo Ren, pulls a Vader and destroys his evil master; and the remaining Rebels cower in their hidden base from the onslaught of the First Order. But for all the similarities, Episode VIII does change things up in many ways—Finn, the frightened storm trooper, begins to find his courage; Rey puts her trust in an unstable bad guy; and Luke tricks us all by using the Force to project himself onto the battlefield. If you were hoping for the old, familiar Star Wars story, you probably preferred Episode VII, but if you wanted a new twist on a familiar universe, Episode VIII may have been more your style.
The Plots of Star Wars Stories
Plot-wise, Rogue One and Solo were pretty fresh, but they both set about to answer questions that perhaps no one was asking. Rogue One answers, “How did Leia get the plans to the Death Star’s schematics?” That question had never bothered me before, but it does address one issue that had always irked me: why in the world did the Empire make such a big weapon with such a fatal flaw?? It helps me to think that a Rebel-sympathizer planted the weakness on purpose. That’s much more reasonable than wondering if the Imperial engineers were really just that dunderheaded. (Although considering how poorly the stormtroopers aim their blasters, it wouldn’t surprise me.)
Solo answered a lot of unasked questions, too, filling in much of the backstory alluded to in Episodes IV-VI. If you’re the curious sort, maybe you enjoyed finding out how Han made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs or why Lando may have been mad at Han after all those years. Personally, I think the original trilogy included those lines to create an illusion of history rather than to provide fodder for future films. Either way, the plots of all four films were entertaining, familiar or not. But what about the themes?
THE THEMES
The Theme of Self-Doubt
One character-based theme in Episodes VII-VIII is self-doubt. Finn begins with conflict between his training as a stormtrooper and his repugnance for the First Order. Rey seems stable, but her self-doubt surfaces when she considers her origin and apparent insignificance. Kylo Ren is self-doubt embodied as he struggles between his desire to be a bad guy and his soft spot for his parents. Even Luke, the venerable Jedi master himself, is full of self-doubt as he reflects on his failure with Kylo Ren specifically and the “hubris” of the Jedi in general.
So why does this theme permeate the movies? Probably because self-doubt is a relatable and popular theme in modern storylines, so it’s sure to sell. Think of how many Disney-type films feature a protagonist who wants something but doubts they can achieve it until they get the proper encouragement and manage to pull it off. Um…like, all of them. We Americans want to be told that it’s ok to doubt ourselves, so long as we realize we’re awesome in the end, and Disney is all about spreading that message.
The Theme of Good and Evil
And of course there is plenty of script spent on the most Star Wars-y theme of all: good versus evil. But is the message the same? The original trilogy presents a dark and a light side of the Force, and most characters fall definitively on one side or the other, making good and bad pretty distinct. But in my opinion, that’s not the case with the Disney versions. Instead, moral relativism is on display, from minor characters to major ones.
Rogue One shows a rag-tag band of Rebel mercenaries who have done terrible things for the Rebellion—spied, sabotaged, assassinated—all in the name of freedom. They’re conflicted and guilt-ridden, desperate to make it all worthwhile. The whole plotline of Solo is one betrayal after another, showing that it’s every man for himself. In The Last Jedi, Luke Skywalker is hiding from war, relationships, and reality because of his disappointment in himself and the rest of the Jedi. “The legacy of the Jedi is failure, hypocrisy, failure,” he tells Rey. And these are supposed to be the good guys?
The Rise of Relativism
The whole theme is encapsulated by DJ, the double-crossing hacker in The Last Jedi, when he says to Finn, “It’s all machine, partner. Life free; don’t join.” In other words, no matter which side you choose, you’re just one more cog in the same war machine. That feels pretty grim for a saga that was meant to be a classic “good versus evil” space opera. If Disney is trying to show that jaded attitudes and futile efforts are effects of a war-torn system, that’s fine, but it doesn’t feel true to Lucas’s style.
But maybe Disney plans to delineate good and evil in the next film(s). Maybe Disney didn’t mean to promote such a vast grey area between the light and the dark. Sure, and maybe Christopher Nolan didn’t mean for Joker’s philosophy to gain more popularity than Batman’s, but there will always be people who (unwittingly or otherwise) disregard the film’s tone and intent and fasten onto mere content instead. I think we’re in danger of that with the “Live free; don’t join” mentality that Disney is depicting.
IN CONCLUSION
All in all, the stories and themes of Disney’s Star Wars films are entertaining and relatable. There was never much doubt that they would do a good job; after all, they have almost limitless resources. But while they’re entertaining, I’m still waiting for a theme I can really cheer for. As for my take on the characters and effects of these movies, you’ll have to tune in next time. See you then!
Today’s Question: What did you like most about Disney’s Star Wars films? What did you dislike most?
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One Comment on “Disney’s Star Wars: Stories and Themes”
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I enjoyed Episodes VII-VIII and the Star Wars Story movies visually. I mean it’s the CGI that Lucas wished he had from day one. However I think Lucas has better movies content/plot wise in IV-VII for sure. I liked the story of Rogue One Episode VIII. I think Disney has the potential to get it right, but I don’t know if they will. They have to choose whether they want to make a good plot at the risk that non Star Wars people will not care about it or just do things that will attract everyone to see it with Disney themes like you mentioned. That’s probably what will make the true Star Wars fans mad. Because it isn’t cannon worthy. The other themes I didn’t like were, Oops we built another Death Star and Guess who bad guy? (Snoke).