George Lucas is Very Wise

Star Wars: A New Hope’s opening scene begins not by introducing a hero, but on a rebel ship in space. George Lucas makes a bold decision by bringing the viewers into an unknown world right away with a chaotic scene full of many unfamiliar characters. What movie doesn’t start with the main character? Instead we find ourselves watching 2-3 side characters navigate a battle scene with only miniscule context. 15 minutes pass before Luke Skywalker even shows up on screen. George Lucas’ method of beginning the hero’s journey makes the call to adventure much more thrilling and gives perspective on the world of Star Wars.

First of all, George Lucas has a great task of explaining the vast world of Star Wars to the audience. This can’t all be done with yellow text in the beginning. This is why George Lucas starts the movie with a disorderly fight scene rather than a calm setting on Tatooine. It gives more context to the ongoing war between the rebels and the Galactic Empire. When we finally see Luke Skywalker, we are able to understand the humble beginnings that he is coming from with a broader perspective with what is happening in the world at that moment. Furthermore, more excitement is granted to the viewers when an opportunity is introduced to Luke and he is able to leave his home planet to fight against the Galactic Empire and save Princess Leia. 

When the droids leave the rebel ship and escape to the planet of Tatooine, the audience is given a direct comparison between the deranged dangerousness of space and the relaxed life on the desert planet. As soon as they land on the planet, the setting shown to the viewer is complete desert and it’s shown as a struggle to find human civilization. This planet is so different from what the droids are used to that they aren’t even sure what to do next and start arguing with each other. Comparing chaotic to calm gives a deeper perspective to the audience of how different Luke’s life is after he crosses the first threshold.

All in preparation of the introduction of the main character Luke Skywalker, the beginning of this film is carefully crafted by George Lucas to immerse the audience in his world. Starting the movie with an intense battle scene not only acts as a hook to draw in attention, but also briefs viewers with an introduction to a crazy world and gives a prospective comparison of the outside world to Luke Skywalker’s home. It’s super hard to introduce the audience to a really unhinged world, but George Lucas eases the confusion by making the beginning of the movie drawing, yet easy to interpret: all without displaying the main character.

Comments

  1. HectorSeptember 20, 2024 at 9:13 AM

    great analysis of the first battle scene. Although I agree it works great as a first scene, I feel like the yellow text being before the scene makes it so that that scene isn't exactly a "hook". But overall this is very insightful, there were many points that I didn't think of before.

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  2. Hannah SongOctober 13, 2024 at 12:31 PM

    This is an interesting take-- but I agree with most of your points. Since I hadn't watched Star Wars in ages, I was pretty confused by the first 10 minutes of the film since I didn't really know what was going on. But I do think the first battle scene does a good job of setting up the world-building and giving the viewer time to get comfortable with the world of Star Wars-- it gives the introduction of the main character more context.

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  3. Larissa DolcosOctober 16, 2024 at 7:25 AM

    Great analysis, Tristen. I particularly liked your explanation of the droids arguing as being a representation of Luke going from calm to chaos. It definitely showed a significant contrast. The first 10 minutes of the film threw me off, but this gave me a better understanding of the importance of such a unique approach to the call to adventure.

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  4. leoOctober 16, 2024 at 7:29 AM

    This is a compelling idea. It's impressive that you can see something like a seemingly arbitrary fight scene to providing context for later parts in the movie. I think this provides a good amount of information to the worldbuilding aspect of the Star Wars universe, like you say, but I feel like this "overrides" the purpose of the yellow text at the beginning. Are both parts really necessary, or is there another motive for either?

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  5. Frank HechlerOctober 16, 2024 at 7:37 AM

    Great blog! I hadn't appreciated the importance and uniqueness of the beginning of Star Wars, and now I see how starting the film with a battle scene in space juxtaposed with the next scenes with tatooine provide a stark contrast for the viewer, eased them into the strange world of star wars, and distinguishes clearly the known and unknown in the hero's journey. I think your right that the contrast of luke's life on tatooine and the battles elsewhere in the galaxy make the quest more exciting to watch as luke goes to a completely different world

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  6. Jane McCumberOctober 16, 2024 at 12:39 PM

    I agree with your take, it wasn't something I had really thought about. Watching the movie I was just taking it piece by piece, but you're totally right in how it plays into the understanding of the film later on. How would the movie be affected by a more traditional peaceful start up compared to it's current fast paced start?

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