An Appreciation of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW

In 1977, one film blasted audiences into a galaxy far, far away. For two whimsical hours, they beheld the grandiose spectacle of interstellar war, the likes of which had never before been shown with such detailed and eye-popping special effects. From the dusty vistas of desert worlds to the cold halls of a huge planet-destroying space station, a thriving universe full of aliens, rogues, rebels, and robots came to life before everyone's eyes. Fantasy and adventure had rarely ever been animated in such a detailed and brisk manner. Much less with an endearing and memorable cast of characters, brimming with energy and spunk.

Star Wars obliterated the box office that year. It enthralled one generation of film-goers, and their children would enjoy the same adventures with just as much zeal. I was one of those children. The film was simply always there, on TV and VHS tape, to be viewed over and over. It was played in our schools as a treat. I had a mean collection of action figures (ships and all) and Micro Machines. I'd go so far as carrying them to patches of dirt and mud outside to recreate battles, or perhaps the Dagobah scenes from The Empire Strikes Back. As the 90s rolled on, a plethora of new books and video games expanded and deepened the lore in exciting ways, often capturing my imagination. I occasionally bought booster packs for the customizable card game (I still have those cards, they're too awesome to give up). Sharing this fandom with other kids felt like a game that was boundless and never-ending.

Ah, old friends reunited at last...

There are reasons to be cynical about Star Wars today, especially when approaching it as a brand or a franchise. The film itself has changed since 1977, thanks to the much-maligned Special Edition re-releases (there have now been three or so iterations). The prequel and sequel trilogies has fans crying out about bad writing, bad storytelling, and misguided creative decisions (especially regarding characters), and even politics. I can't help but to put a more critical eye on the saga as a whole, and realize that perhaps it's not all above reproach. Perhaps even the original '77 film has its flaws and shortcomings, leaving only The Empire Strikes Back as the one truly perfect film of the series.

And yet, I can't bring myself to hate these film as much as others have. I still feel a twinge of joy watching the prequels and recalling the immense hype of the late 90s. I still admire the Disney-produced round of films, even if only for how they look. As for the original, it remains my favorite of the entire series. There is too much to admire, too much to love, and too much to take away. I could name a dozen or so films that are "better" and invoke stronger thoughts and feelings. And yet, Star Wars (along with its two follow-ups) remains just as important and influential to me.

Wretched Hives of Scum and Villainy

As much praise as I can give to the spirit and wonder of Star Wars, it's not necessarily the whimsical aspects that always attracted me. The film has princesses (and therefore kingdoms), wizards (in the form of Jedi Knights), magic (aka the Force), and some wonderful-looking places (like Yavin IV). But you know what catches my eye more? The filthy-looking spaceships. The dirt-encrusted droids. A bar full of crazy aliens, which includes a humanoid hammerhead shark, bug-eyed green people, and Satan. There are smugglers, bounty hunters, spies, and rogues galore. There are stormtroopers, who basically look like living plastic skeletons. And of course Darth Vader, who's basically a cyborg samurai dressed in black.

It's easy to simply copy and paste world-building from previous works, especially for Star Wars, which bears a strong semblance to a whole history of sci-fi serials like Buck Rodgers or Flash Gordon. They all may share things in common, but they are not alike. Star Wars distinguishes itself for having unique aspects that other films don't have. Not to mention, the unique production design that gives shape and form to every little detail in the frame. Each location has a unique look, feel, and soundscape. Every alien or droid has its own language. It all gives the film and its settings texture, visually and audibly. It happens to be so punchy, gritty, and outlandish that it becomes its own universe. As the various sequels and prequels have proven, there's no limit to what this universe can entail.

It just so happens that most things we see in the original trilogy are pretty awesome things. Aside from the details mentioned above, all of the spaceships in Star Wars look really cool. The Star Destroyers, the X-Wing, the Millennium Falcon, the Tantive IV--these are all ships I love looking at and seeing in action. Same goes for the plethora of aliens, troopers, rebels, droids. They bustle around hangar bays, steely hallways with slick lights, maintenance corridors, and gantries over bottomless pits. In A New Hope, we have the uniquely exciting shots of X-Wings and TIE Fighters rushing down an artificial canyon. Even if something is ugly-looking, it tends to fit the world, and therefore remains interesting to behold.

No no no, dig UP stupid!

The filmmakers went to great lengths to make everything in the film appear lived-in, and it works phenomenally. All the dirt and grit painted onto the costumes, props, and models help sell the world as a place that's old and run-down (and in direct contrast to the prequel trilogy, where most things were new and prosperous, and therefore shiny). No further explanation is necessary--we watch the character use all the tools and technology they have, and we understand how it all works and how these characters live in this universe. Many aspects wind up playing a part in the story or in specific scenes (such as having garbage mashers on the Death Star--it only makes sense a station that big ships and stations would have these facilities for their trash, and it becomes an interesting setpiece for the characters). Watching ships move, land, load, and unload clues us all in on how the basic logistics of this universe works. We never need an explanation for how characters move around, how supplies are shipped, and how armies deploy, we are shown all of this.

There are probably some aspects to this galactic civilization that could have been expanded upon. We never see Coruscant or the Imperial seat of power, much less the Emperor. We don't see any particularly prosperous places (was Alderaan one such place? We'll never know). We don't see much about the economic systems (although it's not much of a stretch to visualize how trading works in this galaxy). Much of this is hardly missed though, because it's all beyond the scope of the story. What matters the most is how the Empire impacts the galaxy, and we see that first-hand as the Empire slaughters many rebels, slays Luke's aunt and uncle, and polices Mos Eisley. They are everywhere, and it is clearly authoritarian in nature. This gives us the reasoning behind the conflict between the rebels and the Empire, and it's what pushes Luke to fight for good.

The beauty of all of this is how it is all shown, and rarely told. What helps is that this was all part of the director's intention. Once George Lucas laid eyes on Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, he was smitten with the cinematic style, which instantly teleported audiences to feudal Japan for a brisk adventure following two peasants, a general, and a princess across enemy territory (sound familiar?). Lucas filmed Star Wars with the intention of recreating the effect of watching a foreign film--to watch it is like watching a film from another galaxy, to the point where all the world-building had to be created and shown on-screen, naturally and organically.

The other thing that helped in all of this is the script.

Where The Fun Begins

Leia demonstrates how to properly set up a Macguffin.

Given the amount of time Lucas spent in drafting and rewriting the script, it feels as though he struggled to find the best balance between showing things and telling things. Some important pieces of exposition remain, and they're not all bad. The following things are explicitly told to us through the script:

• The Force needs to be explained. Obi-Wan provides a brief and concise explanation to Luke, who in turn stands in as the surrogate for the audience to receive this information. Given that no more Jedi exist at this point, this explanation feels warranted in this context.
• The situation with Luke's father needed an explanation. What Obi-Wan tells him isn't necessarily the whole truth, but what he says is still a direct explanation that tells us the backstory--that Darth Vader betrayed and killed Anakin.
• The Imperials have a round-table discussion on the Death Star. Their dialogue establishes that the Galactic Senate is officially dissolved, which is a nice piece of background information (but only necessary in context of the prequels, where the senate is fully shown).
• Sand People walk single-file to hide their numbers. This detail is given to prove that stormtroopers gunned down a sandcrawler and made it look like a Tusken Rader attack.
• In the same scene, Obi-Wan points out that the blaster marks are too precise to be Sand People. I have to call BS on this, knowing how poor stormtrooper aiming actually is.
• There is a moment in which Han explains hastily to Luke how hyperspace works--the navcomputer needs to calculate a route or else they'd collide with random objects in space. Having never flown in space before, Luke needs this spelled out to him. It's clear to me though that this explanation is blurted out to address a question that the audience might have: why do they have to wait to go to hyperspace. In the heat of a chase, it might seem more logical to just throw the switch and leave the system. Han's explanation addresses why this is not an option.
• C-3PO explains to everybody that shutting off a power node will deactivate the tractor beam that's keeping the Falcon in the Death Star hangar bay. This always felt a little out-of-place to me, and it's quite dry to listen to.
• Before the final battle, all the rebel pilots gather and are briefed on what they must exactly do. This establishes the specific method in which they must destroy the Death Star (by running down a trench and shooting a two-meter hole). Just about every Star Wars film has a war briefing scene like this, and even though it might seem like an infodump, I don't think it's particularly bad. Warfighters have mission briefings all the time--they can't go into battle without knowing their objectives and plan of attack. Scenes like this come off as creditable in my view, and they rarely overstay their welcome.

The following aspects are shown to us:

•  The power of the Force. Obi-Wan explains what it is, but says nothing about the extent of what a Jedi is capable of. 
• Darth Vader demonstrates the Dark Side by choking some rebels and Admiral Motti. 
• Luke demonstrates a beginner's level of Force use by blocking a remote's shots with a lightsaber while blind. 
• Obi-Wan uses Jedi mind tricks on stormtroopers at least twice. 
• The whole time on the Death Star, he and Vader sense each other and are inevitably drawn into a duel. 
• By the film's end, Obi-Wan "becomes more powerful" than anyone can possibly imagine, and we hear his ghostly voice at key moments. This, in turn, convinces Luke to use the Force, rather than his targeting computer, to deliver the winning shot against the Death Star.
• Imperial oppression may be hinted at with certain pieces of dialogue, but it's also shown through what Imperials actually do in the film.
• The opening scenes show plenty as it is with faceless stormtroopers gunning down rebels (who, in fact, have their faces shown on-screen, so we see their expressions of fear and anxiety). This is followed-up with Vader himself marching over the bodies and casually killing a rebel.
• Stormtroopers combing the desert and the towns, performing door-to-door searches, screening landspeeders, and searching the cantina.
• Alien informants spying on Han, Luke and the gang and reporting them to stormtoopers, who then open fire on the Falcon as it leaves.
• Perhaps the biggest and most important scene is the one where Luke finds the homestead in a charred ruin, his aunt and uncle slain.
• Leia is imprisoned, interrogated, a droid comes at her with a needle, and she's ultimately coerced with the threat of violence against her people.
• Tarkin destroys Alderaan, despite Leia giving into his interrogation (granted, she gave them bad intel). A thousand voices cried out in terror, then silenced. It doesn't get more sobering than that.
• The Death Star itself is explicitly described as an instrument of terror, which serves to "keep the local systems in line." Ruling through fear is a form of tyranny, and the Tarkin doctrine is likely inspired by the way Nazis were organized during WWII (where, like the Imperials, officers would fight each other for power rather than actually work together).
• It is never entirely shown in these films, but I know through other media that the Empire is intolerant towards alien races. I suppose we see that briefly when Chewbaca is referred to as a "thing." If nothing else though, you can see plainly that every Imperial officer is a white male human.
• These aspects are further explored in some of the books and media of the Expanded Universe. Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the most celebrated characters precisely because he breaks the mold as the sole alien officer in the Empire. Admiral Dalaa is the only female officer I'm aware of, but while the events of the movies occurred she spent her time stationed in a remote sector, far away from the Emperor's scrutiny.
•  Perhaps the most important aspect is characterization.
• Luke Skywalker is presented to us as a young blonde dude in white, looking no different than any number of classical heroes from Achilles to Flash Gordon. As we watch his daily routine at the farm, we can see that he's peppy and yearns for some action, but is held back by his duties and the onslaught of menial chores his aunt and uncle unload on him. This sets up the core conflict--Luke wants to leave Tatooine, but can't. Not until external forces cause him to move by necessity (this, in turn, becomes the call to adventure). With wide-eyed wonder and enthusiasm, Luke gallivants from scene to scene learning about the Force, fighting for the Rebellion, and ultimately saving the day. This becomes a fulfilling adventure for both the hero and the audience. By the end, he even grows from being an insignificant farm boy to a character of power. All of this is expressed through the scenes, thanks to the dialogue (including all his whining), Mark Hamill's performance, and the action.
• Darth Vader just looks evil. You can tell from the moment he walks onto the Tantive IV that he's the bad guy, courtesy of the black costume and the dramatic music cue. The sound of his breathing adds a level of menace to all his scenes, and perhaps a level of mystery as we wonder how this guy became so damaged that he needs life support all the time. Without an expression (thanks to the mask), he retains a level of mystery, but we hear his angst in his voice at certain scenes. Regardless of what we know from other films, Vader is shown at the height of his villainy, to the point where he comes off as rather one-note. For this film, that's just fine--we see enough to paint him as a bad guy we love to hate.
• Han Solo's first appearance exudes confidence, if not outright arrogance. Some brief dialogue hints at trouble with gangsters, but when he runs into Greedo he shows ruthlessness and stoicism. The while time, there's a certain tough-guy swagger as he turns his back on Greedo's body and flips a coin to the bartender.
• I've read my fair share of complaints over how the shoot-out's alteration changed this characterization. It's something I would have never given any thought to if it wasn't pointed out. Frankly, I think the point remains the same regardless of who shot first--Han kills Greedo all the same and proves that he's capable of getting his hands dirty. What many viewers liked in the original is that he simply shot the green dude without precedent--we all knew Geedo would shoot anyway, so we don't hold it against Han for committing preemptive murder. What fans loved is that this showed an even colder ruthlessness. Perhaps it goes to show that it only takes a matter of seconds to change a character from a stone cold killer to someone more passive (because I guess the altered scene makes it more like an act of self-defense--how could Geedo be such a bad shot anyway?).
• What I admire about Han is the arc he goes through by the film's end. You can tell throughout the film that his reward is all he cares about once all is said and done. Once they all land of Yavin, he collects and takes off, expressing indifference towards Luke, Leia, and the Rebellion. This is all within character, but you can see some level of conflict through Han's face and the way Chewbaca challenges him. All of this winds up becoming a setup for the film's final deus ex machina--the moment in which Han shows up in the final battle and saves Luke. It's very much against his character, but what we take away is that his conscience and his attachment to the team drew him back. Thus, Han transforms from a cold anti-hero into...well, a better anti-hero.
• Princess Leia easily captures everyone's imagination with the cool way she stands her ground against stormtroopers and snaps back at Tarkin. Her urgent commands and banter gives her attitude, which is admirable in the way she shows strength and toughness. I gotta say though, it does come off as incredibly spiteful at times, what with her calling Luke short, Chewie a "walking carpet," criticizing the Falcon, criticizing most of Han's decisions and even his personality, among other things. She whines...just like Luke actually. Like brother like sister, I guess, Jeez. But at least she seems to lighten up by the film's end when they're all on Yavin.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi is hinted at as some kind of crazy old man. When we finally see him, he's basically the film's equivalent to Gandalf, in the sense that he's a wizard, he's wise and knows things, and he has a certain good-natured eccentricity. Obi-Wan shows his skill with the Force at quite a few key moments, but he also shows a lot of practical knowledge as he talks about the lay of the land, the nature of Sand People, and gives advise to Luke. He is very on-point in fulfilling the archetype of a mentor and a wise old man.
• Chewbaca is a rather one-dimensional character with no speaking lines, just lots of growling. He does become an endearing sidekick thanks to the loyalty he shows to Han (a lifelong chemistry that's now been established in Solo). What helps too is that Chewie shows immense strength in the heat of battle, and he shows humor and personality when interacting with other characters.
• The two droids. Hell, all the droids. In any other film, a droid would be cold, emotionless, and expressionless, because why would a machine have a consciousness? Star Wars negates this issue completely by treating all its droid characters as sentient beings on the same level as all the aliens and humans. Thus, even though R2-D2 and C-3PO have no moving facial expressions, they still show personality that we can grow attached to. C-3PO has the obvious advantage with his body language and constant yammering. R2, however, always impressed me with the way he plays off of C-3PO. R2 shows his belligerence as he argues and always tries to do his own thing. He also shows initiative and agency. At times, humor too. This is mighty impressive for a machine that's simply a cylinder on wheels.
•  Pieces of world-building.
• C-3PO fusses around and makes a random statement "we'll be sent to the spice mines of Kessel!" We actually see Kessel in Solo, but back in 1977, audiences could only imagine what a "spice mine" on an alien planet would be like. Name-dropping places like this helped drive home the idea that the galaxy is huge and full of varying worlds. In the course of the movie we're also clued in on places like Dantooine. The screen-test dialogue for Luke described Sulust, which is a place used in Return of the Jedi. 
• The dialogue often references past events, including the Clone Wars (name-dropped just once or twice), and the Jedi Purge (first described by Obi-Wan, pegging Vader's involvement in it, then again in an exchange between Vader and Tarkin). It's never explained in great detail, but these references reach beyond the scope of the movie's conflict to establish history in an organic way.

Nobody Talks Like This!

With a rebel yell, Han shoots more, more, more.

Despite all the strengths I can see in the script, I can't help but to recall the behind-the-scenes footage in which Mark Hamill describes his first screen-test as Luke. While reading the lines, his first reaction to the dialogue was confusion, because in his words, "nobody talks like this!"

He's not wrong. Dialogue in Star Wars is strange, to the point where it's easy to mock. Part of the issue may be because of how much of it is used to relay information. It's not like there's a whole lot of infodumping, but there are some occasional oddball lines where exposition is disguised in character voice. One example:

"Traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy! Without precise calculations we could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova and that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"

In some cases, it's just the word choices being weird or the lines themselves being overly-structured. It comes close to looking like purple prose. Examples:

If there's a bright center to the universe, you're on the planet that it's farthest from."

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."

"Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe that there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything. 'Cause no mystical energy field controls my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."

"I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on-board!"

"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

The weird thing is, I wouldn't ask for any of these lines to be changed. They may be unrealistic, but they fit the tone and context of the film, to the point of adding to the camp. It's probably an intentional choice, but for these movies it's creditable. Not every story, especially fantasies, need gravitas all the time.

What is admirable is that these lines still avoid the trap of telling too much, because they are given in character voice to express an idea in a different way. Luke's line about being on the "planet farthest from" is his way of saying Tatooine is a backwater planet. It has the added effect of carrying his attitude, emphasizing that it is a sh*thole. Other lines have the same effect of having more than one purpose, and that's what makes the writing effective.

Steps Into a Larger World

Adventure is calling...

As it is often reported, Star Wars follows the pattern of the hero's journey as closely as a Mynok on a power coupling. The hero's journey is also known as the monomyth. This was all chronicled in Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces, which Lucas himself would have read and drawn inspiration from. Upon doing so, Lucas invoked a common structure that's familiar in many legends and myths from all over the world.

This is not a structure I studied particularly thoroughly. Truth is, I find that story structure might be one of my weak spots. But I don't think it's too hard to see how and why it works. Looking at the basic diagram, which shows a circle looping back on itself, I can't help but to think of the classic "there and back again" formula that made Tolkien's stories timeless. But Luke Skywalker doesn't exactly go "there and back again," given that he doesn't return to Tatooine when the journey is completed. He does grow though, and by Return of the Jedi he assuredly achieves the last step of the monomyth, which is the "freedom to live."

Taking a cursory glance at the hero's journey table, I feel as though a lot of pieces don't fit quite as smoothly into A New Hope's story. A meeting with a goddess? Apothesis? Do these really happen? However, the monomyth structure has its variants, and Star Wars seems to fit smoother with Christopher Vogler's interpretation. Using his table, I can see how the story fits in the following way:

Departure (or Separation)

1. Call to adventure--adventure comes to Luke in the form of droids, and R2 plays him a piece of Leia's message to Obi-Wan. Of course, Luke is intrigued, if not outright smitten by Leia's image.
2. Refusal of the call--Luke's farm duties keep him tethered in place, and he initially refuses to find Obi-Wan. R2 takes it upon himself to leave.
3. Supernatural aid--Obi-Wan appears and serves as the mentor, who introduces Luke to the Force and a brief history of Luke's father. They are all made aware of the Rebellion's need for help, but Luke refuses the call here too, citing his obligations to the farm. Only when the farm is blasted does he have nowhere left to turn to.
4. Crossing the threshold--they all go to Mos Eisley.

Initiation

1. Tests, allies, enemies--even though things seem to be going well with Luke and Obi-Wan hooking up with Han, they all fall under fire from stormtroopers, then they're chased by Star Destroyers.
2. Approach to the innermost cave--the Millennium Falcon is captured and pulled into the Death Star. In a way, it actually looks like it's taken into a cave, only it's really a hangar. 
3. Ordeal--Luke and Han rescue Leia, they all have to fight stormtroopers.
4. Reward--to escape the trash compactor, they all work together and achieve their escape.

Return

1. The road back--Obi-Wan sacrifices himself so that the others can escape, and they do. They all assemble at Yavin and prepare for battle.
2. The resurrection--while the rebels attack the Death Star, Luke hears Obi-Wan's voice and he uses the Force to fire his torpedoes. It works.
3. Return with the elixir--the rebels win, everybody gets medals (except Chewbaca, wtf?).

It's also worth noting that all of this still fits within the traditional three-act formula, where there's exposition, rising action, a climax, then falling action. I've also heard it said that most movies can be split into quarters--by the first quarter, the inciting incident should have happened (this could be when Luke leaves the farm and enters Mos Eisley), by the halfway point the heroes' plan fails and they have to regroup and come up with a new plan (in this case, Alderaan is destroyed and everybody is captured), the third quarter is everything leading up to the climax, then the last quarter is the climax and resolution. Star Wars fits all these patterns pretty comfortably.

One other way of looking at it (and it's implicit to the mononmyth) is that most stories are about taking a character out of the normal world and pushing them into a different world. This happens to Luke quite literally.

Saved By The Edit

You hear that? The editor just cut the original opening. This is madness!

 Maybe you've heard this before, or maybe you haven't, but it has been said that Star Wars was saved in the edit. The initial cut of the movie was radically different than the final product, because it was edited in the same traditional manner as many other movies of the time. The result was a slower pace and an unengaging story. It took the efforts of editors Paul Hirsch, Richard Chew, and Marcia Griffin (who later married Lucas) to rectify the film's shortcomings.

To achieve the optimal pacing and reactions, the film used a few creative techniques, to include running some scenes in reverse (good example being that shot of the Tusken Raider pumping his staff in the air). The editors were selective in certain shots (horrid-looking close-ups of Luke in the landspeeder were ditched in favor of the long tracking shots, with dialogue dubbed over it). This extends to the way the film opens--there is a deleted opening that shows Luke bumming around his moisture farm and seeing the space battle from the ground--this segues into scenes with his buddies at Toche Station. While the chemistry he has with his friends pays off a little in the final battle, these scenes had the adverse effect of getting in the way--in the final film, Luke is introduced a good fifteen minutes later, in a way that's organic and revealing, leaving only the exciting battle scenes for the opening shots.

What helped the film the most, however, were the decisions that affected the arrangement of scenes later on. Many of the Death Star scenes that show Vader and the Grand Moffs talking were originally arranged at rather random spots, which disrupted the pacing and the way information was relayed to audiences. In the final cut, many of the Imperial scenes are arranged in closer proximity, as are other select scenes, which improved the flow substantially and changed the way information, threat, characterization, and reveals occurred.

What I find most impressive is that the film was not originally scripted to have the Death Star target Yavin during the final battle. All it took was a collection of shots of Leia and Tarkin in their respective locations, with voice-overs playing over the footage. Some shots were even recycled from previous scenes. These changes added a time constraint to the scene--the rebels had to win or else they'd lose their base and all hope of winning the war. Without that time constraint, I can't imagine the battle having nearly as much tension as it does now. On top of that, the nature of the battle characterizes the rebels in different ways--if they flew in and attacked the Death Star unprovoked, they'd basically be terrorists. In the final film, the Imperials come off as more tyrannical, and the rebels are merely defending themselves (in addition to fighting for the greater good).

It also had the rebel fighters performing multiple runs in the trench and failing before Luke lands the final shots (and even then, Luke does the run twice). It was originally repetitive, whereas in the final film there's only one failed attempt--it's all that's needed to convey the idea and set Luke up for success.

There are many other small fixes, and they are covered extensively in a Youtube video essay entitled "How Star Wars Was Saved in the Edit." Suffice to say, even though the actors and director pulled their weight admirably, the editors shaped their work into something polished and complete.

Perfect Imperfection

But will they ALL stay on target?

How does one achieve perfection in anything? There are many pieces of art (including films) that many have hailed as perfect masterpieces, but to me they often come off as droll, stiff, and lifeless precisely because they are so perfect. Sometimes a thing can be so perfect it's actually boring. This doesn't happen with the A New Hope. The experience and story is on-point, and yet it maintains a sense of spirit that makes it perfect entertainment. This is achieved not because the film is perfect, but because there's a certain level of imperfection that keeps it low-key.

You can see through the shooting and editing how imperfect the film can be. Some scenes feel like they're chopped short. You can tell where some shots are reversed. If you have really good eyes, you can probably tell where some scenes are recycled, and where the dialogue is dubbed over scenes that had a different intention originally. Combine that with a few obvious bloopers (such as the famous stormtrooper who bangs his helmet against a door), and the low-fi nature of the special effects, the film always felt rough around the edges. By comparison, The Empire Strikes Back has a lot more polish, to the point where I can't fault it for any specific thing. But I appreciate A New Hope the most of all the Star Wars films precisely because of its imperfections.

Part of the reason is the pop and zest such imperfections add to the flavor of the film. It's not exactly easy to describe, but you can see it in the campy dialogue, the over-enthusiastic acting, the goofiness of the stormtroopers, the goofiness of the droids and aliens, and even the occasional blooper. It is one goofy movie, but it fits the spirit of adventure so well because it's all snappy, energetic, and it fills the characters with personality and humor. Combine this with the few truly emotional moments (such as the binary sunset scene), and it becomes a complete, fulfilling experience.

Much of the camp is clearly intentional, given the hilarious moments where Han trolls a guy on the intercom, stormtroopers bumble around blast doors, R2 and 3PO always fight, and the love triangle that happens between Luke Han and Leia. These gags emerge from each character's situation, and what makes them funny is that these gags are the characters' natural reactions that fit their given personalities. As goofy as these scenes can be, they never feel forced or unnatural.

On top of all that, the practical and special effects are purposefully made imperfect to provide a rough, lived-in feel. It was Lucas' intent to deviate from the traditional view of science fiction, where settings were always sleek and clean. Star Wars presents a layer of grit and sleaze that illustrates a worn-down universe under the tyranny of the Empire. None of this could have worked if every set and model was perfectly designed and implemented. In my eyes, the movie is perfect precisely because of its imperfections, even the unintentional.

The Force Will Be With You

Despite my praise for the film being imperfect, there are a few imperfections that I do find a little disagreeable.

• Much of the first act focuses on R2 and 3PO splitting ways, then coming back together in a sandcrawler. This happens in all of ten minutes. What is the point, even? Both could have been captured by the Jawas all in one scene--the time they are apart is so fleeting I don't think it even matters. I suspect this is simply carried over from the plot structure of The Hidden Fortress, where two peasants go through the same motions. That separation happens for a much more important purpose--to situate the characters in the middle of a battle and show why they have to stick together--whereas the two droids already survived a battle and have no reason to separate (other than C-3PO being a jerk). This could have all been written differently.
• After the Millennium Falcon escapes the Death Star and blows up the four TIE fighters, you can see out its cockpit that they're all just kinda floating in space. Shouldn't they be in hyperspace zooming towards Yavin? Why was that never even changed in the SE cuts? Or were they so close to Yavin that they could get there at sublight speed? If so, that seems overly convenient.
• As mentioned above, some dialogue comes off as unnatural-sounding. I think it's at its worst when the characters spout it out really fast. This happens with the following lines:
• "Commander, tear this ship apart until you find those plans! And bring me all passengers, I want them alive!" All of this just sounds like "RAH RAH RAH RAH" to my ears.
• "Don't call me a mindless philosopher, you overweight glob of grease!" This is a mouthful to retort with within a few seconds in a middle of a battle. Other lines, like "You watch your language!" manage to relay similar characterizations in much shorter time and with less purple prose.
• The whole "traveling through hyperspace ain't like dusting crops, boy!" spiel.
• "I'm Luke Skywalker. I'm here to rescue you." Whoa whoa whoa slow down there tiger, who are you again?

And that's it really, unless you count any Special Edition changes (seriously, eff that Jabba the Hutt scene).

And Chewie gets a medal too right? RIGHT?!

Even after forty-two years, the legacy of Star Wars persists across a huge footprint of media, including a dozen films now. As an experience, an influence, and a piece of pop culture, the film has always been an essential piece of adventure fiction and fantasy. It embodies escapism, whimsy, action, magic, and more. It does so with flair, immersion, and color. There is much to admire in the craft of the film, the script, and the story, to the point where it always comes up in writing circles I've been in. To this day, the film remains an endearing favorite and a classic. While fans everywhere seem to become more  and more jaded thanks to the expanded lore of the prequel and sequel trilogy, I tend to think that the magic and wonder of the original persists and can still be enjoyed on its own merits.

Perhaps there is still a goofy ten-year-old kid in me that looks up to the film and marvels at all the high-speed action, spaceships, the wonder of strange worlds, and the power of the Force. It will be with us, always.