The Science (Fiction) of Star Wars

Posted December 29, 2015

One is an academic. The other is an author. Lisa Yaszek, (professor) and Kathleen Ann Goonan (award-winning novelist and professor of the practice, both in the Ivan Allen College School of Literature, Media, and Communication, team up to explain science fiction and Star Wars. They discuss the appeal of the series, why the original was such a success, and how the franchise defined the roles of men and women.

Kathy Goonan: What was the original so successful?

It was the stories. Twins separated at birth. A son who has lost his father. A father redeemed at the end. The original trilogy focused on ancient tales with the depth and power of myth, and was resonant with their energy. But Star Wars began with a weirdly compelling twist: it happened a long time ago in a different galaxy – implying that these myths are universal, and evolve in all settings, perhaps many times over. It’s a science fictional fairy tale. Something for everyone.

Before Star Wars came along, science fiction at the movies mostly meant monsters or aliens. But 1977 changed everything, and the film became the first science fiction story to become a major movie franchise. George Lucas made it really easy to understand our genre: you just had to go to the theater. Suddenly print science fiction wasn’t as compelling.

Lisa Yaszek: What are your main takeaways from the series?

It was a movie that made room for women as heroes. Princess Leia has moments of real strength. She’s the leader of a rebellion and can smart talk her way around any of the characters. I remember how much that appealed to me as a kid. I could find, as a girl, a place for myself in the future. I didn’t always see that in science fiction.

Also, these are stories about how you turn men into weapons. Anakin Skywalker starts as a good guy. By the end, he’s a horrible weapon that takes out everything. We’re now in an era of very serious global wars. We increasingly understand that soldiers who experience war come home transformed and different, and that it can be hard for them to stop being a weapon or a soldier and become “human” again. Star Wars explored these themes with Darth Vader and even Luke Skywalker, who loses an arm, gains a cyborg arm, starts dressing in black, and has to make tough decisions while being conditioned by his life as a warrior.