Star Wars is American Mythology

As I have mentioned before, one of the main things that I really, really appreciate about Star Wars is that, to me, this is nothing short of American mythology. It aspires to the future, yet the coolest aspects of the modern technology on display (and perhaps more importantly, taken largely for granted by the characters themselves, thus giving the technology a more realistic feel) tends to mask the simple themes of the main story line resonate with class Greek mythology.

That combination of the two, with a film/saga that blends a mixture of our society's collective interest of and influence by a seemingly simpler past fused with our collective fascination with modern technology and the future, understandably appealed to people. The genesis of the idea began with George Lucas, of course, but has since continued to expand, until it has reached worldwide popularity, understandably. 

To me, that indeed validates the notion that Star Wars is, quite legitimately, one of the finest examples of mythology to have come out of our modern American society. It is one of the things that, as an American, I take pride in. The imagination that started it was incredible, and yet, there really are no limits to just how far this thing can go.

Yet, all of the great things that make people's imagination fly tends to mask one of the major things that makes Star Wars great: the basic conflicts within ourselves, that pull of good and bad, or the light and dark sides. We feel the conflict within the characters when the movies are done right. We cheer truly heroic feats, especially if we understand that these characters are doing these thing at great risk to themselves, but because they believe in the greater good far more than their own selfish interests. These are issues that all of the worlds great religions and philosophies grapple with.

On that level, it is hard not to recognize it as a certain measure of escapism, of course. However, there are intellectual themes to Star Wars that I think it would be important for more fans to recognize. 

To that end, it seemed worth sharing this rare video of George Lucas speaking with Bill Moyers, which is literally titled "The Mythology of Star Wars:"