Star Wars: The force that transformed a life time

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a story was created that changed not only fiction but the people of our world, as well. 

“Star Wars” is a running saga that has been alive for nearly 49 years. It is beloved by its fanbase and known even to those who have never laid their eyes upon it. 

It is a story filled with drama, action, politics, beliefs and never-ending possibilities, where the limit is only fans’ imagination. 

The saga was created by George Lucas with the first movie, “Star Wars: A New Hope,” released in 1977. The original trilogy created an opening for a new era in fiction. 

John Trevino, a UTRGV theatre lecturer, said “Star Wars” changed the way a story could be told, even with a story that was out of this world. 

“It showed you there is no bounds,” Trevino said. “… They broke all the rules with that.”

He said Lucas made the story with Joseph Campbell’s book, “The Hero’s Journey,” in mind, helping make the story universal, with a sci-fi twist. 

“So, people can relate to that,” Trevino said. “It’s not so much the lightsabers and the guns and the spaceships; it’s the actual story.”

He said every story needs a beginning, middle, end, character, location, a problem and solution, adding “Star Wars” is one of the few that did it perfectly.

This feeling of relatability can even bring people together, according to the lecturer. Trevino added people meet in parks, have “Star Wars”-themed weddings, cosplay and some even created languages.

He said the saga continued to unify the community through diversity.

“You don’t have to be a guy,” the lecturer said. “You don’t have to be a boy. You don’t have to be a white kid. You can be anybody you want, and you can still be a Jedi. … That makes it universal, so everybody can like Star Wars.”

The story has never been just a story, but a life lesson, as well. Trevino said, for those in the Rio Grande Valley, it can even mean a real connection.

“This guy, [Anakin Skywalker], all he wanted to do was get out,” he said. “And you hear a lot of people, ‘I want to get out of the Valley. I don’t want to live in the Valley.’ That’s what this whole guy’s dream was. To get off his space farm … out in the desert and change the world. And the guy did it.”

Leonardo Delgado, a UTRGV cyber security senior, said his dad introduced him to the saga when he was 5 years old.

“At first, it was just a cool action story but, then, it turned out to be a bunch of multiple stories that you can actually connect with,” Delgado said. 

He said it could teach people how to control their own emotions.

“It has a lot of lessons that people can actually learn from,” Delgado said. “Like, not to let your anger get the best of you. Always find someone to actually talk with so you can actually not go into negative feelings. And just enjoy your life.”

Osiel Garcia, a mass communication sophomore, said he only recently started watching “Star Wars” but has grown a connection to it.

“From what I heard, it was really something special when it came out, and it’s still something special to this day,” Garcia said. “…  It just gave people something to come together.”

He said the movies really showed what a piece of cinema could create.

“It kind of shows people that, even if it’s something that you think is only for children or something, it can be something great and beautiful that can affect everybody, and not just what you think it’s gonna affect,” Garcia said.

Trevino added “Star Wars” shows how the viewer can do “anything as long as you want to do it and just don’t believe anybody telling you to stop.”

The saga can even be seen through a political stand point, the lecturer said, adding it even took influence from the Vietnam War. 

“When you see the prequels, you can see that it’s all government,” he said. “… It was a democracy and, then, they turned it into a [monarchy] with the Palpatine guy to where he’s the one now in charge of everything.”

Alejandro Chavez, a Comic Cave employee, located inside Sunrise Mall in Brownsville, said “Star Wars” can still be seen as a relevant topic.

“I think that we can take a lot from the politics in the movies and apply them to what’s going on right now,” Chavez said.

It was not just the story that caused an effect but how it opened the door for other pieces of fiction to thrive, according to Trevino.

“These epic movies like that, whether fantasy or sci-fi, would not be around if it wasn’t for ‘Star Wars,’” he said. “… But it’s crazy being able to reference [and] say ‘Oh, it’s like “Star Wars.”’ It changed the whole game.”

Garcia said it is crazy how the original movies were made.

“Like now, we have all the CGI and everything,” he said. “So, it was pretty special because they made something groundbreaking.”

Chavez said he believes the saga has one of the biggest influences on sci-fi.

“I mean there’s Star Wars references everywhere,” he said, adding customers ask about “Star Wars” at least five times a day. “The lightsabers are one of the most popular things of, like, all media. And I think its impact is gonna be felt forever.”