Luminous Beings Are We

Jason Fry celebrates a galaxy of characters in the Star Wars saga in the latest issue's 'A Certain Point of View' feature...

The Star Wars saga is full of elements certain to please audiences, from eye-popping special effects to space-fantasy storytelling that explores ancient themes. But without its marvelous cast of characters and their interactions, those amazing effects and classic stories would fail to connect with the audience.

Our first introduction to the galaxy far, far away came with A New Hope, fourth in the saga, but first in theaters. Episode IV is under-rated as a character movie, with an ensemble of archetypal heroes and villains given some intriguing twists.

Luke Skywalker is the protagonist, a good-hearted but naïve farm boy who carries the audience along with him as he escapes his humdrum life on Tatooine for adventure among the stars. Luke is the character we're encouraged to identify with, for all of us have yearned to escape our mundane existence, or to discover that we have an importance we never guessed at.

Luke's foil is the mercenary gunslinger Han Solo. Han is cynical where Luke is idealistic, claiming to look out for himself above all else. Besides offering a contrasting point of view to Luke's, Han serves as an escape valve for the audience - by raising an eyebrow at mystical talk of the Force, he keeps A New Hope as grounded as space opera can be. Because Han doubts for us, we don't have to suspend our own disbelief.

Then there's Princess Leia Organa, the damsel in distress locked away in a technological castle by an evil warlord. Leia's cry for help is the starting point for Luke's quest, which will make him a hero.

The story of A New Hope is given momentum by the conflict between the three principal characters' different points of view - Luke, Han, and Leia spend a good chunk of the movie arguing and jousting for position. They're supported by other archetypal characters - a wise old sage and mentor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), a loyal sidekick (Chewbacca), and two jesters (C-3PO and R2-D2) - and opposed by Darth Vader, whose black armor and gargoyle mask identify him instantly as the villain. But George Lucas gives these archetypes intriguing twists. Princess Leia is no helpless maiden - she defies Vader, orders her rescuers around, and proves capable of shooting her way out of trouble. Despite his great strength, Chewbacca isn't just muscle - he's a capable star pilot and serves as Han's conscience. Threepio and Artoo offer comic relief, but also rescue the heroes. And the fearsome Vader is actually a slightly pathetic figure in A New Hope - he takes orders from the chilly technocrat Grand Moff Tarkin and is mocked by bureaucrats who dismiss him as a relic of an obsolete religion. It's a heavy fall from being the Chosen One just one film earlier.

You can read the full article in Star Wars Insider #131 (US numbering), on sale now.

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