Mistaken Genre: Science Fiction What It Actually Is: Fantasy/Spaghetti Western One of the most iconic movie trilogies of all-time (let's just ignore the existence of the prequels for the time being), George Lucas's saga takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away. Throughout all three movies, the main characters journey from planet to planet by spaceship, encountering alien life forms, and other tropes that are typically found in science fiction movies. But classifying the trilogy as a sci-fi story is a gross misunderstanding of what the movie is actually about, while also ignoring Lucass visual and thematic influences. Lucas modeled Star Wars after the spaghetti westerns" he watched when he was younger. Most of these films follow a similar format: a wandering hero enters a town that's being ruled by a rival gang and, through the use of cunning guile, the hero would find a way to overcome the odds, defeat the evil-doers and liberate the town. In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is the hero. Darth Vader's imperial empire is the gang and the galaxy is the town that needs liberation. Luke's home planet of Tatooine has a barren, dessert-themed aesthetic similar to the towns found in spaghetti westerns. Princess Leia, at least initially, is the damsel in distress. Obi-Wan is the old sheriff who once ran the town before the Empire took over. Han Solo is the wild card in this scenario, though who can argue with the fact that he acts like a rogue cowboy? Additionally, despite the occasional reference to traveling at light speed, there isn't a whole lot of "science" to be found in the trilogy's fiction. With its fantastic worlds and characters, and its larger themes of good versus evil, the Star Wars trilogy also functions as a fantasy epic, akin to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Like other fantasy epics, Star Wars follows the emotional journey and arc of its protagonist, Luke, who evolves from a young, naive teen wanting to avenge the death of his father, into a powerfully sage-like "Jedi. Like this list? Let us know in the comments section below.
Mark is a professional writer living in Brooklyn and is the founder of the Chasing Amazing Blog, which documents his quest to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the Superior Spider-Talk podcast. He also pens the "Gimmick or Good?" column at Comics Should Be Good blog.
