Star Wars IV: A New Hope (1977), George Lucas, dir.
25 May 1977
Summary:
Set "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," Star Wars IV: A New Hope, the first film in the critically acclaimed space opera franchise, introduces the audience to a galaxy in the midst of a civil war. In an act of defiance against their oppressors, rebel spies steal the plans for the Galactic Empire's infamous superweapon: The Death Star. As Rebel Diplomat Leia Organa attempts to escape with the plans, her ship is seized by the Empire's leader, Darth Vader. However, Leia is able to stash the plans and a message within the robot R2D2 before shipping the droid and fellow droid, C3PO, off to the desert planet Tatooine.
Luke Skywalker, a farmer on Tatooine, stumbles upon R2D2 and C3PO and accidentally triggers the message, a cry for help meant for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke finds Kenobi living as a hermit on his planet. Kenobi tells Luke of his past history as a Jedi Knight, guardians for the Galactic Republic aided by a mysterious power called The Force. When the galactic republic was overthrown by the Empire, the Jedi, including Luke's father Anakin, were all but wiped out by Darth Vader. Upon viewing Leia's message, Kenobi and Luke, ready to learn the ways of The Force, venture to Alderaan aboard bounty hunters Han Solo and wookie Chewbacca's ship, the Millenium Falcon.
Upon arriving to the planet's location, the crew discovers that Alderaan was destroyed by the Death Star not long before being captured by the Empire. As Luke, Han Solo, and Chewbacca go to rescue Leia, Kenobi is able to disable the device keeping the Millenium Falcon from escaping before having to confront Darth Vader. In order to give the others a chance to escape, Kenobi sacrifices himself to Darth Vader to give the crew time to fly out of the Hangar.
The rebel crew escapes to the Galactic Alliance's base and they devise a plan to destroy the Death Star once and for all. After sustaining heavy losses in the ensuing attack, Luke Skywalker, with the aid of The Force and Kenobi's spirit, are able to successfully shoot the weapon's exhaust port, causing it to explode. Luke, Han Solo, and Chewbacca are awarded medals by Leia, and the movie ends leading to a sequel and an entire film franchise.
Major Theme:
A recurring theme in the film is the superiority of nature over technology. In multiple cases, Skywalker is finds difficulty with a certain task because he is relying too much on the technology in his hands. It is only when he relies on the nature of the Force that he succeeds. When training with his lightsaber, he can only deflect the laser when he closes his eyes and utilizes the force to guide his lightsaber. Additionally, in the climax of the film, Skywalker is only able to destroy the Death Star when he disables his targeting system and uses the force to guide the missile towards the exhaust port.
Author of Entry: Paolo Dumancas