Why Star Wars Is a Reflective Metaphor for Capitalist Fantasy

The film and television industry is a beneficiary of such a degree of monolithic praise and adulation, and has amassed a legacy of fame and pervasiveness for such a time; Long enough to lead to a misconception that it has existed for eternity as the paragon of pleasure that it is. In a relatively brief tenure of eminence in comparison to the grand scheme of the progression of time in the universe, instantaneous classics have been produced, visionary revelations have been conceptualised, and an enshrinement of resplendence and glory has been attributed to the properties residing at a zenith of the gradable echelons of esteem and reverence within the cultural zeitgeist. Each decade has had a contemporary element of the possession of an “era” assigned to it, and in kind, an expansive assortment of pillars have served to define that era. Innovative, trailblazing minds have conceived and submitted creative works that have proceeded to achieve veritable levels of emphatic praise and laudation, and they have frequently been homaged, acknowledged and even emulated by tributaries and plagiarists alike in the years following their initial release.

The thirties were dominated by the works of Charlie Chaplin, the fifties had titles graced by James Dean and Cary Grant, and, among others, the seventies had Star Wars. It was accompanied by a sundry of fantastic competitors that were either already established properties of fascinated allure, like Star Trek-Or other pictures that were breakout revelations in their own right, such as The Godfather, The Exorcist and Alien, that we’re responsible for spawning their own respective franchises. The reputation of the magnificent space opera has been abashed with a blemish here or there in the years following the emergent success of the original trilogy; But the humble beginnings as a relatively tentative prospect from the enlightened mind of the icon who was debuting in his coupled roles as writer-director and producer, George Lucas, coincidentally heralded in a revolution for the conscious recognition of the science fiction genre. Sci-fi was already beloved at the time of the release of Star Wars, but remained somewhat a modest niche-Abstruse, radical and extraordinary, a great deal of the eventual evolution into the incredibly impeccable paradigm it has burgeoned into has been courtesy of the exponential development of Star Wars, and has mirrored it in many ways.

After the availability of the relishing ecstasy of experiencing the climactic conclusion to an almost infallible trilogy of films in 1983, especially for the detrimental hindrances that plagued the production of them, the suffusing laudation of the series matured and rapidly grew a status of being a veteran franchise with legitimately credible laurels to rest on-Even despite the immature releases of the Christmas specials. There were certain deplorable decisions made, that could have desecrated the image of what weren’t episodic instalments to the saga at the time, by creating and exposing frailties within the almost impenetrable integrity of their iconography. As the fateful decade of the 1990s approached, the reverence of the series reached what could be considered its twilight, but the longevity of the appeal of the marvellous machination had been sustained in the hearts, minds and souls of fans through the conductive elements of highly acclaimed expanded lore(in comic books, special releases, merchandise and online discussion forums later). And the unknowingly long-awaited arrival of The Phantom Menace provided the reviving renaissance that brought vibrancy and an entirely new atmospheric ambience about the property-Though not exactly how many fans would have desired.

It was lambasted for the controversial directions it thrusted the saga down the avenues of, both in tonality and literal transpiration; But there were some irrefutable virtues that it, and it’s succeeding releases of Attack of the Clone and Revenge of the Sith possessed. It wasn’t executed as flawlessly as it could have been, but it provided a competent and intricately woven chronicling of the genesis of the monument that was Darth Vader, and retroactively laid some very stable groundwork for what eventually would transpire in the newly-adorned A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. It gave the original trilogy more depth and weight to the already significant gravitas of the more than dysfunctional family ties between the dark lord of the Sith, and his progeny who sought nothing other than to replicate the initiatory period of his father’s career as a young, blossoming Jedi Knight. For whatever reservations have been made explicit about the prequel films, predominantly the removal of the mystique about Vader through the mire of indelicate dialogue and inconsistencies in the continuation, they did prove more than adequately successful to facilitate the exploitative releases of gratuitous merchandise, further broadcasted pictures on the small screen, video games, and much more.

Star Wars was one of the first franchises to really instigate the tremendous clamouring and intensified criticism to the degree that it did. The veritable tension that has pervaded the spheres of fans has been contentious and divisive, even during the best of times. There is a certain toxicity within the fanbase that is juxtaposed only by the very impetus for its existence-The heightened expectations that come as a product of the undying love and adoration for the very principle for the films’ creation. Often they venture into the realms of unrealism; But despite the superficial aesthetic of the reception of the fans suggesting that the love is not unconditional, when the machinations inevitably fail to satisfy the astronomical demands of the fans, they still are unable to resist the perpetual endearment of the concept of the galaxy far far away.

This has culminated in the ambition for the producers and developers of the most recent releases to pander to fans through superfluous fan “service”, in the forms of taking cues from the comics to equip the beloved Darth Maul with a double-bladed lightsaber, both subtle and not so subtle implementations of acknowledgement of the past of the franchise in the references to Darth Vader through Kylo Ren’s misguided fixation upon the precedent set by his grandfather, and the over-embellished and opulent features of replication of all of the hallmark beats of a quintessential story assembled over forty years prior in The Force Awakens(when that film was met with scrutiny over the over-reliance upon the goodwill garnered from the immaculate first film, The Last Jedi took on the onus of placating it through a total subversion of everything the preceding film had constructed to the avail of one of the most hotly debated topics in entertainment history).

The other end of the spectrum of consequences of the rampant fan affection has accommodated the exploitation of all of the positive and compassionate sentiments still angled toward the epitome of extravagance, and commercialist pursuits have taken a great deal of priority. Capitalism’s influence has breached the integrity of a once standout institution, and it has regressed to the mean of every other property in its industry to such an extent, that it has set very adroit templates for the future of the endeavours of its peers. The proliferation of the merchandise and various complementing materials has become so vast and expansive that it is all too easy to fall prey to the overwhelming inundation of the saturation that an agenda comparable to propaganda campaigns. The paradigm has undergone an augmenting shift, and the employed marketing devices that have yielded affluent ramifications for the creators have been impossible to avoid, and difficult to not become affronted by, especially since the acquisition of all Lucasarts properties from the rapidly expanding business titan, that still only seems to grow exponentially as they strive to increase the broadness of their Monopoly over the world-Disney.

Star Wars has now been the custodian of permissions to create ancillary productions set in the same universe as the primary saga, and projecting them to the mainstream, with the cases of the Rogue One and Solo Star Wars stories shrouded under a veil of the intention of granting additional depth and gravity to the overall narrative. Fans still contend with one another over the debatable advantages and disadvantages of the necessity for the expositive exploration into the events of how the rebels sequestrated the plans for the Death Star. Anyone remotely familiar with the progression of A New Hope will be aware of the monumental impact of those escapades, and advocates would argue that it was not only a compelling allegory but an essential one. The opposite argument professes the inconsequentiality of an immersive investment in the characters that actually exacted the actions of the film, as it falls victim to the curse of being a prequel of sorts, and the fate of the significance of the characters later in the saga was already determined.

However, despite the primary driving force behind the manufacturing procedure of the film ostensibly being the gluttony to line the pockets of the executive with another layer, the narrative of a tale visually eulogising the symbolism of the protagonists’ indirect impact on the eventuations that ensued proved sufficient enough to render the project worthwhile financially-Both ambitions were fulfilled enough to warrant another, more excessive and salacious endeavour in the form of Solo. Once again, the proponents of Star Wars will be well versed and beguiled by the mischievous charm of the renegade reprobate. Depraved, but desirable, the scintillating smuggler immediately had an uncanny propensity for captivating audiences and arresting the attention of the entirety of the environment surrounding him. So of course, the only reasonable course of action was to exploit that and visualise all of the implied misadventures he had participated in during his debauched past. Running more or less synchronously with Rogue One, Solo investigated the defining moments for the charismatic lead character, and exposed just what made him tick.

Authoritative figures on account on their enduring influence on his life pervaded the film, and miscellaneous riveting romps occurred, that seemed to be far more gratuitous than those that transpired in Rogue One. Though previously alluded to throughout the course of the original trilogy, the condition of justifiable integrity backing the inclusion of their exposition was far more precarious by comparison to the other Star Wars anthology project. The relative financial disappointment affected the bottom line to the result of the realisation of an implemented alteration in the formulaic structure of the release schedule, and exemplified the hallmark traits of an economical corporate powerhouse. While still a mature and stable franchise, the tone in which they address fans is detectably thoroughly thought through, and sensitivities are considered to such a degree, that an impression of disingenuousness is conveyed toward certain fans. All of the elements that have benefitted and defined the corporation are an astute parallel of what would be a capitalist’s fantasy. The mining of resources, the privilege and luxury that has blessed the associates of the various projects.

It is a veritable fact that this is the path of trajectory that has been developing since the very emergence of the entertainment industry onto the scene. And it will only exponentially intensify, for better or for worse. Star Wars has facilitated the liberty for such capitalisation, but has contributed so much ecstatic escapism for the followers of fascinating fantasy, that they are as good as exempt from any severe castigation or repudiation. While undertaking the burden of the reins of such a behemoth of an icon could easily be considered a thankless task due to the predeceasing pioneers setting the gauntlet of a ludicrously arduous following act and stacking the most hostile odds, it is always an honour and a privilege to have the mere opportunity, and Star Wars has done everything to prove that it will always remain a ubiquitous and resiliently prevalent entity within the world.

It is part of the very fabric of the composition of human character, and while it is not anywhere near perfect, it will persist and persevere through any and all adversity; Much like the systematic institution of Capitalism, attempts at a defiant deposition of that would be futile. It is consistently able to rejuvenate and reinvigorate itself for an audience that needs little coercion into a rekindled bonafide love for the fictional universe. Capitalism and Star Wars; Both have a prestigious past of an entitled eminence, and both promise to sustain that legacy for an enduring tenure of time in the future.