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The simple joy of Star Wars
Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope
Writer: George Lucas
Director: George Lucas
Star Wars took over the world in 1977. This, we know. There are a multitude of reasons why, most of them centered around the universal themes presented in this modern myth connecting to the subconsciousness of us all. Yep. Yep. It’s true. All of it. But um…erm…also, you know, it was fun. Star Wars is really fun. There are big lessons that lead to important choices and actions, but never underestimate the value of joy. Sometimes, you want to stand up and cheer.
Enter Han Solo.
Or rather…Han Solo returned.
With Luke Skywalker racing toward the Death Star’s exposed exhaust port and Darth Vader bearing down on him, Han Solo and the Mighty Chewbacca return to take out the TIE fighters flanking Vader and send the Dark Lord spinning out of control with the best “what?” ever uttered on film. With a mighty rebel yell, Solo and Chewbacca have cleared the way for Luke to fire the fateful shot that destroys the Death Star. The day has been saved, medals for everyone. (Not for you, though, Chewbacca. At least not on film.) There was more to Han Solo than money.
Which means, of course, there is depth to this scene. There always is. Han Solo’s story leads to or tracks back to this moment. It’s as if Han’s life is divided into two parts. The bumpy road of a young smuggler who was invested in individuals, but never wanted to belong to something other than himself, and the Han that knew deep down what he always feared—he’s a good guy. He knows he came back to save the day just as much as anyone and he can’t escape it, no matter how much he tries. It’s the constant push and pull of his character that runs up until the very end of his life. It’s no small detail that once Lucas realized he could keep telling his story on screen in Episode V, the first thing he, Lawrence Kasdan, and company have Han Solo do is run away. There was still much for him to learn, but he always comes back and no return bigger than this moment. The impact of his return here flows from the depth that proceeds it, yet it will always be celebrated for the exhilarating joy it brings. As it should be. It’s earned and that makes it a special kind of Star Wars joy you wish you could relive all over again.
Though, in a way, you can…
In 2013, makeup and special-effects artist William Forsche uploaded to YouTube an audio recording that he had made as a thirteen-year-old during his second viewing of A New Hope in 1977. While we should not normally encourage the unauthorized recordings of movies, audio or otherwise, we’ll check on the statute of limitations for him, Forsche’s recording serves as an emotional time capsule and testament to this moment’s power. When the Millennium Falcon comes out of nowhere to save the day, the audience bursts into applause. More cheers follow when the Death Star explodes. Listening to it doesn’t just transport you to 1977 as a straightforward study in Star Wars history, but it takes you to whenever you first saw this yourself and whenever you first fell love with Star Wars.
Han Solo had left. He took the money and ran. Though he seemed a bit sad about it, he still did it and that hurts. It really hurts. We liked this guy. We liked Chewbacca. They all escaped the Death Star together. DON’T THEY SEE LUKE AND LEIA NEED THEM?
Sorry. Sorry. Runs deep.
But Han Solo did return! Chewbacca as well, and everything was going to be alright. The bad guys lost. The scoundrel came back. As the flickering remains of the Death Star disperse throughout the stars, one thing emerges and that is joy. Pure jubilation. When you hear that 1977 audience cheer, it highlights that Star Wars often succeeds the most when it gives you that joy of hope or confirms that it’s still there and your choices can lead you to it. This doesn’t mean that it can’t get dark, that Star Wars can’t challenge you and make you think. Your heroes should be allowed to move about the board, failing, struggling, and learning these lessons along with you, but that 1977 audience didn’t just want that joy, they needed it.
At this moment, you don’t have to worry about what will become of Han. How his struggles with his identity and commitment to causes will wane and waver up until his death. There will be time for those discussions later. For now, as the Millennium Falcon comes exploding out of the stars to clear away the bad guy and let our hero make the one-in-a-million shot to save the galaxy, all you have to do is cheer.