4
Wanderlust in that galaxy and ours
Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope
Writer: George Lucas
Director: George Lucas
In June 1994, the sun was setting on my life as a high school student at Arroyo Grande High School, nestled between the coast and the hills on California’s Central Coast. Graduation day brought with it the traditional bundle of emotions. That mixed-bag feeling of breaking free while wondering what comes next or if anything comes next at all. As I drove away from my school in an old 1981 Ford Fairmont I had dubbed the Millennium Fairmont because that’s the youth I chose to have, I looked toward the horizon and the ample rolling sand dunes of Pismo Beach. The ocean stretched out until it touched the fading sun. I didn’t know what was coming next, but I sensed an entire world out there for me to experience. It just seemed so far away. At the lowest point of my ennui, I laughed. I was just like Luke Skywalker staring off toward the twin sons of Tatooine in the iconic shot that connected with us all.
Fresh off American Graffiti, George Lucas was continuing to reach the burgeoning adults in all of us. The world then was on fire in a post-Vietnam and Watergate era and Lucas was certainly commenting on the politics and outlook of the day, but he wrapped it all up in wonder and hope. At the center of it all is Luke Skywalker, our point of view into this tale of “heroes, villains, and aliens from a thousand worlds.” The audience then, and the generations to come, would connect with this wanderlust in another galaxy and feel it in our own. This is the moment of that connection.
A sequence of events proceeds it, slowing building up to Luke’s frustrating, youthful kick of the sand as he approaches his soon-to-be legendary vantage point. First, he’s always felt like there’s more to this life than moisture farming, but he could never quite see it. It was always right there in front of him, just out of reach. Some of his closest friends, like Biggs Darklighter and Tank, have started to find their way out, but here he is, doing chores and cleaning these new droids. It’s then that Luke is shown the partial recording of Princess Leia’s call for help. Beyond just being dazzled by this vision (hold that thought, Luke), our farm boy hero is now exposed to the galaxy at large. He’s no longer just watching the world through his macrobinoculars or hearing rumors of rebellions, the adventure he craves is right in front of him now.
His only perceived way out is to join the Imperial Academy, but crusty, old Uncle Owen is determined to keep him locked away for another year. Replace the blue milk with a soda—or maybe now a low calorie, naturally sweetened carbonated water—and this scenario keeps playing out in our own world over and over. Like Luke, we all want to push away from the dinner table, and we all find ourselves, at one point or another, on that figurative hill looking out at the great beyond.
What’s often remembered as one long stare, mostly because that is the single shot we associate with this scene, is actually much more. The saga of Luke’s longing plays out in three distinct acts. His first look is somewhat hopeful. He’s frustrated, yes, but he knows there is something else out there for him. That’s followed by a bow of his head as if Luke can’t possibly imagine himself getting off this rock, but he looks back up anyway. That’s the hope of the scene. Its soul. There’s always hope, especially in Star Wars. As John Williams’ “Binary Sunset” score grabs our attention for the first time in the movie (though it does play earlier when Leia gives R2-D2 the Death Star plans), Luke walks away and begrudgingly returns to the life he doesn’t want, unsure of what’s next. Longing, doubt, wanderlust, and sense of being so far from where you want to be are the feelings we connect with, but Luke Skywalker is unknowingly already on the path to fulfilling his destiny. That is the true strength of this scene. It’s only about thirty-five seconds long, but if there is an emotional center to the entire Star Wars story, this is it.
We knew then, and definitely know now, that Luke Skywalker escapes the planet that’s far from the bright center of the galaxy and becomes something more powerful than he ever could have imagined. He doesn’t just join the fight, he wins the fight and goes on to become the most powerful Jedi around while leaving behind a legacy of hope and inspiration that will never fade. As we all watch Luke stare off into the twin suns, we know he is already on his way. And as I stared off beyond my hometown, looking toward my dreams, and you look into your horizon as well, we only have to know that like Luke Skywalker, Star Wars is assuring us that the journey has already begun.