Years ago, someone asked me what I would do if Star Wars had never been conceived. Being me, I said I would have no knowledge of it and therefore wouldn't miss it. But what would the world be like without Star Wars?
Star Wars filled a void no one knew was even there. George Lucas created a fun, bombastic space opera the likes of which the world had never seen. He took inspiration from Flash Gordon, The Lord of the Rings, The Hidden Fortress and even Metropolis, and created something truly unique. Has there ever been a cooler concept than the Force? A more awesome cinematic weapon than the lightsabre? Then there are stormtroopers, TIE fighters, X-Wings, R2 and 3PO, and the iconic Darth Vader. Thanks to people like Ben Burtt and Ralph McQuarrie, Lucas was able to create something truly mesmerising that captivated the imagination of generations.
He did something similar with Indiana Jones, which itself wouldn't exist without Star Wars. And while Indy's world lacked the depth of myth created for Star Wars, it retained the sense of fun and set piece creativity. It also brought back a forgotten story element that soon became a modern staple: the MacGuffin.
Imagine, if you will, a world without George Lucas and all that he inspired. The cinematic adaptations of Lord of the Rings may have been a harder sell at the very least, what with blockbuster movies not really existing before Star Wars. And even if Peter Jackson had gotten into filmmaking without the kick up the arse Star Wars gave him, how would he have realised Gollum if The Phantom Menace hadn't advanced CGI? Would Spielberg have made Jurassic Park without the advances in Lucasfilm tech? And let us not forget that Pixar started as part of Lucasfilm too. What would modern day cinema look like without their ever-amazing output and the for-the-better changes John Lasseter brought to Disney's animated division?
Then there are tales like Harry Potter, which is essentially a carbon copy of Star Wars with a few aesthetic alterations.
As for the Star Wars prequel haters out there, there would be no modern day Star Wars revival had Lucas not come back to do the special editions and prequels, though those people display little in the way of logic to support their asinine opinions.
The gaming landscape would be very different too. Lara Croft helped define the original PlayStation, and the Uncharted series was heavily inspired by that too. Neither of these things would exist without good old Indy, and how many other game series have taken their cue from Tomb Raider?
Star Trek would never have gotten a big screen release and had its revival. The original '60s TV series died a horrible death. And JJ would never have done the remake and wouldn't have directed The Force Awakens. Just think about that. Star Wars has become so big it's self-supporting now.
Harrison Ford would never have become a movie star had he not read for Han Solo while the folk at Lucasfilm searched for the actor they thought would be perfect for the role.
Battlestar Galactica definitely wouldn't have happened, the original series being a complete rip-off of the original Star Wars. And the revival wouldn't have happened because there would have been no Terminator to inspire it, considering James Cameron got into filmmaking because of Star Wars. The same goes for Ridley Scott. Imagine that there was no Alien... there would be no Prometheus. Okay, that might actually be a good thing, but still...
Even the Marvel Cinematic Universe would likely not exist, due to Lucas not being there to create ILM and kickstart movie special effects. And blockbusters. And everything else.
Like it or not, George Lucas changed pretty much everything we take for granted about modern day pop culture.
So thank you, George, for creating a legacy far larger than anyone could have ever anticipated.
Star Wars filled a void no one knew was even there. George Lucas created a fun, bombastic space opera the likes of which the world had never seen. He took inspiration from Flash Gordon, The Lord of the Rings, The Hidden Fortress and even Metropolis, and created something truly unique. Has there ever been a cooler concept than the Force? A more awesome cinematic weapon than the lightsabre? Then there are stormtroopers, TIE fighters, X-Wings, R2 and 3PO, and the iconic Darth Vader. Thanks to people like Ben Burtt and Ralph McQuarrie, Lucas was able to create something truly mesmerising that captivated the imagination of generations.
He did something similar with Indiana Jones, which itself wouldn't exist without Star Wars. And while Indy's world lacked the depth of myth created for Star Wars, it retained the sense of fun and set piece creativity. It also brought back a forgotten story element that soon became a modern staple: the MacGuffin.
Imagine, if you will, a world without George Lucas and all that he inspired. The cinematic adaptations of Lord of the Rings may have been a harder sell at the very least, what with blockbuster movies not really existing before Star Wars. And even if Peter Jackson had gotten into filmmaking without the kick up the arse Star Wars gave him, how would he have realised Gollum if The Phantom Menace hadn't advanced CGI? Would Spielberg have made Jurassic Park without the advances in Lucasfilm tech? And let us not forget that Pixar started as part of Lucasfilm too. What would modern day cinema look like without their ever-amazing output and the for-the-better changes John Lasseter brought to Disney's animated division?
Then there are tales like Harry Potter, which is essentially a carbon copy of Star Wars with a few aesthetic alterations.
As for the Star Wars prequel haters out there, there would be no modern day Star Wars revival had Lucas not come back to do the special editions and prequels, though those people display little in the way of logic to support their asinine opinions.
The gaming landscape would be very different too. Lara Croft helped define the original PlayStation, and the Uncharted series was heavily inspired by that too. Neither of these things would exist without good old Indy, and how many other game series have taken their cue from Tomb Raider?
Star Trek would never have gotten a big screen release and had its revival. The original '60s TV series died a horrible death. And JJ would never have done the remake and wouldn't have directed The Force Awakens. Just think about that. Star Wars has become so big it's self-supporting now.
Harrison Ford would never have become a movie star had he not read for Han Solo while the folk at Lucasfilm searched for the actor they thought would be perfect for the role.
Battlestar Galactica definitely wouldn't have happened, the original series being a complete rip-off of the original Star Wars. And the revival wouldn't have happened because there would have been no Terminator to inspire it, considering James Cameron got into filmmaking because of Star Wars. The same goes for Ridley Scott. Imagine that there was no Alien... there would be no Prometheus. Okay, that might actually be a good thing, but still...
Even the Marvel Cinematic Universe would likely not exist, due to Lucas not being there to create ILM and kickstart movie special effects. And blockbusters. And everything else.
Like it or not, George Lucas changed pretty much everything we take for granted about modern day pop culture.
So thank you, George, for creating a legacy far larger than anyone could have ever anticipated.