Star Wars: An Impactful Saga (Barnes)

ever-changing world, where nothing seems to stay stagnant for very long.  Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing
is yet to be seen.  Over the course of
about two thousand years, our society as made some significant improvements of
just about everything around us.  Even
the simple aspect of orality has changed immensely, transforming from speaking,
to writing, and now to digital literacy.
It seems that speaking was not enough, which Plato saw as the complete
opposite.  As the world was making a
movement towards writing, Plato had this to say: “Their trust in writing,
produced by external characters which are no part of themselves, will
discourage the use of their own memory within them.  You have invented an elixir not of memory,
but of reminding; and you offer your pupils the appearance of wisdom, not true
wisdom.” Here, Plato gives a viewpoint that is worth acknowledging and provides a
point that really catches a reader’s attention.
Is our digital world the better option or is it hindering our
progression? Does older “technology” have more pros than cons?  These are some of the questions that Plato inadvertently
asks us to consider, because we must make our own choice.  There are new forms of media that appear everyday,
they affect our lives, so we must understand what they are and how to properly
use them.

### Shifting Dynamics

As orality has made
the transformation to digital literacy, a prevalent correlation takes place as
the roles and dynamics of authors, readers, and texts start to change as
well.  There is a correlation, because the
roles of authors, readers, and texts have had to accommodate for the new
technology that has been created.  This
dynamic shifting of roles has predominantly affected the entire literary universe.  In the “old days,” books (texts) were just
that, a solid piece of material that one would hold to read.  In today’s world, texts have become very
digitalized, something that you can touch through a screen and manipulate it in
ways there were not possible fifty years ago.
As texts have changed, so has the roles of authors and readers.  Before the transformation, there was a notable
distance between an author and a reader.
The author wrote the book and the reader would read it.  Now, with the introduction of the internet,
that gap of space between an author and a reader is almost non-existent.  Readers can now easily communicate with authors
and the potential to affect the author’s work is very possible.  An example of the readers’ power is how a petition
was started to bring back the show, Veronica Mars, a “cult favorite,” after it
had been canceled.  The show was brought
back to life and set an example for pop culture pieces.

### What Technology Does to Our Conciousness

As we look back to
Plato and his wise words, “…trust in writing…will discourage the use of their
own memory within them,” we are reminded that sometimes the way things used to
be might be the better in some cases.  In
*Is Google Making Us Stupid?,* Nicholas
Carr states that technology has the potential to “train our minds to take in
information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of
particles.  The more they use the Web,
the more they have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of wiring.” This section
can be argued in two different ways: Nicholas Carr’s argument or the argument
that states that the progressing technology is actually improving our lives,
rather than hindering it.  Another argument,
similar to Carr’s, is one by Stephen Marche in the article: *Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?* Marche
states that “It is clear that social interaction matters.  Loneliness and being alone are not the same
thing, but both are on the rise.  We meet
fewer people.  We gather less.  Ad when we gather, our bonds are less
meaningful and less easy.  The decrease
in confidants – that is, in quality social connections – has been dramatic over
the past 25 years.”  From Marche’s
statements, one can see just powerful our technology can be, even negatively.  That is why it is so important to understand
the role of technology and how its forms can have different effects.

### Accessibility to Online Tools

As
technology has transformed from one thing to another and how the roles of
authors, texts, and readers have changed, so has the evolution of literary
tools.  Years ago, tools of technology
were not as prevalent and were more tangible.
Those items, since then, been digitalized and have become more intangible
products of literary works.  This has
only been further developed through the introduction of knowledge
communities.  In the words of Henry
Jenkins, knowledge communities are described as “Online forums offer an opportunity
for participants to share their knowledge and opinions.”

These communities have ever-expanded
countless literary works and their universes, providing alternated endings to
stories and brand-new literary works that never had existed before.  This has led to the act of “spoiling,” or ruining
the end result of a TV show or movie and it has allowed for readers to become
the authors themselves.  This, then,
furthers the argument that the dynamics between authors and readers and always
shifting and over-shadowing one another.

### Introduction to Final Project

I
have decided that my final project would be centered around Star Wars and its
universe.  Star Wars is something that most
people have at least heard of and for those who are the most dedicated fans,
Star Wars has probably become a very intricate part of your life.  I believe that George Lucas, as masterful and
creative as he was, had no idea how large the universe he gave life to would
be. Star Wars is such a prime example of how text and literacy have changed and
evolved over the course of its lifetime.

My project will look at the *Interpretative*
Disputes, *the* Knowledge Communities, *and* *the*
Remediation *that exists within the universe of Star Wars.  By expounding on these three key elements,*
one’s understanding about the development of literacy and technology and how
they affect one another should be more deeply furthered.

## Interpretive Disputes

### Introduction

When one starts to
look and analyze the universe of Star Wars, one notices that there are specific
disputes that major Star Wars fans have with each other.  In addition to each dispute, there are
certain sides that each fan takes.  This
section will explore some pertinent disputes and look to see why fans argue the
points they argue.

### The Prequels Are… (Great or Terrible?)

The
first Star Wars movie (*A New Hope*) premiered
in the year 1981, followed by two more movies (*The Empire Strikes Back* & *Return*
of the Jedi*).  Today, this series of*
movies is considered by fans who first saw these movies in theatres as
surpassing the later trilogy by a very far margin.  It is said that the original trilogy explicitly
explains why there is a war going on by simply showing your classic scenario of
good versus evil.  The prequel trilogies’
explanation of the war is not quite as clear cut, being bogged down by trade
disputes, reasons/excuses to elect Palpatine as Chancellor, and the act of
spreading the Jedi, very thinly, across the galaxy, easing their demise.  The fans that grew up with the original
trilogy were very excited when *The*
Phantom Menace *first premiered in 1999.*
However, after being exposed to the original trilogy, most of those fans
became quite disappointed with how the next three movies turned out.  More arguments against the Prequels consist
of the following:

·
George
Lucas’ decision to use a lot of green screen filming

·
How
many characters, like Jar Jar, were severely underdeveloped

·
How
Darth Vader’s predecessor was painted as being very whiney and peculiar

### Who Shot First?

Another
dispute that fans take one is the issue of who shot first: Han Solo or the Greedo,
the Rodian bounty hunter.  This is
probably the most, consistently argued concept in the Star Wars universe. The
scene consists of Han Solo and Greedo having a discussion about what Solo is
presumed to owe money to one of the galaxy’s most powerful gangsters, Jabba the
Hutt.

In the original, scene, Han Solo
fires his weapon first killing Greedo for no apparent reason.  The audience was left seeing Solo as an
outlaw with an “I don’t care” attitude; this was a very attractive trait for
Solo’s character.  When a special edition
of *A New Hope* was released, fans had
discovered that George Lucas had gone back and altered the Han Solo shooting
scene.  They find that the scene had been
changed to Greedo raising his weapon and then seeing Solo shoot him, making it
look like self-defense.  Fans saw this
change as the pivotal loss of something that really defined who Solo’s
character was.

### In What Order Should You Watch the Movies?

In most cases, when
there is a series of movies, one usually starts with the one titled as the
first and work one’s way up.  However,
this is not the case with the Star Wars series, according to fans.  We’ve already discussed how some fans perceive
specific movies in a certain way and, naturally, those same fans have their
belief on which order to watch the films, which according to them, can have a
significant impact on how you experience the saga.  Some fans say that if you watch the movies in
linear order, you will miss out on the “mystery and magic” that surrounds the
nature of the Force.  In *The Phantom Menace,* the Force is
explained early on.  Another reason why
you shouldn’t watch the movies in linear order is that you ruin what is
considered to be the greatest reveal in cinematic history: the relationship
between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.
Most adamant Star Wars fans suggest watching the series in the order
that they were released, but that of course, like anything, is up for debate.

Referenced from Cinema Blend

## Knowledge Communities

### Introduction

As stated above,
knowledge communities are places, usually found online, where specific groups
of people gather to discuss different ideas, topics, and opinions.  This is no different for Star Wars.  Since Star Wars has become such an intricate
part of people’s lives there have been many knowledge communities that have
been created to thoroughly explain the universe that is Star Wars and to expand
on what was already created by George Lucas.

### Wookiepedia

This is THE Star Wars
wikia.  This website consists of
everything that has ever existed in the Star Wars universe.  To really acknowledge the massive feat that
has taken place on this wikia, it is worth noting that it covers the 25, 793
years before the Battle of Yavin, which is the destruction of the first Death
Star, all they way to 138 years after that battle.  Moreover, this does not just cover the films
and any novels written afterwards, but everything from spinoff films, television
shows, comic books, reference books, video games, magazines, RPGs, and
soundtracks.  In addition to the accessibility
of a surplus of information about Star Wars, the wikia is also set up in a way
that is welcoming to new fans of the series.

The front page is set up where users can select different categories
surrounding the Star Wars universe, including: battles, characters, conflicts,
creatures, droids, duels, governments, locations, organizations, species,
starships, technology, vehicles, and weapons.
Also, as the user scrolls down the page, he/she will find that each day
there is a new “Quote of the Day”, “Featured Article of the Day, “A Good
Article to Read”, and a “Did Know Know” section.  At the very bottom of the page, the user will
find a section called: “Official Friends of Wookiepedia.”  This section is specifically designed to
highlight some more prevalent Star Wars knowledge communities, which include: Abel
G. Pena, Club Jade, Daniel Wallace, The Lego Star Wars Wiki, Official Star Wars
PocketModels Website, Skywalker.dk, Star Wars Fanboy Association, Star Wars
Fanpedia, Star Wars: The Old Republic Wiki, SWGames, and TeeKay-421. Referenced from Wookiepedia.

### Star Wars: Fanpedia

Another
notable wikia to mention is the Star Wars: Fanpedia wikia.  This website was worthy of noticing because
it is strictly geared towards Star Wars fans and not just a wikia chalk full of
information.  As stated by the wikia: “A Star Wars fan community about all
the latest news and rumors from a galaxy far, far away, including Star Wars:
The Force Awakens.”  This wikia set up
differently than the Wookiepedia; it has a video section at the very top, a “Star
Wars News” section after that, a “Must-See Video” section, and finally, a list
of every “Featured Wikia Communities.”  I
also thought this wikia was worth noting, because it really emphasized and
explored fan-based items such as home-made videos, films, and news strictly
made for Star Wars fans. Referenced from Star Wars: Fanpedia.

### Why So Many Knowledge Communities?

Star
Wars is a film that is considered a universe that became such a significant and
intricate part of society’s culture in 1977.
“A New Hope” was very different than anything that had ever been made
before, which is what sparked the huge fandom.
“A New Hope” created a very different human experience and because of
this, George Lucas was able to leave his trademark on aspects of people’s lives
and was able to unlock the realm of imagination.  Fans saw Star Wars as “larger than life” and
they thought that the universe of Star Wars was so fun to play in, because of
the uniqueness that it brought to the human experience and how it sparked so
much creativity.

## Remediation

### Introduction

Most people, when
first seeing the word remediation, would think this section would be about how
fans have corrected something that they saw as a failing point in Star
Wars.  However, this section encompasses
what Star Wars related items were birthed after their first introduction into
our society, how they came to be, and why.

### Novels

After
our society was subjected to the Star Wars universe, many things were created
from that world, including many national bestseller novels.  The eras that novels are included in are:

·
Pre-Republic era (One book:
*Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void* by:
Tim Lebbon)

·
Old Republic era (Nineteen
books)

·
Rise of the Empire era (Forty
books)

·
Clone Wars era (Twenty-one
books)

·
Imperial era (Thirty-eight
books)

·
Rebellion era (Twenty-five
books)

·
New Republic era (Thirty
books)

·
New Jedi Order era (Thirty-six
books)

·       Legacy
era (Twenty-six
books)

As you can see, these novels go back even
before the films began and continue further on even after they had finished.  Along with these nine novels, there were also
some short story collections, and over thirty “Young Readers” books.

### Video Games

In addition to novels, the Star Wars Universe
also includes some very-well created video games.  The video games cover everything from the
films to spin-off television shows and movies.
These video games include:

·       Aquatic
Assault

·       Attack
Cruiser

·       Attack
on the Death Star

·       Endurance

·       LucasArts
Cantina

·       Star
Wars: Screen Entertainment

·       Star
Wars Imperial Assault

·       Star
Wars: Jedi Adventure

·       Star
Wars: Millennium Falcon Challenge

·       Star
Wars: Rebel Forces

·       Vernost

In
addition to these two vast sections, there are also over eighty comic books,
seven reference books, twenty-three magazines, and twenty-seven soundtracks.

### Star Wars: Uncut

In addition to what is included on the Wookiepedia
page, another remediated aspect of Star Wars is a project taken on by fans
called: “*Star Wars Uncut.*”  This is something so unique that is taken on
by fans! Each fan is assigned a fifteen second clip to act out in any way,
shape, or form.

Then, the people in
charge of the entire project take all of the clips that were submitted and put
them together to re-create an entire movie. They have re-created *A New Hope* and *The Empire Strikes Back.*  This
is a great example of how such devoted fans take the original work that is
presented to them and morph it into something that is extremely creative and
wonderfully orchestrated.

Referenced from Wookiepedia and Star Wars: Uncut

## Topics & References

1. ↑ Plato, "Phaedrus." Course Readings, HUM211
2. ↑ Nicholas Carr, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" Course Readings, HUM211
3. ↑ Henry Jenkins, "Spoiling Survivor." Course Readings, HUM211
4. ↑ Cinema Blend. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/8-Star-Wars-Arguments-Fans-Never-Stop-Having-85657.html
5. ↑ Wookiepedia. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main\_Page
6. ↑ Star Wars: Fanpedia. http://starwarsfans.wikia.com/wiki/Star\_Wars\_
7. ↑ Wookiepedia. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main\_Page
8. ↑ Star Wars: Uncut. http://www.starwarsuncut.com