When George Lucas鈥檚 film premiered in cinemas in 1977, no one 鈥� including the director himself 鈥� was certain whether the project would succeed. Today, it is difficult to imagine popular culture without Star Wars. But what exactly is Star Wars? A film? A series of films? A brand? A world? We discuss how media scholars attempt to capture this phenomenon with Dr Kamil J臋drasiak from the Faculty of Philology of the 91桃色.
More than Cinema
Star Wars began on the screen 鈥� but it very quickly moved beyond it. Comics, novels, video games, animated and live鈥慳ction series, toys, watches, pencil cases, LEGO sets鈥� the list could go on for pages.
Star Wars is a phenomenon that originated in cinema, but quite quickly went beyond it and came to encompass a spectrum of very diverse texts, because on the one hand these included comics and literature, and on the other hand newer media appeared, above all video games
鈥� says Dr J臋drasiak.
How can this phenomenon be conceptualised? Media scholars employ various analytical tools. Dr J臋drasiak himself mentions several useful terms:
It seems to me that among the useful terms for describing what Star Wars is, one cannot omit expressions such as franchise, a cross鈥憁edia brand or, from a certain point on, a transmedia brand, an entertainment system or even a supersystem of entertainment.
The last term is used by one of the most important contemporary media scholars 鈥� Henry Jenkins. In his groundbreaking book Convergence Culture, he describes entertainment supersystems as phenomena in which the presence of a brand in various, often non鈥憃bvious spaces is crucial 鈥� not necessarily the narrative itself.
Space Opera or Fantasy? The Genre Dispute
Before delving into narrative structures, we should pause to consider a question that has stirred fans and scholars alike for decades: what genre is Star Wars?
While it would be easiest to say that it is science fiction, scholars have repeatedly pointed out that Star Wars is actually somewhat closer to fantasy. Star Wars is a universe often described as a space opera or even space fantasy, because mystical elements are mixed there with scientific ones
鈥� points out the researcher.
The Force, the Jedi and the Sith are elements that fit more readily into the logic of myth and fairy tale than that of hard science fiction. Attempts to 鈥渕ake this dimension scientific鈥� 鈥� such as the famous midichlorians from the prequels 鈥� have been received coolly by some fans. As the interviewee notes, this genre ambiguity becomes even more complex when we look at other texts within this universe:
Recently, in an era when Disney is trying to build this canon, we can observe a certain renaissance of classic genres such as the western, even samurai cinema, political thriller or war film, which are realised in very specific stories from the Star Wars universe.
Expanded Universe, Disney and the Question of Canon
Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars in 2012. This decision had far鈥憆eaching consequences for the entire so鈥慶alled Expanded Universe 鈥� a vast body of books, comics and games that had expanded the world known from the films for decades.
Disney took over Star Wars with all its assets. One might say that, in a sense, it crossed out the Expanded Universe in order to gain greater control over the canon 鈥� that is, over the stories that would remain internally coherent
鈥� explians Dr J臋drasiak.
In practice, this meant that several decades of creative output 鈥� hundreds of novels, comics and video games developed since the 1970s 鈥� ceased overnight to be the 鈥渙fficial鈥� history of this galaxy. Characters beloved by fans for decades, storylines stretching across thousands of pages, the fates of familiar heroes after the events of the original trilogy 鈥� all of this was pushed aside. For a significant part of the fandom that had grown up with these books and games, the decision was deeply felt as a betrayal.
The former Expanded Universe did not disappear without a trace, however 鈥� today it operates under the name Legends, as a collection of stories that might have happened in this world, but did not necessarily do so. The new owner of the brand was thus able to rebuild the universe from scratch, retaining selective control over what is considered 鈥渙fficial鈥�.
Transmedia Storytelling 鈥� Power and Risk
What Jenkins calls transmedia storytelling, i.e., a technique in which a story is dispersed across multiple media, each contributing something unique, lies at the heart of the contemporary narrative strategy of Star Wars. This is not the same as adaptation, in which the same story is transferred from one medium to another. In transmedia storytelling, each medium does what it does best: film builds spectacle and emotion, television series allow for slow character development, comics explore the margins of the world, video games grant agency and allow one to be a part of the story rather than merely its observer.
Broadly speaking, these are situations in which a film and a series are so closely intertwined that unfamiliarity with the series may hinder understanding of the film and vice versa. In an ideal scenario, both works are self鈥慶ontained, and the connections between them are treated as added value 鈥� a kind of bonus
鈥� adds the researcher.
The relationship between the film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the series Andor is a perfect example. Each can be watched separately, but their interconnections open up entirely new levels of understanding. Both can be consumed independently 鈥� yet only together do they form a complete picture of events and characters. Familiarity with Rogue One makes Andor a very different viewing experience 鈥� and vice versa. Similar connections exist between animated and live鈥慳ction series, between episodes and spin鈥憃ff films, and sometimes even between games and screen productions. This means that a truly committed Star Wars fan today must navigate several streaming platforms at once, shelves of comics and a library of video games. This is not a criticism 鈥� merely a description of the scale of the undertaking. Transmedia storytelling, by its very nature, rewards those who invest more. Each new production encountered gives previous ones new meaning.
As Dr J臋drasiak notes, transmedia storytelling does, however, carry a serious risk. It requires investment from the audience 鈥� not only time, but also money: subscriptions to various platforms, the purchase of games or comics. The more complex the web of connections, the higher the entry threshold for someone who would like to begin their adventure with the universe today, from scratch.
This discourages some viewers from engaging with the universe. Therefore, such a strategy, which can be observed in Star Wars, could be said to be addressed to the most devoted, the most ardent fans 鈥� and at the same time, these very devoted and ardent fans, through their attachment to the past of the universe, are often the most critical group.
Additive Comprehension, or How the New Overwrites the Old
The so鈥慶alled additive comprehension, described by Jenkins and recalled by our interviewee, is one of the more interesting phenomena. This refers to situations in which a new cultural text does not replace an earlier one, but allows us to see it in a different light.
When I speak of additive comprehension, I mean situations in which a new work allows us to overwrite our previous interpretations of certain threads, or something we perceived as a plot hole or an excessive simplification. Thanks to a new story, it gains greater depth
鈥� adds Dr J臋drasiak
An example? Once again, Rogue One 鈥� a film set immediately before the events of 鈥淎 New Hope鈥� (1977), filling in the narrative gaps of the saga鈥檚 first episode. The 1977 Star Wars was initially titled simply Star Wars 鈥� the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope didn鈥檛 appear until 1981, when Lucas decided that the story was a part of a larger whole.
What鈥檚 more, the director began the story in the middle 鈥� chronologically, Episodes I鈥揑II (the prequel trilogy) take place earlier, even though they were filmed after the original trilogy. The new films thus allow for a reinterpretation of what viewers have known for a long time.
In short, we reinterpret certain things while having access to new information provided by later texts
鈥� concludes Dr J臋drasiak.
Controversy as a Discourse Engine
Disputes among Star Wars fans are legendary. Who shot first 鈥� Han Solo or Greedo? What changes are acceptable in remastered versions of classic films? Do the new trilogies respect the legacy of the originals?
According to Dr J臋drasiak, some of these controversies may even be鈥� intentional:
I think there may be something to the idea that certain things are deliberately left unspecified, that certain things are deliberately changed. The so鈥慶alled retcons are also used 鈥� strategies of reinterpreting one鈥檚 own history and re鈥慹stablishing the canon so that people will discuss it. Is it cynical? Perhaps. Does it work? Definitely 鈥� otherwise Star Wars would not have become the phenomenon it is today.
Galaxy for Everyone
Despite all its complexity, the creators of Star Wars remember that not every viewer wants to be a fan鈥慹ncyclopaedist. Some productions within the universe are closed, self鈥慶ontained stories 鈥� the so鈥慶alled stand鈥慳lone titles 鈥� that can be enjoyed without in鈥慸epth knowledge of the rest of the canon. The target audience also varies: some content is addressed to long鈥憈ime fans, while other productions are aimed at new viewers who are just taking their first steps in a distant galaxy.
A long time ago, a film was made that was meant to be just a film. Today, Star Wars is something far more difficult to define 鈥� and that is precisely what makes it so fascinating. May the Force be with you.
Edit: Promotion and Communication Office, Faculty of Philology, 91桃色