The Hero's Star Journey Wars

Hey guys!

Today, I will talk about Star Wars, a familiar story to most of us. Specifically, I will be talking about some of the scenes in the "first" movie (A New Hope), created by George Lucas in 1977, and how they are part of the Hero's Journey narrative.

One of the stages that I think is done the best in the movie was the Crossing the Threshold/Belly of the Whale stage. This occurs in the film when Luke returns to his house to find his aunt and uncle dead. He then realizes that there is nothing left for him there. This realization makes him decide to go to Mos Eisley with Ben Kenobi to find transport to Alderaan to help Princess Leia. As soon as he arrives, he is immediately thrust into a new and unfamiliar world with a sprinkling of danger. 

One of the most important parts of this stage is how much George Lucas puts effort into making the whole of Mos Eisley so, well... alien. There are large numbers of unique aliens and droids all over. The reason that he puts so much effort into making this environment is that it is Luke's first experience where he is encountering these new people and things. 

The picture above is a perfect example of what I mean. There are new creatures, droids, and even a new kind of culture and mindset. As Ben says, "Mos Eisley spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." Mos Eisley is completely different from the peaceful and easy life Luke lived on his farm. It is full of criminals, bounty hunters, and our first sightings of the Empire. Everyone there is only there for money and themselves. These new circumstances and unfamiliarities directly lead to some of the dangers that Luke faces during this part of the movie.

When they first enter the town, they are immediately confronted by stormtroopers because they are looking for C-3PO and R2-D2. However, Ben as a mentor figure saves them by using a Jedi mind trick on the stormtroopers, and they let them through without any issues. Then, when they get to the Cantina, some people at the bar decide they don't like Luke very much. Again, Ben, the mentor figure, steps in and uses his lightsaber to cut off one of their legs, which pretty much settles the argument. 

This series of events that I showed from A New Hope is an excellent example of the sections of the hero's journey "Crossing the Threshold" and "Belly of the Whale". The way that George Lucas sets up the scenes and puts so much effort into making this crazy new environment that Luke is thrown into perfectly fits these stages.