The impact that ‘Star Wars’ had on its release was far-reaching and not just restricted to the world of film. It has affected many things over the last thirty-two years since its first appearance in cinemas. Not only is just about everyone on earth familiar with such characters as Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, R2-D2, C3PO and Obi-Wan Kenobi but a huge amount of the population could give you actual facts and figures to do with the characters.

With the release of the original Star Wars film we were witness to a sort of mass hysteria. All of a sudden it was everywhere that you went. It was the first chain of movies to create a gigantic franchise in its wake. The excitement over this ground-breaking film was not just restricted to children; many adults were also caught up in it all as well. The film seemed to hit upon a nerve in many people. Essentially it is a fairy-tale set in space but it contains many other elements within it as well. Romance and adventure are present as you would expect them to be but there is more to it than just that.

There are very clear distinctions between good and evil, light and dark. It is full of religious references and influences. ‘The Force’ in itself is something that is clearly of a spiritual nature. The teachings of Yoda, a Jedi Master, in the later Star Wars films are obviously very Buddhist in their style and content.

Nowadays the genre has been encapsulated within the general
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