Article: A DARK SIDE OF `STAR WARS' PART FABLE, PART SCI-FI, GEORGE LUCAS'S TALE ALSO HAS SHAPED THE WAY WE DEMAND WAR TO BE WAGED

The release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace next week provides a good opportunity to r flect upon the success of the Star Wars franchise. What is the cultural legacy of George Lucas' science-fiction creations?

When Star Wars was released in 1977, the public's appetite for science fiction had been somewhat whetted by the Star Trek TV series, a low-rated drama canceled by NBC in 1969 but thriving in syndication.

The movie industry still underestimated the box-office potential of science fiction.

With Star Wars, Lucas definitively exposed the studios' shortsightedness and established a new Hollywood model -- the high-concept, plot-driven, effects-laden film (and film series).

At first ...

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