Meyer 1

Comparison and Contrast Final Paper

Jack Meyer

February 22, 2019

HSLDA Online Academy

LAN101: AP English Language and Composition

Master Teacher: Erin Brown Conroy; Classroom Instructor: Katie Leber

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A Study of Storytelling and Filmmaking in the World of Star Wars: The Originals

vs. The Prequels

In 1977, after years of extremely difficult work1 to get his film shown on screens across

the world, George Lucas and the other people behind the now legendary film Star Wars finally

received the commendations they strived for. The film is arguably universally enjoyable, as

evidenced by reviews the film received. “The movie relies on the strength of pure narrative,”2 the

famous film critic Roger Ebert wrote in his review, “in the most basic storytelling form known to

man, the Journey.”3 The basic yet endearingly relatable stories and characters referenced in

reviews of the original trilogy are a major part of why the films were and still are so successful.

After 1983, when the last film in the original Star Wars trilogy was released to the public, it

would take 16 years for a follow-up trilogy of films to start in 1999. However, unlike the original

trilogy of films, the newer trilogy of films is not particularly well-regarded or loved. The newer

trilogy, or prequel trilogy, as it has come to be known, still has aspects that the Star Wars

franchise became known for, such as Lightsabers and Jedi and entertaining visual effects. Due to

this, the fact that the prequel films are not popular among fans of the franchise might seem

peculiar. To fully understand the differences and similarities between the two trilogies, one must

study the filmmaking techniques, storytelling, and themes employed in both cases.

The techniques of filmmaking used in both Star Wars trilogies were in a number of ways

the result of their times. In 1977, the first Star Wars film became a pioneer of the brand new

1
Jordan Smith, All of the Problems That Almost Kept ‘Star Wars’ from Ever Happening, May 16, 2014,
Accessed March 22, 2016, http://www.hollywood.com/movies/star-wars-episode-vii-starts-production-
problems-60227472/
2
Roger Ebert, Star Wars Movie Review & Film Summary, January 1, 1977, accessed March 21, 2016
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-1977
3
Ibid.
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computer generated imagery industry4, which is part of the reason that it remains so beloved. The

visual effects present in the original Star Wars movies mixed the newly-pioneered CGI with

miniature models and other real or practical effects to create the vast worlds depicted in the

films. 10 years after Return of the Jedi, the third Star Wars film, Steven Spielberg directed

Jurassic Park,5 a film that cemented CGI’s place in films. The film, while also mixing its

animations with practical life-size models, was among the first to present 3-dimensional, moving

objects to movie screens.6 In 1999 George Lucas, the original director and producer of the first

Star Wars film, returned to the franchise in the form of The Phantom Menace. This film was not

received nearly as well as any of the original films had but at the time was praised most notably

for its visual effects. Roger Ebert once again praised a Star Wars film, but for different reasons.

“There is a sense of discovery in scene after scene of ‘The Phantom Menace,’ as he tries out new

effects and ideas, and seamlessly integrates real characters and digital ones, real landscapes and

imaginary places. We are standing at the threshold of a new age of epic cinema, I think, in which

digital techniques mean that budgets will no longer limit the scope of scenes; filmmakers will be

able to show us just about anything they can imagine.”7 This type of thinking was the apparent

thought process of Director and Producer George Lucas throughout his “prequel trilogy.”

Throughout his new trilogy, the focus was more on the interesting action scenes and worlds

possible with the advent of CGI and other special effects. While the new Star Wars films

remained popular due to their “visionary”8 special effects, for a film trilogy to become as

4
Computer Stories, A Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) History, May 11, 2011, accessed March 21,
2016, http://computerstories.net/a-computer-generated-imagery-cgi-history-698
5
Jurassic Park, directed by Stephen Spielberg, writers, Michael Crichton and David Koepp, featuring Sam
Neill, Laura Dern, and Richard Attenborough, United States: Universal Pictures, 1993.
6
Angela Watercutter, Jurassic Park Turns 21: A Look Back at How It Revolutionized Special Effects, June
10, 2014, accessed March 20, 2016, http://www.wired.com/2014/06/jurassic-park-cgi/
7
Roger Ebert, Star Wars – Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Movie Review, May 17, 1999, accessed March
22, 2016, http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-1999
8
Ibid.
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respected throughout the world as the original Star Wars films from the 1970s and ‘80s, more

focus on the storytelling aspect of filmmaking is required.

Although both the original and prequel trilogies of Star Wars films were lauded for their

special effects, only one of the trilogies was praised for its storytelling. The creators of Star

Wars: A New Hope, the initial Star Wars film, were deeply concerned with creating a characters

and a universe that felt believable and lived-in. In contrast, as evidenced in Roger Ebert’s

review,9 the focus of Star Wars movies by 1999 had apparently moved toward special effects

rather than relatable characters and reasonably believable plot points. Each Star Wars film begins

with a short prologue, which sets the stage for the live-action film that is about to start. Simply

comparing the prologues of A New Hope to The Phantom Menace gives insight into the

differences in storytelling between the two films.

A New Hope’s prologue:

"It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their
first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.
During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate
weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an
entire planet.
Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship,
custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the
galaxy...." 10
From this brief prologue alone, a number of facts can be learned. the Rebels are good, the

Empire is evil, and the oddly-named Princess Leia is on a secret mission to “save her people.”11

The prologue is vague, but it effectively connects the audience with the people involved in the

9
Ibid.
10
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, directed by George Lucas, produced by Gary Kurtz, by George
Lucas, performed by Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, New York:
Twentieth-Century Fox Corp., 1977.
11
Ibid.
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rebellion against the Empire before the film actually begins. By presenting a relatable real-world

scenario of noble underdogs against evil oppressors, this prologue sets the stage for the rest of A

New Hope, which introduces relatable characters and stories. The prologue to The Phantom

Menace, meanwhile, is quite different.

The Phantom Menace’s prologue:

"Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star
systems is in dispute.
Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade
Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo.
While the Congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the
Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and
justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict...."12
This prologue, unlike that of A New Hope, is focused on describing politics and trade disputes.

These topics are not particularly relatable. The various plots of the film that are set up in this

prologue are on a large scale that takes away the easily understood human elements present in

the original trilogy. Although the prologues do not necessarily represent the entire films, they are

representative of the basic story elements. After a comparison, it is understandable that the

original trilogy is remembered more for its storytelling that the prequel trilogy.

Although the storytelling is drastically different between the two trilogies, there are

certain themes that remain the same throughout, as well as some that change. Themes that related

to religion and morality are present in both trilogies. Simple and easy to understand themes such

as good triumphing over evil are also explored. The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph

12
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, directed by George Lucas, produced by Rick McCallum, by
George Lucas, performed by Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, and Ian
McDiarmid, New York: Twentieth-Century Fox Corp., 1999.
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Campbell13 also inspired the themes and story of the original Star Wars film. In Campbell’s

book, he discusses the idea that every great myth throughout history follows one story structure

that he calls the “monomyth.”14 The original Star Wars films, sharing the same themes as many

ancient religious writings and myths, fit into Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. The fact that Star

Wars’ fantasy world carries the same themes as some of the most legendary stories in humanity’s

history is among the reasons that it became such a phenomenon. Campbell’s monomyth inspired

many various aspects of the original Star Wars trilogy, such as the young hero and discovery of a

magical power. In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is that young hero, and the magical power is “The

Force.” The prequel Star Wars films are noticeably less interested in Campbell’s universal

monomyth themes, but they are still present in some capacity. In The Phantom Menace, Anakin

Skywalker, Luke’s father, is a young hero who is taken in by a wise mentor and taught about a

magical power. However, the monomyth similarities end there, as the character of Anakin does

not remain a hero, and is eventually turned evil. Evidently, then, the simple and universal themes

that were present in the original trilogy are not present in the prequel trilogy.

The original and prequel Star Wars trilogies are remarkably different in regards to their

uses of filmmaking, storytelling, and themes. The knowledge of such differences is helpful in

understanding why one trilogy is more beloved than the other. The original trilogy uses

groundbreaking special effects in conjunction with relatable, character driven storytelling and

simple, universal themes. In contrast, the prequel trilogy puts a greater emphasis on special

effects while employing uninteresting, difficult to relate to storytelling with muddled and

13
Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (Princetone, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006).
14
Ibid., 1.
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complicated themes. These differences are paramount in understanding why people regard the

original films as masterpieces, and the prequel films as less than ideal.
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Bibliography

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princetone, NJ: Princeton University Press,

2006.

Computer Stories. A Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) History. May 11, 2011. Accessed

March 21, 2016.

http://computerstories.net/a-computer-generated-imagery-cgi-history-698

Ebert, Roger. Star Wars – Episode 1: The Phantom Menace Movie Review. May 17, 1999.

Accessed March 22, 2016.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-1999

Ebert, Roger. Star Wars Movie Review & Film Summary. January 1, 1977. Accessed March 21,

2016.

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-1977

Jurassic Park. Directed by Stephen Spielberg. United States: Universal Pictures, 1993.

Smith, Jordan. All of the Problems That Almost Kept ‘Star Wars’ from Ever Happening. May 16, 2014.

Accessed March 22, 2016.

http://www.hollywood.com/movies/star-wars-episode-vii-starts-production-problems-

60227472/

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Directed by George Lucas. New York: Twentieth-

Century Fox Corp, 1999.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Directed by George Lucas. New York: Twentieth-Century

Fox Corp, 1977.

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Watercutter, Angela. Jurassic Park Turns 21: A Look Back at How It Revolutionized Special

Effects. June 10, 2014. Accessed March 20, 2016.

http://www.wired.com/2014/06/jurassic-park-cgi/