How Technology is Represented in Star Wars
When watching the film, Star Wars, it is impossible not to be aware of the technology that is represented in the film, partly because it is so much more advanced than our own is now, but also because we can imagine how we might someday acquire such technology. The central theme in Star Wars is good versus evil, clearly demonstrated by the technology in the film. While the Rebels (the good guys) use technology primarily to fight for freedom and quality of life for all, the Empire (the bad guys) use technology to develop weapons of destruction and war in an attempt to rule the galaxy. In addition to these two opposing sides, there is another group that doesn’t use technology for war. This group gets technology as it filters down from the other two groups at war. Consequently, in the film technology is used for good, for bad, and for everyday use. This mirrors our own society in many ways, and therefore, Star Wars is a great artifact to study to get a better understanding of our own technological advancements. In this report, we focus specifically on how the Empire, the Rebels, and the Non-Warring people of the film acquired, developed, and used technology and how that relates to our society today.
Rationale
Although Star Wars takes place "in a galaxy far, far away," that does not mean that it is not significant or that it cannot be used to help us better understand our own society. Star Wars has had an enormous impact on our society and our popular culture. Just as anthropologists study other cultures, which in turn helps them better understand their own cultures, we can better understand ourselves by studying how technology is represented in this far-off place. By studying ...
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...oped for military purposes but has been adopted by nearly all parts of society and is widely considered to be very valuable. This is much like how in the film the droids that were designed and built for the star wars were later used by farmers to sustain and even improve life. As one can see, the film, despite its futuristic technology, closely mirrors our own society. Maybe someday we, too, will travel the galaxy, and we hope remember the valuable lessons in Star Wars.
References
Adams, Tyrone and Norman Clark. The Internet: Effective Online Communications. New York: Harcourt, 2001.
Cavelos, Jeanne. The Science of Star Wars. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999.
Reynolds, David West. Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary. New York: DK Publishing, Inc., 2000.
Slavicsek, Bill. The Guide to the Star Wars Universe. 2nd ed. New York: Ballantine Books, 1994.
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