And it’s incredibly spiritual as well. In a really deep non superficial way. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. I constantly think about this in my day to day life and try (and fail miserably) to live up to that statement about who we are, why we are here and what really matters.
When I rewatch the original trilogy, and as I get older, I think a little bit more about Wedge, Biggs, Dak, Porkins, Red Leader, etc, etc.
Let's say you are on a poor planet, not much opportunity, you don't want to die in the same old small town with the same people feeling like your life is slipping away. That's a pretty relatable kind of feeling for a lot of young people. Then you join up. You're idealistic and you don't quite know exactly what you are getting into until it's too late.
Sometimes I weigh that out when I see the trench run scene. I wonder if Red Leader or Gold Leader were just doing what was the most practical to feed their families. I.E. it's just a job to them. The best they could do given their situation.
Luke leaves Yoda to go save his friends. But if you think about it, the only real "family" he has left. The Empire killed everyone else from his past. And even though it looks hopeless and futile, you never quite go all the way over the edge that all hope is lost. There is where I think Irvin Kershner really did a wonderful balancing act.
The price of hope is sacrifice. That's where Empire always gets me. Han going out on that Taun Taun, to find Luke, even if it's essentially a close to impossible suicide mission. Then it ramps up, at each stage, someone must give up something of great meaning to them for a greater good. Those are timeless themes. It's a story the audience can relate to in their own lives. It's an interesting dive into the overall human condition.
I'd really like to see a show about the pilots. Not just new ones, but going backwards and looking at the ones who died. It's too bad Patty Jenkins just straight out blew that opportunity so she could turn WW84 into a personal bully pulpit.
I remember when Roseanne first came out. And it was so jarring. Because people were used to the Cosbys, Family Ties, Different Strokes, etc, etc, and never got to explore what happened to people on the fringes. If you ask me, that's why Rogue One and Andor just hit way different and were/are far more critically praised than most of the other newer stuff. Roseanne and Dan and their kids were just constantly struggling and their problems were grim. It wasn't canned safe narratives like the Cosby Show.
Empire was true to the characters and true to the story.
The Abrams newer stuff was just true to the marketing and true to formulating a product. It's visual Velveeta.
Something interesting I thought about a few months ago is that you couldn't make Braveheart today in current times. Not the same way. And that should indicate that good storytelling is being beat down by some algorithms.
Empire is incredible though. You could construct full TV shows and separate films just from expanding on many of the scenes in the movie. It was that layered and that rich.
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