Will Star Wars be as relevant a centennial from now?
 

so, i was thinking in 100 years will this still be as big as it is now or was?

it is such a multi-generational appeal type movie, but 100 from now, i don't know.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I think it will be popular but not as it is today. People still read Shakespeare, Dickens and Twain and listen to Beethoven, Mozart and Bach. Lord Of The Rings is still discovered by new generations and will continue to do so.

The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd will continue to be popular 100 years from now and the same will go for Star Wars with films and Harry Potter and LOTR when it comes to the novels. Not sure about those two film wise.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Yeah. Not sure if the HP and LoTR films will be as memorable as something like SW. HP and LoTR aren't really mind blowing compared to what SW did as a culture and in the film industry. They're big but... I dunno. LoTR changed things a little but... still nothing as monumental to the impact SW had in 1977 onward.

How much have HP and LoTR had aside from maintaining a franchise mentality for the studios? Not saying they're totally to blame but... I'm sure it influenced it a bit.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

One advantage I think Star Wars has over something like The Lord of the Rings is that Disney owns it and you know they'll be making films, shows, etc. for years and years. So new generations are likely to catch on to it at some point in my opinion. Plus really the Original Trilogy has stayed pretty strong as far as popularity a lot longer than a lot of other films that have been more or less forgotten about. Really Star Wars is one of the only brands out there that had films out in the 70s and 80s that still have things like new merchandise and toys on the shelves. I think that's a pretty big testament to how popular it remains.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

100 years from now is way fucking longer than a generation.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

100 years is four generations.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Yes if they watch episodes 4-6 since those movies were probably 3 of the best movies ever made and up there with the Godfather.

I doubt anybody will watch the Phantom Menace and be inspired to become a actor after watching Jake Loyd.

I don't think the Force Awakens and the prequels will be looked upon as great movies and probably similar to watching a Spiderman sequel.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I voted "Yes" only speaking of it being relevant in the future as much as it is now, not in the late 70s/early 80s. I think the decision to turn it into a "franchise" that will go on forever will spoil it, as not EVERY movie can be a winner (we already saw that with the prequels). When "Return of the Jedi" came out, the plan then was to do 3 movies that took place after that, and 3 that took place before "Star Wars" (or A New Hope if you want to call it that.) Branching off of that is gonna get messy.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I think Spock will definitely remain a familiar character in the popular psyche. Also, maybe the Cylons.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I barely know what a Cylon is but I don't think Battlestar Galactica is that big of thing compared to the films we're talking about.

I have heard good things about that reemerging of it last time.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I remember when the Mel Brooks movie Spaceballs came out in 1987, a movie review that I read called its references to Star Wars "out of date" given that it had been a whole 4 years since the (then) last SW movie was released.

All I could think was what an idiotic thing to say. (I wish I could remember the reviewer's name.)

Star Wars is a cultural icon that just doesn't fade away.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I do think it was too late and tired for that time. I chuckle at Pizza the Hutt but... it's a mediocre movie w/ some funny bits but it's a very tired film for the most part.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Was it really though, at that point?

Cultural things seem to go through a phase of being yesterday's news before becoming "retro-cool." I think a property gets saturated enough that people get tired of it, but then later they get nostalgic and welcome it back (just not everywhere like when it was massively popular).

For example, a reference to Harry Potter might seem dated now, but after another decade it would be cool if it's remembered fondly.

I think SW was kind of dated in 1987. The post-ROTJ stuff on TV wasn't very popular IIRC, and the video games didn't really get back into vogue until the 90s.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

100 years from now Star Wars won't be nearly as relevant as the Mad Max films which will be seen as prophetic and viewed almost like documentary films.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Its relevance will fade from the cultural radar. Star Wars will still be known to future generations but nowhere near the cult level of worship it has received for the past couple of decades. The Boomers and their children are getting older. Those were the people always driving the bus on its cultural prominence. Lucas sold out at about the right time.

Disney will keep it alive in some form but check how Pixar turned out once Disney got the reigns. People will be sick of the franchise by Star Wars XII: The Return of Boba Fett's Third Cousin.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

But in 1987 I don't think it was the cultural icon it is today. It became huge with the prequels and the Internet.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

More like seven where I'm from. (The "Bible Belt.")

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

To be perfectly honest, I don't think that much, if any, of the modern "pop culture" will last one hundred years. Star Wars, Star Trek, Tolkien, Harry Potter.

Just the way society is moving, I think the future belongs to, for lack of a better term, novelty. Most of the things we love now will be mostly forgotten in 2115. The Star Wars hype is most driven by people who grew up on it. After my generation (OT) and the next generation (PT) dies off, it will cease to be a part of popular culture.

Same with music, watch the MTV VMA Awards, and ask yourself if the teenagers watching that are ever going to give two shits about the Beatles or Led Zeppelin. And the generation after them, even less.

A while back I had a thread in book talk here where I touched on this, how stuff like Asimov and Heinlein will be forgotten in the near future.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Don't be silly. Tolkien LOTR books only have about 35 more years to go before it hits the century mark, Star Trek is 50 years old already, and Star Wars isn't far behind. All are going to make their 100th birthdays still being part of the popular culture.

And of course, stuff like Superman, Batman, Mickey Mouse, etc., have already proven they're going to be around forever...the same will be true of the above. I think Harry Potter is the only real one on your list that may fade a bit from memory...but no more or less than say, The Chronicles of Narnia has.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Fixed.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

One of my biggest fears is Disbey running the franchise into the ground with too many movies. I love that we're getting more SWs but one every year? i would rather have quality over quantity.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I don't think there's a low they it can hit compared to how Lucas did it. As a business, he did amazing. As thing of quality from a product. He licensed the shit out of it and got many crap to mediocre products related to it. Then his PT. Which was crap. Very little of anything SW in video games, TV, and even film is actually good. The quantity put out in that period before Disney is mostly crap. Sure there's some great stuff w/ the property: Rogue Squadron, SW, ESB, some other games, and probably some books... but it's sooooooo fucking low compared to the crap you almost have to sift through to get to the gold of the property.

Genius businessman though for his term though.

Seems like Disney is trying to do their best in getting quality w/ their quantity for the most part. I've seen a bit of Rebels... wasn't really impressed. Maybe it got better. Add in Kathleen Kennedy seems to really care about the product they're doing. I trust Lucasfilm w/ Kennedy cuz she's grown up in the Lucasfilm product but also cares very much about the work she's directly associated with.

Is Disney treating Lucasfilm like Marvel? They pay the bills and as long as Lucasfilm doesn't turn it to crap... Lucasfilm has absolute freedom?

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

But don't forget that Return of the Jedi was not intended to be the last Star Wars movie ever made. When the original trilogy were being made, the plan was to make a new one every 3 years (if I recall correctly, it was supposed to be episodes 7-9 in 1986, 1989, and 1992. Only after they were done was the prequel trilogy going to be made and released in 1995, 1998, and 2001).

But at some point after ROTJ was released, George Lucas announced that it'll be at least 5 years until the next movie (I think the year cited was 1989, so I guess it was 1984 when this was announced). And at some point, Lucas also said there would only be episodes 1-3 made and nixed the idea for episodes 7-9.

So even in 1987, I thought that were would be a new Star Wars film out a couple of years later. I don't think anyone at the time knew it was going to be another 12 years before that finally happened in 1999.

Yeah, 1987 may have been a low point for Star Wars in general, but I don't think anyone thought there would not be anymore Star Wars made in the future. No one thought it was done and that was it.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

If Disney can keep Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, et al relevant for 75 years(especially in an era of CG) I think they can do the same for a largely male-centric property.

Also, it's already been 40 years and the SW train is not slowing down.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Novelty? Are we talking YouTube videos and independent film makers or something, because almost every major media genre is stuck in a cycle of endless sequels and recycling ideas.

As long as Disney can keep it out of public domain like Mickey Mouse, meaning it's worth it to them to pump money into it and come up with a new generation of fans, I think Star Wars will be around in some form. It may not be quite as popular but it should endure. Even before the latest movies, kids who aren't even old enough to have seen the prequels in theaters have had Clone Wars, Rebels, Lego and such to keep them interested.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Star Wars was so because because it was a turning point in filmmaking innovation.

What will be the next leap? I don't think anyone has any idea. Avatar had the immersive 3D.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

100 years from now the Star Wars movies (particularly the OT) will be viewed a little better than the 1933 King Kong is now. Kong was great in it's day, and it's still great on a lot of levels, but technically it is out of date (black & white, 1.37:1) so a lot of younger viewers won't even watch it.

Star Wars, on the other hand, will hold up better because it is in color, widescreen, and set in a different galaxy and won't be outdated like, say, BTTF2 is. (It's 2015 and I want my hover conversion for my car, dammit!) (Having said that the BTTF movies will still hold up because of the sheer greatness of the movies, and the novelty of the concept.)

I'd love to be around 100 years from now just to see what has sustained an audience and what hasn't.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

The first movie will be watched forever. It's a film history fundamental like King Kong, Stagecoach, and Casablanca.

Long term I think the characters will live longer than the films. Like Mickey Mouse and Batman which someone already mentioned. Those characters have survived longer than the entertainment media that launched them. People occasionally watch Steamboat Willie, but for the most part Mickey is evergreen for whatever he's currently doing (staring in a kids show, appearing on a t-shirt, a costumed character at Disneyland).

The characters Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, R2-D2 and especially Darth Vader will live forever even if the children of 2115 don't actually watch the 1977 film. Just like my daughter born in 2011 loves watching Mickey Mouse.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

6 votes already on Are You High? Tough crowd since I think this is one of the better polls from Oldboy.

and yes, I'd say the force will stay relevant 100 years from now. (I just don't see any generic crap coming out these days to make SW irrelevant).

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Who knows if movies will be like they are now. Will people still go to a theater? Depends on lots of factors in the next 100 years.

But back to the real question, yes. Everyone has been chasing Star Wars since 1977, and they still are.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

In 1915:
The most important and popular movie made in America was Birth of a Nation.
Charlie Chaplin made The Tramp.
Mary Pickford was a year away from becoming one of the richest, most famous, and most powerful actresses in Hollywood.

Will a 138 year old Star Wars be relevant in 2115?
Will any of the current crazes in popular culture be relevant 100 years from now?

Maybe humans in 2115 will identify with an entertainment in which the only natural environment depicted is a desert planet where people farm moisture.
Maybe the 2-D and FX will look so primitive that it is just a curiosity that audiences were ever impressed, and SW will just be an example of what unsophisticated morons people were 100 years ago.
Maybe the robot overlords will have banned SW because it depicts C3P0 and R2D2 in a comical manner.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

Only time will tell, of course but yes, I think it will still be relevant.
Majority of the current popular crazes will no doubt die down with time but some will last with SW still leading the pack along with the likes of Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse and Superman.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a centennial from now?
 

A handful of characters will definitely remain popular. I imagine children in 2050 will still know who Darth Vader is but the original movies will have been largely forgotten. The closest comp is probably Superman, who was a popular character across different entertainment mediums in the 1940s. The Superman Radio show was immensely popular and responsible for many of the things associated with the character, but is largely unknown today to the general population. Everyone still immediately recognizes Superman but most of the original stuff that formed the character is gone from the public conscience.

I believe Disney will eventually wipe the prequels from existence and do them completely over. That is the next logical move once they run out of good sequel ideas. Many, many people would love to see Lucas' terrible prequels removed from Star Wars continuity.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a centennial from now?
 

I was at Target today and every section in the store had at least one item with the Star Wars license on it. It was ridiculous, but understandable from a marketing and business standpoint.

Right now, I'm staying away from anything Star Wars until the new movie comes out. I don't want to get sick of it.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I would question your claim that BB, MM and Supe are relevant.

A lot of the discussion here centers on the premise that because SW is now a Disney property, the House of Mouse will keep it relevant. When all of southern CA has been destroyed in the Great Quake of 2075, and all of Florida is under water, who is to say that Disney will still exist.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

BB,MM and SM are instantly recognizable icons which easily makes them still relevant. You don't expect to see them in new movies or shows every 3-4 years, right? Does that make them obsolete or forgotten?, I'd say no.

There are no right or wrong answers in this thread (for sure) - which makes the are you high? votes a bit baffling to me. Though I know people like to rag on Oldboy for his inane polls more than anything.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

You're being too narrow to make your point. A great quake can happen in CA but... those 3, specifically the Mouse, are international icons of entertainment. They're not just isolated to to here.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

I have a second grader and I visit her campus every day. Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, and Superman are on T-shirts, backpacks, lunchboxes, and everything else. As is Star Wars. These kids are 8. Those characters aren't going away any time soon.

Re: Will Star Wars be as relevant a generation from now?
 

What is your point here? It sounds like you are voting yes. Chaplin, Griffith, and Pickford are still well known and they are studied and viewed frequently today, 100 years later. There's a cable movie channel that routinely plays their films. Almost all of their films are available on DVD. If those cinematic artists can last a century then Star Wars certainly can.