12/10/12
Dr. Dominguez
LTCS 50
Final Paper - Star Wars on Culture Friday, May 25, 1977, Memorial Day weekend opens with an intergalactic bang as the first of George Lucas' blockbuster Star Wars movies hits American theaters, and the world was never the same. Whether you are a fan of the double trilogy or not, there is no doubt the series has permeated our society. Ranging from simple references in shows or movies to all kinds of memorabilia, Star Wars is an unavoidable phenomenon that will most certainly continue living on for a long time. The use of Star Wars in American culture has helped to define culture in terms of new markets, the formation of a cultural community, and what it means to be modern in culture and society. George Lucas started his production company Lucasfilm Limited for the production of Star Wars, this in turn led to a new market and the creation of different companies, all with a pedigree leading back to Lucasfilm Limited and Star Wars. Star Wars also led to the formation of a new sub-culture in American culture, the culture surrounding the way people of all ages can interact and play, as well as creating infinite possibilities for Star Wars games and themes. Star Wars also shows us what it means to be modern, and in studying the great films one can see all the different technologies we have today that were a product of the Star Wars universe. Lucasfilm Limited, founded by George Lucas in 1971, is best known for the Star Wars and Indian Jones films and got the ball rolling for the domination of the film market in terms of special effects. Here is a quick list of subsidiary companies to Lucasfilm Ltd. : Industrial Light and Magic, Skywalker Sound, LucasArts, Lucas Licensing, Lucas Learning, Lucas Books, Lucasfilm Animation, Lucas Marketing, Lucas Online. Former subsidiary companies include THX Ltd., and Pixar Animation Studios. These ten companies were all built off Lucasfilm Ltd. and show how Star Wars led