P2 A

P2 A – Purpose

What is the purpose of Star Wars: The Force Awakens?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is set 30 years after the events of the original trilogy and is a direct continuation of the storyline which was capped off in Episode VI (Return of the Jedi). It was important for the fans that the new films be heavily tied in with the original trilogy as this was when Star Wars was at its best in the eyes of the majority of the Star Wars community. Therefore, it was important for the fans to know what happened after the events of the original trilogy which gave purpose to the new trilogy of Star Wars films being made. Something that heavily linked it the new trilogy to the old trilogy was the reoccurrence of Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca after 30 years away from the Star Wars Saga. This helped give fans a feeling of nostalgia as they will have recognized beloved characters from the original films and it also helps fans understand just how connected this film is to the original trilogy.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the first Star Wars film to be released under the parent company of Disney who bought the franchise back in 2012 for a huge sum of $4 billion. Although it may seem costly at first, this was actually a very profitable move by Disney as this money will be earned back very quickly due to the profit being made when new films are released and through merchandise sales etc. This means that the launch of a new Star Wars saga is both beneficial for Disney and LucasFilm as it makes them both a lot of money and this is one of the reasons that Star Wars films such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens keep being produced. If Disney didn’t decide to purchase the rights to Star Wars and reboot the saga, then both Disney and LucasFilm would be missing out on a lot of money.

Another purpose of Star Wars: The Force Awakens can be found in the uses and gratification theory. It talks about how sci-fi films are used to give viewers a sense of “escapism” which helps take their mind of any problems/worries they may have in their everyday lives as for a short period of time they will feel as though they are in a different reality in which their problems are irrelevant. Star Wars: The Force Awakens exists to do just this, with its setting being vastly different to anything we would see in real life, which helps captivate viewers making them feel as though they are part of the film; allowing them to turn their attention away from reality for the short period of time in which they are watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens.