If Star Wars were thrown into Middle Earth, the world of Lord of the Rings, it would not be the high art of Tolkien s elves rather it is the more mundane entertainment of hobbits, to be enjoyed in the comfort of home and friends, with a fairly basic story of good and evil to be told and retold. Its tale is the stuff of legend, repeated over and over through the ages. Its heroes were preceded by others such as Arthur and Lancelot, or Robin Hood; its fair maiden needing rescue Guinevere, or Maid Marian; the sage old man of magic Merlin; Darth Vader and the Evil Empire Arthur s Saxon enemies, the Sheriff of Nottingham and his soldiers. It s the tiny but brave force facing seemingly invincible foes like David and Goliath. Joseph Campbell used Luke Skywalker as an example of his hero quest, repeated over and over in mythology. As well as the appeal of familiarity, there are, I think, a couple of other reasons for the tremendous success of Star Wars and its sequels. First of all, when it was released, the special effects were unsurpassed, stunning most who saw the movie. Its casting was inspired young unknowns like Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher were the action figures. The unquestioned integrity of Alec Guinness gave power and soul to the role of Obi Wan Kenobi, a role that was key to the magic of the tale, key to the line that has stayed with us may the Force be with you!