The Feminine Side of the Force

Since 1977, three generations of American boys have fallen in love with Star Wars. Every time a new trilogy was made—George Lucas made a second one in 1999, then Disney a third in 2015—it proved a multi-billion dollar proposition. The blockbuster era of American cinema is defined by Star Wars, which, unique among blockbusters, spans the entire era. One reason is that Star Wars became an inter-generational, father-to-son entertainment. Another is that there’s not that much competition for the lasting affection of American boys, since the entertaining and the memorable are very different things.