Star Wars Research Articles

Behind the Scenes: How Logistics Shape Space Fantasy Science Fiction Narratives

This research note explores how logistics, though often overlooked, is a central element in space fantasy science fiction narratives. In Frank Herbert’s Dune, the spice—essential for interstellar travel—demonstrates how logistics influences space geopolitics. Star Wars highlights the logistical challenges involved in managing an intergalactic empire, from constructing the Death Stars to coordinating rebel fleets. In Star Trek, space exploration depends on intricate logistics to sustain ships, space stations, and diplomatic relations. Finally, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation illustrates how the collapse of logistics can lead to the downfall of an intergalactic empire. These films and novels reveal that logistics extends beyond mere materials and operations management; it becomes a key question of survival, power, and stability within these fictional universes. Science fiction narratives not only offer insights into future logistics but also prompts reflection on contemporary challenges in supply chain and infrastructure management.

John Williams to Non-Williams

John Williams may have dominion over the Star Wars film scores with eighteen hours of music across nine films, but the mantle of responsibility for the Star Wars musical canon en masse has been undertaken by scores of many different composers, especially video game composers. Scholars of John Williams’s music such as Frank Lehman have analyzed Williams’s nine film scores, but there has been little research into the more than 100 Star Wars video game scores, which raises the question: how has Star Wars music developed without the guidance of its progenitor John Williams? Frank Lehman’s “Complete Catalogue of the Themes of Star Wars: A Guide to John Williams’s Musical Universe”1 cataloged the themes, motifs, source music, and thematic relationships of the nine films and proved musicologically insightful as well as incredibly useful when one seeks an understanding of the intricacies of Williams’s Star Wars film scores. Lehman’s research provides an ideal foundation for the ludomusicological inquisition of the hundred plus Star Wars game scores. The interactive nature of gaming mandates that the scores take player input into consideration leading to many unique methods of musical deployment that have changed from game to game. This research preludes the creation of a Star Wars sound and music anthology, similar to the Norton Anthology of Western Music, where ludomusicality found within scores from video games in the Star Wars universe are analyzed, cataloged, and explored. Each game/series would get its own unique catalog within the greater anthology consisting of a collection of analyses of the motifs, themes, and anything else of particular ludomusical interest. This poster presents a preliminary analysis of the deployment of motifs in the video games Star Wars Chess (1993) and Star Wars: X-Wing (1993), the first steps taken toward cataloging these video game scores. This proposed catalog will include analyses of ludomusicality within the Star Wars video game scores, showing how the player and computer interact to customize the listening experience of original and borrowed themes from the Star Wars movies. Combining Lehman’s method of cataloging with methods of ludomusicological analysis2 will be useful for understanding the plethora of themes, motifs, source music, thematic relationships, lyrics, diegetic music, and ludomusical methods found within the scores of each game. To present an example of this combination of analyses, Lehman’s motifs (denoted by quotation marks) are presented in combination with original analyses and transcription by the author, demonstrating the overlap between the musical material of the Star Wars movies and video games. This series of catalogs would be an excellent resource for all future Star Wars ludomusicological research as well as further expanding the literature in the field.

Review of “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel”

Review of “The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel”

ИНТЕРПРЕТАЦИИ ТЕРМИНА «МОНОКУЛЬТУРА» ДО И ПОСЛЕ ЦИФРОВОГО СОСТОЯНИЯ

The article is devoted to the analysis of the phenomenon of monoculture, chronologically divided into pre-digital and digital. Pre-digital monoculture is presented through the critical analysis of cultural consumption. Using the case of such cultural texts as Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Star Wars, the author shows that pre-digital monoculture is a part of popular culture. It was the consumption of various symbols that marked the dominance of a cultural text in the pre-digital era. In an attempt to characterize the digital monoculture, the author refers to Alan Kirby’s theory of digimodernism and the theory of technofeudalism by J. Dean and Y. Varoufakis, also offering his own definition of the term.

The Constructed Past in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: Nostalgia in the Star Wars Films

Star Wars (1977-2019), directed by George Lucas, is a science fiction (fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes) saga that takes place in the outer space universe. The whole story is an intergalactic adventure surrounding the ongoing battle between the Jedi Order, which represents the bright side and the Sith Order, which represents the dark forces. Despite that were massive number of studies done on them as films of science fiction, few have looked at Star Wars from a perspective that would categorize them instead as nostalgia films. According to Fredric Jameson, a theorist and critic of North American culture and literature, the nostalgia film is a separate category (from historical films) that does not directly employ historical objects but exhibits a resemblance of them to reflect a longing for the historical past. Combining sections from the Star Wars films with Fredric Jameson's theory on nostalgia films, this essay attempts to explore the purpose of George Lucas blending elements of the past with futuristic designs and seeks to argue that nostalgia was the intended overall atmosphere of the franchise.

Mapping and animating Star Wars Millennium Falcon hyperspace jumping base on Blender

Science fiction movies are fictional, which means that most of the elements portrayed are not real but rather imaginative. For most space operas, writers often devise creative solutions to overcome the limitations imposed by the speed of light, such as the concept of hyperspace in "Star Wars" to bypass speed restrictions. This study aimed to celebrate the 47th Force Day in 2024 by using the non-commercial software Blender to recreate the iconic Disney version of hyperspace jumping visual effects. The research effort included reproducing both the hyperspace flyby scene and the scene of a spaceship jumping out of hyperspace, showcasing stunning visual effects achieved through Blender's rendering and special effects capabilities. In the context of the Disney version of hyperspace jumping featuring a swirling blue tunnel, the research team meticulously modeled and rendered the spaceship's traversal through hyperspace within Blender. Additionally, the paper employed special effects techniques to recreate the spectacular moment of the spaceship emerging from hyperspace, capturing the visual allure of Disney's interpretation of hyperspace jumping. The results demonstrate the feasibility of this endeavor, albeit with potential technical flaws.

May the force be with you: Star Wars and the gamified hotel journey

ABSTRACT Although gamification has gained traction in the tourism literature, its application in the hospitality field of work has received little attention. This commentary presents a new avenue in the hospitality sector to embrace gamification through the gamified journey. We demonstrate how the concept works in the Star Wars hotel by illuminating how hospitality services could imbue gamification elements in every part of the service encounter to create the WOW effect. In essence, the Star Wars accommodation renders a unique service potential that could bring new fantasy experiences to every part of the guest dwelling, as it turns an ordinary accommodation into a game showroom where guests could indulge in a fantasy-like setting. Although the gamified hotel model casts new revelations on the accommodation business, it also suffers a series of fatal issues that lead to service failures as well as customer complaints and even avoidance. This research note takes a leap forward to present a research agenda on gamification in tourism/hospitality service, while showcasing opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Star wars: The hidden empire

AbstractThe remarkable cultural vitality of Star Wars and the subsequent franchise is due in part to the way in which it simultaneously builds on and bolsters the Gramscian “common sense” that America is not an empire. Like the Western, Star Wars uses apolitical individualism to portray political actions as the result of individuals' search for freedom, while representing the galaxy as home to a single, evil Empire. These narrative mechanisms, invite the viewers of Star Wars to think of the United States as a ragtag group of fighters battling an oppressive empire, but not itself an empire.

Darth Vader's Secret Weapon: Implementing Mission Engineering with UAF

AbstractWhen planning and conducting a Mission Engineering (ME) study, it is important to have a complete, correct, and coherent model of the mission architecture. The Unified Architecture Framework (UAF) has been found to be effective for this purpose. The OUSD (R&E) Mission Integration office is exploring how to use UAF for their ME architectures. This paper will explore some of the required modeling features and constructs that will enable this to occur. The paper “Implementing Mission Engineering with UAF” was presented at a previous conference and this paper will expand on that presentation and will discuss additional work that has been accomplished since then. This paper will also explore the proposed extensions for UAF to better support ME. We created a prototype model using the Battle of Hoth from Star Wars as a proof of concept for these modeling extensions and used the process and ME concepts defined in the Mission Engineering Guide (MEG). Since then there have been several concepts that were explored such as compatibility with the Model‐Based Acquisition (MBAcq) approach, recent initiatives from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities, Enterprise Systems Engineering (ESE) process and methods, detailed resource engagement, use of different modeling languages (e.g., Systems Modeling Language (SysML), SysML v2 and UAF v2), Effects and Outcomes, variety of measures, additional attributes/stereotypes such as differentiation between enemy/friendly/neutral ‐ Blue Force, Red Force, etc., provenance/confidence of enemy resources, and so forth. This paper will summarize the research and modeling done to date and explore these additional concepts as well as new ideas introduced in the MEG v2.

Dancing with math: Using Kleins quartic for music generation

Studying music from a mathematical perspective is often based on the notions of symmetry and topological space. A group G acting on some set S of musical objects in a meaningful way is seen as a symmetry group in music. This can be used in analysing motif development and chord progressions. In neo-Riemannian analysis, one has three principal chord transformations that generate a group GD_12, acting on the set S of 24 major and minor triads. Moreover, this theory is visualized through a simplicial complex whose underlying space is a topological torus. In this paper, we first introduce various symmetry groups and graphic presentations in music theory. We then propose a way of doing neo-Riemannian analysis on Kleins quartic, which is a genus 3 surface instead of a torus, realizing an idea of John Baez. Finally, we use our theory to perform a harmonic analysis of The Imperial March from Star Wars.

May the Force Be With You JedAI: Balancing the Light and Dark Sides of Generative AI in the Educational Landscape

Generative AI, much like the Force in Star Wars, wields significant power, capable of immense good or potential harm depending on its application. This editorial indicates the dual nature of generative AI within educational contexts, drawing parallels to the light and dark sides of the Force. Generative AI's proficiency in language manipulation positions it as a transformative tool in education, yet its influence must be managed wisely. The evolution of AI mirrors the advent of personal computers, suggesting a future where individuals may have personal AI assistants tailored to their needs. This speculative future poses critical questions about the balance of force between humans and AI. This editorial along with articles published in the special issue urge critical reflection on our current path and the decisions that will shape the future of AI in education.

Star Wars after Lucas: A critical guide to the future of the galaxy By DanGolding, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2019.

Star Wars after Lucas: A critical guide to the future of the galaxy By DanGolding, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2019.

Proxy Star Wars: The Growing Threat of Grey-Zone Activities in the Space Domain

he space domain is a contested and congested environment, with an overlap of military and commercial interests leading to an increasing number of “grey-zone” operations. Grey-zone operations are activities which fall below the threshold for a conventional military response, and are performed in ways that make attribution too uncertain to justify kinetic countermeasures. These operations push the boundaries of the law, technology and territorial integrity. A failure to direct an appropriate level of attention to counter space activity, or establish policy and behavioural norms, leaves scope for rapid escalation of force toward the threshold of military intervention. This paper intends to summarise past and current grey-zone activities in the space domain, identify key technologies, as well as forecast development trends. And, finally, it will reflect on the political ramifications of the escalating militarisation of the space-domain. Keywords: Grey-zone, Anti-Satellite, Counter-Space, Hybrid-Operations, Lawfare

Determination of the most influential robot in the medical field by utilizing the bipolar complex fuzzy soft aggregation operators

From science fiction to the hospital, robots are transforming the medical field. These robots mostly look like R2D2 from Star Wars more than humanoids, yet they are having a substantial impact on the medical field. Robots in the medical field support by releasing medical staff from repetitive chores that distract their consideration to more vital responsibilities and by dropping the danger and expenditure of medical treatment for patients. The robots can also move hazardous materials and execute accurate surgery in small spaces. Considering this influence of robots on the medical field, in this manuscript, we investigate the influence of robots on the medical field and discover which robot is more influential in the medical field. For this, the bipolar complex fuzzy soft set (BCFSS) is a substantial mathematical model that covers genuine decision-making (DM) dilemmas where the obscurity and imprecision contain a negative pole, 2nd dimension, and parameterization at one time. Moreover, in this study, we establish arithmetic and geometric aggregation operators (AOs) in the setting of BCFSS, like bipolar complex fuzzy soft-weighted arithmetic averaging (BCFSWAA) and bipolar complex fuzzy soft-weighted geometric averaging (BCFSWGA) operators. Moreover, for discovering the most influential robot, we invent a technique of DM relying on the diagnosed AOs in the environment of BCFSS, and then, we describe a numerical example (determination of the most influential robot in the medical field). To demonstrate the superiority and condescension of our work we compare it with prevailing work.

Hotel innovation and novelty: a case study of Disney’s Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of novelty and hedonic value on perceived value and intentions to revisit, using Disney's Galactic Starcruiser as a case study. Surveying past customers, participants provided responses measuring novelty, hedonism, perceived value, and revisit intentions. Obtaining permission from three Starcruiser-specific Facebook groups, 290 responses were collected in March 2023 before its closure. Using SPSS 27, incomplete surveys (n = 34) were excluded, and outliers and normality were addressed. Due to non-normality, hedonism data was excluded from regression analysis. Novelty-seeking significantly correlated with perceived value (p < .001, F = 18.002, R square = .067). Participants exhibited high education levels, above-average income, and strong Star Wars and Disney affinity. Despite discontinuation, the findings reveal a dedicated consumer base with potential for future innovations. Additionally, this study focuses on narrative storytelling tourism, prioritising immersive storytelling techniques and role playing to engage visitors in compelling narratives, transporting them into different worlds through vivid storytelling and thematic environments.

Micro-optical Maximization of Photon-photon Interaction

In the “Star Wars” movies, Jedi knights engage in dazzling duels with lightsabers that confine light and push it against each other. However, confining photons or enabling their interaction in reality, especially in free space, is extremely challenging. Photon-photon interactions, which are only possible through optical nonlinearity, are difficult to achieve with conventional materials. The quest to confine photons in a specific space for as long as possible, and to allow individual photons to interact with each other, is a major challenge for researchers in physics and optics. Since the invention of the laser, the study of optical nonlinearity has been the foundation of various modern scientific and technological advances that contribute significantly to our daily lives. Recently, optical nonlinearity has become a central platform for quantum information, computing, and sensing research, highlighting its growing importance. This article discusses a new turning point in optical nonlinearity based on micro-resonators, and presents efforts and future perspectives to realize photon-photon interactions.

Immersive protagonists – exploring the notion of the ‘hero’ in theme parks

ABSTRACT This article considers how the prolonged immersive storytelling experiences that theme parks provide have developed over time, with a particular focus on the role the individual guest can choose to take. Using examples from the Star Wars Intellectual Property developed for Disney Parks, and specifically Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (an extended three-day/two-night immersive experience), I consider how the role and agency of the individual participant/guest has changed over time and opened up from rather passive, to much more engaged. I argue that recent developments in theme park land, attraction and experience design (including extensions made possible by digital media) have opened up different structures in the narrative, allowing guests the option to become protagonists in a story they have agency over. This significantly extends the notion of the templated ‘hero’ Joseph Campbell introduced as part of his hero’s journey framework and makes way for the guest as immersive protagonist.

The portrayal of gender in Marvel and Star Wars media targeted towards children.

An abundance of previous research has investigated how gender has been portrayed within feature length films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, particularly those within the Disney princess franchise. However, the Disney corporation acquired the Marvel and Star Wars franchises in 2009 and 2012, respectively, which was likely a strategy for the corporation to obtain characters that would capture the imagination of boys and men. The current qualitative study explored how gender is portrayed by leading protagonists in these texts, utilising thematic analysis, which was necessary considering little is currently known in this domain. The researchers analysed series one of Avengers Assemble and series one of Star Wars Rebels. Interpretation of the data led to the development of several themes and subthemes based on the gendered portrayals within each series. Overall, the findings suggest that there was more overt gender stereotyping in Avengers Assemble when compared with Star Wars Rebels, meaning that the former could be particularly problematic for children who may replicate its messages. The current study has facilitated a greater understanding of the gendered messages that may be consumed by children who engage with Marvel and Star Wars media. Future research is needed to assess the relationship between such messages and children's behaviour.

I Am Your Father

In this narrative medicine essay, a child psychiatrist is left with no choice but to sit with his 6-year-old son after all his child-behavior strategies failed to jolt the child out of his meltdown, sparked by a long line for a Star Wars ride at a Disney park.

Hollywood’s current game plan: it’s the IP and not the actor

ABSTRACT Ever since the success of Star Wars in the 1970s, Hollywood’s obsession with blockbusters and their sequels (prequels) has been evident. The exploitations of successful intellectual properties (IP) have, in many instances, served the studios well, with many going on to reap hundreds of millions at the box-office. However, in recent times, such strategies have gone to new levels, to the extent that studios’ annual portfolio of movies is now virtually dominated by IP-related projects hence the endless list of sequels, prequels and so on. The implication of such phenomenon is that the key resource to success in the industry no longer resides with human capital (i.e. movie stars) but instead the IPs. One should expect fewer standout original standalone movies should this practice continue.