With Star Wars: The Complete Saga arriving on Blu-ray this month, Gary Collinson counts down his most memorable Star Wars moments (check out the previous entry here)…
STAR WARS: EPISODE IV – A NEW HOPE
“The Force is what gives the Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”
Way back when midi-chlorians were just a twinkle in George Lucas’ eye, our understanding of the Force came down to a simple explanation from Ben Kenobi as the venerable Jedi Knight talks with Luke Skywalker in his hut on Tatooine. Simultaneously establishing the back-story to A New Hope and propelling Luke Skywalker towards his destiny, the integral scene brings the entire Star Wars saga together and its success boils down to the wonderful delivery of Alec Guinness – the veteran actor taking his exposition-heavy dialogue and capturing the imagination of the audience with his tales of hokey religions and ancient weapons.
Not only does the scene introduce the world to the lightsaber, but it also went on to entrall a generation of fans by teasing Darth Vader’s epic duel with Obi Wan Kenobi – a confrontation that was finally realised on screen twenty-eight years later with the release of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
I was once a Jedi Knight the same as your father…
Proceed to the next memorable Star Wars moment here.
Originally published September 8, 2011. Updated April 12, 2018.
