See the galaxy from your living room

What makes something recognisably ‘Star Wars’? In the early 80s there were many attempts to copy the Star Wars formula but none could successfully capture what made tales from a galaxy far, far away so enticing.

As a small boy, what made something ‘Star Wars’ for me was the mix of big space action, the mysticism of the force, and the fantastical breadth of aliens species. Added together they created a spectacle like nothing else. Maybe that’s why Star Wars comics and cartoons never did it for me. They lacked the visual and audible heft of a big budget film.

Now the 80s are ‘far, far away’, technology has moved on and living rooms are cinema-like with their big screens and Star Wars at home is much closer to Star Wars on the big screen. The Mandalorian, Andor, and the rest, have deepened the lore of Star Wars and brought more of the galaxy into the living room (though Tatooine turns up more regularly than I would like).

With the Star Wars ‘wow’ now created regularly at home, where does that leave the big screen version? Disney has announced new films are on the way and, of course, I’ll be watching them on the largest screen I can find, and with an ice-cream in my hand. But will I be amazed by what I watch?