Star Wars and the Cold War : Technological Catalyst or Popculture Franchise?

This paper is written to introduce the parallels between the intradiegetic Star Wars universe and real life technological development, mostly focusing on the connections between the original trilogy ( A New Hope from 1977, The Empire Strikes Back from 1980, Return of the Jedi from 1983) and the Reagan Administration (from 1981 to 1989). By doing so, this paper aims to show that George Lucas' space odyssey is not simply a tale but rather one important work that remarkably influenced the course of human history. To prove this point of view, the first section of the paper is dedicated to the introduction of the events that led to creating these films, the American mindset and the everyday life framed by the looming Cold War. The second section focuses on the technological development of the Reagan era, mostly putting emphasis on the Strategic Defense Initiative. The third part introduces the reader to newer technologies which started to rapidly evolve after the fall of the Soviet Union. The final section summarize the content.