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Storytelling Elements in Star Wars: A New Hope

May the force of storytelling be with us.

Jerry Silfwer
by Jerry Silfwer

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

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Here are the storytelling ele­ments in Star Wars: A New Hope.

What bet­ter story could I’ve used? The Star Wars char­ac­ters immerse them­selves in astro­nom­ic­al dra­mas quite literally. 

The storytelling les­sons from Star Wars are epic!

Here we go:

Storytelling Elements in Star Wars

Storytelling for Jedi Master - Star Wars—A New Hope
The clas­sic poster from Star Wars: A New Hope.
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Storytelling Elements in Star Wars

I was born in 1979, two years after Star Wars was released, so Star Wars: A New Hope was essen­tial to my upbringing.

I wanted to apply these clas­sic­al ele­ments to a well-known story to see how well they would work. I’ve out­lined the storytelling ele­ments found in almost all great stories.

Here’s how I struc­tured the storytelling ele­ments fir this story:

1. The Contract

At the begin­ning of Star Wars: A New Hope, you see Star Destroyers in space shoot­ing lasers and Darth Vader tak­ing Princess Leia Organa host­age. At the same time, they nego­ti­ate the whole dra­mat­ic setup before Leia’s taken to her cell.

Darth Vader and Princess Leia - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
No one tells Princess Leia what to do — not even Darth Vader. We learn about her com­mit­ment to the cause, but it will only worsen, espe­cially for her home plan­et, Alderaan.

2. The Pull

The Empire uses a tract­or beam, but we’re drawn into the story by two droids, R2-D2 and C3PO. R2-D2 knows some­thing but can only beep and blip, so C3PO has to ask many ques­tions and repeat the answers to pull the view­er into the story.

C3PO and R2-D2 - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
Two droids on the mis­sion of their lives. We learn that deliv­er­ing Princess Leia’s mes­sage to Obi-Wan Kenobi is more import­ant than any­thing else.

3. The Incident

After fight­ing with his foster par­ents, Luke Skywalker runs away from home and gets attacked by Sand People. However, he is then saved by his mys­ter­i­ous pro­tect­or, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Luke Skywalker is attacked by the Sand People on Tattoine - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
First knocked out, then he finds his home des­troyed and his fam­ily dead. Luke Skywalker is hav­ing a rough day, and he’s forced to make a choice and take up the fight against the mighty Empire.

4. The Reveal

R2-D2 shows his mes­sage from Princess Leia, thus open­ing up a whole new world for Luke Skywalker, and then Obi-Wan Kenobi explains about the Jedi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi gets the message from Princess Leia via R2-D2 - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
Princess Leia’s mes­sage func­tions as a cata­lyst, and through the eyes of Luke Skywalker, we get to exper­i­ence how a whole new world opens up for him. 

5. Point of No Return

Luke Skywalker real­izes his life will nev­er be the same as he rushes home to find his fam­ily butchered. He decides to fol­low Obi-Wan Kenobi and the droids to save Princess Leia. 1The Incident, The Reveal, and the Point of No Return are often quite close to each oth­er in most nar­rat­ives, and they might even be bundled togeth­er in the same scene or sequence. Together, they lead … Continue read­ing

The Millennium Falcon escapes Mos Eisley on Tattoine - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
In flee­ing from Mos Eisely, Luke Skywalker has no turn­ing back. He and his new com­pan­ions are now in the fight against the Empire.

6. Anti-Climax

Together with new com­pan­ions Han Solo and Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker man­ages to save Princess Leia, but at the same time, Obi-Wan Kenobi is struck down by Darth Vader.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is struck down by Darth Vader - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
What was sup­posed to be a brave and glor­i­ous res­cue ends in the sac­ri­fice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke’s ment­or and Jedi master? 

7. All is Lost

As the rebels mobil­ise to strike against the Death Star, they suf­fer heavy losses against a super­i­or mil­it­ary force. But the rebels are picked off indi­vidu­ally, and Luke Skywalker is left with the almost impossible task of blow­ing up the Death Star without a func­tion­ing aim­ing system.

Luke Skywalker as the pilot ready to destroy the Death Star - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
It soon falls on Luke Skywalker to do the impossible. But he’s only begun to learn about the Force. And every­one dying around him.

8. News of Hope

Luke Skywalker gets sur­pris­ing help from Han Solo, who returns with the might of the Millennium Falcon — and the rest of the rebel fleet.

Millennium Falcon Returns with the Rebel Fleet - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
Han Solo plays the role of the ulti­mate sidekick who saves the day when our hero needs him the most.

9. The Climax

Luke Skywalker com­pletes his char­ac­ter arc for this movie by sum­mon­ing the spir­it of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Using the Force, Luke suc­ceeds in blow­ing up the Death Star and, more import­antly, takes an import­ant step towards ful­filling his des­tiny to become a true Jedi Knight.

Luke Skywalker Torpedoes the Death Star - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
Luke Skywalker taps into the Force and — bull’s eye!

10. The Pay-Off

Team Skywalker get medals, but more import­antly — their com­pan­ion­ship is forever forged, and they’re now ready to face the Empire yet again. 2Since the audi­ence has act­ively taken part in the story, shared decisions and exper­i­enced struggles emo­tion­ally, they want to be rewar­ded through the main char­ac­ters. They also want to feel that they … Continue read­ing

The medal ceremony - Star Wars - A New Hope - Storytelling Element
Heroes should get medals, right?

Learn more: Storytelling Elements in Star Wars: A New Hope

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Corporate Storytelling Script

“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can­’t remem­ber who we are or why we’re here.”
— Sue Monk Kidd

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Storytelling: The Why Prompts

Enhance your PR mes­sage with storytelling. Craft com­pel­ling pub­lic rela­tions nar­rat­ives with these simple storytelling prompts.

Here are 20 “whys” that can serve as start­ing points for organ­iz­a­tions to uncov­er enga­ging and rel­ev­ant stories:

  • Why was the organ­isa­tion foun­ded? The story behind its incep­tion, the gap it aimed to fill, or the prob­lem it sought to solve.
  • Why did the founders choose this par­tic­u­lar mis­sion? Personal or pro­fes­sion­al exper­i­ences that led to estab­lish­ing the organ­iz­a­tion’s mission.
  • Why are the organ­iz­a­tion’s val­ues what they are? They are the prin­ciples that guide the organ­iz­a­tion’s oper­a­tions and decision-mak­ing processes.
  • Why do employ­ees feel proud to work here? Employee stor­ies of pride and fulfilment.
  • Why do cus­tom­ers choose us over com­pet­it­ors? Stories of cus­tom­er sat­is­fac­tion and loyalty.
  • Why do we pri­or­it­ize sus­tain­ab­il­ity? The organ­iz­a­tion’s com­mit­ment to envir­on­ment­al respons­ib­il­ity and the steps taken to achieve it.
  • Why do we invest in com­munity ini­ti­at­ives? Examples of com­munity engage­ment and the impact of these efforts.
  • Why is innov­a­tion a corner­stone of our strategy? Stories of innov­a­tion and how they have shaped the organization.
  • Why have we evolved our offer­ings over time? It is a jour­ney of growth and adapt­a­tion to chan­ging mar­ket demands.
  • Why do we adhere to spe­cif­ic eth­ic­al stand­ards? The import­ance of eth­ics and integ­rity in the organ­isa­tion’s operations.
  • Why have we taken a stand on spe­cif­ic social issues? The organ­isa­tion’s involve­ment in social causes and the reas­ons behind these choices.
  • Why do we pri­or­it­ise employ­ee devel­op­ment? The value placed on learn­ing and growth with­in the organisation.
  • Why have we expan­ded into new mar­kets? The stra­tegic decisions behind geo­graph­ic­al or product expansion.
  • Why do we focus on cus­tom­er exper­i­ence? Customer sat­is­fac­tion and ser­vice are import­ant in the organ­isa­tion’s philosophy.
  • Why do we choose cer­tain part­ner­ships and col­lab­or­a­tions? This sec­tion will dis­cuss the cri­ter­ia and stor­ies behind stra­tegic part­ner­ships and collaborations.
  • Why have we over­come par­tic­u­lar chal­lenges? Here are tales of resi­li­ence, over­com­ing adversity, and what was learned from those experiences.
  • Why do we invest in research and devel­op­ment? The role of innov­a­tion in driv­ing the organ­iz­a­tion forward.
  • Why is trans­par­ency import­ant to us? The sig­ni­fic­ance of open com­mu­nic­a­tion with stakeholders.
  • Why do we have a global/​local approach to our oper­a­tions? The rationale behind the scale of oper­a­tions and its impact.
  • Why do we believe our future will look a cer­tain way? Here are some vis­ions for the future and the steps to real­ising them.

These “whys” can lead to pro­found stor­ies that human­ise the organ­iz­a­tion, show­case its val­ues, and build a deep­er con­nec­tion with its audience.

Please note. Once these stor­ies exist, who can tell them? These stor­ies can be immensely use­ful for cor­por­ate com­mu­nic­a­tion, but if all cowork­ers know these stor­ies, that is the most potent propagation.

Learn more: The Story First: Mapping Whys for Storytelling

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Storytelling Resources

Storytelling Books

To learn more about storytelling, I’ve found these books immensely helpful:

Storytelling Elements

Writing Advice

Storytelling Apps (MacOS/​iOS)

Learn more: Storytelling Books

One more thing. As I’m writ­ing this, we’re expect­ing a baby boy, and my wife is five days past her due date. If all goes well (and I think it will!) — I hope to have many years of storytelling before me. 3Silfwer, J. (2014, September 20). Welcome to Our World, Jack. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​j​a​c​k​-​s​i​l​f​w​er/

May the Force be with all of us!

Jerry Silfwer - Doctor Spin - Spin Factory - Public Relations

THANKS FOR READING.
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PR Resource: Free Storytelling PR Course

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Free Introduction PR Course - Doctor Spin - Public Relations Blog
Free storytelling PR course.

Spin’s PR School: Free Storytelling PR Course

Elevate your pub­lic rela­tions game with this free Storytelling PR Course. Learn essen­tial and time­less storytelling tech­niques for effect­ive communication.

Storytelling Elements
Storytelling Scripts
Storytelling Inspiration

Learn more: All Free PR Courses

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Annotations
Annotations
1 The Incident, The Reveal, and the Point of No Return are often quite close to each oth­er in most nar­rat­ives, and they might even be bundled togeth­er in the same scene or sequence. Together, they lead up to this: the audi­ence must want Luke to go on this adven­ture before he decides to go. Audience buy-in is crucial.
2 Since the audi­ence has act­ively taken part in the story, shared decisions and exper­i­enced struggles emo­tion­ally, they want to be rewar­ded through the main char­ac­ters. They also want to feel that they have grown from this story and are now bet­ter equipped to face any chal­lenges in their own lives.
3 Silfwer, J. (2014, September 20). Welcome to Our World, Jack. Doctor Spin | The PR Blog. https://​doc​tor​spin​.net/​j​a​c​k​-​s​i​l​f​w​er/
Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Whispr Group NYC, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Cover Photo

The cover photo isn't related to public relations obviously; it's just a photo of mine. Think of it as a 'decorative diversion', a subtle reminder that it's good to have hobbies outside work.

The cover photo has

Storytelling Elements in Star Wars - A New Hope - Doctor Spin - The PR Blog
They say time heals all wounds, but it's also great at inflicting new ones.

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