"It's A Fairy Tale Dressed Up As Science Fiction": 11 Ways Mark Hamill Was Absolutely Right About Star Wars

These 11 elements of Star Wars suggest that Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill’s description of the franchise as “a fairy tale dressed up as science fiction” was entirely accurate. Star Wars movies and TV shows have long been considered quintessential examples of science fiction. In fact, since the beginning of the franchise (and certainly in the years since), Star Wars has massively influenced and even defined what this genre looks like on the screen. Yet, Star Wars’ categorization as science fiction may not completely capture the genre these movies represent.

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Mark Hamill described Star Wars as a fairy tale during an interview, explaining, “It’s like a fairy tale. You’ve got a farm boy, you’ve got a pirate, you’ve got a princess, you got a wizard, it’s a fairy tale dressed up as science fiction.'” Hamill’s assessment was absolutely correct, not only because of the princesses, pirates, farm boy, and ‘wizards’ he describes, but also because of various other points of connection. These 11 fairy tale elements in Star Wars prove that Mark Hamill’s surprising assessment of Star Wars as more like a fairy tale than science fiction was dead on.

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“A Long Time Ago” Is A Version Of “Once Upon A Time”

Star Wars Opens In A Way Quite Similar To Most Fairy Tales

Although not all fairy tales begin with “Once upon a time,” it is a phrase heavily associated with fairy tales. Star Wars’ opening line, “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” is a variation of this line. Notably, though, this variation comes with the twist regarding the galaxy being far, far away, signaling that Star Wars is still science fiction.

Presumably, this wording was intentionally linked to this fairy tale opening. It also set up the idea that Star Wars was never going to intersect with ‘real life,’ be it Earth or an overlapping timeline with human history, which is something that was very important to George Lucas. Star Wars was intended to be a fantasy and an escape, not a representation of the real world. Star Wars has maintained that setting, even as shows like Star Wars: Skeleton Crew have introduced remarkably Earth-like planets.

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The Skywalker Saga Stars Queens And Princesses

Leia And Padmé Were Both Royal (In Different Ways)

Some of the most common character types in fairy tales are queens and princesses, which have been seen time and again in movies, especially in fairy tale-driven franchises such as Disney. Star Wars has its own notable queens and princesses, beginning with Princess Leia in A New Hope. The prequel trilogy then revealed that Leia had royalty in common with her biological mother, although not in the way one might expect.

Although Leia was Princess of Alderaan, receiving a royal title through her adoptive mother, Breha Organa, Leia’s biological mother, Padmé Amidala, had been elected Queen of Naboo. As Mark Hamill himself mentioned, though, Star Wars has done princesses quite differently than many other fairy tale stories. In the same interview, Hamill explained:

“How about the princess? You know she’s not a damsel in distress, and she takes over her own rescue and grabs the gun from Luke and Han. You call this a rescue? Give me that gun.”

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Nevertheless, just like so many fairy tales, queens and princesses are front and center in Star Wars.

The Jedi Are Knights

Star Wars’ Jedi Even Have This Title Within The Movies And Shows Directly

Yet another major character type in fairy tales is the knight, which Star Wars also has. In fact, within Star Wars movies and TV shows, the Jedi are directly referred to as Jedi Knights. This connection goes beyond just a name, though. Like the knights in fairy tales, the Jedi were valiant warriors, there to protect others. The Jedi of the prequel trilogy took this similarity one step further, becoming soldiers for the Republic.

Of course, this identity is a bit complicated, as the Jedi were also meant to be peacekeepers. The Clone Wars dragged them into battles that ran counter to what they were meant to be and symbolize in the galaxy, which arguably contributed to their downfall. Nevertheless, it’s clear that Star Wars’ own knights share plenty in common with fairy tale knights, including with the Jedi swooping in to save a queen in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (though she, like her daughter, proved she could handle herself).

Pirates Are Becoming Even More Prominent

Skeleton Crew Has Just Opened Up The World Of Pirates In Star Wars

Pirates have long been part of Star Wars, although for quite some time, they have been much more prominent in the books than they have been on screen. Star Wars: The Clone Wars was the first show to really show more about pirates in the galaxy far, far away. However, Skeleton Crew has just truly changed the game when it comes to pirates in Star Wars, not only through Jude Law’s pirate character Jod Na Nawood but also through major updates such as the pirate empire Port Borgo.

Pirates have long been part of Star Wars, although for quite some time, they have been much more prominent in the books than they have been on screen.

Like pirates in fairy tales, the pirates in Skeleton Crew are driven by selfish desires for incredible wealth, and they seem to uphold pirate codes, similar to what has been seen in countless fairy tales. This is how Jod manages to take control of SM-33, when he forces Fern to yield as captain. This is a thrilling update for the franchise, as it could mean that movies and shows will now begin to have a greater focus on pirates, shifting away from the Jedi and the Sith.

Jabba Is Basically An Ogre

Jabba The Hutt Fits The Bill For Fairy Tales’ Ogres

Jabba the Hutt is easily one of the most unsettling characters in Star Wars, which is true both because of his appearance strongly resembling a slug and because of his treacherous and creepy behavior as a crime lord. Most obviously, the way Jabba the Hutt treated Leia Organa and his many other enslaved dancers makes him an incredibly odious character. Jabba is therefore a Star Wars variation on fairy tales’ ogres.

Ogres are known to be terrifying, often violent creatures, and are even at times depicted eating human beings (including children). This is what made Shrek such a major deviation from this fairy tale creature, as he was at first gruff and standoffish but ultimately became charming. The same certainly cannot be said of Jabba the Hutt, who was cruel and disturbing right to his bitter end—which gave Leia the perfect revenge.

Star Wars Has Dragons

The Krayt Dragon Is Yet Another Fairy Tale Connection

The fairy tale genre is clearly defined by its characters, as dragons represent yet another character type in fairy tale stories. In fairy tales, dragons are frequently fire-breathing, flying creatures depicted with large wings and in vibrant colors such as red or purple. While dragons may not share all those traits in Star Wars, there are dragons in the Star Wars franchise as well.

The krayt dragon—which is actually an umbrella term encompassing several reptilian creatures in Star Wars—first appeared in A New Hope, although only in its skeletal form. Krayt dragons have since had appearances in myriad Star Wars shows, books, and movies, most prominently in The Mandalorian. Again, the krayt dragon of Star Wars may not share all that much with fairy tale dragons in terms of traits or appearance, but it is nevertheless another major fairy tale element included in the Star Wars franchise.

Anakin Is A Cinderella Story (Gone Wrong)

Anakin’s Story Has A Rags-To-Riches Element, But It Doesn’t Have A Happy Ending

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Anakin Skywalker’s Star Wars arc has been linked to a number of other stories and tropes, such as the fallen angel. However, Anakin’s narrative arc, especially in the prequel trilogy, is a type of Cinderella story. Like Cinderella, particularly the Disney version of the story, Anakin has a rags-to-riches arc, which, in Anakin’s case, includes going from an enslaved child on Tatooine to one of the Clone War’s greatest heroes and the Chosen One of the Jedi.

Unlike Cinderella, though, the conclusion of Anakin’s story is not a happy one. In Cinderella, the titular protagonist ultimately escapes her abusive step-mother’s house and finds the love of her life, becoming a princess after living as little more than her family’s servant. Anakin’s prequel trilogy arc ends with him losing everyone he loves and cares about and becoming an evil version of himself. Although his story ends in a better place in Return of the Jedi, that is after decades of suffering and Darth Vader carrying out unspeakable acts.

The Original Trilogy Had A Happily Ever After Ending

The Sequels Changed This To A Certain Degree

Although the Star Wars sequel trilogy made some major changes to this ending, initially, the original Star Wars trilogy had a ‘happily ever after’ ending. By the end of Return of the Jedi, Anakin Skywalker had been redeemed, the Empire had been defeated, Luke and Leia knew they were siblings, the Jedi had returned, and Han and Leia were finally together. There was also plenty of hope for the future, as it seemed almost certain the Jedi would be rebuilt and the Republic would return.

Technically, that is what happened. The New Republic was established, and Luke Skywalker got to work establishing his own Jedi Temple. However, the sequels revealed that Luke’s Jedi Temple had been destroyed and his students had been killed off, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens depicted the New Republic being wiped out by Starkiller Base. These updates are part of what made the sequels so controversial, although the original trilogy nevertheless fits with a fairy tale ending.

The Force Is Basically Magic, Jedi Are Wizards, & Sith Are Dark Sorcerers

Mark Hamill’s Comments About Star Wars Characters Ring True

As Mark Hamill said, there are plenty of parallels between the key characters and concepts in Star Wars and those are fairy tales. Some may bristle at the idea, but it’s true that the Force is more or less magic. Yes, it is a force that binds all living things together, which doesn’t necessarily equate to magic, but the various Force powers in Star Wars prove that there are magical qualities to the Force.

Some may bristle at the idea, but it’s true that the Force is more or less magic.

Likewise, Hamill was correct when he identified the Jedi as a variation of wizards. In his comment, he referred to “a wizard,” no doubt meaning Obi-Wan Kenobi, as he was talking about A New Hope specifically. In that movie in particular, Obi-Wan does come across as a fairy tale wizard, being someone who is older, with a mysterious nature and deep wisdom. Given that description of the Jedi, it makes sense that, as the Jedi’s darker counterparts, the Sith would be dark wizards or sorcerers.

Even Death Isn’t A Barrier For Good (Or Evil)

There Are Plenty Of Returns From The Dead In Star Wars And In Fairy Tales

In fairy tales, people are often able to come back from the dead, such as in Snow White, when the prince kisses Snow White back to life (although there’s debate about whether she was truly dead in the first place). Nevertheless, fairy tales have long established that death isn’t always the end. Star Wars has played by the same rules for quite some time, although that has gotten the franchise into trouble from time to time.

This was first true in the original Star Wars trilogy, with the introduction of Force ghosts. This was generally a more accepted form of Star Wars characters ‘returning’ from the dead, but the franchise has since bent the rules of life and death even further, including with the very controversial resurrection of Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Other characters, such as Darth Maul and Boba Fett, have also returned after seeming to have died.

The franchise has since bent the rules of life and death even further, including with the very controversial resurrection of Emperor Palpatine.

The Lightsaber Is Excalibur

This Iconic Blade Had A Direct Influence On Star Wars

The most iconic weapon in Star Wars, the lightsaber, also has ties to fairy tales. The legendary blade Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur himself, was known to glow when drawn. Lightsabers, as plasma beams, likewise glow, giving them the ‘light’ of their name. The connection doesn’t end there, though.

The name of kyber crystals, previously called Kaiburr crystals in Legends, was derived from the name of Excalibur itself. These crystals are what powers lightsabers and give them their unique colors. Clearly, George Lucas had fairy tales on his mind while he was creating the concepts in Star Wars. While Star Wars is undoubtedly still a brilliant example of science fiction, these 11 fairy tale elements prove that Mark Hamill was right when he described the franchise as “a fairy tale dressed up as science fiction.”

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