George Lucas created "Star Wars" to "re-enchant" the modern world, according to Dr. Patrick Thaddeus Jackson, an associate professor in the School of International Service.
"It is a kind of a contemporary myth, a teched-up fairy tale," Jackson said.
Jackson presented "Star Wars: Faith, Politics and Special Effects" in the Tavern Wednesday night as part of the Kennedy Political Union's "Professors are People, Too" series, according to a press release from the Student Government.
"[The series] gives students a humanized view of their professors," said KPU Director Amanda Fulton.
Jackson has been obsessed with "Star Wars" since he saw the first movie when he was 5 years old, he said.
"'Star Wars' is one of my real passions," Jackson said.
"Star Wars" is a timeless story and is not meant to be a utopian vision, he said. Rather than being strictly science fiction, the films are a "space opera" in which the story is more important than the science.
The films are a dramatic version of World War II, according to Jackson. Luke Skywalker represents the United States, Obi-Wan Kenobi represents Britain and the Stormtroopers are modeled after the Nazis.
Mike Roche, a sophomore in SIS, said he learned a lot from the presentation even though he has been a "Star Wars" fan for 15 years.
"I'd never actually understood the historical or mythical context," Roche said. "It was always just this series of movies to me."
For viewers in the 1970s, it was also easy to identify the films' "bad guys" with the Soviet Union, Jackson said.
Sandy Cmaylo, a freshman in SIS, said the presentation was fascinating because it let her see what interests her professor has outside the classroom.
"And I'm a huge 'Star Wars' fan," she added.
KPU and School of Communication Professor Joseph Campbell sponsored the event.
In the spring, KPU will hold two more "Professors are People, Too" events, Fulton said.
