The script potential score of Star Wars - A New Hope is 1.27 (predicted 190-210MM; actual 236MM)
The script of Star Wars - A New Hope will appeal to 38.14 – 42.15% of the population
Star Wars - A New Hope borrows 98% of its events from 6 mythological tales
The script of Star Wars - A New Hope will appeal to 38.14 – 42.15% of the population
Any story is the quest to fulfil a human desire. We have identified universal quests for every human desire. These universal quests reveal the invisible plot structure of stories. An analysis of Blockbuster, Hit & Flop plots led to the discovery of Mythosis Code. The Code reveals the story principles shared by all Blockbusters. We use the Code to estimate and unlock a story’s Blockbuster potential.
All Blockbusters have at least 3 universal quests. Star Wars - A New Hope uses 6 mythological tales to capture the desires of Accumulation, Expedition, Order, Power & Preservation. The plot structure uses both the universal quests of Order – every basic human desire has a fulfilled & unfulfilled quest.
In Blockbusters, each universal quest is mirrored by ONLY ONE character. Obi-Wan mirrors the universal unfulfilled quest of Order & Luke mirrors the quest of Expedition. Darth Vader mirrors the quest of Power, R2D2 mirrors the fulfilled quest of Order, Han Solo mirrors the quest of Accumulation & Tarkin mirrors the quest of Preservation.
Every Blockbuster character borrows at least 35% of the universal quest. Obi-Wan borrows 17% of the quest for Order. Luke borrows 63% of the quest for Expedition & Darth Vader borrows 48% of the quest of Power. R2D2’s character borrows 20% of the universal quest of Order, Han Solo borrows 33% of the quest of Accumulation & Tarkin borrows 29% of the quest of Preservation.
Blockbusters interweave different quests to create a tight plot structure. Interweaving occurs when events of 2 quests occur simultaneously in the story. Blockbusters have a quest interweaving threshold of 0.5. Star Wars - A New Hope’s quest interweaving is 0.67 and above par. An example of interweaving the quests of Darth Vader & Luke:
Blockbusters have a script score of at least 0.64 whereas Star Wars - A New Hope’ script potential score is 1.27. Based on the script score we estimate that the movie will appeal to 38.14 – 42.15% of the population.
The plot structure of Star Wars - A New Hope is the ONLY movie that has interwoven 6 universal quests into a cohesive story.
98% events in Star Wars - A New Hope are borrowed from 6 mythological tales
At Mythosis, we have identified 32 mythological tales. Each mythological tale uniquely represents a human quest to fulfil a desire. These tales are the super set of thousands of tales across cultures.
We have codified the events of each mythological tale. Every tale has 5 major arcs. Each arc has a sequence of events. These events culminate into a major event. Here is the mapping of each character’s quest to the major events in their respective mythological tale.
Quest 1: Darth Vader mirrors 48% of Ravan’s quest for Power (above threshold of 35%)
Darth Vader’s desire for Power stems from the need to dominate others. The tale of Ravan from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Power.
Quest 2: Luke mirrors 60% of Jason’s quest for Expedition (above threshold of 35%)
Luke’s desire for Expedition stems from the need to find an elusive object – learns the ways of the Force . The tale of Jason from Greek mythology is the universal quest for Expedition.
Quest 3: Obi-Wan mirrors 17% of Bhishm’s quest for Order (below threshold of 35%)
Obi-Wan’s desire for Order stems from the need for organization to maintain stability. The tale of Bhishm from Hindu mythology is the universal unfulfilled quest for Order.
Quest 4: R2D2 mirrors 20% of Ram’s quest for Order (below threshold of 35%)
R2D2’s desire for Order stems from the need for organization to maintain stability. The tale of Ram from Hindu mythology is the universal fulfilled quest for Order.
Quest 5: Han Solo mirrors 33% of Valmiki’s quest for Accumulation (marginally below threshold)
Han Solo’s desire for Accumulation stems from the need to collect & own. The tale of Valmiki from Hindu mythology has a robust expression in Dicken’s character of Scrooge which is the universal quest for Accumulation.
Quest 6: Tarkin mirrors 29% of Kans’s quest for Preservation (below the threshold of 35%)
Tarkin’s desire for Preservation stems from the need to survive a threat. The tale of Kans from Hindu mythology is the universal quest for Preservation.
Tags:1977 1978, 20th Century Fox, Accumulation, Bhishm, Box office, Character development, Expedition, George Lucas, Jason, Kans, Lucasfilm Ltd., Movie Review, Mythology, Order, Power, Preservation, Ram, Ravan, Script, Story plot, Valmiki
