• you always know who's good and who's evil (Anakin/Vadar was the only exception and that required six movies to explain; Dooku/Tyranus deceived other characters, but never the audience; Palpatine/Sidius are different characters, though the audience always knows they're the same)

• unrealistic morality (The sith were "pure evil". However, Anakin's only sin was to kill children because they were being trained as Jedi. And Sidius orchestrated a war, but only in an effort to improve the galaxy. Yet "good" characters can lie, cheat, own slaves, smuggle narcotics and weapons, gamble, own a casino, kill an animal to save oneself, encourage people to join a war, allow fellow racers to die during a pod race, and kill bystanders who are arguably innocent (on the death star). Obi-wan kills two whose only crime is to pull a weapon on Luke. Han kills Guido who only threatens to bring him to Jabba.)

• galaxy-wide issues played out as conflicts between characters (Vadar is the Empire and Leia is the Rebellion)

• large groups of people joined together to fight other groups (the ewoks suddenly act as one)

• having to go to extreme measures and take lots of risks (one-man fighters against a death star; pinning all your hopes on a child winning a pod race)

• coming up with plans to sneak around and trick the bad guys (put on stormtrooper uniforms to rescue the princess)

• just when you think you're saved, you're not (Han is freed from the carbonite to find himself in Jabba's clutches)

• being saved by an unlikely person or group (the ewoks take out the empiror's best legion)

• advanced technology (light-speed travel, levitation, laser weapons, robots, cybornetics)

• conflict (star fighter battles, laser weapon battles; you are always seeking to destroy something and that something is always seeking to destroy you)

• esoteric philosophy (the Jedi, whose religion can only be "felt" through concentration; the Sith, who limited their number to two)

• Quest: the transformative journey of the Hero

• Hero: the "every man" who becomes special by taking the Spiritual Quest

• Fool: who provides wisdom through perspective

• Team: who are both Heros and Fools

• Mentor: who guides the Hero but steps aside before the completion of the Quest

• Warrior/Protector: who desires battle to prove/fulfill his purpose

• Mercenary: who must be dealt with on his terms

• Damsel: the innocent, the goal, the need, the instigator

• Dragon: who can only be defeated by the Hero