We Can be Heroes, Just for One Day

Activating the archetypes through fantasy and magic, in science fiction.

Why is science fiction so full of magic? The Force, warp drive, transporters, replicators, spider-spinning webs, other Marvel super-powers ... a genre that supposes itself to be science-based is anything but. Sure, we may hope for some of these technologies. The tablet computer was prefigured on Star Trek. But most of this magic violates basic physics- it is never going to be realized. I am running through some of the Star Wars ouvre, and it has been striking to watch this fantastical conjunction of the hero tale with magic and archetypal elements and characters. Why?

The hero tale forms a classic template, not just dramatically, but psychologically. It conveys a series of (usually male-centric) value judgements on what and who is important, and more significantly conveys hope to the unformed youngster that she or he too can unearth such powers within, can find such friends and helpers, and can do such important tasks. Heroes enact a drama to which we relate empathically, and thus adopt as a possibility for ourselves. Thus the need for a rousing climax where good triumphs over evil, just deserts are meted out, and all the other apparatus of the genre. The cultural significance and importance of such dramas is hard to overstate. And likewise, the impact of our more jaded and cynical media landscape of today is significant and bodes ill for our dreams of the future.

People need templates on how to live, what to strive for, what is important, what unimportant. Without inspiring stories, we are left with a diminished existence. The archetypal stories need to be told for their archetypal images to activate our  archetypal instincts in sympathy, to encourage and raise our vision of what is possible and socially significant. While fragments of these images may arise in dreams, they do not generally cohere and encourage in a dream setting as they do in a purposefully composed heroic story. Our dreams, frankly, beat us down more often than they raise us up. Good story tellers mediate in this space between the inchoate internal world that is neither consistently positive nor very socially conscious, and conscious reality, which is where the great deeds need to be done.

But how about all the magic? One can take that is simply hopeful, positive thinking, totally in line with the rest of the hero fantasy. Humans have wanted to fly forever, and our dreams are full of it. Yet never in a million years has that fantasy involved baggage checks, shoe removal, and flimsy tray tables. The real dreamers take to hang gliding. Would I like to use a transporter? Absolutely! Science or not, the fantasy / hero tale can make it so. Magical elements express in particularly clear fashion the positive-thinking aspect of the fantasy genre, which is meant, as above, to be encouraging to we ... who are otherwise generally stuck and oppressed in our battle with day to day existence, including whatever frustrations the ambient technology presents.

Children generally lack confidence, being on the losing end of power struggles with others most of the time. Encouraging tales, templates, and examples are essential to unlock coherent and socially positive dreams about the future. Whether as cowboys and Indians, or as rebels with the Force of love and good intentions, or as crime fighters, healers, wizards, etc., the roles that we present to children through the media are immensely influential for our future cultural health. 

The hero tale has a special place for friends and helpers as well, who may arise in unlikely guises. The encouragement to seek help and be alert to help and sympathy from unlikely sources is another great strength of this genre. Like the hopefulness of magic, which may be an unanticipated power from within or without, the appearance of tricksters, helpers, and friends is an encouraging aspect that prepares the young viewer to integrate that heroic dream into a constructive social setting, encouraging maturity as well as heroism.

One more angle of fantasy magic is the spiritual or religious aspect- dramatic powers that reach beyond the human, whether from gods, or in other cultural settings, super-advanced beings, usual forces, etc. The hero may possess some magical powers and have magical friends, but there clearly are limits. One task is to find out what they are- to explore this odd world the hero finds her or himself in, a task which mirrors that of growing up and coming to terms with the complexity of adulthood. The greater powers may be mysterious and perhaps need to be respected, since the wellsprings of reality are beyond the hero's comprehension, as they are beyond ours. But where we generally take them for granted and ignore them, the hero drama can personify them and make us think about their strangeness and wonder.

So, nothing science about it, just the oldest trick in the book in making up a great story that is full of hopeful elements at all levels, personally, physically, socially, and morally.

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