           George Lucas' Star Wars series and Arthur Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey are two tales that show how technological advancements are not always a positive force. Both stories, made in the late 20th century before technology was as advanced as it is today, are still very realistic and possible in what occurs in them. The way the world is advancing currently is amazing. Things that others predicted would happen now have happened (such as Back to the Future predicting a number of technological feats) and we are even ahead of some other early predictions. However, this speed of progression could lead to disaster in cases such as nuclear war, interspecies problems, and even galactic devastation.

Some of the major themes of 2001 include the perils of technology, nuclear war, evolution, space travel, and artificial intelligence (AI) just to name a few. The story uses a computer (named HAL 9000) to show how humanity's advancements are very promising but also can be dangerous if made too early. Humans seem to make things progress quickly in modern day computing and engineering. People sometimes may joke about how silly or irrelevant some inventions are. While some are still poor decisions to make, others are simply ahead of their time. Just like HAL does in 2001, there are some who attempt to warn humanity not to take this advancement lightly and to try and even slow down the speed so people can fully comprehend what they are working with and what goal to work towards. The second main point of the novel is to warn of nuclear war, something that is a very big threat today. It seems humans can't get out of each other's way when that is all it takes to advance society. When a conflict arises, people seem to argue about which side is correct rather than admit their differences and mature together. Evolution is also a huge element in 2001. The story tells of how humanity developed from the cave dwellers but it also discusses how humanity's next evolution could go. Bowman transformed into a star child in the book and implies that humans could evolve into something where physical forms are no longer needed (SparkNotes).

HAL himself is a symbol for technological advancement. He is an AI that his creators do not fully understand how to work or control. At first, it is celebrated as a massive feat in the STEM world but it is quickly feared when it begins to have its own free will. (SparkNotes)It is just like how Zeus felt when Prometheus gave humanity free will-he was angry and had a slight but of fear for what humans could now achieve (Prometheus Unbound). Eventually, HAL begins to malfunction and go against orders given to him. He becomes more human in his thinking and predictability. This warns humanity to make sure to understand whatever is made before making it and do thorough research before activating. 

           Even though Star Wars is set in a different galaxy and in the past, there is still much to learn from it. Much like 2001, it talks of the dangers of space travel and artificial intelligence. However, at the same time, George Lucas made sure to include the hero's journey in every second of the film. Joseph Campbell acted as a mentor to him and Lucas used this and made a movie not only about technology and about the future but he made a movie that depicted the birth of a hero and with that birth, we as viewers come to life as well (Brennan). The hero's journey is as effective as it is because it teaches the story of who we all want to be. Not that we all want to become heroes, but that we all want to find that one thing that can get us through any situation and use it to push us through thick and thin. The hero's journey isn't just about a single person, it's about all of mankind looking to find its place. The hero's journey follows a key path. It starts with the ordinary world, which in this case would be Tatooine where Luke lives. Next is the call to adventure. In the film, this would be where Princess Leia asks for the help of Obi Wan Kenobi through a hologram R2-D2 projects. Then comes the refusal of the call, which would be Luke feeling tied down to help his family instead of going with Obi Wan. Next, he meets with the mentor, which as we all know is Obi Wan. Luke finally crosses the first threshold and leaves his home planet. Now Luke must face trials and tests the first of many being the unknown world, which is the amazing Cantina Bar scene that we all know and love. This is the point in the movie where the hero meets the people that know the goings on of the universe, (this can be taken metaphorically), and the hero himself does not. Luke and the audience have much to learn. After this ordeal happens, Luke has to go and find Princess Leia on the Death Star where realizes he must also destroy it. This is the main objective of the movie, and usually takes place in the middle of almost every film. After Luke rescues Leia and destroys the death star, our hero is presented with a reward, which is the next sequence of the hero's journey (Ferte). This is the scene where Luke and Han receive their medals after destroying the death star. Now the heroes return home knowing they achieved their goal.

Artificial intelligence can be used in a good way such as R2-D2 and C3PO are used throughout the series to provide aid and assistance when they are needed. In the prequel trilogy (episodes one, two, and three), the empire has control over droids that obey their every command. If humans had this technology today, there would definitely be a world war since these battle droids would definitely be in the wrong hands. Anyone's hands are the wrong hands in this case, even America. America would abuse the power of the droids as they currently do with drones but the result would be much deadlier since they could not tell the difference between a normal citizen and a person who may cause trouble in the near future. As far as space travel goes, it is an amazing feat yet to be achieved in the way that Star Wars does it. Many people lust for the days that humanity can travel through space in huge ships able to carry people and other ships will be as easily accessible as cars are today. If these ships do come about, there will be people who abuse the power and put weapons on them or create their own militia to go around policing the galaxy. These weaponized ships along with AI droids sound helpful but in reality, it would cause mass mayhem and hysteria if they came to be at the wrong time. However, with space travel there is another issue to handle. Would humanity simply leave earth and forget the planet that brought us all into existence or would we continue on with our destructive ways of our home planet so much to where space travel is the only option? Humanity may someday be prepared to tackle these feats of engineering and science but if they can't even solve a conflict of interests without going to war or threaten to do it, the current state of humans can never get further. 

Watching 2001 before Star Wars could help the audience have a better understanding of space travel and how people thought it would be compared to what it could be. The two are a great contrast to each other but also similar enough to be just as good of a comparison. If every nation and country worked together for the betterment of humanity instead of going to war over a disagreement of ideals, then maybe humans can evolve a little and have a huge push in the right direction for technology and society. 

