As another "Star Wars" movie speeds toward the galaxy this month, fans are eagerly anticipating its arrival 鈥� while non-fans may be yawning over the premiere of yet one more big-budget action flick. But regardless of one鈥檚 feelings about "Star Wars," Marvel or other modern myths that dominate pop culture, self-described 鈥渟uperfan but also a critical fan鈥� James Croft argues that these persistent hero narratives overlap with the real world in powerful ways.
鈥淲e can learn so much about ourselves and about our culture,鈥� Croft has said, 鈥渂y exploring how heroism is portrayed in movies like 鈥楽tar Wars鈥� 鈥� including how notions of what heroism is, and who can be considered a hero, have developed over time.鈥�
As the outreach director for the Ethical Society of St. Louis, Croft plans to dig into this topic at a free event Thursday evening at the society. On Thursday鈥檚 St. Louis on the Air, he joined Sarah Fenske in studio alongside Martin Casas, owner of Apotheosis Comics & Lounge, which is sponsoring the hero-focused event.
Listen to the conversation:
During the show, listeners tweeted about some of their favorite fictional heroes.
I'm torn on my favorite sci-fi book, show, movie or whatever but the greatest hero is easily Ellen Ripley from the Alien franchise. Her character is perfect and Sigourney Weaver plays her perfectly.
— Joshua Steinmetz cancels everything (@TheLordOfThePug)
More of an anti-hero, but my favorite is Captain Mal from . "You can know all the math in the 'verse, but you take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds."
— Emily Woodbury (@EmilyWoodbury)
Related Event
What:
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019
Where: Ethical Society of St. Louis (9001 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63117)
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by and produced by , , , and Tonina Saputo. The engineer is , and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.
Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.
