As one of history’s most beloved pieces of intellectual property,Star Warshas leveraged an enormousinfluence on pop culture. Through its deeply rooted anthropological themes, memorable characters, and groundbreaking visual effects,George Lucas' brainchild dramatically shifted the cinematic landscape and forever altered the industry’s approach tomarketing and merchandising. In the near half-century since global audiences first caught sight of a galaxy far, far away, the franchise’s unparalleled effect has extended beyond pop culture and into the realm of real-world design and application. Less than a decade ago,one ofStar Wars' signature character designs inspired the look of a product created by one of the world’s biggest and best-known tech corporations.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
A farm boy from a desert planet becomes an unlikely hero in the fight against the oppressive Galactic Empire. Guided by a former Jedi Knight and alongside a rebellious princess, a smuggler, and his co-pilot, he embarks on a mission to destroy the Death Star, a massive space station capable of annihilating entire planets. As he learns about the mystical Force, he discovers his destiny and the true strength within himself.
Apple’s AirPod Design Was Influenced by ‘Star Wars’ Stormtrooper Armor
Upon its world-shaking debut in May 1977,Star Warsfirmly cementediconic imageryand archetypes into public consciousness, not least of which included the film’s villainous stormtroopers. A hivemind of faceless and nameless drones donning smooth, glossy black and white armor, the Empire’s sinister goons attained a status as legendary as anything else inGeorge Lucas' space opera. Decades later, Apple’s renowned former Senior Vice-President and Chief Design Officer,Jonathan “Jony” Ive, drew inspiration from the characters' armor in developing one of the company’s latest cutting-edge products.
Why Silly Star Wars Characters Are Essential to the Saga
Those Gungans, Ewoks, and Porgs aren’t just there to be goofy!
Having joined the tech giant as a young man, Ive designed some of Apple’s best-known products, including the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.According to the Wall Street Journal,the look of the company’s AirPods was lifted from theStar Warsplaybook.While one likely wouldn’t make that connection without said knowledge, in hindsight, the iconic armor’s influence on the earbuds' appearance is plain as day. It wouldn’t just be life imitating art with regard to Apple’s AirPods, however, asJ.J. Abramsand costume designerMichael Kaplanultimately reversed that creative process when revamping a key design element forStar Wars' big screen revival in 2015.
‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Took Inspiration From Apple
The year before Apple’s AirPods hit the shelves,Star Warsfans around the world rejoiced as the franchise returned to theaters withStar Wars: The Force Awakens, and with the massive blockbuster came a horde of aesthetic developments and updates. Among the latter was a reworked design for the stormtroopers' armor, whichaccording to Michael Kaplan, was “more heavy-duty.” Due to the film’s action sequences involving the First Order’s foot soldiers, the new costumes also needed to bemore agile and flexiblecompared tothe original trilogy’s bulky and easily breakable material.
To achieve their desired result for the updated costuming, Kaplan and J. J. Abrams turned to Apple for inspiration.Kaplan told Vanity Fair, “With the stormtroopers it was more of a simplification, almost like, ‘What would Apple do?'“Per The Wall Street Journal, Abrams and Jony Ive had known each other for years by the time the filmmaker got around to taking onStar Wars: The Force Awakens. As it turns out, the influence of Apple products onStar Wars’ design sensibilities wouldn’t be limited to the stormtroopers' newly tweaked armor. For Ive’s part, he personally provided Abrams with creative input for another element of the franchise’siconography.
Jony Ive Made Suggestions to J.J. Abrams About Kylo Ren’s Lightsaber
Among the developments inStar Wars: The Force Awakenswas the design of the new baddie’s lightsaber. With less ofa smooth, contained glowand more of a frenetic, unrefined buzz, Kylo Ren’s (Adam Driver) lightsaber, with its cross guard alluding to the kind of weapon a medieval knight might wield,appeared and functioned differentlycompared to previous iterations in the franchise. According to Ive,Ren’s decidedly more threatening lightsaber design resulted from conversations with J.J. Abrams. “I thought it would be interesting if it were less precise, and just a little bit morespitty,“Ive told The New Yorker.
ConsideringStar Wars' singular effect on entertainment and pop culture in general, it’s no surprise the legendary IP has managed to infiltrate and influence other aspects of consumerism in ways both subtle and obvious. Life and art often imitate one another in unexpected ways, and given the brief but historical connection betweenLucasfilm and Apple’sSteve Jobsvia Pixarin the 1980s, perhapsit was inevitable that there would be crossover between Lucas' long-lasting franchise and what would become one of the world’s most formidable tech empires.
AllStar Warsfilms and series are available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.
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