Geekery: The Omnipresent Hero’s Journey

There are an unlimited number of stories out there – with a very similar backbone.

It’s not secret that George Lucas looked the work of Joseph Campbell as he was writing Star Wars. Campbell wrote about mythology, and extensively on what he coined as the monomyth or hero’s journey.

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

In an attempt to simplify that further writer Dan Harmon created a story structure…

1. A character is in a zone of comfort,
2. But they want something.
3. They enter an unfamiliar situation,
4. Adapt to it,
5. Get what they wanted,
6. Pay a heavy price for it,
7. Then return to their familiar situation,
8. Having changed.

This video from Will Schoder explains it all using a prime example of a hero’s journey: Star Wars.

Author: Mars Garrett

Pop culture writer and news editor that has been on the BoLS team since 2010. Contributor on the One of Us podcast. Marvel, Vertigo, Batman, and dystopian sci-fi fan. Enjoys bad movies, amazing stunt performances, and the internet. Hates rom-coms. (she/they)