Jedi Knights ...

George Lucas certainly tapped into something when he created Star Wars. I doubt if even he could have forseen the billion dollar phenomenon that lay ahead. What he did was translate the Space Opera sub-genre of Science Fiction to the movie screen, perhaps best illustrated by that iconic ( and much copied ) opening shot of the huge space ship roaring in from above the screen.

Space Opera doesn't pay too much attention to the laws of physics. Spaceships roar in space and manouver as if in an atmosphere, but the stories are the important thing; classic good versus evil on a grand scale.

I've borrowed this list from Wikipedia to describe the classic elements of Space Opera:

• Setting
- Outer Space or distant planet

• Characters
- Aliens usually speak English, possibly with an accent and tend to be humanoid
- Depth of character development and description can vary but some people refuse to apply the term ‘space opera’ to a work with well-developed characterization
- Often no shades of gray in characters; they are good or evil

• Plot
- Set apart from other science fiction sub-genres by ultimate good vs. evil stories
- Large scale, planet/galaxy/universe depends on survival of hero’s civilization
- Romance components
- Formulaic
- Space battles

• Technology
- Ray-guns or a gun-like weapon
- Robots
- Spaceships

• Scientific plausibility
- Spaceships violate laws of physics with faster-than-light travel. Also they can have unrealistic maneuverability and rarely need to decelerate.
- Diverge from known physical reality invoking paranormal forces or vast powers capable of destroying planets, stars or galaxies

Q: How many Jedi Knights does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. Once a bulb has gone over to the dark side there is no way back.