The Force and Dissertations
Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth Be With You! Want to learn how to use the force to get your dissertation done? Well, you can’t, but you can apply the lessons that Star Wars teaches to make your dissertation journey a lot quicker!…
Nothing gets folks fired up like someone messing with the classics from their childhood, and the Star Wars franchise is the ultimate classic.
Disney had a quandry with this one: Don’t make new films, make new ones but stick with the formula, or totally reinvent the wheel?
Even if you wish they hadn’t made any new ones, I think we can all see that they weren’t going to make any money doing nothing. Likewise you aren’t going to get your dissertation done by doing nothing. So, that option’s out.
Cue, Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is no more and no less than the movie that made us love it in the first place. In fact, it’s basically the same thing. Isn’t that what we all wanted anyway?”
— Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press
Nailed it! Must’ve been what people were looking for, because it became the highest grossing film of all time in just 20 days.
Sweet! So how did it go with Episode VIII — The Last Jedi?
“Despite a 93 percent ‘fresh’ critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, The Last Jedi (the latest Star Wars film) has the lowest audience score of any Star Wars movie on Rotten Tomatoes.”
— Todd Van Der Werff, Vox
Yikes, the audience didn’t love it. And, it made less money too. The professional critics praised the film, but it didn’t bring the fans, so it lost out on the $$$. (Don’t get me wrong though, it still raked in a ton of dough. It IS Star Wars, after all!)
So what gives?
Well, instead of sticking with the formula, Episode VIII director, Ryan Johnson, brought his own vision. He avoided or completely dismissed all of the questions opened by Episode VII. He deconstructed a childhood hero for many fans. (“That’s not my Luke Skywalker!”) He took the story in a completely unexpected direction.
…And, people were ticked! They didn’t go back to see the movie over and over and tell everyone they know that they had to see it too. Instead, they spent that time online complaining about the choices he made, complaining about how they would have done it, and hoping that J.J. Abrams will fix everything in Episode IX.
Sound any feedback you’ve received from your dissertation committee? (Well, the first two, anyway.)
You see, dissertations are like this, too. Your dissertation should be the equivalent of a popcorn movie. You don’t need to bring some new artistic vision to the process. Don’t try to produce a “critically acclaimed” dissertation that requires your committee to think and decide whether they like it or not.
Just follow the formula that’s worked for dissertation students that came before you. Look at examples of concise, approved dissertations and make one of your own!
Do you need help developing your popcorn movie dissertation formula? If so, click here to schedule a quick, 15-minute chat with me to see if you’re a good fit for our Fast Track Your Dissertation Coaching Program. If you are, then I’ll invite you to join the fastest group of dissertation students out there and help you to reach graduation a good year or two faster than you would on your own.
