The long reach of Star Wars

I've long said that the original Star Wars (sans "New Hope") was to movies what The Beatles were to popular music.  News like this continues to reinforce that.  A year ago, a man died in England.  It made the news.  Who was he?   I can't remember.  Never heard of him.  Why did it make the news?  Because the man, decades ago when he was a teenager, was one of the members of a small garage band called The Quarrymen.  Yep, John Lennon's original band.  That's phenomenon status.  When someone who worked with one of the Beatles makes news, that means The Beatles have a status surpassing mere celebrity.

Star Wars is the same.  Whether the actor who played Uncle Owen, or General Motti, or the Cantina bully with a death sentence on 12 systems, the slightest association with the original film will make news.  That's a phenomenon.