Young boys had Luke Skywalker to look up to. Young girls had a pretty, but tough-as-nails princess to emulate. Men had the wise-cracking and cynical Han Solo. Women had two heroes and a princess in the ultimate love triangle — in retrospect, gross. Older audiences had the wise Ben Kenobi as the ultimate mentor.
And the amazing part of the original trilogy was that these characters were interchangeable between the demographics. Young boys looked up to the more adult Han Solo. Young girls rooted for the hero that saves the princess. Men could appreciate the mentorship of Ben Kenobi as he guided Luke Skywalker into manhood. Women could root for the farm boy who has lost everything he's had but ventures into the stars that had been calling him all along.
Audiences of all ages and genders could identify or live vicariously through these mythical character types.
