Star Wars is the oldest kind of myth. About a boy who learns he has a magical power, and fights to use it for Good.

In myth and story, numbers often mean much more than just "counting." Numbers are important, but they're not always intended to be accurate.

For example, in ancient story-telling, the number 40 often signifies "something beyond counting." That is why the Earth can flood in 40 days (little over a month) and why Ali Baba encounters 40 thieves.

Hercules cleans the Augean stables, which allegedly hold 3000 oxen, and have not been cleaned in 30 years. To do so, he must divert a river. (And in some versions, 2 rivers!)

The hero Beowulf swims for 5 days straight, holds his breath and fights for a full day underwater, and his enemy Grendel can crush a full-grown man in one of his paws.

What are these examples saying?

Myth takes us to a different place, where understanding is not based on fact, but intuition.

Numbers aren't solid anymore. Myth allows us to think beyond the "how" and explore the world of "why": of possibility, of imagination.

If we try and account for the geological reality of Hercules' rivers, or how many thieves really lived with Ali Baba, we're missing the point.

That's why myths and legends (and movies) are not recounted in the harsh light of day-- but rather, in the dancing light of the campfire (or the dark of the matinee). Where all things are possible, all things can be imagined.

And that is why Star Wars begins with a wonderful line, straight from the ancient traditions of story-telling: A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

If you ask "how long exactly?", you've missed the point.

But when you close your eyes, and trust in the Force, then you have taken your first step into a much larger world.