My comment was in reference to saying Star Wars should just be escapism, so it wasn’t me stating absolutes about what Star Wars should be or shouldn’t be.
First off the it can be many things at the same time. It can provide escapism and be deeply symbolic and thought provoking. They are not mutually exclusive ideals. In fact, Id go so far s to say the best escapism is one where we can draw parallels to our own personal lives and the world around us. Which leads us to the meaning of my comment. Star Wars was built by George Lucas from the ground up and based on fundamental character archetypes and symbolic tales. To say Star Wars is just escapism to me says someone doesn’t understand why the movies carry so much impact. It isn’t all because of spaceships and lightsabers.
I think you’re short changing escapism by confining its definition to spaceships and lightsabers in the context of Star Wars.
“Escapism is the avoidance of unpleasant, boring, arduous, scary, or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persistent feelings of depression or general sadness.”
The fact that Star Wars impacts the way we view the world does not imply that it should necessarily reflect our own reality, where archetypes and symbolism are often far from reality.