Sorry. If Star Wars had never been created, none of us would be here. This forum, I mean, not in the cosmic sense.
I was just trying to be cute - yet again, I've failed.
I debated this very thing just the other day with a co-worker. They said that if it hadn't been Star Wars, it would have been something else. Some other movie, according to him, would have 'revolutionized' special effects and the end result would have been the same.
I disagreed. My opinion is that Star Wars opened up a part of the collective conciousness that would likely have remained locked or hidden. Films of the 70's were bleak and cynical. Lucas (and Spielberg) stood out amongst the Scorceses and DePalmas of the film world. Here, right after the end of Vietnam when everyone was depressed and had a bleak outlook on the World, comes a film which offered hope and optimism and told the story of a youth escaping his stifling existence.
Without Star Wars, perhaps we would have remained in a rut for many more years, never knowing that it was okay to dream.
Just my thought though, for what it's worth.