…the opening scene take place in outer space? I read that was the case somewhere online. I looked back at all the films, prequels and originals, and sure enough, they all start off in space. Same with the Force Awakens.
My question is, does every film have to open with a outer space scene for it to feel like Star Wars?

What about other “must haves” of the Star Wars series?

Does every film have to have someone saying, “I have a bad feeling about this”?

Does every film have to have R2-D2 and C-3PO? I also read that Lucas said that those characters would be in all the films, which is some kind of reference to an Akira Kurosawa film. Which is why those droids are in the prequels even if it doesn’t make any sense, at least in the way their re-introduced. If they weren’t in the prequels would it have felt jarring, and less-Star Wars-like?

What other recurring themes insist on appearing in Star Wars films. And do you agree that the producers should insist on continuing the tradition, or should they break tradition when the story deems it necessary?