Lore acts like an Outline, you need it to exist as a framework for stories in the setting. Otherwise your setting will lack constancy and ultimately meaning.
As an amateur writer, lore helps me understand how much thought and passion has been put into a project. It really helps grounding a setting into reality, especially if you are setting the story in a non-real setting. Knowing how FTL works in Dune is fundamental to understanding the plot of the book, and the characters motivations amd actions. Btw knowing your lore works even if your setting is our world: I once heard of a series of books about a detective, but the series was set in Imperial Rome. You can't write something like that if you haven't studied a lot of history and literature from that period. Really nice video, made by a true nerd.
First of all, lore allows for internal consistency of the work, especially if it doesn't stop at one installment - it gives sequels and spinoffs a starting point, if the story of the first one has been utterly completed. The Death Star is destroyed...but the Empire still exists, even if weakened. Second of all, it allows for context (of someone's actions, decisions, words), thus lending importance/gravitas to those. Aldeeran is just one random planet, but it's Leia's homeworld. Thirdly, it helps to establish stakes. Aforementioned Aldeeran is a planet, but it's gone in a second, etablishing Death Star as a massive threat. Fourthly, not all of the lore should be revealed in the principal work, since "history is a lie collectively agreed upon" - things get lost/forgotten or get covered up. Han did dump Jabba's cargo (since both acknowledge it), but those Star Destroyers he speaks of might not even been there at all. Fifthly, lore is only real if the reader/audience/player gets to experience it through the main character. Everything not observed/experienced/witnessed by them, only relayed directly - via third party, or indirectly - via messages, logs, is not reliable, therefore can be changed (intentionally or not) by whoever is conveying the information. After all, Obi-Wan *did* say that Vader killed Luke's father.
For me, lore is crucial. What I really love about franchises is their complexity. It allows me to connect on a deeper level. I'd go even further by saying that I love lore more than the films and shows of franchises and other superficial, well-known media. I love Star Wars films and I love Marvel films, but in reality, the reason I deeply love this franchise is because of the lore. Because of the countless books, comics and games that don't build upon the movies, but rather, movies build upon them and their complex rules, if that makes sense.
Lore shows an amount of love and care especially when people are sharing a universe. If you can't be bothered to respect each other's work and try to have some kind of internal consistency, why bother having it be in the same universe at all? You just want to have laser swords and mystic powers? Good news, you can put those in whatever story you want without calling it Star Wars. Make it your whole own thing. Stop taking shortcuts and disrespecting the hard work of others by leeching off their work.
0:37 very With no lore there is zero reason to get into the property or enjoy the world. Why care about anything happening if you don't know anyone or what their lives were like.
