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Wikipedia

Star Wars

March 17, 2024

This article is about the media franchise. For the film, see Star Wars (film). For other uses, see Star Wars (disambiguation).

Star Wars is an American epic space opera[1] media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film[a] and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media, including television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed areas, comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe.[b] Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.

Star Wars
Created byGeorge Lucas
Original workStar Wars (1977)[a]
OwnerLucasfilm
Years1977; 47 years ago (1977)–present
Print publications
Book(s)List of reference books
Novel(s)List of novels
Short storiesSee list of novels
ComicsList of comics
Comic strip(s)See list of comics
Magazine(s)Star Wars Insider
(1987–present)
Films and television
Film(s)List of films
Television seriesList of television series
Television special(s)See list of television series
Television film(s)See list of films
Games
Role-playingList of RPGs
Video game(s)List of video games
Audio
Radio program(s)List of radio dramas
Original musicMusic
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)Merchandise
Theme park attraction(s)List of attractions

The original 1977 film, retroactively subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope, was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original Star Wars trilogy. Lucas later returned to the series to write and direct a prequel trilogy, consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). In 2012, Lucas sold his production company to Disney, relinquishing his ownership of the franchise. This led to a sequel trilogy, consisting of Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

All nine films, collectively referred to as the "Skywalker Saga", were nominated for Academy Awards, with wins going to the first two releases. Together with the theatrical live action "anthology" films Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018), the combined box office revenue of the films equated to over US$10 billion, making Star Wars the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all time.

Premise

The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away"[3] across multiple fictional eras, in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid) co-exist with robots (typically referred to in the films as 'droids'), which may be programmed for personal assistance or battle.[4] Space travel between planets is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology.[5][6][7] The planets range from wealthy, planet-wide cities to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes. Virtually any Earth biome, along with many fictional ones, has its counterpart as a Star Wars planet which, in most cases, teem with sentient and non-sentient alien life.[8] The franchise also makes use of other astronomical objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae.[9][10] Spacecraft range from small starfighters to large capital ships, such as the Star Destroyers, as well as space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars.[11][12][13] Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens, holographic projections and hyperspace transmission.[14]

The universe of Star Wars is generally similar to the real universe but its laws of physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories.[15] One result of that is a mystical power known as the Force which is described in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things ... [that] binds the galaxy together".[16] The field is depicted as a kind of pantheistic god.[17] Through training and meditation, those whom "the Force is strong with" exhibit various superpowers (such as telekinesis, precognition, telepathy, and manipulation of physical energy).[18] It is believed nothing is impossible for the Force.[19] The mentioned powers are wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict with each other: the Jedi, peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration, and the Sith, who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression.[20][21] While Jedi Knights can be numerous, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or 'Darths') are intended to be limited to two: a master and their apprentice.[22]

The franchise is set against a backdrop of galactic conflict involving republics and empires, such as the evil Galactic Empire.[23] The Jedi and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called the lightsaber, a blade of plasma that can cut through virtually any surface and deflect energy bolts.[24] The rest of the population, as well as renegades and soldiers, use plasma-powered blaster firearms.[25] In the outer reaches of the galaxy, crime syndicates such as the Hutt cartel are dominant.[26] Bounty hunters are often employed by both gangsters and governments, while illicit activities include smuggling and slavery.[26]

The combination of science fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars a very universal franchise, capable of telling stories of various genres.[27]

Films

Main article: List of Star Wars films

The Skywalker Saga

Film U.S. release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Refs.
Original trilogy: Episodes IV–VI
Star Wars May 25, 1977 (1977-05-25) George Lucas Gary Kurtz [28][29]
The Empire Strikes Back May 21, 1980 (1980-05-21) Irvin Kershner Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan George Lucas [30][31]
Return of the Jedi May 25, 1983 (1983-05-25) Richard Marquand Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas Howard Kazanjian [32][33]
Prequel trilogy: Episodes I–III
The Phantom Menace May 19, 1999 (1999-05-19) George Lucas George Lucas George Lucas Rick McCallum [34]
Attack of the Clones May 16, 2002 (2002-05-16) George Lucas and Jonathan Hales [35][36]
Revenge of the Sith May 19, 2005 (2005-05-19) George Lucas [37][38]
Sequel trilogy: Episodes VII–IX
The Force Awakens December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18) J. J. Abrams Lawrence Kasdan & J. J. Abrams and Michael Arndt Kathleen Kennedy, J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk [32][39]
The Last Jedi December 15, 2017 (2017-12-15) Rian Johnson Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman [40][41]
The Rise of Skywalker December 20, 2019 (2019-12-20) J. J. Abrams Chris Terrio & J. J. Abrams Derek Connolly & Colin Trevorrow and J. J. Abrams & Chris Terrio Kathleen Kennedy, J. J. Abrams and Michelle Rejwan [42][43]

The Star Wars film series centers around three sets of trilogies, the nine films of which are collectively referred to as the "Skywalker Saga".[44] The saga was produced non-chronologically, beginning in media res with the release of the original trilogy between 1977 and 1983. This was followed by the prequel trilogy, released between 1999 and 2005, and the sequel trilogy, released between 2015 and 2019.[45]

Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force-sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against the evil Sith lord Palpatine (Darth Sidious).[46] The original trilogy depicts the heroic development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia.[47] The prequels tell the tragic backstory of their father, Anakin, who is corrupted by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader.[48] The sequels follow the conflict between Leia's son, Ben Solo, and Luke and Leia's protegé, Rey, and their eventual alliance against Palpatine after the fall of the Empire.[49]

Original trilogy

Main article: Star Wars original trilogy
 
 
 
 
The original trilogy's main cast includes (from left to right) Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), and James Earl Jones (Darth Vader's voice).

In 1971, George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial, but could not obtain the rights, so he began developing his own space opera.[50][c] After directing American Graffiti (1973), he wrote a two-page synopsis, which 20th Century Fox decided to invest in.[51][52] By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay.[53] Fox expected the film would be of limited financial success, and so it was given a relatively low budget, with production being moved to Elstree Studios in England to help save on cost.[54]

Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and first subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars.[55] The film's success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial.[56] With the backstory he created for the sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies.[57] Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, was released on May 25, 1983.

Prequel trilogy

Main article: Star Wars prequel trilogy
 
 
 
 
The prequel trilogy's main cast includes (from left to right) Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Natalie Portman (Padmé Amidala), Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker),[d] and Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine).

According to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films.[58] In 1980, Lucas confirmed that he had the nine-film series plotted,[59] but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy, he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981.[60] In 1983, Lucas explained that "There was never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now ... As the stories unfolded, I would take certain ideas and save them ... I kept taking out all the good parts, and I just kept telling myself I would make other movies someday."[61]

Technical advances in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the prequels would be "unbelievably expensive".[62] In 1992, he acknowledged that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy.[63] A theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 "updated" the 20-year-old films with the style of CGI envisioned for the new trilogy.[64]

Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, Episode II: Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on May 19, 2005.[65] The first two films were met with mixed reviews, with the third being received somewhat more positively. Together with the original trilogy, Lucas has referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader".[66]

Sequel trilogy

Main article: Star Wars sequel trilogy
 
 
 
 
The sequel trilogy's main cast includes (from left to right) Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron).

Prior to releasing the original 1977 film, and made possible by its success, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine films".[57][67] However, he announced to Time in 1978 that he planned "10 sequels".[68] He confirmed that he had outlined the prequels and sequels in 1981.[69] At various stages of development, the sequel trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of the Republic,[70] the return of Luke as a Jedi Master (a role similar to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy),[67] Luke's sister (not yet determined to be Leia),[58] Han, Leia,[71] R2-D2 and C-3PO.[57][72] However, after beginning work on the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy.[73][74]

Lucas decided to leave the franchise in the hands of other filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would make no more Star Wars films.[75] That October, the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015.[76] The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, became president and served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films.[77] Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for the sequels during the 2012 sale,[78] but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been discarded.[79][80] The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe stories, which were discarded from canon to give "maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience."[2]

Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released on December 16, 2015, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi on December 13, 2017, and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on December 18, 2019, in many countries.[e] The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were both critical and box office successes.[81][82] Episode IX received a mixed reception from critics and audiences.[83]

Standalone films

Film U.S. release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Refs.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story December 16, 2016 (2016-12-16) Gareth Edwards Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy John Knoll and Gary Whitta Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel [84]
Solo: A Star Wars Story May 25, 2018 (2018-05-25) Ron Howard Jonathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan [85]

Several Star Wars films have been produced separately from the Skywalker Saga. In 2008, Lucasfilm released the animated film The Clone Wars, which is set during the prequel trilogy and serves as the theatrical pilot of the television series of the same name.[86] Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, an "anthology" film series set between the main episodes of the Skywalker Saga entered development in parallel with the production of the sequel trilogy,[87] described by Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo as origin stories.[88]

 
 
 
 
The anthology films' main casts include (from left to right) Felicity Jones (Jyn Erso) and Diego Luna (Cassian Andor) from Rogue One and Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo) and Woody Harrelson (Tobias Beckett) from Solo.

The first film released was Rogue One in 2016, which tells the story of the rebels who steal the plans for the Death Star, the Galactic Empire's superweapon, just before the events of the original Star Wars film.[89][90] A second film, Solo, was released in 2018 and tells the backstory of original trilogy character Han Solo several years prior to the original Star Wars film.[91] The television series Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally planned as a film, but changed to a limited series due to Solo underperforming at the box office.[92]

Upcoming films

Film U.S. release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Status Refs.
The Mandalorian & Grogu 2026 (2026) Jon Favreau Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni Pre-production [93]
Untitled New Jedi Order film TBA Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Steven Knight Kathleen Kennedy [94]
Untitled Dawn of the Jedi film James Mangold In development [94]
Untitled New Republic film Dave Filoni Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Favreau [94]

In April 2023, three new Star Wars films were announced to be set within different eras of the franchise.[95] An untitled film written and directed by James Mangold will be set during the "dawn of the Jedi".[95] Dave Filoni will direct a film set between the original and sequel trilogies during the New Republic era, serving as the climax of the various live-action television series that began with The Mandalorian in 2019.[95] Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will direct a third film about a new Jedi Order, set fifteen years after the sequel trilogy.[94][96]

In January 2024, it was announced that Jon Favreau would direct a new Star Wars film, titled The Mandalorian & Grogu.[97] In February of the same year, Bob Iger announced that the film would be the first release of the next slate of Star Wars movies.[98]

Other potential projects

Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars films in various stages of development, including:

  • Untitled Rian Johnson trilogy: In November 2017, a trilogy of movies written by The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson was announced to be in development.[99][100] In April 2023, Kennedy stated that trilogy of films is still in open development at the studio, with the writer/director working on the story, although it is not currently a priority.[101]
  • Untitled David Benioff & D. B. Weiss trilogy: In February 2018, it was announced that David Benioff and D. B. Weiss would serve as writers and producers on a trilogy of new Star Wars movies.[102] The plot would take place chronologically before the Prequel Trilogy, and center around the origin of the Jedi.[103] By May 2019, the duo were also slated to serve as co-directors of the first installment in their three films.[104] In October of the same year however, the filmmaking duo exited development of the projects due to scheduling conflicts with projects they are developing for Netflix. Kennedy stated that the studio is open to working with the duo, and developing their films once their schedule allows it.[105]
  • Untitled Taika Waititi film: In May 2020, Taika Waititi signed onto the project which was stated to be the first priority for the studio, with the filmmaker Waititi serving as director from a script he is co-writing with Krysty Wilson-Cairns.[106] In May 2022, the movie was named as the next Star Wars film to begin production ahead of Rogue Squadron, with Kennedy stating that the studio was tentatively looking towards late 2023 for a debut, but had not yet officially set a release date.[107][108] By April 2023, she stated that the project is still in development, with Waititi continuing to work on the script.[109][101]
  • Rogue Squadron: An anthology film, following the events of Rogue One, will be directed by Patty Jenkins with a script written by Matthew Robinson.[110] In April 2023, Kennedy stated that the script is still in development, with the studio considering changing the project into a television series.[111]
  • Untitled J.D. Dillard film: In February 2020, a film was announced to be in development from director J. D. Dillard and writer Matt Owens;[112] although, Dillard announced he was no longer to direct that film in November 2022.[113]
  • Star Wars: A Droid Story: In December 2020, an animated film centered around the adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO was announced as being in development; the story will introduce a new heroic character to the franchise, alongside these characters. The project will be a joint-venture production between Lucasfilm Animation, and Industrial Light & Magic. The film is being developed to debut via streaming, exclusively through Disney+.[114][115][116]
  • Untitled Shawn Levy film: In November 2022, Shawn Levy entered talks to direct a Star Wars film, following his work on Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.[117]
  • Lando: A film focused on original trilogy character Lando Calrissian, reported to be written by Donald Glover (who portrayed the character in Solo) and Stephen Glover.[118]

Television

Main article: List of Star Wars television series
SeriesSeasonsEpisodesOriginally releasedNetwork
Animated series
Droids113September 7, 1985 – June 7, 1986 (1985-09-07 – 1986-06-07)ABC
Ewoks226September 7, 1985 – December 13, 1986 (1985-09-07 – 1986-12-13)
The Clone Wars7133October 3, 2008 – May 4, 2020 (2008-10-03 – 2020-05-04)Cartoon Network / Netflix / Disney+
Rebels475October 3, 2014 – March 5, 2018 (2014-10-03 – 2018-03-05)Disney XD
Resistance240October 7, 2018 – January 26, 2020 (2018-10-07 – 2020-01-26)Disney Channel
The Bad Batch339May 4, 2021 – present (2021-05-04 – present)Disney+
Visions218September 22, 2021 – present (2021-09-22 – present)
Tales of the Jedi16October 26, 2022 – present (2022-10-26 – present)
Young Jedi Adventures125May 4, 2023 – present (2023-05-04 – present)Disney+ / Disney Junior
Animated micro-series and shorts
Clone Wars325November 7, 2003 – March 25, 2005 (2003-11-07 – 2005-03-25)Cartoon Network
Blips18May 3 – September 4, 2017 (2017-05-03 – 2017-09-04)YouTube
Forces of Destiny232July 3, 2017 – May 25, 2018 (2017-07-03 – 2018-05-25)
Galaxy of Adventures255November 30, 2018 – October 2, 2020 (2018-11-30 – 2020-10-02)
Roll Out116August 9, 2019 – April 1, 2020 (2019-08-09 – 2020-04-01)
Galaxy of Creatures224October 14, 2021 – February 21, 2023 (2021-10-14 – 2023-02-21)StarWarsKids.com
Galactic Pals112April 12 – November 1, 2022 (2022-04-12 – 2022-11-01)
"Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies"Short1November 12, 2022 (2022-11-12)Disney+
Live-action series
The Mandalorian324November 12, 2019 – present (2019-11-12 – present)Disney+
The Book of Boba Fett17December 29, 2021 – February 9, 2022 (2021-12-29 – 2022-02-09)
Obi-Wan Kenobi16May 27 – June 22, 2022 (2022-05-27 – 2022-06-22)
Andor112September 21, 2022 – present (2022-09-21 – present)
Ahsoka18August 22, 2023 – present (2023-08-22 – present)
Game shows
Jedi Temple Challenge110June 10 – August 5, 2020 (2020-06-10 – 2020-08-05)StarWarsKids.com

Animated series

The first two animated series, Droids and Ewoks, were produced in the 1980s.[119] They were followed by the Clone Wars animated micro-series in 2003 and the 2008 series of the same name. Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, all animated series released prior to 2014, apart from the 2008 series, were discarded from the franchise's canon.[2] Subsequent animated series include Rebels, released in 2014; Resistance, released in 2018; and The Bad Batch, released in 2021.

Several micro-series and shorts have also been released by Lucasfilm since Disney's acquisition, with the earlier animated series falling under Disney's "Vintage" collection of Star Wars content.[120][121]

Live-action series

The Star Wars franchise includes several live-action series. The first series, The Mandalorian, was released in 2019 for the streaming service Disney+ and is set between the original and sequel trilogies of the Skywalker Saga.[122] Due to its success, the series spawned multiple live-action spin-offs set during the same fictional era, including The Book of Boba Fett, released in 2021; Ahsoka, released in 2023; and the upcoming Skeleton Crew.[123][124][125] These series follow the plight of the New Republic and its allies against the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire.[126]

A story focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi, a character from the original Star Wars trilogy, was planned as a film before becoming a live-action series after the box office failure of Solo in 2018.[92] The series was released on Disney+ in 2022 and is set between the prequel and original trilogy films.[127] It was followed by the live-action series Andor in the same year; both series follow their titular characters during the reign of the Empire.[127][128]

Films and specials

Film U.S. release date Directed by Teleplay by Story by Produced by Network
Star Wars Holiday Special November 17, 1978 (1978-11-17) Steve Binder Pat Proft, Leonard Ripps, Bruce Vilanch, Rod Warren, and Mitzie Welch Joe Layton, Jeff Starsh, Ken Welch, and Mitzie Welch CBS
The Ewok Adventure November 25, 1984 (1984-11-25) John Korty Bob Carrau George Lucas Thomas G. Smith and Patricia Rose Duignan ABC
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor November 24, 1985 (1985-11-24) Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat Thomas G. Smith and Ian Bryce

Fictional timeline

See also: Star Wars in other media § Legends fictional timeline
Skywalker sagaCount DookuTales of the Jedi (TV series)The Acolyte (TV series)The High Republic (Star Wars)The High Republic (Star Wars)
Ahsoka TanoTales of the Jedi (TV series)Star Wars ResistanceStar Wars RebelsThe Bad Batch (Star Wars)The Clone Wars (TV series)Star Wars sequel trilogyStar Wars%3A Skeleton CrewAhsoka (TV series)The Book of Boba FettThe MandalorianRogue OneStar Wars original trilogyAndor (TV series)Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV series)Solo: A Star Wars StoryStar Wars prequel trilogy

The Star Wars canon fictional universe spans multiple eras, of which three are focused around each of the film trilogies.[129] The following eras were defined in January 2021,[130] and further refined and expanded in April 2023:[131]

The Expanded Universe of spin-off media depicts different levels of continuity, which were deemed non-canonical and rebranded as Legends on April 25, 2014, to make most subsequent works align to the episodic films, The Clone Wars film, and television series.[2]

Other media

Main articles: Star Wars in other media and List of Star Wars media

From 1976 to 2014, the term Expanded Universe (EU) was an umbrella term for all officially licensed Star Wars storytelling material set outside the events depicted within the theatrical films, including novels, comics, and video games.[136] Lucasfilm maintained internal continuity between the films and television content and the EU material until April 25, 2014, when the company announced all of the EU works would cease production. Existing works would no longer be considered canon to the franchise and subsequent reprints would be rebranded under the Star Wars Legends label,[136] with downloadable content for the massively multiplayer online game The Old Republic the only Legends material to still be produced. The Star Wars canon was subsequently restructured to only include the existing six feature films, the animated film The Clone Wars (2008), and its companion animated series. All future projects and creative developments across all types of media would be overseen and coordinated by the story group, announced as a division of Lucasfilm created to maintain continuity and a cohesive vision on the storytelling of the franchise.[2] Multiple comics series from Marvel and novels published by Del Rey were produced after the announcement. Since the new canon has been introduced, there has been a multitude of pieces of Expanded Universe continuity that have become apart of canon.[137]

Print media

Star Wars in print predates the release of the first film, with the November 1976 novelization of Star Wars, initially subtitled "From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker". Credited to Lucas, it was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster.[138] The first "Expanded Universe" story appeared in Marvel Comics' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues being an adaptation of the film), followed by Foster's sequel novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following month.

Novels

Further information: List of Star Wars books
 
Timothy Zahn authored the Thrawn trilogy, which was widely credited with revitalizing the dormant Star Wars franchise in the early 1990s.

After penning the novelization of the original film, Foster followed it with the sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978). The novelizations of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Donald F. Glut and Return of the Jedi (1983) by James Kahn followed, as well as The Han Solo Adventures trilogy (1979–1980) by Brian Daley,[139] and The Adventures of Lando Calrissian trilogy (1983) by L. Neil Smith.[140][141]

Timothy Zahn's bestselling Thrawn trilogy (1991–1993) reignited interest in the franchise and introduced the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn, Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, and Gilad Pellaeon.[142][143][144][145] The first novel, Heir to the Empire, reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list,[146] and the series finds Luke, Leia, and Han facing off against tactical genius Thrawn, who is plotting to retake the galaxy for the Empire.[147] In The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave Wolverton, set immediately before the Thrawn trilogy, Leia considers an advantageous political marriage to Prince Isolder of the planet Hapes, but she and Han ultimately marry.[148][149] Steve Perry's Shadows of the Empire (1996), set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, was part of a multimedia campaign that included a comic book series and video game.[150][151] The novel introduced the crime lord Prince Xizor, another popular character who would appear in multiple other works.[150][152] Other notable series from Bantam include the Jedi Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson,[153][154] the 14-book Young Jedi Knights series (1995–1998) by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta,[154][155] and the X-wing series (1996–2012) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston.[156][157][158]

Del Rey took over Star Wars book publishing in 1999, releasing what would become a 19-installment novel series called The New Jedi Order (1999–2003). Written by multiple authors, the series was set 25 to 30 years after the original films and introduced the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy.[159][160] The bestselling multi-author series Legacy of the Force (2006–2008) chronicles the crossover of Han and Leia's son Jacen Solo to the dark side of the Force; among his evil deeds, he kills Luke's wife Mara Jade as a sacrifice to join the Sith. Although no longer canon, the story is paralleled in The Force Awakens with Han and Leia's son Ben Solo, who becomes the evil Kylo Ren.[161][162][163][164]

Three series set in the prequel era were published by Scholastic for younger audiences: the 18-book Jedi Apprentice (1999–2002) chronicles the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn in the years before The Phantom Menace; the 11-book Jedi Quest (2001–2004) follows Obi-Wan and his own apprentice, Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones; and the 10-book The Last of the Jedi (2005–2008), set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith, features Obi-Wan and the last few surviving Jedi. In 2019, a new prequel era novel, starring Qui-Gon and the young Obi-Wan, was published by Del Rey under the title Star Wars: Master and Apprentice.[165]

Although Thrawn had been designated a Legends character in 2014, he was reintroduced into the canon in 2016 for the third season of the Rebels animated series, with Zahn returning to write more novels based on the character and set in the new canon.[166][167]

Comics

Main articles: Star Wars comics and List of Star Wars comic books

Marvel Comics published a Star Wars comic book series from 1977 to 1986.[168][169][170][171] Original Star Wars comics were serialized in the Marvel magazine Pizzazz between 1977 and 1979. The 1977 installments were the first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form, as they preceded those of the Star Wars comic series.[172] From 1985 to 1987, the animated children's series Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics line.[173][174][175] According to Marvel comics former Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter, the strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978.[176] Marvel's Star Wars series was one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980.[177] The only downside for Marvel was that the 100,000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly, allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements from a position of strength.[178]

In the late 1980s, Marvel dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development, which was picked up by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series (1991–1995).[179] Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after the original film trilogy, including Tales of the Jedi (1993–1998), X-wing Rogue Squadron (1995–1998), Star Wars: Republic (1998–2006), Star Wars Tales (1999–2005), Star Wars: Empire (2002–2006), and Knights of the Old Republic (2006–2010).[180][181]

After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, it was announced in January 2014 that in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics,[182] whose parent company, Marvel Entertainment, Disney had purchased in 2009.[183] Launched in 2015, the first three publications were titled Star Wars, Darth Vader, and the limited series Princess Leia.[184][185][186]

First announced as Project Luminous at Star Wars Celebration in April 2019, the Star Wars: The High Republic publishing initiative were revealed in a press conference in February 2020. Involving the majority of the then current officially licensed publishers, a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga was explored in various books and comics. Including ongoing titles by Marvel and IDW Publishing, written by Cavan Scott and Daniel José Older respectively.[187]

Audio

Soundtracks and singles

Further information: Music of Star Wars

John Williams composed the soundtracks for the nine episodic films; he has stated that he will retire from the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker.[188] He also composed Han Solo's theme for Solo: A Star Wars Story; John Powell adapted and composed the rest of the score.[189] Michael Giacchino composed the score of Rogue One.[189] Ludwig Göransson scored and composed the music of The Mandalorian.[190] Williams also created the main theme for Galaxy's Edge.[191]

Audio novels

Further information: The Story of Star Wars and List of Star Wars books

The first Star Wars audio work is The Story of Star Wars, an LP using audio samples from the original film and a new narration to retell the story, released in 1977. Most later printed novels were adapted into audio novels, usually released on cassette tape and re-released on CD. As of 2019, audio-only novels have been released not directly based on printed media.[192]

Radio

Further information: Star Wars (radio)

Radio adaptations of the films were also produced. Lucas, a fan of the NPR-affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater the University of Southern California, licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC-FM for US$1. The production used John Williams's original film score, along with Ben Burtt's sound effects.[193][194]

The first was written by science-fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden. It was broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, adapting the original 1977 film into 13 episodes.[195][193][194] Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles.[195][193]

The overwhelming success, led to a 10-episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1983.[196] Billy Dee Williams joined the other two stars, reprising his role as Lando Calrissian.[citation needed]

In 1983, Buena Vista Records released an original, 30-minute Star Wars audio drama titled Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell, written by Daley.[194][197] In the 1990s, Time Warner Audio Publishing adapted several Star Wars series from Dark Horse Comics into audio dramas: the three-part Dark Empire saga, Tales of the Jedi, Dark Lords of the Sith, the Dark Forces trilogy, and Crimson Empire (1998).[197] Return of the Jedi was adapted into 6-episodes in 1996, featuring Daniels.[193][197]

Video games

Further information: Star Wars video games and List of Star Wars video games

The Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred[198] computer, video, and board games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on the movie material, while others rely heavily on the non-canonical Expanded Universe (rebranded as Star Wars Legends and removed from the canon in 2014). Star Wars games have gone through three significant development eras, marked by a change in leadership among the developers: the early licensed games, those developed after the creation of LucasArts, and those created after the closure of the Lucasfilm division by Disney and the transfer of the license to Electronic Arts.

Early licensed games (1979–1993)

The first officially licensed electronic Star Wars game was Kenner's 1979 table-top Star Wars Electronic Battle Command.[199][200] In 1982, Parker Brothers published the first Star Wars video game for the Atari 2600, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,[201] followed soon the year later by Star Wars: Jedi Arena, the first video game to depict lightsaber combat. They were followed in 1983 by Atari's rail shooter arcade game Star Wars, with vector graphics to replicate the Death Star trench run scene from the 1977 film.[202] The next game, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1984), has more traditional raster graphics,[203] while the following Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1985) has vector graphics.[204]

Platform games were made for the Nintendo Entertainment System, including the Japan-exclusive Star Wars (1987), an international Star Wars (1991), and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1992). Super Star Wars (1992) was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, with two sequels over the next two years.

LucasArts and modern self-published games (1993–2014)

Main article: LucasArts

Lucasfilm founded its own video game company in 1982, becoming best known for adventure games and World War II flight combat games, but as George Lucas took more interest in the increasing success of the video game market, he wanted to have more creative control over the games and founded his own development company, LucasArts. Improved graphics allowed games to tell complex narratives, which allowed for the retelling of the films, and eventually original narratives set in the same continuity, with voice-overs and CGI cutscenes. In 1993, LucasArts released Star Wars: X-Wing, the first self-published Star Wars video game and the first space flight simulator based on the franchise.[205] It was one of the bestselling video games of 1993 and established its own series of games.[205] The Rogue Squadron series was released between 1998 and 2003, also focusing on space battles set during the films.

Dark Forces (1995), a hybrid adventure game incorporating puzzles and strategy,[206] was the first Star Wars first-person shooter.[207] It featured gameplay and graphical features not then common in other games, made possible by LucasArts' custom-designed game engine, the Jedi.[207][206][208][209] The game was well received,[210][211][212] and it was followed by four sequels.[213][214] The series introduced Kyle Katarn, who would appear in multiple games, novels, and comics.[215] Katarn is a former stormtrooper who joins the Rebellion and becomes a Jedi,[207][216][217] a plot arc similar to that of Finn in the sequel trilogy films.[161] A massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Star Wars Galaxies, was in operation from 2003 until 2011. After Disney bought Lucasfilm, LucasArts ceased its role as a developer in 2013, although it still operates as a licensor.[218]

EA Star Wars (2014–present)

Following its acquisition of the franchise, Disney reassigned video game rights to Electronic Arts. Games made during this era are considered canonical, and feature more influence from the Star Wars filmmakers. Disney partnered with Lenovo to create the augmented reality video game Jedi Challenges, released in November 2017.[219][220] In August 2018, it was announced that Zynga would publish free-to-play Star Wars mobile games.[221] The Battlefront games received a canonical reboot with Star Wars: Battlefront in November 2015, which was followed by a sequel, Battlefront II, in November 2017. A single-player action-adventure game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, with an original story and cast of characters, was released in November 2019. A space combat game titled Star Wars: Squadrons, which builds upon the space battles from Battlefront, was released in October 2020.

Theme park attractions

Main article: List of Star Wars theme parks attractions

In addition to the Disneyland ride Star Tours (1987) and its successor, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (2011), many live attractions have been held at Disney parks, including the traveling exhibition Where Science Meets Imagination, the Space Mountain spin-off Hyperspace Mountain, a walkthrough Launch Bay, and the night-time A Galactic Spectacular. An immersive themed area called Galaxy's Edge (2019) opened at Disneyland and opened at Walt Disney World in mid-2019.[222] A themed hotel, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, operated from 2022 to 2023 at Walt Disney World.

Title Park(s) Opening date Closing date
Star Tours Disneyland January 9, 1987 (1987-01-09) July 27, 2010 (2010-07-27)
Tokyo Disneyland July 12, 1989 (1989-07-12) April 2, 2012 (2012-04-02)
Disney's Hollywood Studios December 15, 1989 (1989-12-15) September 7, 2010 (2010-09-07)
Disneyland Paris April 12, 1992 (1992-04-12) March 16, 2016 (2016-03-16)
Star Wars Weekends Disney's Hollywood Studios 1997 (1997) November 2015 (2015)
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination Multiple locations October 19, 2005 (2005-10-19) March 23, 2014 (2014-03-23)
Jedi Training Academy Disneyland July 1, 2006 (2006-19-01) November 15, 2015 (2015-11-15)
Disney's Hollywood Studios October 9, 2007 (2007-10-09) October 5, 2015 (2015-10-05)
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue Disney's Hollywood Studios May 20, 2011 (2011-05-20) N/A (operating)
Disneyland June 3, 2011 (2011-06-03)
Tokyo Disneyland May 7, 2013 (2013-05-07)
Disneyland Paris March 26, 2017 (2017-03-26)
Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain Disneyland November 14, 2015 (2015-11-14) May 31, 2017 (2017-05-31)
Hong Kong Disneyland June 11, 2016 (2016-06-11) N/A (operating)
Disneyland Paris May 7, 2017 (2017-05-07)
Star Wars Launch Bay Disneyland November 16, 2015 (2015-11-16)
Disney's Hollywood Studios December 4, 2015 (2015-12-04)
Shanghai Disneyland Park June 16, 2016 (2016-06-16)
Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple Disney's Hollywood Studios December 1, 2015 (2015-12-01)
Disneyland December 8, 2015 (2015-12-08)
Disneyland Paris July 11, 2015 (2015-07-11)
Hong Kong Disneyland June 25, 2016 (2016-06-25)
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Disney's Hollywood Studios June 17, 2016 (2016-06-17)
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Disney's Hollywood Studios March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)[223] September 30, 2023 (2023-09-30)[224]
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Disneyland May 31, 2019 (2019-05-31) N/A (operating)
Disney's Hollywood Studios August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)
Star Wars: Millennium Falcon - Smugglers Run Disneyland May 31, 2019 (2019-05-31)
Disney's Hollywood Studios August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Disney's Hollywood Studios December 5, 2019 (2019-12-05)
Disneyland January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17)

Multimedia projects

A multimedia project involves works released across multiple types of media. Shadows of the Empire (1996) was a multimedia project set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that included a novel by Steve Perry, a comic book series, a video game, and action figures.[150][151] The Force Unleashed (2008–2010) was a similar project set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope that included a novel, a 2008 video game and its 2010 sequel, a graphic novel, a role-playing game supplement, and toys.[225][226]

Merchandising

Main articles: Kenner Star Wars action figures, List of Kenner Star Wars action figures, Star Wars: The Vintage Collection, Lego Star Wars, Star Wars trading card, and Star Wars role-playing games
 
George Lucas made much of his fortune by retaining his rights to the franchise's merchandising.

The success of the Star Wars films led the franchise to become one of the most merchandised franchises in the world. While filming the original 1977 film, George Lucas decided to take a $500,000 pay cut to his salary as director in exchange for full ownership of the franchise's merchandising rights. By 1987, the first three films have made US$2.6 billion in merchandising revenue.[227] By 2012, the first six films produced approximately US$20 billion in merchandising revenue.[228]

Kenner made the first Star Wars action figures to coincide with the release of the original film, and today the original figures are highly valuable. Since the 1990s, Hasbro holds the rights to create action figures based on the saga. Pez dispensers began to be produced in 1997.[229] Star Wars was the first intellectual property to be licensed in Lego history.[230] Lego has produced animated parody short films and mini-series to promote their Star Wars sets.[231] The Lego Star Wars video games are critically acclaimed bestsellers.[232][233]

In 1977, the board game Star Wars: Escape from the Death Star was released.[234][g] A Star Wars Monopoly and themed versions of Trivial Pursuit and Battleship were released in 1997, with updated versions released in subsequent years. The board game Risk has been adapted in two editions by Hasbro: The Clone Wars Edition (2005)[236] and the Original Trilogy Edition (2006).[237] Three Star Wars tabletop role-playing games have been developed: a version by West End Games in the 1980s and 1990s, one by Wizards of the Coast in the 2000s, and one by Fantasy Flight Games in the 2010s.

Star Wars Trading Cards have been published since the first "blue" series, by Topps, in 1977.[238] Dozens of series have been produced, with Topps being the licensed creator in the United States. Each card series are of film stills or original art. Many of the cards have become highly collectible with some very rare "promos", such as the 1993 Galaxy Series II "floating Yoda" P3 card often commanding US$1,000 or more. While most "base" or "common card" sets are plentiful, many "insert" or "chase cards" are very rare.[239] From 1995 until 2001, Decipher, Inc. had the license for, created, and produced the Star Wars Customizable Card Game.

Themes

See also: Star Wars sources and analogues

Star Wars features elements such as knighthood, chivalry, and Jungian archetypes such as "the shadow".[240] There are also many references to Christianity, such as in the appearance of Darth Maul, whose design draws heavily from traditional depictions of the devil.[241] Anakin was conceived of a virgin birth, and is assumed to be the "Chosen One", a messianic individual. However, unlike Jesus, Anakin falls from grace, remaining evil as Darth Vader until Return of the Jedi. According to Adam Driver, sequel trilogy villain Kylo Ren, who idolizes Vader, believes he is "doing what he thinks is right".[242] George Lucas has said that the theme of the saga is redemption.[243]

The saga draws heavily from the hero's journey, an archetypical template developed by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell.[241] Each character—primarily Anakin, Luke, and Rey—follows the steps of the cycle or undergoes its reversal, becoming the villain.[244] A defining step of the journey is "Atonement with the Father".[245] Obi-Wan's loss of a father figure could have impacted his relationship with Anakin,[246] whom both Obi-Wan and Palpatine are fatherlike mentors to.[247] Luke's discovery that Vader is his father has strong repercussions on the saga and is regarded as one of the most influential plot twists in cinema.[248] Supreme Leader Snoke encourages Kylo Ren to kill his father, Han Solo.[242] Kylo uses the fact that Rey is an orphan to tempt her into joining the dark side.[249] According to Inverse, the final scene in The Last Jedi, which depicts servant children playing with a toy of Luke and one boy using the Force, symbolizes that "the Force can be found in people with humble beginnings."[250]

Historical influences

Political science has been an important element of Star Wars since the franchise launched in 1977, focusing on a struggle between democracy and dictatorship. Battles featuring the Ewoks and Gungans against the Empire and Trade Federation, respectively, represent the clash between a primitive society and a more advanced one, similar to the Vietnam-American War.[251][252] Darth Vader's design was initially inspired by Samurai armor, and also incorporated a German military helmet.[253][254] Originally, Lucas conceived of the Sith as a group that served the Emperor in the same way that the Schutzstaffel served Adolf Hitler; this was condensed into one character in the form of Vader.[255] Stormtroopers borrow the name of World War I German "shock" troopers. Imperial officers wear uniforms resembling those of German forces during World War II,[256] and political and security officers resemble the black-clad SS down to the stylized silver death's head on their caps. World War II terms were used for names in the films; e.g. the planets Kessel (a term that refers to a group of encircled forces) and Hoth (after a German general who served on the snow-laden Eastern Front).[257] Shots of the commanders looking through AT-AT walker viewscreens in The Empire Strikes Back resemble tank interiors,[258] and space battles in the original film were based on World War I and World War II dogfights.[259]

Palpatine being a chancellor before becoming the Emperor in the prequel trilogy alludes to Hitler's role before appointing himself Führer.[256] Lucas has also drawn parallels to historical dictators such as Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, and politicians like Richard Nixon.[260][261][h] The Great Jedi Purge mirrors the events of the Night of the Long Knives.[263] The corruption of the Galactic Republic is modeled after the fall of the democratic Roman Republic and the formation of an empire.[264][265]

On the inspiration for the First Order formed "from the ashes of the Empire", The Force Awakens director J. J. Abrams spoke of conversations the writers had about how the Nazis could have escaped to Argentina after WWII and "started working together again."[266]

Cultural impact

Main article: Cultural impact of Star Wars
 
 
The lightsaber and the blaster are iconic elements of the franchise.

The Star Wars saga has had a significant impact on popular culture,[267] with references to its fictional universe deeply embedded in everyday life.[268] Phrases like "evil empire" and "May the Force be with you" have become part of the popular lexicon.[269] The first Star Wars film in 1977 was a cultural unifier,[270] enjoyed by a wide spectrum of people.[271] The film can be said to have helped launch the science-fiction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, making science-fiction films a mainstream genre.[272] The widespread impact made it a prime target for parody works and homages, with popular examples including Hardware Wars, Spaceballs, The Family Guy Trilogy and Robot Chicken: Star Wars.

In 1989, the Library of Congress selected the original Star Wars film for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[273] The Empire Strikes Back was selected in 2010,[274][275] and Return of the Jedi was selected in 2021.[276] 35 mm reels of the 1997 Special Editions were the versions initially presented for preservation because of the difficulty of transferring from the original prints,[277][278] but it was later revealed that the Library possesses a copyright deposit print of the original theatrical releases.[279]

Industry

The original Star Wars film was a huge success for 20th Century Fox, and was credited for reinvigorating the company. Within three weeks of the film's release, the studio's stock price doubled to a record high. Prior to 1977, 20th Century Fox's greatest annual profits were $37 million, while in 1977, the company broke that record by posting a profit of $79 million.[259] The franchise helped Fox to change from an almost bankrupt production company to a thriving media conglomerate.[280] With over $10.3 billion in worldwide box office receipts, Star Wars is the second-highest-grossing film franchise of all time.[281][282]

Star Wars fundamentally changed the aesthetics and narratives of Hollywood films, switching the focus of Hollywood-made films from deep, meaningful stories based on dramatic conflict, themes and irony to sprawling special-effects-laden blockbusters, as well as changing the Hollywood film industry in fundamental ways. Before Star Wars, special effects in films had not appreciably advanced since the 1950s.[283] The commercial success of Star Wars created a boom in state-of-the-art special effects in the late 1970s.[280] Along with Jaws, Star Wars started the tradition of the summer blockbuster film in the entertainment industry, where films open on many screens at the same time and profitable franchises are important.[284][271] It created the model for the major film trilogy and showed that merchandising rights on a film could generate more money than the film itself did.[270]

Film critic Roger Ebert wrote in his book The Great Movies, "Like The Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane, Star Wars was a technical watershed that influenced many of the movies that came after." It began a new generation of special effects and high-energy motion pictures. The film was one of the first films to link genres together to invent a new, high-concept genre for filmmakers to build upon.[285] Finally, along with Steven Spielberg's Jaws, it shifted the film industry's focus away from personal filmmaking of the 1970s and towards fast-paced, big-budget blockbusters for younger audiences.[259][286][287]

Some critics have blamed Star Wars and Jaws for "ruining" Hollywood by shifting its focus from "sophisticated" films such as The Godfather, Taxi Driver, and Annie Hall to films about spectacle and juvenile fantasy, and for the industry shift from stand-alone, one and done films, towards blockbuster franchises with multiple sequels and prequels.[288] One such critic, Peter Biskind, complained, "When all was said and done, Lucas and Spielberg returned the 1970s audience, grown sophisticated on a diet of European and New Hollywood films, to the simplicities of the pre-1960s Golden Age of movies... They marched backward through the looking-glass."[288][289] In an opposing view, Tom Shone wrote that through Star Wars and Jaws, Lucas and Spielberg "didn't betray cinema at all: they plugged it back into the grid, returning the medium to its roots as a carnival sideshow, a magic act, one big special effect", which was "a kind of rebirth".[287]

The original Star Wars trilogy is widely considered one of the best film trilogies in history.[290] Numerous filmmakers have been influenced by Star Wars, including Damon Lindelof, Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, John Lasseter,[291] David Fincher, Joss Whedon, John Singleton, Kevin Smith,[285] and later Star Wars directors J. J. Abrams and Gareth Edwards.[292] Lucas's concept of a "used universe" particularly influenced Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982) and Alien (1979), James Cameron's Aliens (1986) as well as The Terminator (1984), George Miller's Mad Max 2 (1981), and Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003).[285] Christopher Nolan cited Star Wars as an influence when making the 2010 blockbuster film Inception.[293]

Fan works

Main article: Star Wars fan films

The Star Wars saga has inspired many fans to create their own non-canon material set in the Star Wars galaxy. In recent years, this has ranged from writing fan fiction to creating fan films. In 2002, Lucasfilm sponsored the first annual Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards, officially recognizing filmmakers and the genre. Because of concerns over potential copyright and trademark issues, however, the contest was initially open only to parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries. Fan fiction films set in the Star Wars universe were originally ineligible, but in 2007, Lucasfilm changed the submission standards to allow in-universe fiction entries.[294] Lucasfilm has allowed but not endorsed the creation of fan fiction, as long as it does not attempt to make a profit.[295]

Academia

As the characters and the storyline of the original trilogy are so well known, educators have used the films in the classroom as a learning resource. For example, a project in Western Australia honed elementary school students storytelling skills by role-playing action scenes from the movies and later creating props and audio/visual scenery to enhance their performance.[296] Others have used the films to encourage second-level students to integrate technology in the science classroom by making prototype lightsabers.[297] Similarly, psychiatrists in New Zealand and the U.S. have advocated their use in the university classroom to explain different types of psychopathology.[298][299]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b The film's release was preceded by its novelization in November 1976.
  2. ^ Most existing spin-off media was made non-canon and rebranded as 'Legends' in April 2014.[2]
  3. ^ Lucas started by researching the inspiration behind Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon comic, leading him to the works of author Edgar Rice Burroughs—the John Carter of Mars series in particular.[50]
  4. ^ Played by Jake Lloyd as a child in Episode I
  5. ^ Each film was released two days later in the U.S.
  6. ^ The original trilogy depicts the galaxy as dirty and grimy in George Lucas's depiction of a "used universe".[135]
  7. ^ Not to be confused with the board game with the same name published in 1990[235]
  8. ^ In his early drafts, Lucas used the plot point of a dictator staying in power with the support of the military. In his comment (made in the prequel trilogy era) Lucas attributed this to Nixon's supposed intention to defy the 22nd Amendment,[262] but the president resigned and never ran for a third term.

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March 17, 2024
star, wars, this, article, about, media, franchise, film, film, other, uses, disambiguation, american, epic, space, opera, media, franchise, created, george, lucas, which, began, with, eponymous, 1977, film, quickly, became, worldwide, culture, phenomenon, fra. This article is about the media franchise For the film see Star Wars film For other uses see Star Wars disambiguation Star Wars is an American epic space opera 1 media franchise created by George Lucas which began with the eponymous 1977 film a and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media including television series video games novels comic books theme park attractions and themed areas comprising an all encompassing fictional universe b Star Wars is one of the highest grossing media franchises of all time Star WarsCreated byGeorge LucasOriginal workStar Wars 1977 a OwnerLucasfilmYears1977 47 years ago 1977 presentPrint publicationsBook s List of reference booksNovel s List of novelsShort storiesSee list of novelsComicsList of comicsComic strip s See list of comicsMagazine s Star Wars Insider 1987 present Films and televisionFilm s List of filmsTelevision seriesList of television seriesTelevision special s See list of television seriesTelevision film s See list of filmsGamesRole playingList of RPGsVideo game s List of video gamesAudioRadio program s List of radio dramasOriginal musicMusicMiscellaneousToy s MerchandiseTheme park attraction s List of attractionsThe original 1977 film retroactively subtitled Episode IV A New Hope was followed by the sequels Episode V The Empire Strikes Back 1980 and Episode VI Return of the Jedi 1983 forming the original Star Wars trilogy Lucas later returned to the series to write and direct a prequel trilogy consisting of Episode I The Phantom Menace 1999 Episode II Attack of the Clones 2002 and Episode III Revenge of the Sith 2005 In 2012 Lucas sold his production company to Disney relinquishing his ownership of the franchise This led to a sequel trilogy consisting of Episode VII The Force Awakens 2015 Episode VIII The Last Jedi 2017 and Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker 2019 All nine films collectively referred to as the Skywalker Saga were nominated for Academy Awards with wins going to the first two releases Together with the theatrical live action anthology films Rogue One 2016 and Solo 2018 the combined box office revenue of the films equated to over US 10 billion making Star Wars the third highest grossing film franchise of all time Contents 1 Premise 2 Films 2 1 The Skywalker Saga 2 1 1 Original trilogy 2 1 2 Prequel trilogy 2 1 3 Sequel trilogy 2 2 Standalone films 2 3 Upcoming films 2 3 1 Other potential projects 3 Television 3 1 Animated series 3 2 Live action series 3 3 Films and specials 4 Fictional timeline 5 Other media 5 1 Print media 5 1 1 Novels 5 1 2 Comics 5 2 Audio 5 2 1 Soundtracks and singles 5 2 2 Audio novels 5 2 3 Radio 5 3 Video games 5 3 1 Early licensed games 1979 1993 5 3 2 LucasArts and modern self published games 1993 2014 5 3 3 EA Star Wars 2014 present 5 4 Theme park attractions 5 5 Multimedia projects 5 6 Merchandising 6 Themes 6 1 Historical influences 7 Cultural impact 7 1 Industry 7 1 1 Fan works 7 2 Academia 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 Works cited 12 Further reading 13 External linksPremiseThe Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters A long time ago in a galaxy far far away 3 across multiple fictional eras in which humans and many species of aliens often humanoid co exist with robots typically referred to in the films as droids which may be programmed for personal assistance or battle 4 Space travel between planets is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology 5 6 7 The planets range from wealthy planet wide cities to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes Virtually any Earth biome along with many fictional ones has its counterpart as a Star Wars planet which in most cases teem with sentient and non sentient alien life 8 The franchise also makes use of other astronomical objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae 9 10 Spacecraft range from small starfighters to large capital ships such as the Star Destroyers as well as space stations such as the moon sized Death Stars 11 12 13 Telecommunication includes two way audio and audiovisual screens holographic projections and hyperspace transmission 14 The universe of Star Wars is generally similar to the real universe but its laws of physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories 15 One result of that is a mystical power known as the Force which is described in the original film as an energy field created by all living things that binds the galaxy together 16 The field is depicted as a kind of pantheistic god 17 Through training and meditation those whom the Force is strong with exhibit various superpowers such as telekinesis precognition telepathy and manipulation of physical energy 18 It is believed nothing is impossible for the Force 19 The mentioned powers are wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict with each other the Jedi peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act on the light side of the Force through non attachment and arbitration and the Sith who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression 20 21 While Jedi Knights can be numerous the Dark Lords of the Sith or Darths are intended to be limited to two a master and their apprentice 22 The franchise is set against a backdrop of galactic conflict involving republics and empires such as the evil Galactic Empire 23 The Jedi and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called the lightsaber a blade of plasma that can cut through virtually any surface and deflect energy bolts 24 The rest of the population as well as renegades and soldiers use plasma powered blaster firearms 25 In the outer reaches of the galaxy crime syndicates such as the Hutt cartel are dominant 26 Bounty hunters are often employed by both gangsters and governments while illicit activities include smuggling and slavery 26 The combination of science fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars a very universal franchise capable of telling stories of various genres 27 FilmsMain article List of Star Wars films The Skywalker Saga Film U S release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Refs Original trilogy Episodes IV VIStar Wars May 25 1977 1977 05 25 George Lucas Gary Kurtz 28 29 The Empire Strikes Back May 21 1980 1980 05 21 Irvin Kershner Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan George Lucas 30 31 Return of the Jedi May 25 1983 1983 05 25 Richard Marquand Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas Howard Kazanjian 32 33 Prequel trilogy Episodes I IIIThe Phantom Menace May 19 1999 1999 05 19 George Lucas George Lucas George Lucas Rick McCallum 34 Attack of the Clones May 16 2002 2002 05 16 George Lucas and Jonathan Hales 35 36 Revenge of the Sith May 19 2005 2005 05 19 George Lucas 37 38 Sequel trilogy Episodes VII IXThe Force Awakens December 18 2015 2015 12 18 J J Abrams Lawrence Kasdan amp J J Abrams and Michael Arndt Kathleen Kennedy J J Abrams and Bryan Burk 32 39 The Last Jedi December 15 2017 2017 12 15 Rian Johnson Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman 40 41 The Rise of Skywalker December 20 2019 2019 12 20 J J Abrams Chris Terrio amp J J Abrams Derek Connolly amp Colin Trevorrow and J J Abrams amp Chris Terrio Kathleen Kennedy J J Abrams and Michelle Rejwan 42 43 The Star Wars film series centers around three sets of trilogies the nine films of which are collectively referred to as the Skywalker Saga 44 The saga was produced non chronologically beginning in media res with the release of the original trilogy between 1977 and 1983 This was followed by the prequel trilogy released between 1999 and 2005 and the sequel trilogy released between 2015 and 2019 45 Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against the evil Sith lord Palpatine Darth Sidious 46 The original trilogy depicts the heroic development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine s Galactic Empire alongside his sister Leia 47 The prequels tell the tragic backstory of their father Anakin who is corrupted by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader 48 The sequels follow the conflict between Leia s son Ben Solo and Luke and Leia s protege Rey and their eventual alliance against Palpatine after the fall of the Empire 49 Original trilogy Main article Star Wars original trilogy nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The original trilogy s main cast includes from left to right Mark Hamill Luke Skywalker Harrison Ford Han Solo Carrie Fisher Princess Leia and James Earl Jones Darth Vader s voice In 1971 George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial but could not obtain the rights so he began developing his own space opera 50 c After directing American Graffiti 1973 he wrote a two page synopsis which 20th Century Fox decided to invest in 51 52 By 1974 he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay 53 Fox expected the film would be of limited financial success and so it was given a relatively low budget with production being moved to Elstree Studios in England to help save on cost 54 Star Wars was released on May 25 1977 and first subtitled Episode IV A New Hope in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars 55 The film s success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial 56 With the backstory he created for the sequel Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies 57 Episode V The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21 1980 also achieving wide financial and critical success The final film in the trilogy Episode VI Return of the Jedi was released on May 25 1983 Prequel trilogy Main article Star Wars prequel trilogy nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The prequel trilogy s main cast includes from left to right Ewan McGregor Obi Wan Kenobi Natalie Portman Padme Amidala Hayden Christensen Anakin Skywalker d and Ian McDiarmid Palpatine According to producer Gary Kurtz loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films 58 In 1980 Lucas confirmed that he had the nine film series plotted 59 but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981 60 In 1983 Lucas explained that There was never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now As the stories unfolded I would take certain ideas and save them I kept taking out all the good parts and I just kept telling myself I would make other movies someday 61 Technical advances in the late 1980s and early 1990s including the ability to create computer generated imagery CGI inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga In 1989 Lucas stated that the prequels would be unbelievably expensive 62 In 1992 he acknowledged that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy 63 A theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 updated the 20 year old films with the style of CGI envisioned for the new trilogy 64 Episode I The Phantom Menace was released on May 19 1999 Episode II Attack of the Clones on May 16 2002 and Episode III Revenge of the Sith on May 19 2005 65 The first two films were met with mixed reviews with the third being received somewhat more positively Together with the original trilogy Lucas has referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as the tragedy of Darth Vader 66 Sequel trilogy Main article Star Wars sequel trilogy nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The sequel trilogy s main cast includes from left to right Adam Driver Kylo Ren Daisy Ridley Rey John Boyega Finn and Oscar Isaac Poe Dameron Prior to releasing the original 1977 film and made possible by its success Lucas planned three trilogies of nine films 57 67 However he announced to Time in 1978 that he planned 10 sequels 68 He confirmed that he had outlined the prequels and sequels in 1981 69 At various stages of development the sequel trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of the Republic 70 the return of Luke as a Jedi Master a role similar to that of Obi Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy 67 Luke s sister not yet determined to be Leia 58 Han Leia 71 R2 D2 and C 3PO 57 72 However after beginning work on the prequel trilogy Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy 73 74 Lucas decided to leave the franchise in the hands of other filmmakers announcing in January 2012 that he would make no more Star Wars films 75 That October the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015 76 The co chairman of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy became president and served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films 77 Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for the sequels during the 2012 sale 78 but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas s sequel outline had been discarded 79 80 The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe stories which were discarded from canon to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience 2 Episode VII The Force Awakens was released on December 16 2015 Episode VIII The Last Jedi on December 13 2017 and Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker on December 18 2019 in many countries e The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were both critical and box office successes 81 82 Episode IX received a mixed reception from critics and audiences 83 Standalone films Film U S release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Refs Rogue One A Star Wars Story December 16 2016 2016 12 16 Gareth Edwards Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy John Knoll and Gary Whitta Kathleen Kennedy Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel 84 Solo A Star Wars Story May 25 2018 2018 05 25 Ron Howard Jonathan Kasdan amp Lawrence Kasdan 85 Several Star Wars films have been produced separately from the Skywalker Saga In 2008 Lucasfilm released the animated film The Clone Wars which is set during the prequel trilogy and serves as the theatrical pilot of the television series of the same name 86 Following Disney s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012 an anthology film series set between the main episodes of the Skywalker Saga entered development in parallel with the production of the sequel trilogy 87 described by Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo as origin stories 88 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The anthology films main casts include from left to right Felicity Jones Jyn Erso and Diego Luna Cassian Andor from Rogue One and Alden Ehrenreich Han Solo and Woody Harrelson Tobias Beckett from Solo The first film released was Rogue One in 2016 which tells the story of the rebels who steal the plans for the Death Star the Galactic Empire s superweapon just before the events of the original Star Wars film 89 90 A second film Solo was released in 2018 and tells the backstory of original trilogy character Han Solo several years prior to the original Star Wars film 91 The television series Obi Wan Kenobi was originally planned as a film but changed to a limited series due to Solo underperforming at the box office 92 Upcoming films Film U S release date Directed by Screenplay by Story by Produced by Status Refs The Mandalorian amp Grogu 2026 2026 Jon Favreau Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni Jon Favreau Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni Pre production 93 Untitled New Jedi Order film TBA Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy Steven Knight Kathleen Kennedy 94 Untitled Dawn of the Jedi film James Mangold In development 94 Untitled New Republic film Dave Filoni Kathleen Kennedy and Jon Favreau 94 In April 2023 three new Star Wars films were announced to be set within different eras of the franchise 95 An untitled film written and directed by James Mangold will be set during the dawn of the Jedi 95 Dave Filoni will direct a film set between the original and sequel trilogies during the New Republic era serving as the climax of the various live action television series that began with The Mandalorian in 2019 95 Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy will direct a third film about a new Jedi Order set fifteen years after the sequel trilogy 94 96 In January 2024 it was announced that Jon Favreau would direct a new Star Wars film titled The Mandalorian amp Grogu 97 In February of the same year Bob Iger announced that the film would be the first release of the next slate of Star Wars movies 98 Other potential projects Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars films in various stages of development including Untitled Rian Johnson trilogy In November 2017 a trilogy of movies written by The Last Jedi writer director Rian Johnson was announced to be in development 99 100 In April 2023 Kennedy stated that trilogy of films is still in open development at the studio with the writer director working on the story although it is not currently a priority 101 Untitled David Benioff amp D B Weiss trilogy In February 2018 it was announced that David Benioff and D B Weiss would serve as writers and producers on a trilogy of new Star Wars movies 102 The plot would take place chronologically before the Prequel Trilogy and center around the origin of the Jedi 103 By May 2019 the duo were also slated to serve as co directors of the first installment in their three films 104 In October of the same year however the filmmaking duo exited development of the projects due to scheduling conflicts with projects they are developing for Netflix Kennedy stated that the studio is open to working with the duo and developing their films once their schedule allows it 105 Untitled Taika Waititi film In May 2020 Taika Waititi signed onto the project which was stated to be the first priority for the studio with the filmmaker Waititi serving as director from a script he is co writing with Krysty Wilson Cairns 106 In May 2022 the movie was named as the next Star Wars film to begin production ahead of Rogue Squadron with Kennedy stating that the studio was tentatively looking towards late 2023 for a debut but had not yet officially set a release date 107 108 By April 2023 she stated that the project is still in development with Waititi continuing to work on the script 109 101 Rogue Squadron An anthology film following the events of Rogue One will be directed by Patty Jenkins with a script written by Matthew Robinson 110 In April 2023 Kennedy stated that the script is still in development with the studio considering changing the project into a television series 111 Untitled J D Dillard film In February 2020 a film was announced to be in development from director J D Dillard and writer Matt Owens 112 although Dillard announced he was no longer to direct that film in November 2022 113 Star Wars A Droid Story In December 2020 an animated film centered around the adventures of R2 D2 and C 3PO was announced as being in development the story will introduce a new heroic character to the franchise alongside these characters The project will be a joint venture production between Lucasfilm Animation and Industrial Light amp Magic The film is being developed to debut via streaming exclusively through Disney 114 115 116 Untitled Shawn Levy film In November 2022 Shawn Levy entered talks to direct a Star Wars film following his work on Deadpool amp Wolverine 2024 and the fifth and final season of Stranger Things 117 Lando A film focused on original trilogy character Lando Calrissian reported to be written by Donald Glover who portrayed the character in Solo and Stephen Glover 118 TelevisionMain article List of Star Wars television series SeriesSeasonsEpisodesOriginally releasedNetworkAnimated seriesDroids113September 7 1985 June 7 1986 1985 09 07 1986 06 07 ABCEwoks226September 7 1985 December 13 1986 1985 09 07 1986 12 13 The Clone Wars7133October 3 2008 May 4 2020 2008 10 03 2020 05 04 Cartoon Network Netflix Disney Rebels475October 3 2014 March 5 2018 2014 10 03 2018 03 05 Disney XDResistance240October 7 2018 January 26 2020 2018 10 07 2020 01 26 Disney ChannelThe Bad Batch339May 4 2021 present 2021 05 04 present Disney Visions218September 22 2021 present 2021 09 22 present Tales of the Jedi16October 26 2022 present 2022 10 26 present Young Jedi Adventures125May 4 2023 present 2023 05 04 present Disney Disney JuniorAnimated micro series and shortsClone Wars325November 7 2003 March 25 2005 2003 11 07 2005 03 25 Cartoon NetworkBlips18May 3 September 4 2017 2017 05 03 2017 09 04 YouTubeForces of Destiny232July 3 2017 May 25 2018 2017 07 03 2018 05 25 Galaxy of Adventures255November 30 2018 October 2 2020 2018 11 30 2020 10 02 Roll Out116August 9 2019 April 1 2020 2019 08 09 2020 04 01 Galaxy of Creatures224October 14 2021 February 21 2023 2021 10 14 2023 02 21 StarWarsKids comGalactic Pals112April 12 November 1 2022 2022 04 12 2022 11 01 Zen Grogu and Dust Bunnies Short1November 12 2022 2022 11 12 Disney Live action seriesThe Mandalorian324November 12 2019 present 2019 11 12 present Disney The Book of Boba Fett17December 29 2021 February 9 2022 2021 12 29 2022 02 09 Obi Wan Kenobi16May 27 June 22 2022 2022 05 27 2022 06 22 Andor112September 21 2022 present 2022 09 21 present Ahsoka18August 22 2023 present 2023 08 22 present Game showsJedi Temple Challenge110June 10 August 5 2020 2020 06 10 2020 08 05 StarWarsKids com Animated series The first two animated series Droids and Ewoks were produced in the 1980s 119 They were followed by the Clone Wars animated micro series in 2003 and the 2008 series of the same name Following Disney s acquisition of Lucasfilm all animated series released prior to 2014 apart from the 2008 series were discarded from the franchise s canon 2 Subsequent animated series include Rebels released in 2014 Resistance released in 2018 and The Bad Batch released in 2021 Several micro series and shorts have also been released by Lucasfilm since Disney s acquisition with the earlier animated series falling under Disney s Vintage collection of Star Wars content 120 121 Live action series The Star Wars franchise includes several live action series The first series The Mandalorian was released in 2019 for the streaming service Disney and is set between the original and sequel trilogies of the Skywalker Saga 122 Due to its success the series spawned multiple live action spin offs set during the same fictional era including The Book of Boba Fett released in 2021 Ahsoka released in 2023 and the upcoming Skeleton Crew 123 124 125 These series follow the plight of the New Republic and its allies against the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire 126 A story focused on Obi Wan Kenobi a character from the original Star Wars trilogy was planned as a film before becoming a live action series after the box office failure of Solo in 2018 92 The series was released on Disney in 2022 and is set between the prequel and original trilogy films 127 It was followed by the live action series Andor in the same year both series follow their titular characters during the reign of the Empire 127 128 Films and specials Film U S release date Directed by Teleplay by Story by Produced by NetworkStar Wars Holiday Special November 17 1978 1978 11 17 Steve Binder Pat Proft Leonard Ripps Bruce Vilanch Rod Warren and Mitzie Welch Joe Layton Jeff Starsh Ken Welch and Mitzie Welch CBSThe Ewok Adventure November 25 1984 1984 11 25 John Korty Bob Carrau George Lucas Thomas G Smith and Patricia Rose Duignan ABCEwoks The Battle for Endor November 24 1985 1985 11 24 Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat Thomas G Smith and Ian BryceFictional timelineSee also Star Wars in other media Legends fictional timeline The Star Wars canon fictional universe spans multiple eras of which three are focused around each of the film trilogies 129 The following eras were defined in January 2021 130 and further refined and expanded in April 2023 131 Dawn of the Jedi The first Jedi wields the Force which will be depicted in an upcoming untitled film 95 132 129 The Old Republic The Galactic Republic is founded and the Jedi Order emerges to protect it A schism within the Jedi leads to the creation of the Sith 129 The High Republic Under the protection of the Jedi the Republic grows into a golden age This era includes The High Republic literary works and the animated series Young Jedi Adventures 129 Fall of the Jedi The Republic s Supreme Chancellor Palpatine secretly the Sith lord Darth Sidious orchestrates the Clone Wars overthrows the Republic exterminates the Jedi Order and corrupts Anakin Skywalker 129 133 This era includes the prequel trilogy films the beginning of the episodic Skywalker saga and the animated series Tales of the Jedi and The Clone Wars 129 Reign of the Empire Palpatine s Galactic Empire rules the galaxy and the remaining Jedi are hunted down 129 This era includes Solo A Star Wars Story Obi Wan Kenobi Andor Rogue One the animated series The Bad Batch and Rebels and the video games Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order Star Wars Jedi Survivor and Vader Immortal 129 Age of Rebellion The Rebellion against the Empire spreads across the galaxy while the Jedi return with the emergence of Luke Skywalker 129 134 This era includes the original trilogy films f and the video games Star Wars Battlefront II and Star Wars Squadrons 129 The New Republic Following the Empire s defeat the emergent New Republic attempts to reunite the galaxy while threatened by the remnants of the Empire 129 This era includes The Mandalorian The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka 129 Rise of the First Order The remnants of the Empire transform into the First Order but are fought by the Resistance climaxing with the defeat of Palpatine and the Sith by the Jedi Rey 129 133 This era includes the sequel trilogy films the animated series Star Wars Resistance and the video game Star Wars Tales from the Galaxy s Edge 129 New Jedi Order Rey builds a new Jedi Order which will be depicted in an upcoming untitled film 95 129 The Expanded Universe of spin off media depicts different levels of continuity which were deemed non canonical and rebranded as Legends on April 25 2014 to make most subsequent works align to the episodic films The Clone Wars film and television series 2 Other mediaMain articles Star Wars in other media and List of Star Wars media From 1976 to 2014 the term Expanded Universe EU was an umbrella term for all officially licensed Star Wars storytelling material set outside the events depicted within the theatrical films including novels comics and video games 136 Lucasfilm maintained internal continuity between the films and television content and the EU material until April 25 2014 when the company announced all of the EU works would cease production Existing works would no longer be considered canon to the franchise and subsequent reprints would be rebranded under the Star Wars Legends label 136 with downloadable content for the massively multiplayer online game The Old Republic the only Legends material to still be produced The Star Wars canon was subsequently restructured to only include the existing six feature films the animated film The Clone Wars 2008 and its companion animated series All future projects and creative developments across all types of media would be overseen and coordinated by the story group announced as a division of Lucasfilm created to maintain continuity and a cohesive vision on the storytelling of the franchise 2 Multiple comics series from Marvel and novels published by Del Rey were produced after the announcement Since the new canon has been introduced there has been a multitude of pieces of Expanded Universe continuity that have become apart of canon 137 Print media Star Wars in print predates the release of the first film with the November 1976 novelization of Star Wars initially subtitled From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker Credited to Lucas it was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster 138 The first Expanded Universe story appeared in Marvel Comics Star Wars 7 in January 1978 the first six issues being an adaptation of the film followed by Foster s sequel novel Splinter of the Mind s Eye the following month Novels Further information List of Star Wars books nbsp Timothy Zahn authored the Thrawn trilogy which was widely credited with revitalizing the dormant Star Wars franchise in the early 1990s After penning the novelization of the original film Foster followed it with the sequel Splinter of the Mind s Eye 1978 The novelizations of The Empire Strikes Back 1980 by Donald F Glut and Return of the Jedi 1983 by James Kahn followed as well as The Han Solo Adventures trilogy 1979 1980 by Brian Daley 139 and The Adventures of Lando Calrissian trilogy 1983 by L Neil Smith 140 141 Timothy Zahn s bestselling Thrawn trilogy 1991 1993 reignited interest in the franchise and introduced the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn Mara Jade Talon Karrde and Gilad Pellaeon 142 143 144 145 The first novel Heir to the Empire reached 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list 146 and the series finds Luke Leia and Han facing off against tactical genius Thrawn who is plotting to retake the galaxy for the Empire 147 In The Courtship of Princess Leia 1994 by Dave Wolverton set immediately before the Thrawn trilogy Leia considers an advantageous political marriage to Prince Isolder of the planet Hapes but she and Han ultimately marry 148 149 Steve Perry s Shadows of the Empire 1996 set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi was part of a multimedia campaign that included a comic book series and video game 150 151 The novel introduced the crime lord Prince Xizor another popular character who would appear in multiple other works 150 152 Other notable series from Bantam include the Jedi Academy trilogy 1994 by Kevin J Anderson 153 154 the 14 book Young Jedi Knights series 1995 1998 by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta 154 155 and the X wing series 1996 2012 by Michael A Stackpole and Aaron Allston 156 157 158 Del Rey took over Star Wars book publishing in 1999 releasing what would become a 19 installment novel series called The New Jedi Order 1999 2003 Written by multiple authors the series was set 25 to 30 years after the original films and introduced the Yuuzhan Vong a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy 159 160 The bestselling multi author series Legacy of the Force 2006 2008 chronicles the crossover of Han and Leia s son Jacen Solo to the dark side of the Force among his evil deeds he kills Luke s wife Mara Jade as a sacrifice to join the Sith Although no longer canon the story is paralleled in The Force Awakens with Han and Leia s son Ben Solo who becomes the evil Kylo Ren 161 162 163 164 Three series set in the prequel era were published by Scholastic for younger audiences the 18 book Jedi Apprentice 1999 2002 chronicles the adventures of Obi Wan Kenobi and his master Qui Gon Jinn in the years before The Phantom Menace the 11 book Jedi Quest 2001 2004 follows Obi Wan and his own apprentice Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and the 10 book The Last of the Jedi 2005 2008 set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith features Obi Wan and the last few surviving Jedi In 2019 a new prequel era novel starring Qui Gon and the young Obi Wan was published by Del Rey under the title Star Wars Master and Apprentice 165 Although Thrawn had been designated a Legends character in 2014 he was reintroduced into the canon in 2016 for the third season of the Rebels animated series with Zahn returning to write more novels based on the character and set in the new canon 166 167 Comics Main articles Star Wars comics and List of Star Wars comic books Marvel Comics published a Star Wars comic book series from 1977 to 1986 168 169 170 171 Original Star Wars comics were serialized in the Marvel magazine Pizzazz between 1977 and 1979 The 1977 installments were the first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form as they preceded those of the Star Wars comic series 172 From 1985 to 1987 the animated children s series Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel s Star Comics line 173 174 175 According to Marvel comics former Editor In Chief Jim Shooter the strong sales of Star Wars comics saved Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978 176 Marvel s Star Wars series was one of the industry s top selling titles in 1979 and 1980 177 The only downside for Marvel was that the 100 000 copy sales quota was surpassed quickly allowing Lippincott to renegotiate the royalty arrangements from a position of strength 178 In the late 1980s Marvel dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development which was picked up by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series 1991 1995 179 Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after the original film trilogy including Tales of the Jedi 1993 1998 X wing Rogue Squadron 1995 1998 Star Wars Republic 1998 2006 Star Wars Tales 1999 2005 Star Wars Empire 2002 2006 and Knights of the Old Republic 2006 2010 180 181 After Disney s acquisition of Lucasfilm it was announced in January 2014 that in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics 182 whose parent company Marvel Entertainment Disney had purchased in 2009 183 Launched in 2015 the first three publications were titled Star Wars Darth Vader and the limited series Princess Leia 184 185 186 First announced as Project Luminous at Star Wars Celebration in April 2019 the Star Wars The High Republic publishing initiative were revealed in a press conference in February 2020 Involving the majority of the then current officially licensed publishers a new era set 200 years before the Skywalker Saga was explored in various books and comics Including ongoing titles by Marvel and IDW Publishing written by Cavan Scott and Daniel Jose Older respectively 187 Audio Soundtracks and singles Further information Music of Star Wars John Williams composed the soundtracks for the nine episodic films he has stated that he will retire from the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker 188 He also composed Han Solo s theme for Solo A Star Wars Story John Powell adapted and composed the rest of the score 189 Michael Giacchino composed the score of Rogue One 189 Ludwig Goransson scored and composed the music of The Mandalorian 190 Williams also created the main theme for Galaxy s Edge 191 Audio novels Further information The Story of Star Wars and List of Star Wars books The first Star Wars audio work is The Story of Star Wars an LP using audio samples from the original film and a new narration to retell the story released in 1977 Most later printed novels were adapted into audio novels usually released on cassette tape and re released on CD As of 2019 audio only novels have been released not directly based on printed media 192 Radio Further information Star Wars radio Radio adaptations of the films were also produced Lucas a fan of the NPR affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater the University of Southern California licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC FM for US 1 The production used John Williams s original film score along with Ben Burtt s sound effects 193 194 The first was written by science fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden It was broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981 adapting the original 1977 film into 13 episodes 195 193 194 Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles 195 193 The overwhelming success led to a 10 episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1983 196 Billy Dee Williams joined the other two stars reprising his role as Lando Calrissian citation needed In 1983 Buena Vista Records released an original 30 minute Star Wars audio drama titled Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell written by Daley 194 197 In the 1990s Time Warner Audio Publishing adapted several Star Wars series from Dark Horse Comics into audio dramas the three part Dark Empire saga Tales of the Jedi Dark Lords of the Sith the Dark Forces trilogy and Crimson Empire 1998 197 Return of the Jedi was adapted into 6 episodes in 1996 featuring Daniels 193 197 Video games Further information Star Wars video games and List of Star Wars video games The Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred 198 computer video and board games dating back to some of the earliest home consoles Some are based directly on the movie material while others rely heavily on the non canonical Expanded Universe rebranded as Star Wars Legends and removed from the canon in 2014 Star Wars games have gone through three significant development eras marked by a change in leadership among the developers the early licensed games those developed after the creation of LucasArts and those created after the closure of the Lucasfilm division by Disney and the transfer of the license to Electronic Arts Early licensed games 1979 1993 The first officially licensed electronic Star Wars game was Kenner s 1979 table top Star Wars Electronic Battle Command 199 200 In 1982 Parker Brothers published the first Star Wars video game for the Atari 2600 Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back 201 followed soon the year later by Star Wars Jedi Arena the first video game to depict lightsaber combat They were followed in 1983 by Atari s rail shooter arcade game Star Wars with vector graphics to replicate the Death Star trench run scene from the 1977 film 202 The next game Star Wars Return of the Jedi 1984 has more traditional raster graphics 203 while the following Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back 1985 has vector graphics 204 Platform games were made for the Nintendo Entertainment System including the Japan exclusive Star Wars 1987 an international Star Wars 1991 and Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back 1992 Super Star Wars 1992 was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with two sequels over the next two years LucasArts and modern self published games 1993 2014 Main article LucasArts Lucasfilm founded its own video game company in 1982 becoming best known for adventure games and World War II flight combat games but as George Lucas took more interest in the increasing success of the video game market he wanted to have more creative control over the games and founded his own development company LucasArts Improved graphics allowed games to tell complex narratives which allowed for the retelling of the films and eventually original narratives set in the same continuity with voice overs and CGI cutscenes In 1993 LucasArts released Star Wars X Wing the first self published Star Wars video game and the first space flight simulator based on the franchise 205 It was one of the bestselling video games of 1993 and established its own series of games 205 The Rogue Squadron series was released between 1998 and 2003 also focusing on space battles set during the films Dark Forces 1995 a hybrid adventure game incorporating puzzles and strategy 206 was the first Star Wars first person shooter 207 It featured gameplay and graphical features not then common in other games made possible by LucasArts custom designed game engine the Jedi 207 206 208 209 The game was well received 210 211 212 and it was followed by four sequels 213 214 The series introduced Kyle Katarn who would appear in multiple games novels and comics 215 Katarn is a former stormtrooper who joins the Rebellion and becomes a Jedi 207 216 217 a plot arc similar to that of Finn in the sequel trilogy films 161 A massively multiplayer online role playing game Star Wars Galaxies was in operation from 2003 until 2011 After Disney bought Lucasfilm LucasArts ceased its role as a developer in 2013 although it still operates as a licensor 218 EA Star Wars 2014 present Following its acquisition of the franchise Disney reassigned video game rights to Electronic Arts Games made during this era are considered canonical and feature more influence from the Star Wars filmmakers Disney partnered with Lenovo to create the augmented reality video game Jedi Challenges released in November 2017 219 220 In August 2018 it was announced that Zynga would publish free to play Star Wars mobile games 221 The Battlefront games received a canonical reboot with Star Wars Battlefront in November 2015 which was followed by a sequel Battlefront II in November 2017 A single player action adventure game Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order with an original story and cast of characters was released in November 2019 A space combat game titled Star Wars Squadrons which builds upon the space battles from Battlefront was released in October 2020 Theme park attractions Main article List of Star Wars theme parks attractions In addition to the Disneyland ride Star Tours 1987 and its successor Star Tours The Adventures Continue 2011 many live attractions have been held at Disney parks including the traveling exhibition Where Science Meets Imagination the Space Mountain spin off Hyperspace Mountain a walkthrough Launch Bay and the night time A Galactic Spectacular An immersive themed area called Galaxy s Edge 2019 opened at Disneyland and opened at Walt Disney World in mid 2019 222 A themed hotel Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser operated from 2022 to 2023 at Walt Disney World This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Title Park s Opening date Closing dateStar Tours Disneyland January 9 1987 1987 01 09 July 27 2010 2010 07 27 Tokyo Disneyland July 12 1989 1989 07 12 April 2 2012 2012 04 02 Disney s Hollywood Studios December 15 1989 1989 12 15 September 7 2010 2010 09 07 Disneyland Paris April 12 1992 1992 04 12 March 16 2016 2016 03 16 Star Wars Weekends Disney s Hollywood Studios 1997 1997 November 2015 2015 Star Wars Where Science Meets Imagination Multiple locations October 19 2005 2005 10 19 March 23 2014 2014 03 23 Jedi Training Academy Disneyland July 1 2006 2006 19 01 November 15 2015 2015 11 15 Disney s Hollywood Studios October 9 2007 2007 10 09 October 5 2015 2015 10 05 Star Tours The Adventures Continue Disney s Hollywood Studios May 20 2011 2011 05 20 N A operating Disneyland June 3 2011 2011 06 03 Tokyo Disneyland May 7 2013 2013 05 07 Disneyland Paris March 26 2017 2017 03 26 Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain Disneyland November 14 2015 2015 11 14 May 31 2017 2017 05 31 Hong Kong Disneyland June 11 2016 2016 06 11 N A operating Disneyland Paris May 7 2017 2017 05 07 Star Wars Launch Bay Disneyland November 16 2015 2015 11 16 Disney s Hollywood Studios December 4 2015 2015 12 04 Shanghai Disneyland Park June 16 2016 2016 06 16 Jedi Training Trials of the Temple Disney s Hollywood Studios December 1 2015 2015 12 01 Disneyland December 8 2015 2015 12 08 Disneyland Paris July 11 2015 2015 07 11 Hong Kong Disneyland June 25 2016 2016 06 25 Star Wars A Galactic Spectacular Disney s Hollywood Studios June 17 2016 2016 06 17 Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Disney s Hollywood Studios March 1 2022 2022 03 01 223 September 30 2023 2023 09 30 224 Star Wars Galaxy s Edge Disneyland May 31 2019 2019 05 31 N A operating Disney s Hollywood Studios August 29 2019 2019 08 29 Star Wars Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run Disneyland May 31 2019 2019 05 31 Disney s Hollywood Studios August 29 2019 2019 08 29 Star Wars Rise of the Resistance Disney s Hollywood Studios December 5 2019 2019 12 05 Disneyland January 17 2020 2020 01 17 Multimedia projects A multimedia project involves works released across multiple types of media Shadows of the Empire 1996 was a multimedia project set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that included a novel by Steve Perry a comic book series a video game and action figures 150 151 The Force Unleashed 2008 2010 was a similar project set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope that included a novel a 2008 video game and its 2010 sequel a graphic novel a role playing game supplement and toys 225 226 Merchandising Main articles Kenner Star Wars action figures List of Kenner Star Wars action figures Star Wars The Vintage Collection Lego Star Wars Star Wars trading card and Star Wars role playing games nbsp George Lucas made much of his fortune by retaining his rights to the franchise s merchandising The success of the Star Wars films led the franchise to become one of the most merchandised franchises in the world While filming the original 1977 film George Lucas decided to take a 500 000 pay cut to his salary as director in exchange for full ownership of the franchise s merchandising rights By 1987 the first three films have made US 2 6 billion in merchandising revenue 227 By 2012 the first six films produced approximately US 20 billion in merchandising revenue 228 Kenner made the first Star Wars action figures to coincide with the release of the original film and today the original figures are highly valuable Since the 1990s Hasbro holds the rights to create action figures based on the saga Pez dispensers began to be produced in 1997 229 Star Wars was the first intellectual property to be licensed in Lego history 230 Lego has produced animated parody short films and mini series to promote their Star Wars sets 231 The Lego Star Wars video games are critically acclaimed bestsellers 232 233 In 1977 the board game Star Wars Escape from the Death Star was released 234 g A Star Wars Monopoly and themed versions of Trivial Pursuit and Battleship were released in 1997 with updated versions released in subsequent years The board game Risk has been adapted in two editions by Hasbro The Clone Wars Edition 2005 236 and the Original Trilogy Edition 2006 237 Three Star Wars tabletop role playing games have been developed a version by West End Games in the 1980s and 1990s one by Wizards of the Coast in the 2000s and one by Fantasy Flight Games in the 2010s Star Wars Trading Cards have been published since the first blue series by Topps in 1977 238 Dozens of series have been produced with Topps being the licensed creator in the United States Each card series are of film stills or original art Many of the cards have become highly collectible with some very rare promos such as the 1993 Galaxy Series II floating Yoda P3 card often commanding US 1 000 or more While most base or common card sets are plentiful many insert or chase cards are very rare 239 From 1995 until 2001 Decipher Inc had the license for created and produced the Star Wars Customizable Card Game ThemesSee also Star Wars sources and analogues Star Wars features elements such as knighthood chivalry and Jungian archetypes such as the shadow 240 There are also many references to Christianity such as in the appearance of Darth Maul whose design draws heavily from traditional depictions of the devil 241 Anakin was conceived of a virgin birth and is assumed to be the Chosen One a messianic individual However unlike Jesus Anakin falls from grace remaining evil as Darth Vader until Return of the Jedi According to Adam Driver sequel trilogy villain Kylo Ren who idolizes Vader believes he is doing what he thinks is right 242 George Lucas has said that the theme of the saga is redemption 243 The saga draws heavily from the hero s journey an archetypical template developed by comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell 241 Each character primarily Anakin Luke and Rey follows the steps of the cycle or undergoes its reversal becoming the villain 244 A defining step of the journey is Atonement with the Father 245 Obi Wan s loss of a father figure could have impacted his relationship with Anakin 246 whom both Obi Wan and Palpatine are fatherlike mentors to 247 Luke s discovery that Vader is his father has strong repercussions on the saga and is regarded as one of the most influential plot twists in cinema 248 Supreme Leader Snoke encourages Kylo Ren to kill his father Han Solo 242 Kylo uses the fact that Rey is an orphan to tempt her into joining the dark side 249 According to Inverse the final scene in The Last Jedi which depicts servant children playing with a toy of Luke and one boy using the Force symbolizes that the Force can be found in people with humble beginnings 250 Historical influences Political science has been an important element of Star Wars since the franchise launched in 1977 focusing on a struggle between democracy and dictatorship Battles featuring the Ewoks and Gungans against the Empire and Trade Federation respectively represent the clash between a primitive society and a more advanced one similar to the Vietnam American War 251 252 Darth Vader s design was initially inspired by Samurai armor and also incorporated a German military helmet 253 254 Originally Lucas conceived of the Sith as a group that served the Emperor in the same way that the Schutzstaffel served Adolf Hitler this was condensed into one character in the form of Vader 255 Stormtroopers borrow the name of World War I German shock troopers Imperial officers wear uniforms resembling those of German forces during World War II 256 and political and security officers resemble the black clad SS down to the stylized silver death s head on their caps World War II terms were used for names in the films e g the planets Kessel a term that refers to a group of encircled forces and Hoth after a German general who served on the snow laden Eastern Front 257 Shots of the commanders looking through AT AT walker viewscreens in The Empire Strikes Back resemble tank interiors 258 and space battles in the original film were based on World War I and World War II dogfights 259 Palpatine being a chancellor before becoming the Emperor in the prequel trilogy alludes to Hitler s role before appointing himself Fuhrer 256 Lucas has also drawn parallels to historical dictators such as Julius Caesar Napoleon Bonaparte and politicians like Richard Nixon 260 261 h The Great Jedi Purge mirrors the events of the Night of the Long Knives 263 The corruption of the Galactic Republic is modeled after the fall of the democratic Roman Republic and the formation of an empire 264 265 On the inspiration for the First Order formed from the ashes of the Empire The Force Awakens director J J Abrams spoke of conversations the writers had about how the Nazis could have escaped to Argentina after WWII and started working together again 266 nbsp The aerial warfare of WWII inspired the space fights nbsp The flag and iconography of the Empire resembles those of the Nazi Party and Germany during its rule Cultural impactMain article Cultural impact of Star Wars nbsp nbsp The lightsaber and the blaster are iconic elements of the franchise The Star Wars saga has had a significant impact on popular culture 267 with references to its fictional universe deeply embedded in everyday life 268 Phrases like evil empire and May the Force be with you have become part of the popular lexicon 269 The first Star Wars film in 1977 was a cultural unifier 270 enjoyed by a wide spectrum of people 271 The film can be said to have helped launch the science fiction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s making science fiction films a mainstream genre 272 The widespread impact made it a prime target for parody works and homages with popular examples including Hardware Wars Spaceballs The Family Guy Trilogy and Robot Chicken Star Wars In 1989 the Library of Congress selected the original Star Wars film for preservation in the U S National Film Registry as being culturally historically or aesthetically significant 273 The Empire Strikes Back was selected in 2010 274 275 and Return of the Jedi was selected in 2021 276 35 mm reels of the 1997 Special Editions were the versions initially presented for preservation because of the difficulty of transferring from the original prints 277 278 but it was later revealed that the Library possesses a copyright deposit print of the original theatrical releases 279 Industry The original Star Wars film was a huge success for 20th Century Fox and was credited for reinvigorating the company Within three weeks of the film s release the studio s stock price doubled to a record high Prior to 1977 20th Century Fox s greatest annual profits were 37 million while in 1977 the company broke that record by posting a profit of 79 million 259 The franchise helped Fox to change from an almost bankrupt production company to a thriving media conglomerate 280 With over 10 3 billion in worldwide box office receipts Star Wars is the second highest grossing film franchise of all time 281 282 Star Wars fundamentally changed the aesthetics and narratives of Hollywood films switching the focus of Hollywood made films from deep meaningful stories based on dramatic conflict themes and irony to sprawling special effects laden blockbusters as well as changing the Hollywood film industry in fundamental ways Before Star Wars special effects in films had not appreciably advanced since the 1950s 283 The commercial success of Star Wars created a boom in state of the art special effects in the late 1970s 280 Along with Jaws Star Wars started the tradition of the summer blockbuster film in the entertainment industry where films open on many screens at the same time and profitable franchises are important 284 271 It created the model for the major film trilogy and showed that merchandising rights on a film could generate more money than the film itself did 270 Film critic Roger Ebert wrote in his book The Great Movies Like The Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane Star Wars was a technical watershed that influenced many of the movies that came after It began a new generation of special effects and high energy motion pictures The film was one of the first films to link genres together to invent a new high concept genre for filmmakers to build upon 285 Finally along with Steven Spielberg s Jaws it shifted the film industry s focus away from personal filmmaking of the 1970s and towards fast paced big budget blockbusters for younger audiences 259 286 287 Some critics have blamed Star Wars and Jaws for ruining Hollywood by shifting its focus from sophisticated films such as The Godfather Taxi Driver and Annie Hall to films about spectacle and juvenile fantasy and for the industry shift from stand alone one and done films towards blockbuster franchises with multiple sequels and prequels 288 One such critic Peter Biskind complained When all was said and done Lucas and Spielberg returned the 1970s audience grown sophisticated on a diet of European and New Hollywood films to the simplicities of the pre 1960s Golden Age of movies They marched backward through the looking glass 288 289 In an opposing view Tom Shone wrote that through Star Wars and Jaws Lucas and Spielberg didn t betray cinema at all they plugged it back into the grid returning the medium to its roots as a carnival sideshow a magic act one big special effect which was a kind of rebirth 287 The original Star Wars trilogy is widely considered one of the best film trilogies in history 290 Numerous filmmakers have been influenced by Star Wars including Damon Lindelof Dean Devlin Roland Emmerich John Lasseter 291 David Fincher Joss Whedon John Singleton Kevin Smith 285 and later Star Wars directors J J Abrams and Gareth Edwards 292 Lucas s concept of a used universe particularly influenced Ridley Scott s Blade Runner 1982 and Alien 1979 James Cameron s Aliens 1986 as well as The Terminator 1984 George Miller s Mad Max 2 1981 and Peter Jackson s The Lord of the Rings trilogy 2001 2003 285 Christopher Nolan cited Star Wars as an influence when making the 2010 blockbuster film Inception 293 Fan works Main article Star Wars fan films The Star Wars saga has inspired many fans to create their own non canon material set in the Star Wars galaxy In recent years this has ranged from writing fan fiction to creating fan films In 2002 Lucasfilm sponsored the first annual Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards officially recognizing filmmakers and the genre Because of concerns over potential copyright and trademark issues however the contest was initially open only to parodies mockumentaries and documentaries Fan fiction films set in the Star Wars universe were originally ineligible but in 2007 Lucasfilm changed the submission standards to allow in universe fiction entries 294 Lucasfilm has allowed but not endorsed the creation of fan fiction as long as it does not attempt to make a profit 295 Academia As the characters and the storyline of the original trilogy are so well known educators have used the films in the classroom as a learning resource For example a project in Western Australia honed elementary school students storytelling skills by role playing action scenes from the movies and later creating props and audio visual scenery to enhance their performance 296 Others have used the films to encourage second level students to integrate technology in the science classroom by making prototype lightsabers 297 Similarly psychiatrists in New Zealand and the U S have advocated their use in the university classroom to explain different types of psychopathology 298 299 See also501st Legion Architecture of Star Wars Comparison of Star Trek and Star Wars Jedi census phenomenon Jediism List of space science fiction franchises List of Star Wars characters List of Star Wars creatures List of Star Wars planets and moons Music of Star Wars Physics and Star Wars Star Wars Celebration Star Wars Day Star Wars documentaries Star Wars The High Republic Space warfare in fiction The Force The Story of Star Wars Technology in Star Wars Wookieepedia the Star Wars wikiNotes a b The film s release was preceded by its novelization in November 1976 Most existing spin off media was made non canon and rebranded as Legends in April 2014 2 Lucas started by researching the inspiration behind Alex Raymond s Flash Gordon comic leading him to the works of author Edgar Rice Burroughs the John Carter of Mars series in particular 50 Played by Jake Lloyd as a child in Episode I Each film was released two days later in the U S The original trilogy depicts the galaxy as dirty and grimy in George Lucas s depiction of a used universe 135 Not to be confused with the board game with the same name published in 1990 235 In his early drafts Lucas used the plot point of a dictator staying in power with the support of the military In his comment made in the prequel trilogy era Lucas attributed this to Nixon s supposed intention to defy the 22nd Amendment 262 but the president resigned and never ran for a third term References Booker M Keith 2020 Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Cinema Historical dictionaries of literature and the arts Rowman amp Littlefield p 390 ISBN 978 1 5381 3010 0 a b c d e The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page StarWars com April 25 2014 Archived from the original on September 10 2016 Retrieved May 26 2016 Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope DVD 20th Century Fox 2006 Battle droid StarWars com Retrieved October 22 2023 Lewis Ann Margaret April 3 2001 Star Wars The Essential Guide to Alien Species LucasBooks ISBN 978 0 345 44220 8 Wallace Daniel February 16 1999 Star Wars The Essential Guide to Droids LucasBooks ISBN 978 0 345 42067 1 Smith Bill March 19 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