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Star Wars

Star Wars is a science fantasy  and fictional galaxy created by writer / producer / director Film director

A film director is a person who directs the making of a film [i]. ... 

 George Lucas George Lucas

George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an Academy Award [i] nominated American [i] film director [i] ... 

 during the 1970s. The saga began with the film , which was released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is one of the major American [i] film studio [i]s, ... 

. The film became a pop culture worldwide phenomenon - spawning five more feature films , three , five and an extensive collection of licensed books List of Star Wars books

This is a list of Star Wars [i] books. ... 

, comics List of Star Wars comic books

This is a list of comic books set in the Star Wars [i] fictional universe. ... 

, video games Star Wars computer and video games

Star Wars [i] has spawned over one hundred computer and video games, which comes of no surprise si ... 

, and other products - all of which are set within a fictional "galaxy far, far away Star Wars galaxy

The fictional galaxy [i] where the setting of the Star Wars [i] saga occurs is known simply as the Star ... 

."

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Timeline

1977   ''Star Wars'' opens in cinemas (later renamed ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'') and becomes a blockbuster hit.



Encyclopedia


Star Wars is a science fantasy  and fictional galaxy created by writer / producer / director Film director

A film director is a person who directs the making of a film [i]. ... 

 George Lucas George Lucas

George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an Academy Award [i] nominated American [i] film director [i] ... 

 during the 1970s. The saga began with the film , which was released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is one of the major American [i] film studio [i]s, ... 

. The film became a pop culture worldwide phenomenon - spawning five more feature films , three , five and an extensive collection of licensed books List of Star Wars books

This is a list of Star Wars [i] books. ... 

, comics List of Star Wars comic books

This is a list of comic books set in the Star Wars [i] fictional universe.
... 

, video games Star Wars computer and video games

Star Wars [i] has spawned over one hundred computer and video games, which comes of no surprise si ... 

, and other products - all of which are set within a fictional "galaxy far, far away Star Wars galaxy

The fictional galaxy [i] where the setting of the Star Wars [i] saga occurs is known simply as the Star ... 

."

An example of the space opera Space opera

Space opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction [i] or science fiction [i] that emphasizes romantic [i] ... 

 genre, the Star Wars story employs archetypal motifs common to both modern science fiction Science fiction

Science fiction is a popular genre of fiction in which the narrative world differs from our own present... 

 and ancient mythology, as well as the romantic music motifs now often associated with those genres.

Feature films

>
EpisodeRelease date
I. May 19, 1999
II. May 16, 2002
III. May 19, 2005
IV. May 25, 1977
V. May 21, 1980
VI. May 25, 1983


Although The Ewok Adventure, later renamed , played in theaters in Europe Europe

Europe is one of the seven traditional continent [i]s of the Earth [i]. ... 

 and Australia Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere [i] c ... 

 and is technically a Star Wars feature film, it is generally associated with television, therefore it is covered in the television section Star Wars

Star Wars is a science fantasy [i] [i] and fictional galaxy [i] cr ... 

 below.

Setting

Unlike the traditional science fiction films preceding it, the Star Wars world was initially portrayed as dirty and grimy, rather than sleek and futuristic. In interviews, Lucas tells of rubbing the new props with dirt to make them look weather-worn, a concept he has referred to as "a used or ancient future", a concept further popularized in the film Alien of the same era. He may have been inspired by Sergio Leone Sergio Leone

Sergio Leone was an Italian [i] film director [i] who is considered to be one of the greatest Western [i] ... 

, whose 1960s films performed a similar function for the Western Western (genre)

The Western is an American [i] genre [i] in literature [i] and film [i]. ... 

 genre. It is also possible that he may have received the idea from Akira Kurosawa Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa was a prominent Japan [i]ese film director [i], film producer [i], and screenwriter [i]. ... 

, who believed that it gave his actors a more authentic look.

Each Star Wars film opens with the text, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." Lucas intended this as an allusion to the classic fairy tale Fairy tale

[i], [[goblin]... 

 opening of, "Once upon a time, in a faraway land..." This is the only way the Star Wars Galaxy Star Wars galaxy

The fictional galaxy [i] where the setting of the Star Wars [i] saga occurs is known simply as the Star ... 

 has been defined in relation to the real world. To some, Lucas's allusion suggests that the films are to be interpreted as myths of the future, rather than literal events of the past. Lucas intentionally left the details open to interpretation. Events occur in the Star Wars galaxy; although the film series itself spans the events of only two generations, other stories set in the Star Wars universe cover events that span millennia.

The Star Wars films use an opening text to provide the audience with the background to the story. Lucas emulated the Flash Gordon Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon is a science fiction [i] comic strip [i] originally drawn by Alex Raymond [i], first pu ... 

serials by having his opening text "crawl" up the screen from bottom to top at a high pitched angle, as if the text were disappearing into the distant starscape. Also in all Star Wars films, a starship Starship

A starship is a spaceship [i] designed for interstellar travel [i], specifically between star system [i] ... 

 of some kind whooshes by after the crawl disappears completely. In a May 15, 2005, interview with the Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Sun-Times

The Chicago Sun-Times is an American [i] daily newspaper [i] published in Chicago, Illinois [i]... 

, Lucas described the creation of the distinctive crawl: "The crawl is such a hard thing because you have to be careful that you're not using too many words that people don't understand. It's like a poem. I showed the very first crawl to a bunch of friends of mine in the '70s. It went on for six paragraphs with four sentences each. Brian De Palma Brian De Palma

Brian De Palma is an American film director [i].
... 

 was there, and he threw his hands up in the air and said, 'George, you're out of your mind! Let me sit down and write this for you.' He helped me chop it down into the form that exists today."

The saga shows us a very "ancient" galactic civilization thousands of years old. The setting is totally unrelated to Earth Earth

Earth is the third planet [i] in the solar system [i] in terms of distance from the Sun [i], and the fi ... 

 or our galaxy, which gives it more liberty, in a sense. The Star Wars Galaxy prominently features aliens who are essentially identical to humans. Their civilization was able to develop space travel, terraform, build ecumenopolis Ecumenopolis

Ecumenopolis is a word invented in 1967 by the Greek [i] city planner Constantinos Doxiadis [i] t... 

es and build space colonies 200,000 years "ago."

Star Wars melds science with supernatural elements that strongly relate to epic stories and fairy tales . The scope of Star Wars history spans over 5,100 years among all the Star Wars fiction produced so far , even though the films span only two generations. Later novels from a series dubbed New Jedi Order opened up the Star Wars setting with alien beings named Yuuzhan Vong Yuuzhan Vong

The Yuuzhan Vong are a race of sentient beings from the fictional [i] Star Wars [i] Expanded Universe [i] ... 

 that came from a different galaxy. Most aliens prior to this series came from the one galaxy in which the films are set.

Plot


Episodes I, II, and III chronicle the downfall of the Old Republic and the rise of the Galactic Empire. It is also the story of Anakin Skywalker Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker is a fictional character in the Star Wars [i] universe [i]. ... 

's rise as a gifted young Jedi Jedi

"Jedi Knight" redirects here.... 

  and his eventual fall to the Dark Side of the Force.
In the first film, Darth Sidious Palpatine

Palpatine is a fictional character in George Lucas [i]'s science fiction [i] saga Star Wars [i]. ... 

 manipulates the Trade Federation Trade Federation

The Trade Federation is a fictional organization that exists in the Star Wars [i] universe at the ti ... 

 into invading and occupying the planet Naboo Naboo

Naboo is a fictitious planet [i] in the fictional Star Wars [i] universe [i] with a mostly green [i] ter ... 

. Sidious concurrently maintains his public identity as Palpatine, a senator in the Galactic Republic, and uses the crisis to convince the Senate to elect him as Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. He then, in the second film, further manipulates the Senate into granting him emergency powers and orchestrates the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Republic and a Separatist Confederacy of Independent Systems

In the fictional Star Wars [i] universe, the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) is an organi ... 

 movement .

Meanwhile, a young boy named Anakin Skywalker, incredibly strong with the Force, is discovered by Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn Qui-Gon Jinn

Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi Master [i] character in the fictional Star Wars [i] univers... 

. Qui-Gon believes Anakin is the Chosen One, prophesied to bring balance to the Force. When Qui-Gon is killed by Sith Lord Darth Maul Darth Maul

Darth Maul is a fictional character [i] in the Star Wars [i] universe [i]. ... 

, it is left to his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi is a fictional character [i] in the Star Wars [i] universe [i] ... 

 to train the boy. Anakin grows powerful with the Force, and his skill causes him to become arrogant and chafe against Obi-Wan's training, which he feels is restrictive. Against the strictest rules of the Jedi Order, Anakin falls in love with Padmé Amidala Padmé Amidala

Padm Amidala is a fictional character [i] in George Lucas [i]'s Star Wars [i] saga [i]. ... 

, queen and later senator of Naboo. The two wed in secret, since attachment is forbidden for a Jedi, as it can create a fear of loss that can lead to the Dark Side of the Force. The Clone Wars begin to rage through every part of the known galaxy, and the Jedi fight tirelessly to bring peace back to the Republic. Anakin and Padmé continue to keep their marriage a secret, but soon Padmé becomes pregnant. Although thrilled by the news, Anakin begins to have visions of Padmé's death. The secretive nature of their relationship forces him to seek help outside of the Jedi order, and he desperately asks Senator Palpatine Palpatine

Palpatine is a fictional character in George Lucas [i]'s science fiction [i] saga Star Wars [i]. ... 

  for help. Sidious seizes this opportunity to tempt Anakin to the Dark Side, promising that Padmé can be saved if he joins the Sith. Tragically, Anakin is still unable to save Padmé, and becomes indirectly responsible for causing her death. By this point it is too late and Anakin has now become the Sith Lord Darth Vader Darth Vader

Darth Vader is a fictional character [i] in the Star Wars [i] universe [i], and ... 

who goes on to hunt down and destroy all the remaining Jedi in the galaxy . Padmé dies giving birth to twins, whom she names Luke Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker is a fictional character [i] in the Star Wars [i] universe [i], p ... 

 and Leia Princess Leia Organa

Princess Leia Organa Solo of Alderaan [i] is a fictional character [i] in the Star Wars [i] galaxy [i]... 

. The twins are given to two separate willing parties for safety: Luke to Anakin's stepbrother Owen Lars and his wife Beru on Tatooine Tatooine

In George Lucas [i]'s Star Wars [i] saga, Tatooine is the home planet [i]... 

; Leia to Senator Bail Organa and his wife on the planet Alderaan Alderaan

In the fictional Star Wars [i] universe, Alderaan is the home of Princess Leia [i], Bail Organa [i] and ... 

. Obi Wan-Kenobi and Yoda, the last remaining Jedi, exile themselves, Obi-Wan on Tatooine , Yoda on the bog-like world of Dagobah. Sidious declares himself emperor and turns the Galactic Republic into the First Galactic Empire.

Episodes IV, V, and VI pick up approximately nineteen years after the events of Episode III, during the Galactic Civil War Galactic Civil War

The Galactic Civil War is a fiction [i]al war from the Star Wars [i] galaxy [i].... 

, which leads to the downfall of the Galactic Empire at the hands of the Rebel Alliance Rebel Alliance

In the fictional Star Wars [i] universe, the Rebel Alliance, or more formally, the Alliance to Re ... 

. These films follow the story of Luke Skywalker, the son of Anakin Skywalker, and his rise in the rebellion against the Empire. Leia, now a princess and a member of the Imperial Senate, sends a message for help to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke inadvertently intercepts the message and meets Kenobi. After the murder of his aunt and uncle by Imperial Stormtrooper Imperial stormtrooper

Imperial stormtroopers are trained [i] shock troops [i] in the fictional Star Wars [i] ... 

s, Luke joins the ragtag Rebel Alliance — traveling with Kenobi, his sister Leia Organa , smuggler Han Solo Han Solo

Han Solo is a character in the fictional Star Wars [i] universe [i]. ... 

 and his friend Lando Calrissian Lando Calrissian

Lando Calrissian a character in the fictional Star Wars [i] universe [i], was a ... 

, Solo's Wookiee Wookiee

A Wookiee is a member of a race of hairy [i] biped [i]s in the fictional Star Wars [i] universe. ... 

 companion Chewbacca Chewbacca

Chewbacca , a fictional character [i] of the Star Wars [i] universe [i], is a 2. ... 

, and the droids C-3PO C-3PO

C-3PO is a character from the fictional Star Wars [i] universe [i], created by Anakin Skywalker [i] ... 

 and R2-D2 R2-D2

R2-D2 , is an astromech droid [i] and colleague of C-3PO [i] in the fictional Star Wars [i] universe [i] ... 

.

He trains with Kenobi and subsequently Yoda to become a Jedi like his father, who he believes was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader. When Luke learns the truth — that his father is Darth Vader — he is profoundly shaken. Despite this, Luke successfully resists the efforts of Vader and Palpatine to turn him to the Dark Side and, instead, succeeds in turning his father back to the Light Side of the Force. Vader, having turned from the Dark Side, then kills Emperor Palpatine in order to save his son, but is mortally wounded in the process. Meanwhile, the Rebel fleet scores a decisive victory against the Empire by destroying the second Death Star Death Star

[i]al [[Star Wars]... 

. The Rebel Alliance's victory eventually leads to the end of the Galactic Civil War and the downfall of the Empire.

Themes

George Lucas embraces a style of epic storytelling that uses motifs, common themes and concepts which he alters slightly each time they occur. The concept is lifted from Romantic music, but Lucas applies it both visually and as an integral part of his storytelling.

On a larger scale, there are many parallels between the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy; the stories of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker echo and reflect each other in myriad ways.

The Force is one of the most recognizable elements of the Star Wars mythos. It is described by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars film as, "An energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together."

Those who can use the Force, such as the Jedi, can perform feats of telepathy, psychokinesis, prescience, clairvoyance, and mental control. Two aspects of the Force are emphasized: the light side and the dark side. The light side of the Force is the facet aligned with good, benevolence, and healing. The dark side of the Force is aligned with fear, hatred, aggression, and malevolence. The dark side seems more powerful, especially to those who use it, because it is driven by rage and hatred — its effects are more direct and easier and faster to achieve. In reality, neither the light nor the dark side of the Force is stronger than the other, each possessing its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, the dark side conveys an inherent disadvantage to its users, which is arrogance and overconfidence in their own abilities. However, this aggression allows its acolytes to become more formidable warriors — illustrated when Luke is able to finally overcome his father in battle because of his anger at the thought of his sister turning to the dark side. On the other hand, Jedi can occasionally become crippled by their compassion and act "soft." This is balanced by an ability to remain calm even in extreme circumstances.

Influences

Many different influences have been suggested for the Star Wars films by fans, critics, and George Lucas himself. For example, Lucas acknowledges that the plot and characters in the 1958 Japanese film The Hidden Fortress The Hidden Fortress

The Hidden Fortress is the English title for ???????, a 1958 [i] film by Akira Kurosawa [i], s ... 

,
directed by Akira Kurosawa Akira Kurosawa

Akira Kurosawa was a prominent Japan [i]ese film director [i], film producer [i], and screenwriter [i]. ... 

, were a major inspiration. Lucas has said in an interview, which is included on the DVD edition of The Hidden Fortress, that the movie influenced him to tell the story of Star Wars from the viewpoint of the humble droid Droid

The term droid refers to a kind of robot [i], specifically intelligent robots as seen in the fictional ' ... 

s, rather than a major player. It also played a role in the conception of Darth Vader, whose trademark black helmet intentionally resembles the black kabuto Kabuto

Kabuto is a helmet [i] used with traditional Japan [i]ese armour [i] as worn by samurai [i]. ... 

 of the arch-villain in Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. The Jedi, nearly extinct futuristic knight Knight

Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages [i]. ... 

s of the former Republic, also have a high influence from the Samurai Samurai

was a term for the military nobility in pre-industrial [i] Japan [i]. ... 

 as spiritual warriors and duelists with a strong sense of honor and devotion to their duty. Their traditional clothing even resembles kimono Kimono

Kimono are the tradition [i]al garment [i]s of Japan [i]. ... 

s.

Prior to writing the script for Star Wars, George Lucas originally wanted to make a film of Flash Gordon Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon is a science fiction [i] comic strip [i] originally drawn by Alex Raymond [i], first pu ... 

. The rights for Flash Gordon, however, were held by Dino De Laurentiis, and Lucas decided to work on his own science fiction project instead.

Another influence in Lucas's creation of Star Wars was the writings of Joseph Campbell Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell was an American [i] professor [i], writer [i], and orator [i] best known ... 

. Campbell's work explored the common meanings, structures, and purposes of the world's mythologies. Lucas has stated that his intention was to create in Star Wars a modern mythology based on Campbell's work. The original Star Wars film, episode IV, for example, closely followed the archetypal "hero's journey", as described in Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. This influence was discussed by Bill Moyers Bill Moyers

Bill D. Moyers is an American [i] journalist [i] and public commentator.
... 

 and Campbell in the PBS Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is a non-profit [i] public broadcasting [i] television [i] service with ... 

 mini-series, The Power of Myth and by Lucas and Moyers in the 1999 program, Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas & Bill Moyers. In addition, the National Air and Space Museum National Air and Space Museum

The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution [i] in the United States [i] maintains... 

 of the Smithsonian Institution Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum [i] complex, ... 

sponsored an exhibit during the late 1990s called Star Wars: The Magic of Myth which discussed the ways in which Campbell's work shaped the Star Wars films. A companion guide of the same name was published in 1997.

It is thought that the setting for the Star Wars universe came from Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov, Ph.D. [i] , IPA [i]: , originally ????? ?????? but now tr ... 

's Foundation Trilogy The Foundation Series

The Foundation Series is an epic science fiction [i] series written over a span of forty-nine years ... 

, published in the early 1950s. This saga also involves a galaxy teeming with inhabited worlds held together by a collapsing galactic empire using hyperdrives . It also features the planet Trantor, which is entirely covered by the galaxy's capital, similar to Coruscant Coruscant

Coruscant is the name of a fictional planet [i] in the Star Wars [i] universe [i]. ... 

, and the protagonist of Foundation and Empire Foundation and Empire

Foundation and Empire is a novel written by Isaac Asimov [i] in 1952 [i]. ... 

is Lathan Devers, a character resembling Han Solo. Even lightsabers have precursors in the The Foundation Trilogy as force field penknives. The planet Korrell is thought to be the basis of the planet Corellia Corellia

Corellia is a fictional planet in the Star Wars [i] galaxy [i]. ... 

.

It is often argued that Star Wars was influenced by Frank Herbert Frank Herbert

Frank Patrick Herbert was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author [i] ... 

's classic science fiction book Dune Dune

In physical geography [i], a dune is a hill [i] of sand [i] built by eolian processes [i]. ... 

. Many elements of Star Wars are also evident in Dune. There are so many similarities, in fact, some Dune devotees consider Star Wars little more than a campy film adaptation of Herbert's work. While this is likely an exaggeration, many of the similarities are striking. For example, both Dune and Star Wars are set on desert planets. Both stories feature a mystical knighthood of sorts — the Jedi in Star Wars and the Fremen Fremen

The Fremen are a group of people in the Dune [i] series of science fiction [i] novel [i]s by Frank Herbert [i] ... 

 of Dune. In both stories the hero is a messiah-like character, uses mystical powers, exhibits mind control , and duels opponents with sword-like weapons. Finally, both stories describe a corrupt empire and the hero's efforts to overcome it.

Some comic book fans have drawn parallels between Star Wars and Jack Kirby Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American [i] ... 

’s epic Fourth World series, published by DC Comics DC Comics

DC Comics is one of the largest American [i] companies in comic book [i] and related media ... 

. The cosmos-spanning series of titles was never completed because DC canceled it, citing low sales. At the heart of the series was the battle between Orion of the New Gods and his villainous father, Darkseid Darkseid

Darkseid is a fictional character [i], a DC Comics [i] supervillain [i] created by Jack Kirby [i] as par ... 

  Orion called upon the mystical force known as "the source" to aid him in this struggle. The Death Star is somewhat reminiscent of Apokolips, Darkseid’s home planet. Likewise, Darkseid's headpiece is similar in structure to Vader's.

Furthermore, Orion, like Luke Skywalker, was separated from his evil father at birth, growing up ignorant of his true parentage. Also like Skywalker, Orion was mentored by an old man who carried a staff and was far more powerful than his appearance suggested; the Highfather. Finally, both Orion and Skywalker are forced to struggle not only against their biological father's dreams of universal conquest but also against their own inner darkness.

Also, Darth Vader shares some visual similarities with Kirby’s armored über-villain Dr. Doom Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom, real name Victor von Doom, is a fictional [i] supervillain [i] in ... 

, co-created with editor/scripter Stan Lee Stan Lee

Stan Lee is an American [i] writer [i], editor [i], Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics [i]... 

 at Marvel Comics Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics is an American [i] comic book [i] line published by Marvel Entertainment [i] ... 

.

The Star Wars saga has also been influenced by historical events; Lucas claims to have drawn on ancient Rome Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a civilization [i] that grew out of the city-state [i] of Rome [i], founded in the Italian Peninsula [i] ... 

, World War II World War II

World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide [i] conflict [i] fought betwe ... 

 and the Vietnam War Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a conflict in which the Democratic Republic of Vietnam [i] and its al ... 

 for inspiration. The reference to the historical past can be seen with Lucas's use of 'stormtroopers', commonly associated with the stormtroopers of World War I World War I

World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War and "The War to End All War... 

 Germany and Nazi Nazism

National Socialism, commonly shortened to Nazism or Naziism, originated as a fascist [i] mo ... 

 Germany Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country [i] in central Europe [i]. ... 

, and also associated with the SS under Hitler in World War II. These troopers acted as the Nazi party’s military force, under Hitler’s direct control. Similarly, the stormtroopers of Star Wars acted as the Empire’s military force, under Palpatine’s direct control. Lucas also based the space battles in A New Hope on World War II-era aerial dog fight Dogfight

A dogfight or dog fight is a common term used to describe close-range aerial combat [i] between mi ... 

s. The rise of Palpatine mirrors Hitler Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was Chancellor of Germany [i] from 1933, and Fhrer [i] of Germany [i] from 1934 until h ... 

 in that a democracy becomes an empire.

Scripts


The Star Wars saga began with a 14-page treatment for a space adventure movie that Lucas drafted in 1973, inspired by multiple myths and classic stories. According to one source, Lucas initially wrote summaries for fifteen stories that would make up the Star Wars saga. Out of these fifteen stories, Lucas originally planned to film only one of them as a feature film. Then, in 1978, following the success of the first released Star Wars film, he publicly announced that he would create a total of twelve films to chronicle the adventures of Luke Skywalker . In 1979, Lucas retracted his former statement, saying that he would instead make nine films. Four years later, having completed Return of the Jedi, Lucas announced that he was putting Star Wars on indefinite hold until special-effects technology had improved to his satisfaction. Finally, in 1995, Lucas decided that he would produce the trilogy of prequel Prequel

A prequel is a work that portrays events which include the structure, conventions, and/or characters of ... 

s , for a total of six films. He also claimed at the time that he had always envisioned "the whole thing as a series of six films".

Other sources, including publicly available draft scripts of Star Wars, show that Lucas had an incomplete and quickly-changing conception of the Star Wars story up until the release of the first film in 1977. Story elements such as the Kaiburr crystal List of Star Wars substances

The following is a list of substances, including food and drugs, found in the fictional series Star Wars [i]. ... 

 present in early scripts are missing entirely in the films, while names were freely exchanged between different planets and characters — "Organa Major" being the original name for Alderaan Alderaan

In the fictional Star Wars [i] universe, Alderaan is the home of Princess Leia [i], Bail Organa [i] and ... 

, for instance . Even as late as the production of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, there were significant differences from the films which emerged — for example, Lando Calrissian Lando Calrissian

Lando Calrissian a character in the fictional Star Wars [i] universe [i], was a ... 

 being a clone from the Clone Wars and the climactic battle of Return of the Jedi taking place against two Death Stars orbiting the Imperial capital planet, then known as Had Abbadon. Another version of the Return of the Jedi script had Luke turning to the dark side after killing Darth Vader. Leia would then become the next Jedi to fight the dark side. This did not happen, however, because Lucas felt that the ending would be too dark, especially for children, who were a major target audience. Also, George Lucas had the script of The Empire Strikes Back saying that "Obi-Wan killed your father," all the while having the "I am your father" line in mind. Since Darth Vader's voice was overdubbed by James Earl Jones James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones is among America's best known African American [i] film [i] and stage [i] actor [i] ... 

, the true line was revealed in post-production. In addition, the story released as the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye Splinter of the Mind's Eye

Splinter of the Mind's Eye is a Star Wars [i] novel written by Alan Dean Foster [i] and original ... 

was intended as a possible direction for a low-budget Star Wars sequel — however, the success of A New Hope allowed Lucas to pursue the more ambitious The Empire Strikes Back instead.

Lucas has been criticized for allegedly deviating from his original conception of the universe that was introduced in the original 1977 film. It has been theorized by some that developments in the later films, including the revelation of Darth Vader as the father of Luke Skywalker, the revelation of Princess Leia as Luke's sister, and the progression of Darth Vader from a powerful lackey serving under Grand Moff Tarkin Grand Moff Tarkin

Grand Moff Governor Wilhuff Tarkin is a fictional character [i] in the Star Wars [i] universe [i] ... 

 to a much-feared military leader answerable only to the Emperor go completely against the history/characters/relationships that were established in the original 1977 film. The Star Wars prequel trilogy has also been accused of similar retroactive changes that were allegedly not part of Lucas' original concept for Star Wars.

For his part, Lucas claimed in a segment filmed for the THX THX

THX is the trade name of a high-fidelity sound reproduction system for theatrical movie theaters, screen... 

-remastered VHS VHS

The Video Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, is a recording and playing standard f... 

 release of the original trilogy that the original Star Wars story was intended as a single film but was later split into three because the story was too long to be told in a single film. In the DVD DVD

DVD is an optical disc [i] storage [i] media format that can be used for data storage, ... 

 commentaries for the original trilogy, Lucas claims that many story elements were changed within the production of the films — for instance, the attack on the Death Star in A New Hope was moved from the end of the trilogy in order to strengthen A New Hope on its own merits, while the character of Chewbacca established the Wookiees as a technologically advanced race, necessitating their replacement with Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Other changes, including the death of Obi-Wan in A New Hope, were made during the filming. Lucas also stated in the commentaries that the prequel stories existed only as "notes" explaining the backstories of characters such as Obi-Wan. In an interview with Wired prior to the release of The Phantom Menace, Lucas remarked that he had allowed the publication of novels written as sequels to the films because he would never make the sequels himself.

Lucas's history of different statements regarding his future and past plans for the Star Wars saga have caused a great deal of popular confusion, while drawing criticism from some. For example, some still believe that Lucas's original plan was for a "trilogy of trilogies," based on early statements made by Lucasfilm regarding sequels. For more information on the supposed sequel trilogy, see Sequel trilogy .

It has been reported that Lucas's original script was almost 500 pages long. The title, originally The Adventures of Luke Starkiller, was changed several times before becoming Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Production and release


The Star Wars film series was shot in an original aspect ratio Aspect ratio

The aspect ratio of a two-dimensional shape is the ratio of its longer dimension to its shorter dimensio... 

 of 2.35:1. The "original trilogy" was shot with anamorphic Anamorphic widescreen

Anamorphic widescreen is a cinematography [i] and photography [i] technique for capturing a widescreen [i] ... 

 lenses , while Episode I was shot in Arriscope film format, and Episodes II and III were shot with Sony's CineAlta CineAlta

The Sony CineAlta series of cameras are high definition video [i] cameras gea ... 

 high-definition digital camera.

There were countless problems during the production of Episode IV, and few critics expected the film to achieve the measure of success it did. Many problems with effects, editing, funding, and shooting caused the film to be pushed back from its expected release date of December 1976. The production company, not to mention many involved in the actual production, had little faith in the movie. According to reports, it was a daily struggle merely to complete the film on time. Despite these difficulties, the first film was released on May 25, 1977, and became a surprise hit. Though its novelization had hit the shelves six months earlier, the book had not seen nearly the amount of interest that the film would draw.

Filming locations

Episodes IV, V, and VI were shot at, among other locations, Elstree Studios, in Hertfordshire Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is an inland county [i] in England [i] and is one of the Home Counties [i] ... 

, England England

England is the largest and most populous constituent country [i] of the United Kingdom [i]. ... 

. The outdoor scenes from the ice planet Hoth Hoth

In the fictional universe [i] of Star Wars [i], Hoth is the sixth planet [i] of a remote system [i]... 

 in Episode V were shot at Finse, Norway Norway

Insert non-formatted text here
... 

. Also, one shot of the Rebel Base on Yavin IV in Episode IV was of Mayan temples in Tikal Tikal

Tikal is the largest of the ancient ruined cities of the Maya civilization [i]. ... 

, Guatemala Guatemala

Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala , is a country in Central America [i], in the sout ... 

. The Phantom Menace was filmed at Leavesden Film Studios and the subsequent prequels were filmed in Sydney Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia [i] with a metropolitan area [i] population of over 4.2 m ... 

, Australia Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere [i] c ... 

. Tunisia Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian Republic , is a country situated on the Mediterranean [i] coast ... 

, and the sand dunes of Yuma, Arizona, have served as the location for filming scenes set on the desert planet Tatooine Tatooine

In George Lucas [i]'s Star Wars [i] saga, Tatooine is the home planet [i]... 

 in A New Hope, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. Italy's Caserta Palace Caserta Palace

The Caserta Palace, in Italian [i] Palazzo Reale di Caserta, is a palace [i] and ... 

 was used to create the Theed palace on Queen Amidala's home planet, Naboo, and some scenes were also shot at Italy Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic , is a Southern European [i] country. ... 

's Lake Como Lake Como

Lake Como is a lake [i] of glacial [i] origin in Lombardy [i], Italy [i]. ... 

.

Both the "original trilogy" and the "prequel trilogy" were released over a period of six years , each movie taking two years to produce.

Musical score


The scores for all six Star Wars films were composed by John Williams John Williams

John Towner Williams is one of the most widely recognized composers of film scores [i].... 

. Lucas's intentions for Star Wars involved a grand musical sound, with leitmotifs for different characters and important objects; an approach used to great effect, for instance, in the operas of Richard Wagner Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was an influential German [i] composer [i], conductor [i], music theorist [i] ... 

. Toward this end, Lucas put together a collection of classical and Romantic pieces for composer Williams to review, as an idea of what effects Lucas desired for the films. The music Williams composed was often distinctly reminiscent of the original pieces. Williams' score for Star Wars in 1977 set a new standard for science fiction films by drawing its inspiration primarily from a palette of Romantic symphonies, rather than creating completely new music Although Williams had already established himself as a film composer with scores for blockbusters such as The Poseidon Adventure and Jaws, the Star Wars score gave him international recognition.

Williams' scores for the original trilogy were primarily motif-based: individual characters and settings were each given their own, unique musical theme which would identify their presence in the film, whether physically or figuratively. By combining and varying these motifs, Williams could create a score possessed of a rich, interwoven fabric.

By the time of the prequel trilogy, however, Williams had grown and changed as a composer. His new scores de-emphasized motifs, tending to weave them subtly into a broader and more dynamic musical composition. He had also expanded his use of thematic motifs, using the technique to highlight the emotional or archetypal structure of the film, rather than the more literal associations to character and setting used in the earlier scores.

Re-releases

In 1997, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi were re-mastered and theatrically re-released as the "Special Editions." It was one of the first films series to be re-mastered in this way, and the trend of re-mastering and re-releasing films has proven to be extremely successful and many other movies and series have followed suit. For the re-release, in addition to extensive clean-up and restoration work, Lucas also made several changes List of changes in Star Wars re-releases

The following are partial lists of changes in Star Wars re-releases.... 

 to the films in order to "finish the film the way it was meant to be" . Many of Lucas' changes for the Special Editions were cosmetic, generally adding special effects which were not originally possible. Other changes, however, are considered to have affected plot or character development. These changes, such as the change often referred to by fans as "Han shot first Han shot first

In Star Wars [i] fandom, the phrase "Han shot first" refers to the changes made to a scene in ', invo ... 

," have proven to be controversial, inciting considerable criticism of George Lucas by fans, and was one of the first causes of what came to be known as Lucas bashing.

In 2004, in addition to an extensive and comprehensive hi-definition digital cleanup and restoration job by Lowry Digital, the original films were changed once again for their release on DVD. In these new versions of the films, in addition to new scenes and major image adjustments designed to make the films visually resemble the prequels, a few changes which had been made for the 1997 Special Editions were removed. With this release, Lucasfilm created a new high-definition master of the films, which will be used in future releases as well.

Although the original films have undergone significant alterations over the years, the prequel films have received only minor changes from their theatrical versions. The DVD releases of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith have had such elements altered as small additions of scenes, touch-ups in effects, and small sound changes.

For many years, Lucas has stated that the original, unaltered versions of the trilogy would never be released again, having been released for the last time on VHS and Laserdisc Laserdisc

The laserdisc was the first commercial optical disc [i] storage medium, and is used primarily for the pr ... 

 in 1995. However, on May 3, 2006, Lucasfilm announced on the official Star Wars site that due to "overwhelming demand", the original versions would be released on DVD on September 12, 2006. Each film was released as a two-disc set with the 2004 versions of the films on one disc, and the original, unaltered film on the second disc, as a bonus feature. The set is only available until December 31, 2006, then will be withdrawn from the market.

There has been controversy surrounding this release, since it was revealed that the DVDs featured non-anamorphic versions of the original, unaltered films based on laserdisc releases from 1993 . Since non-anamorphic transfers fail to make full use of the resolution available on widescreen sets, many fans were upset over this choice.

Future Releases


At a ShoWest convention in 2005, George Lucas demonstrated new technology and stated that he planned to release all six films in a new 3-D 3-D film

In film, the term 3-D is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain o... 

 film format, beginning with A New Hope in 2007.

Additionally, Lucas has hinted in the past that he will release his definitive editions of all six of his Star Wars films on a next-generation home-video format in 2007. This release would coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars saga. It has been speculated that he will take this opportunity to make any final adjustments, changes, additions, and/or subtractions to his films for this final release. An altered clip from The Phantom Menace included in a featurette on the DVD release of Revenge of the Sith appears to be a sign that the "archival" editions are indeed in the works.

It is said that this edition will be released in a "Grand Saga" box set. Lucasfilm Vice President of Marketing Jim Ward confirmed that in this final release, Lucasfilm is likely to return to John Lowry to do even more work on the films . He says, "As the technology evolves and we get into a high-definition platform that is easily consumable by our customers, the situation is much better, but there will always be work to be done."

Producer Rick McCallum has also explained that Lucasfilm has been holding back a large amount of bonus material for this release, including deleted scenes, as well as numerous previous Star Wars "making-ofs," spin-offs, television specials, documentaries, and other special material.

There has much hope for another Star Wars trilogy but George Lucas has said that there are no plans for episodes 7, 8, and 9.

Television rights

Aside from pay-per-view cable showings, the original Star Wars movie first saw TV release in 1983 on all the major pay-cable networks . CBS CBS

CBS is one of the largest television network [i]s, and formerly one of the largest radio network [i]s, ... 

 had exclusive network rights when it aired on commercial television one year later, and continued on CBS for several years. The remaining films in the original trilogy also made their cable rounds before airing on network television . In 1992, the Sci-Fi Channel became the first U.S. network to air the three then-existing episodes in the saga. Sci-Fi retained TV rights until 1996, in preparation for the theatrical release of the "Special Editions" of the original trilogy. In 1998, a year after the SE releases, Showtime Showtime

Showtime is a subscription television [i] brand [i] used by a number of channels and platforms ar ... 

 acquired limited one-month premium cable rights to the "Special Edition" of Star Wars for airing in January. It continued on broadcast stations, including superstations TBS and WGN WGN-TV

WGN-TV is a television station [i] broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois [i] on channel nine.... 

, for several years after).

In 1999, to promote , the remaining "Special Edition" films aired on U.S. broadcast network Fox Fox Broadcasting Company

The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox , is a television network [i] in the ... 

 . That same year, Fox acquired all television rights to Episode I after the premium cable networks declined due to cost. A similar situation nearly happened with , until HBO HBO

network_name = HBO
| network_logo = | headquarters = New York, NY [i]
... 

 struck a last-minute deal with Fox and Lucasfilm for the exclusive pay-cable rights. Episode II, like its predecessor, never saw prior pay-per-view cable release, but it did run on HBO and sister network Cinemax Cinemax

External link

[i]
... 

 during its 18-month term of license. The Fox network acquired the U.S. network television rights. In April/May 2005, to promote the then-upcoming , Episodes I, IV, V, and VI were placed in limited syndicated television Television syndication

In the television industry, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast programs [i]... 

 distribution, while the Fox network was able to air Episode II in mid-May, prior to Episode III's initial theatrical release.

During negotiations for the cable rights to Episode II, HBO/Cinemax also struck a first-look deal for Episode III, which they accepted and is currently on its initial 18-month term of license . In addition, the Time Warner Time Warner

Time Warner Inc. or TimeWarner is a massive American [i] media conglomerate [i] wit ... 

-owned networks were able to win the right to become the first U.S. television network system to air all six films in the saga, and Cinemax will air them beginning November 2006 in High Definition. The versions of Episodes IV, V, and VI that will be aired will be the 2004 DVD Special Editions, as they are the current canonical versions. In the UK, Sky purchased the rights to air all six movies in August 2006, becoming the first English-language television network to air all six films, which will be aired in order of release, beginning with the original Episode IV. Afterwards, the episodes will continue to be shown during the "100 films a month" cycles on Sky Movies. Meanwhile Spike TV, in a separate deal, acquired the commercial broadcast rights to Episode III, including the right to become the first broadcast network to air all six films .

Expanded Universe


The term "Expanded Universe" has come into existence as an umbrella term for all of the officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the six feature films. This includes television productions, books, comics, games, and other forms of media. The material expands and continues the stories told in the films, taking place anywhere from 25,000 years before The Phantom Menace to 140 years after Return of the Jedi. The first Expanded Universe story appeared in Marvel Comics Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics is an American [i] comic book [i] line published by Marvel Entertainment [i] ... 

' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 , followed quickly by Alan Dean Foster's novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye Splinter of the Mind's Eye

Splinter of the Mind's Eye is a Star Wars [i] novel written by Alan Dean Foster [i] and original ... 

the following month.

George Lucas retains ultimate creative control over the Star Wars universe. For example, the death of central characters and similar changes in the status quo must first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes considerable effort to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across multiple companies.

Some purists reject the Expanded Universe as "Apocrypha", believing that only the events in the film series are part of the "real" Star Wars universe. However, elements of the Expanded Universe have been adopted by Lucas for use in the films. These included the name of the Republic/Empire capital planet, Coruscant Coruscant

Coruscant is the name of a fictional planet [i] in the Star Wars [i] universe [i]. ... 

, which first appeared in Timothy Zahn Timothy Zahn

Timothy Zahn is a science fiction [i] novelist. ... 

's novel Heir to the Empire Heir to the Empire

Heir to the Empire is the first book in a trilogy of novels known as The Thrawn Trilogy [i], all wri ... 

before being used in The Phantom Menace, while a character introduced in Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics

Dark Horse Comics is one of the largest "independent" comic book [i] publishers in the United States [i] ... 

' Star Wars series, a blue Jedi Knight named Aayla Secura, was liked enough by Lucas to be included as a character in Attack of the Clones .

Television


To date, three films and three animated series have been produced for television, with a live-action series in pre-production. For the most part, Lucas has played a large role in the production of the television projects — usually serving as storywriter and/or executive producer.

Production
Release date
The Star Wars Holiday Special The Star Wars Holiday Special

The Star Wars Holiday Special was a two-hour television [i] special set in the Star Wars galaxy [i] ... 

November 17, 1978
November 25, 1984
September 7, 1985
September 7, 1985
November 24, 1985
November 7, 2003
2007
Star Wars live-action TV series
2007

Audio dramas

A radio adaptation of A New Hope was first broadcast on National Public Radio National Public Radio

National Public Radio is an independent, private, not-for-profit membership organization of public radi... 

 in 1981. The adaptation was written by science fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden. It was followed by adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back in 1983 and Return of the Jedi in 1996. The adaptations included background material created by Lucas but not used in the films. Mark Hamill Mark Hamill

[i]
... 

, Anthony Daniels Anthony Daniels

Anthony Kingsley Daniels, educated at Giggleswick School [i], is an actor [i] best known for his role as ... 

, and Billy Dee Williams Billy Dee Williams

Billy Dee Williams is an American [i] actor [i] who for a period in the 1970s [i] rivaled ... 

 reprised their roles as Luke Skywalker, C-3PO C-3PO

C-3PO is a character from the fictional Star Wars [i] universe [i], created by Anakin Skywalker [i] ... 

, and Lando Calrissian Lando Calrissian

Lando Calrissian a character in the fictional Star Wars [i] universe [i], was a ... 

, respectively. The series also used John Williams' original score from the films and Ben Burtt Ben Burtt

Ben Burtt is the archetypal sound designer [i] and sound editor for many famous and noteworthy films, as ... 

's original sound designs.

Books

Star Wars-based fiction predates the release of the first movie, with the 1976 novelization of "A New Hope" . Foster's 1978 novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye Splinter of the Mind's Eye

Splinter of the Mind's Eye is a Star Wars [i] novel written by Alan Dean Foster [i] and original ... 

, was very nearly the first Expanded Universe work to be released. In addition to filling in the time between the movies, this additional content greatly expanded the Star Wars timeline before and after the film series.

Star Wars fiction flourished during the time of the original series but slowed to a trickle afterwards. In 1991, however, Timothy Zahn Timothy Zahn

Timothy Zahn is a science fiction [i] novelist. ... 

's celebrated Thrawn Trilogy The Thrawn trilogy

The Thrawn trilogy, also known as The Three Book Cycle and The Heir To The Empire trilogy, is a trilogy ... 

 debuted, sparking a new interest in the Star Wars universe. Since then, several hundred tie-in novels have been published by Bantam and Del Rey Random House

Random House is a publishing [i] division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann [i] bas ... 

.

LucasBooks radically changed the face of the Star Wars universe with the introduction of the New Jedi Order The New Jedi Order

The New Jedi Order, also known as New Jedi Order, or by its acronym, NJO, is a s... 

series, which takes place some 20 years after Return of the Jedi and stars a host of new characters alongside series originals. However, several significant events which occur during the course of this series have sparked much fan criticism.

Comics

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics is an American [i] comic book [i] line published by Marvel Entertainment [i] ... 

 published Star Wars comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986. A wide variety of creators worked on this series, including Roy Thomas Roy Thomas

Roy Thomas is a comic book [i] writer [i] and editor [i], and Stan Lee [i]'s first successor as ... 

, Archie Goodwin, Howard Chaykin Howard Chaykin

Howard V. Chaykin is an American comic book [i] writer and artist famous for his innovative storytelling... 

, Al Williamson Al Williamson

Al Williamson is an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator of partly Colombian [i] desce ... 

, Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino

Carmine Infantino is an American comic book [i] artist [i] and editor [i] who was a major force ... 

, Gene Day, Walt Simonson Walt Simonson

Walter or, usually, Walt Simonson is an American comic book [i] writer and artist. ... 

, Michael Golden Michael Golden

Michael Golden is an American [i] comic book artist.
... 

, Chris Claremont