Claim: The protagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy is Luke Skywalker.

Star Wars -LRB- later retitled Star Wars : Episode IV -- A New Hope -RRB- is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas . The first installment in the Star Wars film series , it stars Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Peter Cushing , and Alec Guinness . David Prowse , James Earl Jones , Anthony Daniels , Kenny Baker , and Peter Mayhew co-star in supporting roles . The film 's plot focuses on the Rebel Alliance , led by Princess Leia -LRB- Fisher -RRB- , and its attempt to destroy the Galactic Empire 's space station , the Death Star . This conflict disrupts the isolated life of farmhand Luke Skywalker -LRB- Hamill -RRB- , who inadvertently acquires a pair of droids that possess stolen architectural plans for the Death Star . When the Empire begins a destructive search for the missing droids , Skywalker accompanies Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi -LRB- Guinness -RRB- on a mission to return the plans to the Rebel Alliance and rescue Leia from her imprisonment by the Empire .   Star Wars was released theatrically in the United States on May 25 , 1977 . It earned $ 461 million in the U.S. and $ 314 million overseas , totaling $ 775 million . It surpassed Jaws -LRB- 1975 -RRB- to become the highest-grossing film of all time until the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial -LRB- 1982 -RRB- . When adjusted for inflation , Star Wars is the second-highest-grossing film in North America , and the third-highest-grossing film in the world . It received ten Academy Award nominations -LRB- including Best Picture -RRB- , winning seven . It was among the first films to be selected as part of the U.S. Library of Congress ' National Film Registry as being `` culturally , historically , or aesthetically significant '' . At the time , it was the most recent film on the registry and the only one chosen from the 1970s . Its soundtrack was added to the U.S. National Recording Registry in 2004 . Today , it is often regarded as one of the best films of all time , as well as one of the most important films in the history of motion pictures . It launched an industry of tie-in products , including TV series spinoffs , novels , comic books , and video games , and merchandise including toys , games and clothing .   The film 's success led to two critically and commercially successful sequels , The Empire Strikes Back -LRB- 1980 -RRB- and Return of the Jedi -LRB- 1983 -RRB- . Star Wars was reissued multiple times at Lucas ' behest , incorporating many changes including modified computer-generated effects , altered dialogue , re-edited shots , remixed soundtracks , and added scenes . A prequel trilogy was released from 1999 to 2005 , followed by a sequel trilogy beginning in 2015 . In 2016 , Rogue One was released as a direct prequel to the original Star Wars film .