The Star Wars : Story Synopsis " The Star Wars : Story Synopsis " , also referred to as the first treatment of " Star Wars " , was the first step in the creation of the script for . George Lucas wrote it in the spring of 1973 and gave it to United Artists for perusal on May 7 , 1973 . It was rejected on May 29 , 1973 , because of the projected budget of $ 3 million . It was then sent to Universal , which failed to make a decision in the ten days allotted . On July 13 , the picture was offered to Twentieth Century Fox . They accepted , and moved forward ( with an option to withdraw at any time ) with Lucas to write a screenplay . One year after the completion of the treatment , in May 1974 , " " was finished . Synopsis . Over the planet Aquilae , a group of starfighters flew toward a distant speck . The speck gradually resolved into an immense space fortress , which the fighters attacked . It was the 33rd century . Civil war had struck the galaxy , which was ruled by an Empire . A princess , fleeing the Empire , was traveling with her protector , General Luke Skywalker . Two bureaucrats posted to the space fortress prematurely evacuated to the surface of Aquilae , and discovered a store of aura spice , a precious substance . The spice , however , belonged to the princess and her General , disguised as farmers , and the two functionaries were taken hostage . They headed for Gordon , a starport . En route they encountered and destroyed an Imperial patrol and visited a temple . There a group of Rebel boys hoped to join them , but were refused . However , when dangerous creatures attacked the princess ' s camp that night , they arrived and proved their mettle . Skywalker then allowed them to come with them . They finally arrived at Gordon , and a fight broke out at a cantina . Skywalker used his lazersword to defend one of the boys . They made contact with the resistance , and were directed to a freighter to get off planet . However , an Imperial spy eavesdropped and the freighter became a trap . Eluding the ambush , they stole a fighter and shot their way out of Gordon . In orbit , they blended into the Imperial fleet , but as they headed toward Ophuchi , they were stopped and ordered to heave to for boarding . A firefight ensued , and they fled into an asteroid field . Eventually , the ship was hidden in an asteroid , and the Empire broke off their search . Nonetheless , the fighter was seriously damaged , and broke apart above Yavin . They encountered a tribe of aliens . The party was broken up , as Skywalker was attacked , and fell into a chasm ; the princess and the bureaucrats ended up being captured by the aliens and sold to the Empire . Skywalker , however , had survived , and gained the trust of some of the aliens . He and the boy rebels attacked the Imperial outpost on the planet after being directed to it by an old farmer , but the princess had already been sent to the Imperial capital of Alderaan . A squadron of Devil fighter s were present . The General trained the boys to fly them and they went to Alderaan , masquerading as Imperial ranger s . The Rebels infiltrated the prison and freed the princess ( the bureaucrats were along for the ride ) . They fought their way offworld and made it to Ophuchi , where the princess and her uncle , the planetary ruler , rewarded everyone . The bureaucrats realized then that their companions were " demigods . " Development . The plot and scenes of much of the synopsis are directly derived from Akira Kurosawa ' s " The Hidden Fortress " , more specifically being copied directly from the synopsis of the film in Donald Richie ' s 1965 book " The Films of Akira Kurosawa " , only realized as space opera . As such , the projected film would have been more like " The Magnificent Seven " in its relationship to " The Seven Samurai " than a fully original work . As Lucas began work on the actual scripts , however , the story began to diverge into a distinctive plot and universe . Continuity . The synopsis is the only source to hint that the " Star Wars " story had been set not only in the future ( explicitly taking place in the thirty - third century ) but within the Milky Way galaxy . In later story treatments of what would become the " Star Wars " franchise , the setting would be in a galaxy far , far away from the Milky Way , taking place a long time ago . The change was largely because , at the time the story treatment was being written , the was ongoing , meaning George Lucas could not directly do a story promoting the Vietcong ' s exploits and denouncing American involvement in the war akin to the film " " ( which he had briefly worked on ) due to the controversy that would have ensued .