Star Wars : Episode IV A New Hope Star Wars " : Episode IV " A New Hope , originally released as Star Wars , is a 1977 film written and directed by George Lucas . It is the first film in the " Star Wars " original trilogy . The film is set about nineteen years after the formation of the Galactic Empire ; construction has finished on the Death Star , a weapon capable of destroying a planet . After Prince ss Leia Organa , a leader of the Rebel Alliance , receives the weapon ' s plans in the hope of finding a weakness , she is captured and taken to the Death Star . Meanwhile , a young farmer named Luke Skywalker meets Obi - Wan Kenobi , who has lived in seclusion for years on the desert planet of Tatooine . When Luke ' s home is burned and his aunt and uncle killed , Obi - Wan begins Luke ' s Jedi training as they — along with Han Solo , Chewbacca , C - 3PO and R2 - D2 — attempt to rescue the Princess from the Empire . Inspired by films like the " " and the films of Akira Kurosawa , as well as such critical works as " " and Frank Herbert ' s " " books , Lucas began work on " Star Wars " in 1974 . Ground - breaking in its use of , this is considered to be among the most successful – and most influential – films of all time . Produced with a budget of 11 , 000 , 000 and released on May 25 , 1977 , the film became one of the most successful of all time , earning $ 215 million in the and $ 337 million overseas during its original theatrical release , as well as winning several film awards , including 10 nominations . It was re - released several times , sometimes with significant changes ; the most notable versions were the 1997 Special Edition and the 2004 , which were modified with effects and recreated scenes . It was re - released in the Blu - ray format in September of 2011 . The film was selected to be preserved by the as part of its . The film was selected in 1989 , the program ' s first year in existence . Synopsis . Assault on Tantive IV . Approximately nineteen years after the formation of the Galactic Empire , the galaxy is in a state of civil war . The Rebel Alliance has won their first major victory by stealing plans to the Galactic Empire ' s secret weapon , the Death Star . Hoping that the stolen plans can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy , Prince ss Leia Organa , who is in custody of the stolen plans attempts to race home aboard the " Tantive IV . " However , her ship is intercepted by the " Imperial " " I " - class Star Destroyer " Devastator " over the desert planet of Tatooine . Imperial Stormtrooper s manage to board the ship , and after defeating the small number of guards defending the ship , the Sith Lord Darth Vader arrives to assess the damage . Vader is outraged and questions Captain Antilles , whom he eventually strangles and kills . Hiding on the ship , Princess Leia is spotted by stormtroopers . They shoot her with a stun blast and bring her before Vader . However , before being detained , Leia was able to record a holographic message with the help of R2 - D2 , and assigned the droid the responsibility of taking the message to a Jedi - in - hiding on Tatooine . Vader orders a message be sent to the Imperial Senate , informing them that the ship was destroyed , with everyone on board killed . R2 - D2 and C - 3PO use an escape pod in order to escape the ship and reach the planet of Tatooine below . Luke ' s destiny . The droids are bought by moisture farmer Owen Lars and his nephew , Luke Skywalker . R2 - D2 escapes from the Lars ' homestead in search of an Obi - Wan Kenobi , whom the droid claims to be the property of . Luke and C - 3PO find R2 the next day just before they are attacked by Sand people . Luke and his droids are rescued by Obi - Wan Kenobi or , as Luke knows him , Ben Kenobi . Obi - Wan takes Luke to his home . Luke receives his father ' s lightsaber , as Obi - Wan recalls his own friendship with Luke ' s father . Luke is told that a Jedi named Darth Vader betrayed and murdered his father . After discovering Princess Leia ' s message carried by R2 - D2 , Obi - Wan attempts to persuade Luke to accompany him to Alderaan . Luke refuses to go until he discovers that his aunt and uncle were brutally murdered by stormtroopers searching for the droids . Luke , Obi - Wan , and the two droids travel to Mos Eisley to find passage to Alderaan , Princess Leia ' s home planet . For 17 , 000 credit s , 2 , 000 in advance and 15 , 000 upon arrival , smuggler Han Solo and his first mate , a Wookiee named Chewbacca , agree to take the four of them to Alderaan aboard their ship , the " Millennium Falcon " . After brief scuffles with the Empire and henchmen sent by Jabba the Hutt , the " Falcon " escapes the Imperial Blockade at Mos Eisley and Han sets a course for Alderaan , unaware that the planet was about to be mercilessly destroyed by the Empire . Rescue of the Princess . In Alderaan ' s place , they find what seems to be an asteroid field . The planet was destroyed by the dreaded Death Star , on the orders of Grand Moff Tarkin , to set an example of the power of the Empire . The " Millennium Falcon " is pulled aboard the Death Star by its powerful tractor beam . From hidden smuggling compartments , Solo ambushes two stormtroopers of the Imperial scanning crew . With Han and Luke now disguised as the two stormtroopers , the group begins to figure out how to escape . Obi - Wan separates from the group to disable the tractor beam , leaving the others alone . While connected to the Imperial Network , R2 - D2 discovers Princess Leia is aboard the station . Luke convinces Han and Chewbacca to rescue her with the vague promise of a grand reward . Han and Chewbacca reluctantly agree . Luke plans to march into Detention Block AA - 23 , claiming that Chewbacca is part of a prisoner transfer . C - 3PO and R2 - D2 are instructed to remain behind , and the trio sets off on their rescue attempt . Luke ' s plan works flawlessly in that they are quick to subdue the officers and guards in the Princess ' s cellblock . Unfortunately , no one thought to plan for their escape , and Leia takes charge , blasting a hole in a nearby grate and jumping through while Han and Luke hold off a squad of stormtroopers . Chewbacca , Luke and Han all dive after the princess into the unknown . Unfortunately , the grate covers a chute that leads to a garbage compactor that is also home to a resident dianoga . Soon after landing , the creature pulls Luke under the surface , but releases him and is scared away when the Imperials realize where the heroes escaped to and activate the compactor . As the walls close in on the foursome , Luke desperately calls to C - 3PO over his comlink asking for the compactor to be shut down . R2 - D2 manages to shut down the compactor just in time , although , amidst the muffled cries of joy over the comlink , C - 3PO is briefly convinced that his master and friends have been crushed . After escaping from the trash compactor , the group hurries back to the " Millennium Falcon , " hoping that Obi - Wan has successfully shut down the tractor beam . They encounter stormtroopers on their way to the ship , evading and blasting their way past them . Sacrifice and victory . Obi - Wan , on the other hand , was destined to meet with Darth Vader . After a short duel with his former Padawan , Obi - Wan sacrifices himself , thus becoming one with the force and allowing Luke and the others to escape . Horrified and angered having witnessed Obi - Wan ' s demise at the hands of Vader , Luke takes his final blasts at the stormtroopers and dashes onto the " Millennium Falcon " . After fighting a squadron of TIE fighters , the " Millennium Falcon " meets the Rebel Alliance on Yavin 4 , and the information in R2 - D2 is turned over . General Dodonna plans the attack on the Death Star , an attack so audacious as to receive an unenthusiastic reaction from the pilots . To add to Luke ' s dismay , Han leaves after receiving his reward . The Rebel strike force begins its attack on the Death Star , as the space station approaches the Rebel base on Yavin 4 . A group of starfighters assaults a trench on the Death Star ' s surface to hit the station ' s vulnerable spot before it can destroy the Alliance ' s base . During this , most of the Rebel craft , including Luke ' s friend Biggs Darklighter , are picked off by Imperial fighters led by Darth Vader . Just as Vader opens fire on Luke from his personal TIE Advanced fighter , Han returns in the " Millennium Falcon " and attacks the Imperials , resulting in Vader ' s ship getting knocked out of the trench . Luke , aided by the voice of Kenobi and guided by the Force , accurately fires a proton torpedo into a small exhaust port leading to the Death Star ' s reactor , and the battle station explodes . The few remaining ships ( those of Wedge , Luke , Han , and a Y - wing Pilot ) return to Yavin 4 and a victory celebration commences , complete with medals for the heroes , Han Solo and Luke Skywalker , presented by Princess Leia . Development . Conception . During post - production on his previous film , " " , Lucas repeatedly discussed the concept of a " " with producer Gary Kurtz . In January 1973 Lucas began work on this , and by May had prepared a 14 - page story outline for distribution among film studios . He had originally envisioned the film as being a continuation of both " American Graffiti " and " " ( the latter of which he helped make before shut down his studio of and thus forced him to hand over development to his compatriot , Francis Ford Coppola ) . His note for the basic plotline for the film , which was intended to be a response to the Vietnam War era , was that it involved " going after . " According to Walter Murch , a former associate of Lucas when the latter was filming " Apocalypse Now " , the space opera setting was conceived in large part because , due to the Vietnam War still going on , the audiences would not have been receptive to a direct attack on American involvement in Vietnam . Because of its setting , the story was viewed as science fiction , an unpopular genre at the box office . Lucas later proposed that terms like " space fantasy " or " science fantasy " better fit the story . He brought the outline to and ; both rejected the project ( the former refused directly , while the latter withheld their answer until after the 10 day wait period ended ) . He also turned to Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures , though they also turned him down . Lucas disliked the studio system because his previous two films , " American Graffiti " and " THX 1138 " , had been re - edited without his consent . Still , aware that studios were unavoidable , he pursued Alan Ladd , Jr . , the head of 20th Century Fox . Although Ladd did not grasp the technical side of the project , he believed that Lucas was talented . Lucas later stated that Ladd " invested in me , [ but ] he did not invest in the movie . " Production . Lucas finished a draft of the screenplay in May 1974 . As the draft developed , the characters evolved significantly . Early in development , Luke Skywalker ' s character changed from a 60 - year - old general to a member of a family of ; the Corellian smuggler , Han Solo , was envisioned as a large , green - skinned monster with gills . Chewbacca was inspired by Lucas ' dog , Indiana , who often acted as the director ' s " co - pilot " by sitting in the passenger seat of his car . The Force , a mysterious energy field , was initially conceived as the Kyber crystal , a " galactic holy grail . " The completed script was too long for one movie ; however , Lucas refused to condense it . Instead , he expanded the first third of it into one movie and left the rest for two future films , effectively creating the original " Star Wars " trilogy . Lucas hired conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie to create paintings of certain scenes during screenwriting . When Lucas delivered his screenplay to the studio , he included several of McQuarrie ' s paintings . 20th Century Fox approved a budget of $ 8 , 250 , 000 ; " American Graffiti " positive reviews allowed Lucas to renegotiate his deal with Alan Ladd , Jr . and request the sequel rights to the film . For Lucas , this deal protected " Star Wars " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > unwritten segments and most of the merchandising profits . In 1975 , Lucas founded the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic ( ILM ) after discovering that 20th Century Fox ' s visual effects department had been disbanded . ILM began its work on " Star Wars " in a warehouse in . Most of the visual effects used , which creates the illusion of size by employing small models and slowly moving cameras . Model spaceships were constructed on the basis of drawings by Joe Johnston , input from Lucas , and paintings by McQuarrie . Lucas opted to abandon the traditional sleekness of science fiction by creating a " used universe " in which all devices , ships , and buildings looked aged and dirty . When filming began on March 22 , 1976 in the Tunisia n desert for the scenes on the planet Tatooine , the project faced several problems . Lucas fell behind schedule in the first week of shooting due to a rare Tunisian rainstorm , malfunctioning props , and electronic breakdowns . When actor Anthony Daniels wore the C - 3PO outfit for the first time , the left leg piece shattered down through the plastic covering his left foot , stabbing him . After completing filming in Tunisia , production moved into the more controlled environment of Elstree Studios , near London . However , significant problems , such as a that had little interest in the film , still arose . Most of the crew considered the project a " children ' s film , " rarely took their work seriously , and often found it unintentionally humorous . Actor Kenny Baker later confessed that he thought the film would be a failure . Harrison Ford found the film " weird , " in that there was a Princess with buns for hair and what he called a " giant in a monkey suit " named Chewbacca . Ford also found the dialogue difficult , saying , " You can type this shit , George , but you sure can ' t say it . " Lucas clashed with Gilbert Taylor , whom producer Gary Kurtz called " old - school " and " crotchety . " Moreover , with a background in independent filmmaking , Lucas was accustomed to creating most of the elements of the film himself . His camera suggestions were rejected by an offended Taylor , who felt that Lucas was over - stepping his boundaries by giving specific instructions . Lucas eventually became frustrated that the costumes , sets and other elements were not living up to his original vision of " Star Wars " . He rarely spoke to the actors , who felt that he expected too much of them while providing little direction . His directions to the actors usually consisted of the words " faster " and " more intense . " Ladd offered Lucas some of the only support from the studio ; he dealt with scrutiny from members over the rising budget and complex screenplay drafts . After production fell two weeks behind schedule , Ladd told Lucas that he had to finish production within a week or he would be forced to shut down production . The crew split into three units , led by Lucas , Kurtz , and production supervisor Robert Watts , respectively . Under the new system , the project met the studio ' s deadline . ILM concluded shooting on April 22 , 1977 with shot 110P , that of a Star Destroyer . " Star Wars " was originally slated for release in 1976 ; however , delays pushed the film ' s release to summer 1977 . Already anxious about meeting his deadline , Lucas was shocked when his editor ' s first cut of the film was a " complete disaster . " After attempting to persuade the original editor to cut the film his way , Lucas replaced the editor with Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew . He also allowed his then - wife Marcia Lucas to aid the editing process while she was cutting the film " " with Lucas ' friend . Richard Chew found the film had an non - energetic pace ; it had been cut in a by - the - book manner : scenes were played out in that flowed into coverage . He found that the pace was dictated by the actors instead of the cuts . Hirsch and Chew worked on two reels simultaneously ; whoever finished first moved on to the next . During production , the cast attempted to make Lucas laugh or smile as he often appeared depressed . At one point , the project became so demanding that Lucas was diagnosed with hypertension and exhaustion and was warned to reduce his stress level . was equally stressful due to increasing pressure from 20th Century Fox . Moreover , Mark Hamill ' s face was injured in a car accident , which made reshoots impossible . Meanwhile , ILM was struggling to achieve unprecedented special effects . The company had spent half of its budget on four shots that Lucas deemed unacceptable . Moreover , theories surfaced that the workers at ILM lacked discipline , forcing Lucas to intervene frequently to ensure that they were on schedule . With hundreds of uncompleted shots remaining , ILM was forced to finish a year ' s work in six months . Lucas inspired ILM by editing together aerial dogfights from old war films , which enhanced the pacing of the scenes . During the chaos of production and post - production , the team made decisions about character voicing and . Sound designer Ben Burtt had created a library of sounds that Lucas referred to as an " organic soundtrack . " For Chewbacca ' s growls , Burtt recorded and combined sounds made by dogs , bears , lions , tigers , and walruses to create phrases and sentences . Lucas and Burtt created the robotic voice of R2 - D2 by filtering their voices through an electronic synthesizer . Darth Vader ' s breathing was achieved by Burtt breathing through the mask of a tank implanted with a microphone . Lucas never intended to use the voice of David Prowse , who portrayed Darth Vader in costume , because of Prowse ' s English accent . He originally wanted to speak for Darth Vader . However , he felt that Welles ' voice would be too recognizable , so he cast the lesser - known James Earl Jones . Nor did Lucas intend to use Anthony Daniels ' voice for C - 3PO . Thirty well - established voice actors , such as , read for the voice of the droid . According to Daniels , one of the major voice actors recommended Daniels ' voice for the role . When Lucas screened an early cut of the film for his friends , among them directors Brian De Palma , and Steven Spielberg , their reactions were disappointing . Spielberg , who claimed to have been the only person in the audience to have enjoyed the film , believed that the lack of enthusiasm was due to the absence of finished special effects . Lucas later said that the group was honest and seemed bemused by the film . In contrast , Alan Ladd , Jr . and the rest of 20th Century Fox loved the film ; one of the executives , Gareth Wigan , told Lucas , " This is the greatest film I ' ve ever seen , " and cried during the screening . Lucas found the experience shocking and rewarding , having never gained any approval from studio executives before . Although the delays increased the budget from $ 8 million to $ 11 million , the film was still the least expensive of the " Star Wars " saga . Music . Lucas ' s intentions for " Star Wars " involved a grand musical sound , with for different characters and important objects , an approach used to great effect , for instance , in the operas of . Toward this end , Lucas put together a collection of classical pieces for the composer John 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 classical pieces . In particular : Major musical themes include : Sound . " A New Hope " was originally presented in monaural sound in many theatres , though the first - run prints were some of the earliest wide - release examples of surround sound — something not seen in the commercial cinema since the and experiments of the early 50 ' s . Sources and inspirations . The film drew inspiration from a number of sources . This was conscious and has been acknowledged by George Lucas in interviews . It is characteristic of much myth - building . Lucas has stated that Akira Kurosawa ' s 1958 film " The Hidden Fortress " ( USA release 1962 ) was a strong influence . The resemblance between the two buffoon farmers in " The Hidden Fortress " and the two talkative droids in " Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope " is apparent . Indeed , when the droids find themselves alone on Tatooine , even the music and the style of " wipe " cuts are a clear homage to " Hidden Fortress " . When Motti is criticizing Darth Vader , he is about to mention the Rebels ' " hidden fortress " before Vader cuts him off in the middle of the last word . The climactic scene in which the Death Star is assaulted was modeled after ( including some of the same dialogue ) the 1950s film " " , in which fly along heavily defended reservoirs and aim " " at German manmade dams in a bid to cripple the heavy industry of the . ( " A New Hope " cinematographer had previously worked on the Special Effects sequences for that film . ) Lucas has made mention of the film " " directed by when citing movies that inspired themes or elements in " Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope " . The " trench run " in " A New Hope " wherein Luke flies his X - wing through a " trench " on the Death Star and destroys the ship was inspired , at least in small part , by the finale of , which involves several Royal Air Force planes flying at low level up a fjord against heavy , ground - based anti - aircraft fire , to attack a factory located at the base of a cliff at the canyon ' s end . Release . Wary that " Star Wars " would be beaten out by other summer films , such as " " , 20th Century Fox moved the release date to Wednesday before : May 25 , 1977 . However , few theaters ordered the film to be shown . In response , 20th Century Fox demanded that theaters order " Star Wars " if they wanted an eagerly anticipated film based on a best - selling novel titled " " . The film became an instant success upon release ; within three weeks , 20th Century Fox ' s stock price doubled to a record high . Before 1977 , 20th Century Fox ' s greatest annual profits were $ 37 , 000 , 000 ; in 1977 , the company earned $ 79 , 000 , 000 . Although the film ' s cultural neutrality helped it to gain international success , Ladd became anxious during the premiere in . After the screening , the audience was silent , leading Ladd , Jr . to fear that the film would be unsuccessful . He was later told that , in Japan , silence was the greatest honor to a film . Meanwhile , thousands attended a ceremony at , where C - 3PO , R2 - D2 and Darth Vader placed their footprints in the theater ' s forecourt . During the film ' s original theatrical run , there were a number of now - inconic television promotions : Merchandise . Charles Lippincott was hired by Lucas ' production company , Lucasfilm Ltd . , as marketing director for " Star Wars " . Because 20th Century Fox gave little support for marketing beyond licensing T - shirts and posters , Lippincott was forced to look elsewhere . He secured deals with Stan Lee , Roy Thomas and Marvel Comics for a comic book adaptation and with Del Rey Books for a novelization . Although " Star Wars " merchandise was available to enthusiastic children upon release , only Kenner Toys — who believed that the film would be unsuccessful — had accepted Lippincott ' s licensing offers . Kenner responded to the sudden demand for toys by selling boxed vouchers in its " empty box " Christmas campaign ; these vouchers could be redeemed for the toys in March 1978 . The of the film was published in December 1976 , six months before the film was released . The credited author was George Lucas , but the book was revealed to have been by Alan Dean Foster , who later wrote the first Expanded Universe novel , " Splinter of the Mind ' s Eye " . The book was first published as " Star Wars : From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker " ; later editions were titled simply " Star Wars " and , later , " Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope " , to reflect the retitling of the film . Certain scenes deleted from the film ( and later restored or archived in DVD bonus features ) were present in the novel , such as Luke at Tosche Station with Biggs and the encounter between Han and Jabba in Docking Bay 94 . Other deleted scenes from the movie , such as a close - up of a stormtrooper riding on a Dewback , were included in a photo insert added to later printings of the book . Smaller details were also changed ; for example , in the Death Star assault , Luke ' s callsign is Blue Five instead of Red Five as in the film . Lippincott secured the deal with Del Rey Books to publish the novelization in November 1976 . By February 1977 , a half million copies had been sold . A radio drama adaptation of the film was written by Brian Daley , directed by John Madden , and produced for and broadcast on the American National Public Radio network in 1981 . The adaptation received cooperation from George Lucas , who donated the rights to NPR . John Williams ' music and Ben Burtt ' s sound design were retained for the show ; Mark Hamill ( Luke Skywalker ) and Anthony Daniels ( C - 3PO ) reprised their roles as well . The radio drama featured scenes not seen in the final cut of the film , such as Luke Skywalker ' s observation of the space battle above Tatooine through binoculars , a skyhopper race , and Darth Vader ' s interrogation of Princess Leia . In terms of " Star Wars " canon , the radio drama is given the highest designation , G - canon . Over the years , several comic adaptations of the film have been produced : Re - releases . The film was originally released as — and consequently often called — " Star Wars " , without " Episode IV " or the subtitle " A New Hope " . The 1980 sequel , , featured the episode number and subtitle in the opening crawl . When the original film was re - released on April 10 , 1981 , " Episode IV : A New Hope " was added above the original opening crawl . Although Lucas claims that only six films were ever planned , representatives of Lucasfilm discussed plans for nine or 12 possible films in early interviews . The film was re - released theatrically in 1978 , 1979 , 1981 , 1982 , and 1997 . After ILM used for Steven Spielberg ' s " " , Lucas concluded that digital technology had caught up to his original vision for " Star Wars " . As part of " Star Wars " < nowiki > ' < / nowiki > 20th anniversary celebration in 1997 , " A New Hope " was digitally remastered and re - released to theaters , along with " The Empire Strikes Back " and " " , under the campaign title " The Star Wars Trilogy : Special Edition " . The Special Edition versions contained visual shots and scenes that were unachievable in the original release due to financial , technological , and time restraints ; one such scene involved a meeting between Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt . Although most changes were minor or cosmetic in nature , some fans believe that Lucas degraded the movie with the additions . For instance , a controversial change in which Greedo shoots first when confronting Han Solo has inspired T - shirts brandishing the phrase " Han shot first . " Home video . " A New Hope " was released on on September 21 , 2004 in a box set with " " , " " , and a bonus disc of supplemental material . The movies were digitally restored and remastered , and more changes were made by George Lucas . The DVD features a commentary track from George Lucas , Ben Burtt , Dennis Muren , and Carrie Fisher . The bonus disc contains the documentary " Empire of Dreams : The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy " , three featurettes , teaser and theatrical trailers , TV spots , still galleries , an exclusive preview of , a playable demo of the LucasArts game " " , and a " Making Of " documentary on the . The set was reissued in December 2005 as part of a three - disc " limited edition " boxed set without the bonus disc . The trilogy was re - released on separate two - disc Limited Edition DVD sets from September 12 , 2006 to December 31 , 2006 ; the original versions of the films were added as bonus material . Controversy surrounded the release because the unaltered versions were from the 1993 non - masters , and were not re - transferred to modern DVD standards . It was re - released in the Blu - ray format on September 16 , 2011 . On April 7 , 2015 , the Walt Disney Studios , 20th Century Fox , and Lucasfilm jointly announced the digital releases of the six released " Star Wars " films . Fox released " A New Hope " for digital download on April 10 , 2015 ( while Disney released the other five films ) . Despite the Walt Disney Company ' s 2012 purchase of Lucasfilm Ltd . and the release rights to all future " Star Wars " films , Fox was to retain original distribution rights to " A New Hope " , which they co - produced and co - financed , in perpetuity in all media worldwide . Fox was also to retain theatrical , nontheatrical , and home video rights worldwide for the franchise ' s five subsequent films , which Lucasfilm produced and financed independently , through May 2020 , at which time ownership was to transfer to Disney . This complex relationship between Fox and Disney , particularly in regards to Fox ' s perpetual rights to Episode IV , was to create an obstacle for any future boxed set comprising all nine films . On December 14 , 2017 , the Walt Disney Company announced that it is acquiring most of Fox ' s parent company , , including the film studio and all distribution rights to " A New Hope " . Reception . " Star Wars " debuted on May 25 , 1977 in 32 theaters , and proceeded to break house records , effectively becoming one of the first films . It remains one of the most financially successful films of all time . Some of the cast and crew noted lines of people stretching around theaters as they drove by . Even technical crew members , such as model makers , were asked for autographs , and cast members became instant household names . The film ' s original total U . S . gross came to $ 307 , 263 , 857 , and it earned $ 6 , 806 , 951 during its first weekend in wide release . Lucas claimed that he had spent most of the release day in a sound studio in Los Angeles . When he went out for lunch with his then - wife Marcia , they encountered a long queue of people along the sidewalks leading to Mann ' s Chinese Theater , waiting to see " Star Wars " . The film became the highest - grossing film of 1977 and the highest - grossing film of all time until " " broke that record in 1982 . ( With subsequent re - releases , " Star Wars " reclaimed the title , but lost it again to 1997 blockbuster " " . ) The film earned $ 797 , 900 , 000 worldwide , making it the first film to reach the $ 300 million mark . Adjusted for inflation it is the second highest grossing movie of all time in the United States , behind " " . The " New York Times " described " Star Wars Episode IV : A New Hope " as " the most beautiful movie serial ever made . " called the film " an out - of - body experience , " compared its special effects to those of " " , and opined that the true strength of the film was its " pure narrative . " called the film " the movie that ' s going to entertain a lot of contemporary folk who have a soft spot for the virtually ritualized manners of comic - book adventure . " In 1989 , the U . S . of the selected the film as a " culturally , historically , or aesthetically important " film . In 2006 , Lucas ' original screenplay was selected by the of America as the 68th greatest of all time . The ( or AFI ) listed it 15th on a list of the top 100 films of the 20th century ; in the UK , a poll created by named " A New Hope " ( together with its successor , " " ) the greatest film of all time . The American Film Institute has named " Star Wars " and specific elements of it to several of its " top 100 lists " of American cinema , compiled as a part of the Institute ' s 100th anniversary celebration . These include the 27th most thrilling American film of all time ; the thirty - ninth most inspirational American film of all - time ; Han Solo as the fourteenth greatest American film hero of all time and Obi - Wan Kenobi thirty - seventh on the same list . The often repeated line " May the Force be with you " was ranked as the eighth greatest quote in American film history . John Williams ' score was ranked as the greatest American film score of all time . " Star Wars " won several awards at the 1978 Academy Awards , including , which went to John Barry , Norman Reynolds , Leslie Dilley and Roger Christian . was awarded to John Mollo ; went to Paul Hirsch , Marcia Lucas and Richard Chew ; John Stears , John Dykstra , Richard Edlund , Grant McCune and Robert Blalack all received awards for . John Williams was awarded his third Oscar for ; the went to , Ray West , Bob Minkler and Derek Ball ; and a went to Ben Burtt . Additional nominations included Alec Guinness for , George Lucas for and , and Gary Kurtz was nominated for his producing duties in . At the awards , the film was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Drama , Best Director , Best Supporting Actor ( Alec Guinness ) , and Best Score . It only won the award for Best Score . It received six nominations : Best Film , Best Editing , Best Costume , Best Production / Art Design , Best Sound , and Best Score ; the film won in the latter two categories . John Williams ' soundtrack album won the award for Best Album of an original score for a motion picture or television program , and the film was awarded the for Best Dramatic Presentation . In 1997 , the awarded Chewbacca the lifetime achievement award for his work in the " Star Wars " trilogy . Originally , if the film did poorly at the box office , Lucas planned to turn the novel " Splinter of the Mind ' s Eye " into a low - budget sequel to the movie . According to an interview with Alan Dean Foster in " " magazine , the book was written to be filmed as a low - budget sequel if " Star Wars " was not a huge success . Harrison Ford was not signed for the sequel as of the writing of the book , which is why Han Solo does not appear in the novel . However , with the success of " A New Hope " , Lucas was free to make " The Empire Strikes Back " . Deleted scenes . There are many short alternate takes throughout " Star Wars " where Luke appears in his poncho : Luke in the desert , in the Tusken Raiders ' canyon , Luke finding the destroyed homestead , and in the hangar on Yavin 4 . The only poncho scenes that made the final cut were in Docking Bay 94 , on the " Millennium Falcon " flight from the Death Star , and on arrival on Yavin 4 . Luke in the Desert . Luke Skywalker is in the Tatooine desert repairing a moisture vaporator , assisted by a Treadwell droid , when he notices shining objects in the sky . With his macrobinoculars Luke sees two ships engaged in combat beyond the atmosphere . He jumps into his landspeeder . The malfunctioning Treadwell blows a fuse and is unable to follow . Luke speeds off into the desert to find his friends . The scene originally occurred after the " Tantive IV " is boarded , just before Darth Vader ' s first appearance in the film . It is thought that there is no longer any clear footage of this scene available . Existing footage has been degraded by poor film storage conditions over the years . Before the film was cut , this was the audience ' s first sight of the young Luke Skywalker , much earlier than in the final cut . It was removed along with subsequent scenes of Luke and his friends in Anchorhead . George Lucas had originally written the scenes and shot them at the suggestion of his industry friends who thought that audiences wouldn ' t understand the story strictly being told from a droid ' s point of view . Upon realizing that the story was really about the droids ' adventures and it was them leading things to Luke and Obi - Wan , etc . Lucas took the footage out . Tosche Station . Luke ' s landspeeder races into the town of Anchorhead , nearly running over an old woman . Luke rushes into Tosche Station excitedly telling his friends about the battle above their planet . He is overjoyed to be reunited with his friend Biggs Darklighter who is on planet leave from the Academy . Deak , Windy , Camie , Fixer and Biggs all follow Luke outside to see the battle with Luke ' s macrobinoculars . The battle appears to have ended and Luke ' s friends ridicule him for making it all up . This scene was to come just after R2 - D2 and C - 3PO eject from the " Tantive IV " in an escape pod , and before the scene where Princess Leia is led captive before Darth Vader . This scene establishes Luke ' s difficult relationships with his peers , and gives a picture of life on Tatooine . Storyline pacing may have been the deciding factor , but it should also be borne in mind that after Lucas ' s first screening of the rough cut of " Star Wars " in 1977 , a fellow film - maker jokingly accused him of producing " in space " . This jibe probably influenced Lucas to cut the scenes set in Anchorhead . The sequence where Luke nearly runs down an old woman was an effects shot that was never completed . Luke and Biggs . This scene is a conversation between Luke and his oldest friend , Biggs Darklighter . Biggs has left Tatooine and is on planet leave from the Imperial Academy where he is training to be a space pilot . Luke ' s envy of Biggs ' s success conflicts with his duty to his uncle and his reasons for remaining on Tatooine . Biggs quietly tells Luke that he has decided to join the Rebellion against the Empire . In a tense and emotional conversation , the two young men say their final farewells . This scene was to come in between the scene where C - 3PO spots a distant Jawa sandcrawler in the desert , and the capture of R2 - D2 by the Jawas in the canyon . The Luke and Biggs sequence was part of the whole Anchorhead back - story on Tatooine , and was cut along with the other early scenes on Tatooine , probably for reasons of story pacing . Vader and Chief Bast . In this short scene , Darth Vader and Chief Bast walk along a corridor on the Death Star . Bast reports that the search for the missing droids has extended to Mos Eisley spaceport . Vader observes that Princess Leia is resisting interrogation , and Bast boldly criticizes Tarkin ' s plan to break her as " foolish . " The scene would have appeared between the scene where Han Solo encounters Jabba the Hutt in Docking Bay 94 ( also cut ) , and the scene where Luke and Ben find the " Millennium Falcon " in Docking Bay 94 . The Search for R2 . R2 - D2 has absconded from his new master , Luke Skywalker . Early in the morning , Luke and Threepio rush off in the landspeeder to search for R2 , with Threepio driving the landspeeder . They talk about Artoo , Ben Kenobi , and how angry Uncle Owen is going to be . The scene belongs at the start of the sequence where Luke and 3PO search for R2 , before the attack of the Tusken Raiders . The moment was scored with a light version of Luke ' s theme ; the music can be heard at the beginning of the cue " Land of the Sand People " on the original LP and CD configurations , or " Landspeeder Search " in the Special Edition album . Before the days of CGI , scenes like this landspeeder cockpit sequence had to be filmed against a rear - projection screen . The scene was dropped due to poor quality .