Star Wars

Star Wars is an epic American space opera franchise centered around a film series created by George Lucas. The popular film series has expanded into an extensive media franchise which is organized as canon. The Expanded Universe includes books, television series, computer and video games, and comic books. These supplements to the three film trilogies have resulted in significant development of the series' fictional universe. 
These media have kept the franchise active in the interim between each film trilogy. The franchise depicts a galaxy described as far, far away in the distant past, and it commonly portrays Jedi as a representation of good as they fight for the Republic, in conflict with the Sith, their evil counterparts who fight for the Empire. Their weapon of choice, the lightsaber, is commonly recognized in popular culture. The fictional universe also contains many themes, especially influences of literature, philosophy, history, and religion.
The first film (A New Hope) was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century-Fox, and became a global pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy's final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released. The three prequel films were once again released at three-year intervals, with the final film of the trilogy Episode III: Revenge of the Sith released on May 19, 2005.
Reactions to the original trilogy were mostly positive, with the last film being considered the weakest, while the prequel trilogy received a more mixed reaction, with most of the praise being for the final movie, according to most review aggregator websites, although reception of the prequel trilogy has improved in recent years. All six of the main films in the series were also nominated for or won Academy Awards. All of the main films have been box office successes, with the overall box office revenue generated by the Star Wars films (including the theatrical Star Wars: The Clone Wars) totaling $5.4 billion, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film series of all time. The success has also led to multiple re-releases in theaters for the series.
In October 2012, The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and announced that it would produce a new trilogy, with the first film (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) released in 2015. Despite the Walt Disney Company's 2012 purchase of Lucasfilm and the release rights to all future Star Wars films, Fox was to retain original distribution rights to Star Wars: 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, 21st Century Fox, including the film studio and all distribution rights to A New Hope, along with all other Star Wars material made prior to 2012. Currently, it is one of Disney's four main branches, the other three being the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pixar, and the Disney Animated Canon.
==Theatrical films==
 The film series began with Star Wars, released on May 25, 1977. This was followed by two sequels: The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21, 1980, and Return of the Jedi, released on May 25, 1983. The opening crawl of the sequels disclosed that they were numbered as "Episode V" and "Episode VI" respectively, though the films were generally advertised solely under their subtitles. Though the first film in the series was originally simply titled Star Wars, it was subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope from 1981 onwards to remain consistent with its sequel and to establish it as the middle chapter of a continuing saga.
In 1997, to correspond with the twentieth anniversary of A New Hope, Lucas released a "Special Edition" of the Star Wars trilogy to theaters.
The re-release featured alterations to the three films, primarily motivated by the improvement of CGI and other special effects technologies, which allowed visuals that were not possible to achieve at the time of the original filmmaking. Lucas continued to make changes to the films for subsequent releases, such as the VHS and Laserdisc Special Edition release on August 27, 1997, the first-ever DVD release of the original trilogy on September 21, 2004, and the first-ever Blu-ray release of all six films on September 16, 2011.
22 years after the release of the original film, the series went on with the long-awaited prequel trilogy, consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, released on May 19, 1999; Episode II: Attack of the Clones, released on May 16, 2002; and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, released on May 19, 2005.
On August 15, 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released theatrically as a lead-in to the weekly animated TV series of the same name.
In 2013, the original Star Wars film was the first Hollywood movie to be dubbed into Navajo.
On that day, a 27-DVD box set containing all nine films was released, exclusive to Best Buy. The box contains three discs — Blu-ray, 4K, and bonus features — for each film.
===Plot overview===
The prequel trilogy begins with the Trade Federation blockading the planet Naboo, in response to the Galactic Republic's taxation of trade routes. The Sith Lord Darth Sidious had secretly planned the blockade to give his alter ego, Senator Palpatine, a pretense to overthrow and replace the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. At the Chancellor's request, Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to Naboo to negotiate with the Federation but are forced to instead help the planet's monarch, Padmé Amidala, escape from the blockade and plead her case before the Galactic Senate on Coruscant.
When their spaceship is damaged during the escape, they land on the desert planet Tatooine for repairs, where Qui-Gon discovers a young slave named Anakin Skywalker. Qui-Gon comes to believe that Anakin is the "Chosen One" foretold by Jedi prophecy to bring balance to the Force, and he helps liberate the boy.
The Jedi Council, led by Yoda, reluctantly allows Obi-Wan to train Anakin after Qui-Gon is killed by Palpatine's first apprentice, Darth Maul, during the Battle of Naboo. When evil comes and tries to take over they fight back with strength and gratitude.
The remainder of the prequel trilogy chronicles Anakin's gradual fall to the dark side of the Force as he fights in the Clone Wars, which Palpatine secretly engineers to destroy the Republic and lure Anakin into his service. Anakin and Padmé fall in love and secretly wed, and eventually, Padmé becomes pregnant. Anakin has a prophetic vision of Padmé dying in childbirth, and Palpatine convinces him that the dark side holds the power to save her life; desperate, Anakin submits to the dark side and takes the Sith name, Darth Vader.
While Palpatine re-organizes the Republic into the tyrannical Galactic Empire—appointing himself Emperor for life—Vader participates in the extermination of the Jedi Order, culminating in a lightsaber battle between himself and Obi-Wan on the volcanic planet Mustafar. Obi-Wan defeats his former apprentice and friend, severing his limbs and leaving him for dead. Palpatine arrives shortly afterward and saves Vader, placing him into a mechanical suit of armor that keeps him alive. At the same time, Padmé dies while giving birth to twins Luke and Leia Organa. The twins are hidden from Vader and are not told who their real parents are.
The original trilogy begins 19 years later as the Death Star space station nears completion, which will allow the Empire to crush the Rebel Alliance, an organized resistance formed to combat Palpatine's tyranny. Vader captures Princess Leia, who has stolen the plans to the Death Star and hidden them in the astromech droid R2-D2. R2, along with his protocol droid counterpart C-3PO, escapes to Tatooine. There, the droids are purchased by Luke Skywalker and his step-uncle and aunt.
While Luke is cleaning R2, he accidentally triggers a message put into the droid by Leia, who asks for assistance from Obi-Wan.
Luke later assists the droids in finding the Jedi Knight, who is now passing as an old hermit under the alias Ben Kenobi. When Luke asks about his father, Obi-Wan tells him that Anakin was a great Jedi who was betrayed and murdered by Vader. Obi-Wan and Luke hire the smuggler/pilot Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca of the Millennium Falcon to take them to Alderaan, Leia's homeworld, which they eventually find has been destroyed by the Death Star.
Once on board the space station, Obi-Wan allows himself to be killed during a lightsaber rematch with Vader; his sacrifice allows the group to escape with the plans that help the rebels destroy the Death Star. Luke himself fires the shot that destroys the deadly space station.
Three years later, Luke travels to find Yoda, now living in exile on the swamp-infested world Dagobah, to begin his Jedi training. However, Luke is interrupted when Vader lures him into a trap by capturing Han and the others. During a fierce lightsaber duel, Vader reveals that he is Luke's father and attempts to turn him to the dark side. Luke escapes, and, after rescuing Han from the gangster Jabba the Hutt a year later, returns to Yoda to complete his training.
However, now over 900 years old, Yoda is on his deathbed. Before he passes away, Yoda confirms that Darth Vader is Luke's father; moments later, Obi-Wan's spirit tells Luke that he must face his father before he can become a Jedi and that Leia is his twin sister. As the Rebels attack the second Death Star, Luke confronts Vader as Palpatine watches; both Sith Lords intend to turn Luke to the dark side and take him as their apprentice.
During the subsequent lightsaber duel, Luke succumbs to his anger and brutally overpowers Vader, but controls himself at the last minute; realizing that he is about to suffer his father's fate, he spares Vader's life and proudly declares his allegiance to the Jedi. An enraged Palpatine then attempts to kill Luke with Force lightning, a sight that moves Vader to turn and kill his master, suffering mortal wounds in the process. Redeemed, Anakin Skywalker dies in his son's arms. Luke becomes a full-fledged Jedi, and the Rebels destroy the second Death Star.
===Production history===
====Original trilogy====
In 1971, Universal Studios agreed to make American Graffiti and Star Wars in a two-picture contract, although Star Wars was later rejected in its early concept stages. American Graffiti was completed in 1973 and, a few months later, Lucas wrote a short summary called "The Journal of the Whills", which told the tale of the training of apprentice CJ Thorpe as a "Jedi-Bendu" space commando by the legendary Mace Windy. Frustrated that his story was too difficult to understand, Lucas then began writing a 13-page treatment called The Star Wars on April 17, 1973, which had thematic parallels with Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress. By 1974, he had expanded the treatment into a rough draft screenplay, adding elements, such as the Sith, the Death Star, and a protagonist named Annikin Starkiller.
For the second draft, Lucas made heavy simplifications and introduced the young hero on a farm as Luke Starkiller. Annikin became Luke's father, a wise Jedi knight. "The Force" was also introduced as a mystical energy field. The next draft removed the father's character and replaced him with a substitute named Ben Kenobi, and in 1976 a fourth draft had been prepared for principal photography. The film was titled Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars. During production, Lucas changed Luke's name to Skywalker and altered the title to simply The Star Wars and finally Star Wars.
At that point, Lucas was not expecting the film to become part of a series. The fourth draft of the script underwent subtle changes that made it more satisfying as a self-contained film, ending with the destruction of the Empire itself by way of destroying the Death Star. However, Lucas had previously conceived of the film as the first in a series of adventures. Later, he realized the film would not be the first in the sequence, but a film in the second trilogy in the saga. This is stated explicitly in George Lucas' preface to the 1994 reissue of Splinter of the Mind's Eye:
:"It wasn't long after I began writing Star Wars that I realized the story was more than a single film could hold. As the saga of the Skywalkers and Jedi Knights unfolded, I began to see it as a tale that could take at least nine films to tell—three trilogies—and I realized, in making my way through the back story and after story, that I was really setting out to write the middle story."
The second draft contained a teaser for a never-made sequel about "The Princess of Ondos", and by the time of the third draft some months later Lucas had negotiated a contract that gave him rights to make two sequels. Not long after, Lucas met with author Alan Dean Foster and hired him to write these two sequels as novels. The intention was that if Star Wars were successful, Lucas could adapt the novels into screenplays. He had also by that point developed an elaborate backstory to aid his writing process.
When Star Wars proved successful, Lucas decided to use the film as the basis for an elaborate serial, although at one point he considered walking away from the series altogether. However, Lucas wanted to create an independent filmmaking center—what would become Skywalker Ranch—and saw an opportunity to use the series as a financing agent. Alan Dean Foster had already begun writing the first sequel novel, but Lucas decided to abandon his plan to adapt Foster's work; the book was released as Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following year.
At first, Lucas imagined a series of films with no set number of entries, like the James Bond series. In an interview with Rolling Stone in August 1977, he said that he wanted his friends to each to take a turn at directing the films and giving unique interpretations of the series. He also said that the backstory in which Darth Vader turns to the dark side, kills Luke's father and fights Ben Kenobi on a volcano as the Galactic Republic falls would make an excellent sequel.
Later that year, Lucas hired science fiction author Leigh Brackett to write Star Wars II with him. They held story conferences and, by late November 1977, Lucas had produced a handwritten treatment called The Empire Strikes Back. The treatment is very similar to the final film, except that Darth Vader does not reveal he is Luke's father. In the first draft that Brackett would write from this, Luke's father appears as a ghost to instruct Luke.
Brackett finished her first draft in early 1978; Lucas has said he was disappointed with it, but before he could discuss it with her, she died of cancer. With no writer available, Lucas had to write his next draft himself. It was this draft in which Lucas first made use of the "Episode" numbering for the films; Empire Strikes Back was listed as Episode II. As Michael Kaminski argues in The Secret History of Star Wars, the disappointment with the first draft probably made Lucas consider different directions in which to take the story.
He made use of a new plot twist: Darth Vader claims to be Luke's father. According to Lucas, he found this draft enjoyable to write, as opposed to the yearlong struggles writing the first film, and quickly wrote two more drafts, both in April 1978. He also took the script to a darker extreme by having Han Solo imprisoned in carbonite and left in limbo.
This new story point of Darth Vader being Luke's father had drastic effects on the series. Michael Kaminski argues in his book that it is unlikely that the plot point had ever seriously been considered or even conceived of before 1978, and that the first film was operating under an alternate storyline where Vader was separate from Luke's father; there is not a single reference to this plot point before 1978.
After writing the second and third drafts of The Empire Strikes Back in which the point was introduced, Lucas reviewed the new backstory he had created: Anakin Skywalker was Ben Kenobi's brilliant student and had a child named Luke, but was swayed to the dark side by Emperor Palpatine (who became a Sith and not simply a politician). Anakin battled Ben Kenobi on the site of a volcano and was wounded, but then resurrected as Darth Vader. Meanwhile, Kenobi hid Luke on Tatooine while the Republic became the Empire and Vader systematically hunted down and killed the Jedi.
With this new backstory in place, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy, changing Empire Strikes Back from Episode II to Episode V in the next draft. Lawrence Kasdan, who had just completed writing Raiders of the Lost Ark, was then hired to write the next drafts and was given additional input from director Irvin Kershner. Kasdan, Kershner, and producer Gary Kurtz saw the film as a more serious and adult film, which was helped by the new, darker storyline, and developed the series from the light adventure roots of the first film.
By the time he began writing Episode VI in 1981 (then titled Revenge of the Jedi), much had changed. Making Empire Strikes Back was stressful and costly, and Lucas' personal life was disintegrating. Burned out and not wanting to make any more Star Wars films, he vowed that he was done with the series in a May 1983 interview with Time magazine. Lucas' 1981 rough drafts had Darth Vader competing with the Emperor for possession of Luke—and in the second script, the "revised rough draft", Vader became a sympathetic character. Lawrence Kasdan was hired to take over once again and, in these final drafts, Vader was explicitly redeemed and finally unmasked. This change in character would provide a springboard to the "Tragedy of Darth Vader" storyline that underlies the prequels.
====Prequel Trilogy====
After losing much of his fortune in a divorce settlement in 1987, Lucas had no desire to return to Star Wars and had unofficially canceled his sequel trilogy by the time of Return of the Jedi. Nevertheless, the prequels, which were quite developed at this point, continued to fascinate him. After Star Wars became popular once again, in the wake of Dark Horse's comic book line and Timothy Zahn's trilogy of novels, Lucas saw that there was still a large audience. His children were older, and with the explosion of CGI technology, he was now considering returning to directing.
By 1993, it was announced, in Variety among other sources, that he would be making the prequels. He began outlining the story, now indicating the series would be a tragic one examining Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side. Lucas also began to change how the prequels would exist relative to the originals; at first, they were supposed to be a "filling-in" of history tangential to the originals, but now he saw that they could form the beginning of one long story that started with Anakin's childhood and ended with his death. This was the final step towards turning the film series into a "Saga".
In November 1994, Lucas began writing the first screenplay titled Episode I: The Beginning. Following the release of that film, Lucas announced that he would also be directing the next two, and began working on Episode II at that time. The first draft of Episode II was completed just weeks before principal photography, and Lucas hired Jonathan Hales, a writer from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, to polish it. Unsure of a title, Lucas had jokingly called the film "Jar Jar's Great Adventure".
In writing The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas initially decided that Lando Calrissian was a clone and came from a planet of clones which caused the "Clone Wars" mentioned by Princess Leia in A New Hope; he later came up with an alternate concept of an army of clone shock troopers from a remote planet which attacked the Republic and was repelled by the Jedi. The basic elements of that backstory became the plot basis for Episode II, with the new wrinkle added that Palpatine secretly orchestrated the crisis.
Lucas began working on Episode III before Attack of the Clones was released, offering concept artists that the film would open with a montage of seven Clone War battles. As he reviewed the storyline that summer, however, he says he radically re-organized the plot. Michael Kaminski, in The Secret History of Star Wars, offers evidence that issues in Anakin's fall to the dark side prompted Lucas to make massive story changes, first revising the opening sequence to have Palpatine kidnapped and his apprentice Count Dooku murdered by Anakin as the first act in the latter's turn towards the dark side.
After principal photography was completed in September 2003, Lucas made even more massive changes in Anakin's character, re-writing his entire turn to the dark side; he would now turn primarily in a quest to save Padmé's life, rather than the previous version in which that reason was one of several, including that he genuinely believed that the Jedi were evil and plotting to take over the Republic. This fundamental re-write was accomplished both through editing the principal footage, and new and revised scenes filmed during a second block of photography in 2004.
Lucas often exaggerated the amount of material he wrote for the series; much of it stemmed from the post‐1978 period when the series grew into a phenomenon. Michael Kaminski explained that these exaggerations were both publicity and security measures. Kaminski rationalized that since the series' story radically changed throughout the years, it was always Lucas' intention to change the original story retroactively because audiences would only view the material from his perspective. When congratulating the producers of the TV series Lost in 2010, Lucas himself jokingly admitted, "when Star Wars first came out, I didn't know where it was going either. The trick is to pretend you've planned the whole thing out in advance. Throw in some father issues and references to other stories – let's call them homages – and you've got a series".
====Sequel trilogy====
The sequel trilogy was a trilogy of films (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX) reportedly planned by Lucasfilm as a sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy (Episodes IV, V, and VI) released between 1977 and 1983. While the similarly discussed Star Wars prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III) was ultimately released between 1999 and 2005, Lucasfilm and George Lucas have for many years denied plans for a sequel trilogy, insisting that Star Wars is meant to be a six-part series. In May 2008, speaking about the upcoming Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Lucas maintained his status on the sequel trilogy:
In January 2012, Lucas announced that he would step away from blockbuster films and instead produce smaller art-house films. In an interview regarding whether or not the scrutiny he received from the prequel trilogy and the alterations made on the original trilogy were a factor in his retirement, Lucas stated:
:"Why would I make any more,... when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?"
In October 2012, The Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that a new Star Wars Episode VII film will be released in 2015. The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy became president of the company, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn. Also, Kennedy serves as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with franchise creator and Lucasfilm founder Lucas serving as creative consultant. The screenplay for Episode VII will be written by Michael Arndt. On January 25, 2013, The Walt Disney Studios and Lucasfilm officially announced J. J. Abrams as director and producer of Star Wars Episode VII (now titled Star Wars: The Force Awakens), along with Bryan Burk through Abrams' production company Bad Robot Productions.
On November 20, 2012, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Lawrence Kasdan, writer of Empire and Jedi, and Simon Kinberg would write and produce Episodes VIII and IX. Kasdan and Kinberg were later confirmed as creative consultants on those films, in addition to writing stand-alone films. Also, John Williams, who wrote the music for the previous six episodes, has been hired to compose the music for Episodes VII, VIII, and IX.
====Anthology series====
On February 5, 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed the development of two stand-alone films, each individually written by Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. On February 6, Entertainment Weekly reported that Disney is working on two films featuring Han Solo and Boba Fett. In April 2015, Lucasfilm and Kennedy announced that the standalone films would be referred to as the Star Wars Anthology films.
The first of the Anthology series films — Rogue One, directed by Gareth Edwards, was released on December 16, 2016. Rogue One, set immediately before the events of A New Hope focuses on a group of rebels on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star.
The next film in the anthology series — Solo, a film focusing on a young Han Solo, as directed by Ron Howard — was released on May 25, 2018.
====3D Re-releases====
At a ShoWest convention in 2005, Lucas demonstrated new technology and stated that he planned to release the six films in a new 3D film format, beginning with A New Hope in 2007. However, by January 2007, Lucasfilm stated on StarWars.com that "there are no definitive plans or dates for releasing the Star Wars saga in 3-D." At Celebration Europe in July 2007, Rick McCallum confirmed that Lucasfilm is "planning to take all six films and turn them into 3-D," but they are "waiting for the companies out there that are developing this technology to bring it down to a cost level that makes it worthwhile for everybody."
In July 2008, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation, revealed that Lucas planned to redo all six of the movies in 3D. In late September 2010, it was announced that The Phantom Menace would be theatrically re-released in 3-D on February 10, 2012. However, the 3D re-releases of episodes II and III were postponed to enable Lucasfilm to concentrate on The Force Awakens.
====New Trilogy ====
On November 9, 2017, Lucasfilm announced that a new Star Wars trilogy was to be helmed by The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson. The trilogy, while setting in the same galaxy, follows another story outside of the Skywalker Saga.
====New Series====
On February 6, 2018, another series of films separate from both the Skywalker Saga and Johnson's trilogy were to be written and produced by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Since then, however, they left production and the future of the series is up in the air.
==Cast and crew==
===Cast===
Cast and characters by film
Character 	A New Hope 	The Empire Strikes Back 	Return of the Jedi 	The Phantom Menace 	Attack of the Clones 	Revenge of the Sith 	The Force Awakens 	 	 		
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader	
David Prowse 	
David ProwseC. Andrew Nelson (one brief sequence; post-1997 versions) 	
Vader: David ProwseAnakin: Sebastian ShawHayden Christensen (post-2004 versions) 	Jake Lloyd 	Hayden Christensen 	Hayden Christensen 	Mentioned only 	 	 		
voice of Darth Vader 	James Earl Jones 	James Earl Jones 	James Earl Jones 	 	 	James Earl Jones 	Mentioned only 	 	 		
Obi-Wan Kenobi 	Alec Guinness 	Alec Guinness 	Alec Guinness 	Ewan McGregor 	Ewan McGregor 	Ewan McGregor 	Alec Guinness (archival audio)Ewan McGregor (voice only)	Alec Guinness (archival audio)Ewan McGregor (voice only)	Alec Guinness (archival audio)Ewan McGregor (voice only)		
R2-D2 	Kenny Baker 	Kenny Baker 	Kenny Baker 	Kenny Baker 	Kenny Baker 	Kenny Baker 	Kenny Baker 	 	 		
C-3PO 	Anthony Daniels 	Anthony Daniels 	Anthony Daniels 	Anthony Daniels (voice only) 	Anthony Daniels 	Anthony Daniels 	Anthony Daniels 	 	 		
Yoda 	 	Frank Oz (voice and puppeteering) 	Frank Oz (voice and puppeteering) 	Frank Oz (voice and puppeteering/voice only; post-2011 versions)	Frank Oz (voice only) 	Frank Oz (voice only) 	 	 	 		
Palpatine / Darth Sidious 	Mentioned only 	Elaine BakerClive Revill (voice only)Ian McDiarmid(post-2004 versions) 	Ian McDiarmid 	Ian McDiarmid 	Ian McDiarmid 	Ian McDiarmid 	 	 	 		
Leia Organa 	Carrie Fisher 	Carrie Fisher 	Carrie Fisher 	 	 	Aidan Barton 	Carrie Fisher 	 	 		
Luke Skywalker 	Mark Hamill 	Mark Hamill 	Mark Hamill 	 	 	Aidan Barton 	Mark Hamill 	 	 		
Owen Lars 	Phil Brown 	 	 	 	Joel Edgerton 	Joel Edgerton 	 	 	 		
Beru 	Shelagh Fraser 	 	 	 	Bonnie Piesse 	Bonnie Piesse 	 	 	 		
Grand Moff Tarkin 	Peter Cushing 	 	 	 	 	Wayne Pygram 	 	 	 		
Chewbacca 	Peter Mayhew 	Peter Mayhew 	Peter Mayhew 	 	 	Peter Mayhew 	Peter Mayhew 	 	 		
Han Solo 	Harrison Ford 	Harrison Ford 	Harrison Ford 	 	 	 	Harrison Ford 	 	 		
Greedo 	Paul BlakeMaria De Aragon (close-up shots)Larry Ward (voice only)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 		
Jabba the Hutt 	Uncredited actor (voice only; post-1997 versions) 	Mentioned only 	Larry Ward (voice only) 	Uncredited actor (voice only) 	 	 	 	 	 		
Boba Fett 	Mark Austin (post-1997 versions) 	Jeremy BullochJohn Fass Morton (one scene)Jason Wingreen (voice only)Temuera Morrison (voice only; post-2004 versions)	Jeremy BullochNelson Hall (one scene; post-1997 versions)Don Bies (one scene; post-1997 versions)	 	Daniel Logan 	 	 	 	 		
Wedge Antilles 	Denis LawsonColin Higgins (one scene) 	Denis Lawson 	Denis Lawson 	 	 	 	 	 	 		
Admiral Piett 	 	Kenneth Colley 	Kenneth Colley 	 	 	 	 	 	 		
Lando Calrissian 	 	Billy Dee Williams 	Billy Dee Williams 	 	 	 	 	 	 		
Bib Fortuna 	 	 	Michael CarterErik Bauersfeld (voice only) 	Matthew Wood 	 	 	 	 	 		
Admiral Ackbar 	 	 	Timothy M. RoseErik Bauersfeld (voice only) 	 	 	 	 	 	 		
Wicket W. Warrick 	 	 	Warwick Davis 	 	 	 	 	 	 		
Qui-Gon Jinn 	 	 	 	Liam Neeson 	Liam Neeson (voice only) 	Mentioned only 	 	 	 		
Nute Gunray 	 	 	 	Silas Carson 	Silas Carson 	Silas Carson 	 	 	 		
Padmé Amidala 	 	 	 	Natalie Portman 	Natalie Portman 	Natalie Portman 	 	 	 		
Captain Panaka 	 	 	 	Hugh Quarshie 	 	 	 	 	 		
Sio Bibble 	 	 	 	Oliver Ford Davies 	Oliver Ford Davies 	Oliver Ford Davies 	 	 	 		
Jar Jar Binks 	 	 	 	Ahmed Best (voice only) 	Ahmed Best (voice only) 	Ahmed Best (voice only) 	 	 	 		
Boss Nass 	 	 	 	Brian Blessed (voice only) 	 	Silent cameo 	 	 	 		
Sabé 	 	 	 	Keira Knightley 	 	 	 	 	 		
Darth Maul 	 	 	 	Ray ParkPeter Serafinowicz (voice only) 	 	 	 	 	 		
Watto 	 	 	 	Andy Secombe (voice only) 	Andy Secombe (voice only)	 	 	 	 		
Sebulba 	 	 	 	Lewis MacLeod (voice only) 	 	 	 	 	 		
Shmi Skywalker 	 	 	 	Pernilla August 	Pernilla August 	 	 	 	 		
Chancellor Valorum 	 	 	 	Terence Stamp 	 	 	 	 	 		
Mace Windu 	 	 	 	Samuel L. Jackson 	Samuel L. Jackson 	Samuel L. Jackson 	 	 	 		
Ki-Adi-Mundi 	 	 	 	Silas Carson 	Silas Carson 	Silas Carson 	 	 	 		
Captain Typho 	 	 	 	 	Jay Laga'aia 	Jay Laga'aia 	 	 	 		
Bail Organa 	 	 	 	 	Jimmy Smits 	Jimmy Smits 	 	 	 		
Zam Wesell 	 	 	 	 	Leeanna Walsman 	 	 	 	 		
Jango Fett 	 	 	 	 	Temuera Morrison 	 	 	 	 		
Dexter Jettster 	 	 	 	 	Ronald Falk (voice only) 	 	 	 	 		
Cliegg Lars 	 	 	 	 	Jack Thompson 	 	 	 	 		
Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus 	 	 	 	 	Christopher Lee 	Christopher Lee 	 	 	 		
General Grievous 	 	 	 	 	 	Matthew Wood (voice only)	 	 	 		
===Crew and other===
Crew/Detail 	Film 	Film 	Film 	Film 	Film 	Film 	Film 	Film 	Film 	Film 	
Crew/Detail 	The Phantom Menace 	Attack of the Clones 	Revenge of the Sith 	A New Hope 	The Empire Strikes Back 	Return of the Jedi 	The Force Awakens 	The Last Jedi 	The Rise of Skywalker 	The Mandalorian & Grogu 	
Director 	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	Irvin Kershner 	Richard Marquand 	J.J. Abrams 	Rian Johnson 	J.J. Abrams 	Jon Favreau 	
Producer 	Rick McCallum 	Rick McCallum 	Rick McCallum 	Gary Kurtz 	Gary Kurtz 	Howard Kazanjian 	Kathleen KennedyJ.J. AbramsBryan Burk 	Kathleen KennedyRam Bergman 	Kathleen KennedyJ. J. AbramsMichelle Rejwan 	Kathleen KennedyJon FavreauDave Filoni	
ExecutiveProducer 	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	Tommy HarperJason McGatlin 	J.J. AbramsTom KarnowskiJason McGatlin	Tommy GormleyCallum GreeneJason McGatlin 	TBA 	
Editor 	Ben BurttPaul Martin Smith	Ben Burtt 	Roger BartonBen Burtt	Paul HirschRichard ChewMarcia Lucas	Paul Hirsch 	Sean BartonMarcia LucasDuwayne Dunham 	Maryann BrandonMary Jo Markey 	Bob Ducsay 	Maryann BrandonStefan Grube 	TBA 	
Director ofPhotography	David Tattersall 	David Tattersall 	David Tattersall 	Gilbert Taylor 	Peter Suschitzky 	Alan Hume 	Daniel Mindel 	Steve Yedlin 	Daniel Mindel 	TBA 	
Music 	John Williams 	John Williams 	John Williams 	John Williams 	John Williams 	John Williams 	John Williams 	John Williams 	John Williams 	TBA 	
Writer 	George Lucas 	Screenplay:George Lucas,Jonathan HalesStory by:George Lucas	George Lucas 	George Lucas 	Screenplay:Leigh Brackett,Lawrence KasdanStory by:George Lucas	Screenplay:Lawrence Kasdan,George LucasStory by:George Lucas	Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt	Rian Johnson 	Screenplay:Chris Terrio,J.J. AbramsStory by:Derek Connolly,Colin Treverrow,J. J. Abrams,Chris Terrio	Jon Favreau,Dave Filoni 	
Distributor 	20th Century Studios 	20th Century Studios 	20th Century Studios 	20th Century Studios 	20th Century Studios 	20th Century Studios 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 	
MPAA Rating 	PG 	PG 	PG-13 	PG 	PG 	PG 	PG-13 	PG-13 	PG-13 	PG-13 	PG-13
Running time 	136 minutes 	142 minutes 	140 minutes 	125 minutes 	129 minutes 	136 minutes 	135 minutes 	152 minutes 	142 minutes 	TBA 	
==Box office performance==
Film 	Release date 	Box office revenue	Box office revenue	Box office revenue	Box office revenue 	Box office ranking	Box office ranking
Film 	Release date 	United States 	Non-US 	Worldwide 	Adjusted forinflation (US)	All-time US 	All-time worldwide
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 	May 25, 1977 	$460,998,007 	$314,400,000 	$775,398,007 	$1,275,650,843 	#6 	#41
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back	May 21, 1980 	$290,475,067 	$247,900,000 	$538,375,067 	$728,808,996 	#49 	#92
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 	May 25, 1983 	$309,306,177 	$165,800,000 	$475,106,177 	$702,477,833 	#37 	#117
Original Star Wars trilogy totals 	 	$1,060,779,251 	$728,100,000 	$1,788,879,251 	$2,706,937,672 	 	
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 	May 19, 1999 	$474,544,677 	$552,500,000 	$1,027,044,677 	$678,225,508 	#5 	#11
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 	May 16, 2002 	$310,676,740 	$338,721,588 	$649,398,328 	$402,490,646 	#35 	#61
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 	May 19, 2005 	$380,270,577 	$468,484,191 	$848,754,768 	$447,007,448 	#18 	#30
Prequel Star Wars trilogy totals 	 	$1,165,491,994 	$1,359,705,779 	$2,525,197,773 	$1,527,723,602 	 	
Star Wars: The Clone Wars 	August 15, 2008 	$35,161,554 	$33,121,290 	$68,282,844 	$37,492,977 	#1,857 	—
Star Wars: The Force Awakens 	December 18, 2015	$936,662,225 	$1,132,561,399 	$2,068,223,624 	$1,010,301,260 	#1 	#4
Rogue One 	December 16, 2016	$532,177,324 	$524,879,949 	$1,056,057,273 	$566,932,665 	#12 	#35
Star Wars: The Last Jedi 	December 15, 2017	$620,181,382 	$713,358,507 	$1,333,539,889 	$646,871,241 	#9 	#12
Solo 	May 25, 2018 	$213,767,512 	$179,157,295 	$392,924,807 	$213,767,512 	#189 	#311
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 	December 20, 2019	$501,583,140 	$544,600,000 	$1,046,183,140 	$501,583,140 	#15 	#37
Complete Star Wars film series totals 	 	$5,061,259,770 	$5,216,316,481 	$10,274,076,251 	$7,211,613,069 	 	
==Critical reaction==
Film 	Rotten Tomatoes 	Metacritic
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 	93% (71 reviews) 	91 (13 reviews)
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back	96% (74 reviews) 	78 (15 reviews)
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi 	79% (68 reviews) 	52 (14 reviews)
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 	57% (189 reviews)	51 (36 reviews)
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 	67% (219 reviews)	53 (39 reviews)
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 	80% (254 reviews)	68 (40 reviews)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars 	19% (153 reviews)	35 (30 reviews)
Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens 	92% (353 reviews)	81 (52 reviews)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 	84% (420 reviews)	65 (51 reviews)
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi 	91%( 453 reviews)	81 (56 reviews)
Solo: A Star Wars Story 	70% (442 reviews)	62 (54 reviews)
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker 	52% (476 reviews)	53 (61 reviews)
===Academy Awards===
The seven films together were nominated for 34 Academy Awards, of which they won seven. The films were also awarded a total of three Special Achievement Awards.
Award 	Awards Won 	Awards Won 	Awards Won 	Awards Won 	Awards Won 	Awards Won 	Awards Won 	Awards Won 	
Award 	A New Hope 	The Empire Strikes Back	Return of the Jedi 	The Phantom Menace	Attack of the Clones	Revenge of the Sith	The Force Awakens	The Last Jedi	
Actor in a Supporting Role 	Nomination(Alec Guinness) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Art Direction-Set Decoration	Win 	Nomination 	Nomination 	 	 	 	 	 	
Costume Design 	Win 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Director 	Nomination(George Lucas) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Film Editing 	Win 	 	 	 	 	 	Nomination 	 	
Makeup 	 	 	 	 	 	Nomination 	 	 	
Music (Original Score) 	Win 	Nomination 	Nomination 	Nomination 	Nomination 	 	Nomination 	 	
Picture 	Nomination 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Screenplay – Original 	Nomination 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Sound Editing 	 	 	Nomination 	Nomination 	Nomination 	 	Nomination 	 	
Sound (Mixing) 	Win 	Win 	Nomination 	Nomination 	Nomination 	 	Nomination 	Nomination 	
Visual Effects 	Win 	Nomination 	 	Nomination 	Nomination 	 	Nomination 	Nomination 	Nomination
Special Achievement Award 	Win(Alien, Creature and Robot Voices)	Win(Visual Effects) 	Win(Visual Effects)	 	 	 	 	 	
==Legends (Expanded Universe)==
The term Expanded Universe (EU) or known as Star Wars Legends is an umbrella term for officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the six feature films. The material expands 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' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues of the series has been an adaptation of the film), followed quickly by Alan Dean Foster's novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following month.
George Lucas retains artistic 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. Also, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes efforts to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across companies. Elements of the Expanded Universe have been adopted by Lucas for use in the films, such as the name of the capital planet Coruscant, which first appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire before being used in The Phantom Menace. Additionally, Lucas so liked the character Aayla Secura, who was introduced in Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars series, that he included her as a character in Attack of the Clones.
Lucas has played a large role in the production of various television projects, usually serving as story writer or executive producer. Star Wars has had numerous radio adaptations. A radio adaptation of A New Hope was the first broadcast on National Public Radio 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, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams reprised their roles as Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and Lando Calrissian, respectively, except in Return of the Jedi in which Luke was played by Joshua Fardon and Lando by Arye Gross. The series also used John Williams' original score from the films and Ben Burtt's original sound designs.
After Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, everything has changed. A new Star Wars Canon has been made, which is not called the Expanded Universe. The Expanded Universe is now another name for Star Wars Legends.
===Other films===
In addition to the two trilogies and The Clone Wars film, several other authorized films have been produced:
*Star Wars Holiday Special (Legends), a 1978 two-hour Christmas television special, shown only once (because it did not get good reviews) and never released on video (although bootlegs of it do exist). Notable for the introduction of Boba Fett.
*Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (Legends), a 1984 American made-for-TV film—released theatrically overseas. Can be stramed on Disney+.
*Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (Legends), a 1985 American made-for-TV film—released theatrically overseas. Can be streamed on Disney+.
*The Great Heep (Legends), a 1986 animated television special from the Star Wars: Droids TV series.
*Lego Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 (Legends), a 2009 official comedy spoof primarily based on The Clone Wars film.
===Animated series===
Following the success of the Star Wars films and their subsequent merchandising, several animated television series have been created:
*Star Wars: Droids (Legends), also known as Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, which premiered in September 1985, focused on the travels of R2-D2 and C-3PO as they shift through various owners/masters, and vaguely fills in the gaps between the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
*Star Wars: Ewoks (Legends), also known as Ewoks, was simultaneously released in September 1985 and focused on the adventures of Wicket and various other recognizable Ewok characters from the original trilogy in the years leading up to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Can be streamed on Disney+.
*Star Wars: Clone Wars (Legends), an animated micro-series created by Genndy Tartakovsky, which aired on Cartoon Network from November 2003 to March 2005. Can be streamed on Disney+.
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Canon), a CGI-animated series based on the animated movie of the same name and set between Episode II and Episode III, which aired on Cartoon Network from October 2008 to March 2013.
*Star Wars Rebels (Canon), a CGI-animated series set between Episode III and Episode IV that started as a special on Disney Channel and aired on Disney XD from Fall 2014 to Spring 2018.
*Star Wars Resistance (Canon), an animated series set between Episode VI and Episode VII that aired on Disney XD from Fall 2018 to Winter 2020.
==Attractions==
In 1986, before Disney's acquisition of the franchise, George Lucas had established a partnership with Disney and its Walt Disney Imagineering division to create Star Tours, an attraction that opened at Disneyland in 1987. The attraction also had subsequent incarnations at other Disney Parks worldwide, except for Hong Kong Disneyland (though there was a Stormtrooper Parade on Main Street before).
The attractions at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios closed in 2010, at Tokyo Disneyland in 2012, and at Disneyland Paris in 2016, to allow the rides to be converted into Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. The successor attraction opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland in 2011, Tokyo Disneyland in 2013 and Disneyland Paris in 2017.
The Jedi Training Academy is a live show where children are selected to learn the teachings of the Jedi and Force to become Padawan learners. The show is present at the Rebels stage at Disney's Hollywood Studios and the Tomorrowland Terrace at Disneyland.
The Walt Disney World's Disney's Hollywood Studios park hosts an annual festival, Star Wars Weekends during specific dates from May to June. The event began in 1997.
==Trivia==
*In 2015, Moff Mors was introduced in the Star Wars: Lords of the Sith novel and Aphra was introduced in Star Wars: Darth Vader from Marvel Comics. They are the first LGBT characters in Star Wars.
*An old arcade game of Star Wars is seen in the Runaways episode "Methamorphosis".
*It was parodied in the Big City Greens episode "Clubbed" as "Constelation Battles".
*The opening text "A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away" was parodied in Bonkers in Space as "A short time from now, and cosmically speaking not all that far away".
*In the season 4 episode of the Muppet Show Dudley Moore guest-hosted, he had an assistant named M.A.M.M.A. (Music & Mood Management Apparatus) who Kermit the Frog described as a fugitive from Star Wars.
*Footage of The Empire Strikes Back and a Star Wars comic book can be seen in Eternals.
*Disney's matte department worked on A New Hope through a shell company called Master Film Effects run by Harrison Ellenshaw.
==Gallery==
==References==
==External links==
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*Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki
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*Official website
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