Star Wars

***Star Wars*** is an American science-fiction media franchise created by George Lucas. As of December 2019, nine movies in the main series have been made by Lucasfilm Ltd, released by 20th Century Fox, and distributed by The Walt Disney Company. The first *Star Wars* movie came out in 1977.

*Star Wars* has become so popular that there have been countless *Star Wars* books, video games, television shows, toys, spin-off movies/television series and more. It is also known for its iconic music by John Williams. *The Man Who Saved The World* is an infamous Turkish ripoff of Episode 4 and was criticised for blatantly lifted footage from the *Star Wars* movies.

Episodes 1-3 are referred to as The Prequel Trilogy. Episodes 4-6 are referred to as The Original Trilogy. Episodes 7-9 are referred to as The Sequel Trilogy. While the Original Trilogy movies were released first, the Prequel Trilogy take place first in the timeline of the Star Wars story, followed by the Originals, then the Sequels.

A new *Star Wars* movie, *Starfighter,* is set for release on May 28, 2027. A spin-off movie named *The Mandalorian & Grogu* will release on May 22, 2026, focusing on the titular characters, who first appeared in The Mandalorian.

## Settings
### 'The Force' 
The Force is a mystical energy that is said to connect all living things in the galaxy. Those who harness it for good typically follow a religion known as the Jedi Order. They are united in their devotion to the light side of the Force.

People who are trained in usage of the Force have a number of psychic powers at their disposal, such telepathy (reading others thoughts), telekenesis (moving objects with their minds), precognition (sensing things before they happen), mind control (reaching people in their conscious to tell them commands they must follow), and the ability to heal others (healing by transferring one's life force to another to heal their wounds)

### The Jedi and the Sith 
The Jedi are a group of beings who use the Force to bring peace and harmony to people, planets, and cultures. They are trained and dedicated to use the Force for good purposes. They are members of the Jedi Order, sworn enemies of another group called the Sith.

The Sith are a group of evil beings who use the Force as a power source; they are trained and dedicated to use the Force to gain ultimate power. The Sith normally use the Force for evil means during battles with their enemies, typically the Jedi. They also use the Force to bring destruction to the universe and anything in their way. They are the antagonists, and usually use red lightsabers in contrast to the variety of colors used by the Jedi. According to the Rule of Two, there may usually only be two Sith at any one time; a master and an apprentice.

### Lightsabers 
Lightsabers are dangerous and powerful weapons used by the Jedi and the Sith. In function, they mimick light swords, using pure energy as the blade, while the hilt houses technology to power the weapon. These weapons are very special to a Jedi or a Sith, and are custom built to special specifications by the user. The Sith tend to take a Jedi's lightsaber as a trophy if they win the battle. Many epic battles have been fought with lightsabers between the Jedi and the Sith. For the lightsaber to be a weapon, it is powered by a special crystal called a kyber crystal. The kyber crystal comes in many different colors such as red, white, yellow, orange, and many more. The reason it is powerful and dangerous is that when someone touches the blade, one gets burned straight away. Lightsabers are known to be able to pierce almost any material, with only special metals such as beskar offering resistance to their attacks. Beskar is used for the armor of a race of warriors known as the Mandalorians.

## Story 
The main nine movies (Episodes 1 to 9) focus on the Skywalker family. However, there are many television series, spin-off films, and other media which focus on broader parts of the universe.

### Episodes 1—3 
Two Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn, travel to a remote desert planet called Tatooine to repair their ship following attempted negotiations with the Confederacy of Independant Systems/Trade Federation, a breakaway from the Galactic Republic. There, they meet Anakin Skywalker, a young slave boy. After discovering he may be The Chosen One, a prophecised being who is said to bring balance to the Force, Qui-Gon and Anakin free Anakin from his life of slavery through an unlikely bet placed against his owner Watto, and bring him to learn the ways of the Force in order to become a Jedi. Meanwhile, the Trade Federation attacks the planet Naboo. Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon fight the Sith lord Darth Maul, while Anakin helps to stop the Trade Federation army. Maul kills Qui-Gon in battle, but is ultimately bested by Obi-Wan. Naboo's senator, Palpatine, uses the crisis to get elected as Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic.

Ten years later, Sith lord and Separatist leader Count Dooku hires bounty hunters to kill Senator Padmé Amidala. Anakin, now a trained Padawan, is told to protect Padmé, but he finds himself falling in love with her. Later, Anakin begins to have nightmares of his mother in pain, and realises she is still alive. He returns to Tatooine to save her, but she dies in his arms due to her treatment at the hands of the Tusken Raiders who had enslaved her. Enraged, Anakin slaughters the entire tribe, later noting to Padmé that he did not hesitate even when it came to the women and the children. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan discovers an army of clones being manufactured on a water planet named Kamino and there, he encounters Jango Fett, one of the bounty hunters hired to assassinate Padmé. Jango had been hired by the Kamoinians as a DNA base for their gigantic army of clones. Obi-Wan duels with him before he flees, along with his son. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padmé are captured by Dooku and are set to be executed in the midst of a large arena. The arena is breached by the Jedi and the newly-deployed Clone Army and the trio are rescued, beginning the Clone Wars. Jedi Master Mace Windu duels with Jango Fett and kills him, leaving behind his son, Boba. Anakin fights Dooku with Obi-Wan and Yoda. After the Clone Wars begin, Anakin marries Padmé in secret, an act that is forbidden by the Jedi Order.  

Three years pass, and Anakin tracks Dooku down with the help of Obi-Wan. Anakin kills Dooku following a brief duel, after being convinced to do so by Palpatine. Anakin has nightmares of Padmé dying in childbirth, and is distraught. Palpatine, who is secretly the evil Darth Sidious, tells Anakin he can save her, by joining the Dark Side of the Force. After the Jedi Council discover Palpatine's plan to destroy the Order, Jedi Master Mace Windu and fellow Jedi go to arrest Palpatine. After Palpatine is bested, Windu moves to kill him, but his hand is cut off by Anakin and subsequently murdered by Palpatine, throwing him out the window. Anakin becomes Palpatine's apprentice, knighted as Darth Vader. Palpatine initates a secret order to the mind control chips within the Clone Army to turn on the Jedi and kill them, with only few select Jedi surviving, such as Yoda and Obi-Wan. Palpatine reforms the Galactic Republic into the Galactic Empire, and makes himself emperor. Yoda fights Palpatine, while Obi-Wan fights Vader. Yoda is unsuccessful and flees. However, Vader is bested by Obi-Wan, and left for dead near a deadly volcanic river of lava. Padmé gives birth to twins, Luke and Leia, but dies shortly after giving birth. The twins are seperated to prevent the Galactic Empire from finding them. Obi-Wan brings Luke to Tatooine to live with his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, and Leia is raised by Senator Bail Organa of the planet Alderaan. Yoda lives in exile on the swamp planet Dagobah, while Obi-Wan lives a life of solitude on Tatooine, watching over the young Luke Skywalker and ensuring his safety. 

### Episodes 4—6 
Nineteen years later, the Empire is consistently fought against by the Rebel Alliance. Rebel spies have stolen secret plans for the Empire's super weapon, the Death Star. An enraged Darth Vader boards the rebel ship containing the plans, forcing Princess Leia to hide the plans in R2-D2, an astromech droid. He escapes the ship and travels to Tatooine with his friend C-3PO to find help, while Leia is captured by Vader. The two droids are captured by a local tribe of Jawas, a lowly scavenger tribe of aliens. The droids are then purchased from the Jawas by Owen Skywalker, Luke Skywalker's uncle. R2-D2 later runs away from the Skywalker home, and is pursued by Luke and C-3PO. R2 and Luke are then attacked by Tusken Raiders, only to be rescued by a now elderly Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi. Ben discovers R2-D2 contains a message from Leia, urging him to bring R2 to her home planet in order to deliver the Death Star plans to her father, the leader of the Rebel Alliance. In order to get there, the group travel to a local bar in which they meet smuggler Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca. They strike a deal to gain passage to Alderaan aboard their legendary ship, the Millenium Falcon. After he briefly encounters a bounty hunter out for his head, Han quickly dispatches him, and attempts to bargain with Jabba the Hutt, a major crime lord whom Han owes money to. The Death Star is used by the Empire to annihilate Alderaan to demonstrate the weapon's power, much to Leia's horror. Han, Luke, Ben, and the two droids are captured by the Death Star and rescue Leia. After Vader kills Ben, Luke joins the Rebel Alliance. Han leaves, wishing to have no part in the ensuing battle, much to Leia and Luke's criticism.  With the aid of other pilots and a strategically placed weak spot in a critical area of the weapon, Luke sets out to destroy the Death Star, and despite many losses of his fellow rebels, Luke accomplishes his mission with the help of Han, who had a change of heart, and destroys the Death Star. 

Three years later, the Empire continue their efforts to find Luke and the hidden Rebel base. Luke travels to Dagobah, an empty swamp planet, to learn the Jedi ways from a legendary Jedi master known as Yoda. Leia, Han, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 travel to Cloud City for ship repairs, and meet Lando Calrissian, an old friend of Han's and the original owner of the Millenium Falcon. However, it turns out that Darth Vader had struck a deal with him, involving him luring the group of Rebels into a trap in order for the safety of his city. In an effort to lure Luke into a trap, Vader tortures Han, and Luke hears him through the Force. Luke travels to Cloud City to rescue them saves them fights Vader in a one-on-one lightsaber battle. At the culmination of the fight, Han reveals to Luke that he is his father. Han is imprisoned within a specially encased block of metal, and is brought by the bounty hunter Boba Fett to the tatooinian palace of Jabba the Hutt, who has grown tired of Han's continued debt to him.  

A year later, Luke becomes a Jedi and rescues Han from Jabba, who is killed by Leia. During the scuffle, Boba Fett is unwittingly dispatched by Han Solo, who damages his jetpack which causes him to fall into a monstrous pit known as the Sarlacc. After the rescue, the rebels travel to the forest planet Endor to stop the Empire from building a second Death Star. 

Luke and Leia find out that they are siblings. After being captured by the Empire, Luke and Vader have their first proper conversation. Vader reveals that Palpatine intends on turning Luke over to the Dark Side, to which Lule strongly retorts, insisting that the man Vader once was is still buried deep within him. Vader warns Luke that he does not know the power of the Dark Side and is compelled to obey his master's bidding, but Luke holds strong to his belief that his father can be redeemed. Luke fights Vader again and after a lengthy duel, meets Palpatine, who tortures him with Force Lightning. After enduring an internal battle between his devotion to the Empire and the love for his son, Vader betrays Palpatine and throws him down a deep shaft of the Death Star to save Luke, redeeming himself and fulfilling the prophecy of the Chosen One. Luke unmasks an injured Anakin Skywalker and the former Sith thanks his son for his belief in the good within him, and dies. The new Death Star is destroyed after its main reactor is overloaded, and the Empire is dismantled, giving rise to the New Republic, a reformed version of the Galactic Republic. After decades of war, peace is finally restored across the galaxy. 

### Episodes 7—9 
Thirty years later, the New Republic rules the galaxy, maintaining peace and order. However, the Empire's followers have come together in secret to form the First Order. They are fought against by the Resistance, led by Leia, who has had a son named Ben with Han. Ben, who was initially training to become a Jedi, was corrupted by Supreme Leader Snoke and became the First Order's commander, Kylo Ren. 

Luke previously rebuilt the Jedi Order but went into exile after his school of teaching was destroyed, and its students were killed by Ben. Leia tries to find Luke, while Han rejoins the fight against the First Order with a scavenger called Rey and a former stormtrooper nicknamed Finn. The First Order destroy the New Republic and Kylo Ren kills Han. Rey finds Luke, who refuses to teach her how to become a Jedi, having grown bitter following Ben's rampage.  

Later, the First Order chase the Resistance to the salt planet Crait. Luke finally teaches Rey in the ways of the Jedi and she tries to turn Kylo Ren to the light side, but he kills Snoke to become the Supreme Leader. Luke projects himself across the galaxy to trick the First Order, allowing the rebels to escape, and he dies shortly there after. 

A year later, the Resistance find out that Emperor Palpatine is alive, and is the true leader of the First Order. They go on an adventure to find him. Rey finds out that Palpatine is her grandfather and that she is a Palpatine. Kylo Ren finally turns back to the light side after his mother, Leia, dies. Rey kills Palpatine with the help of the spirits of every Jedi that came before her. Kylo Ren, the last surviving Skywalker, dies shortly after. Rey goes to Tatooine, the planet where both Anakin and Luke grew up, and buries their lightsabers near the Skywalker farm. When a stranger asks for her name, she replies with "Rey Skywalker".

## Major characters 
There are many more characters in the series who appear in the movies, books and television series such as Ahsoka Tano, Ezra Bridger and Jyn Erso.

## Star Wars vehicles
*X-wing Fighter, a class of fighter ship primarily used as all-purpose starfighters by the Rebel Alliance.
*Y-wing Fighter, a class of fighter ship primarily used as heavy assault starfighters by the Rebel Alliance.
*TIE Fighter, a class of fighter ship designed for usage by the Galactic Empire's best pilots. Their iconic whine struck fear into the hearts of their enemies.
*Millennium Falcon, a legendary freighter repurposed by Lando Calrissian as a high-speed personal ship. It was later won in a bet by Han Solo.
*Tantive IV, Princess Leia's personal cruiser used for her mercy mission undertakings, and later used to transport the stolen plans of the Death Star.
*Star Destroyer, a colossal wedge-shaped capital ship first used by the Empire, outfitted with countless forms of weaponry, making it a pivotal battleship for the Galactic Empire, and later the First Order.
*AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport), a specialised walker-class combat vehicle used as ground forces by the Empire. They were built primarily for intimidation, their tall, imposing structure and slow movements lending to their terrifying appearance.
*Slave I, the personal ship of bounty hunter Jango Fett, and later his son, Boba.
*Imperial Shuttle, a starship used for the transport of high-ranking Empire officials, such as Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader.
*Sandcrawler, a collosal land vehicle used by a scrapper tribe known as Jawas, capable of storing their various bits and pieces scavenged across the Tatoonian wastes.
*HAVW A6 Juggernaut, a ten-wheeled tank used as transports for the Clone Army during the Clone Wars by the Galactic Republic.
*Speeder Bike, a term applied to various "bikes", used by the common people across the galaxy, most often on Tatooine. Various characters make primary usage of speeder bikes, such as Darth Maul and Din Djarin, The Mandalorian.
*Podracer, a broad class of speeder vehicles used primarily for races, commonly held on Tatooine.
*Supremacy, a colossal starship used as the home base of the First Order.
*

## Major planets in the Star Wars universe
* Tatooine
* Naboo
* Coruscant
* Jakku
* Alderaan
* Endor
* Bespin
* Hoth

## Expanded universe 
Many books, short movies, and video games have been produced that deal with events that do not happen in the original movies. They also tell more about things that did happen in the movies. For example, the book *Death Star* tells about the building and destruction of the space station from the original movie. It tells much about things seen in that movie but from the point of view of the people on the station. A different example is that in the Expanded Universe, sometimes the Sith are shown as the protagonists. Most of the stories in the Expanded Universe are about the rebuilding of the Republic after the Empire's defeat.  They are set anywhere from the early Sith Wars which happened 5,000 years before Episode VI to more than one hundred years after Episode VI.

## Media 
### Movies 
There are currently eleven live-action movies and one animated movie. 

Nine of the movies are labelled as "episodes". These movies are part of the "Skywalker Saga", which is the central story of the franchise and follows the story of Darth Vader. Episodes 4—6 form the Original Trilogy (1977—1983), Episodes 1—3 form the Prequel Trilogy (1999—2005) and Episodes 7—9 form the Sequel Trilogy.

### Television Specials 
**Star Wars Holiday Special* (1978)
**Caravan of Courage* (1984)
**The Battle of Endor* (1985)

### Television 
There have been 18 television series and three television specials. The longest series is *Star Wars: The Clone Wars*. In addition, there have also been some short animated miniseries released on YouTube such as *Forces of Destiny* and *Galaxy of Adventures.*

### Video games 
The *Star Wars* franchise has produced a wide array of video games across various platforms, offering experiences from action-adventure to role-playing, strategy, and more.

#### Action-adventure games 
* *Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order* - A critically acclaimed single-player action-adventure game that follows Cal Kestis, a young Jedi trying to survive after Order 66.

* *LEGO Star Wars Series* - These family-friendly games combine LEGO gameplay mechanics with humor and storytelling from the Star Wars saga. The latest installment, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, covers all nine main movies.

#### Role-playing games (RPGs) 
* *Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic* (KOTOR) - A classic RPG set in the Star Wars universe, allowing players to make choices that affect the story, character development, and their alignment with the Light or Dark side.

* *Star Wars: The Old Republic* - An MMORPG that immerses players in a rich narrative experience, featuring multiple classes and extensive lore.

#### Shooter games 
* *Star Wars Battlefront Series* - Large-scale multiplayer shooters focusing on iconic battles from the films. The most recent entries offer both online and offline modes, with a variety of characters and vehicles.

* *Star Wars: Republic Commando* - A tactical first-person shooter where players command a squad of clone troopers in various missions during the Clone Wars.

#### Strategy games 
* *Star Wars: Empire at War* - A real-time strategy game that lets players control the Galactic Empire or the Rebel Alliance, featuring ground and space battles.

* *Star Wars: Squadrons* - A space combat game focused on dogfights between starfighter pilots, available in both single-player and multiplayer modes.

#### Mobile games 
* *Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes* - A turn-based RPG that allows players to collect characters from across the Star Wars saga and engage in strategic battles.

* *Star Wars: Force Collection* - A card battle game where players can collect cards featuring characters, ships, and vehicles from the franchise.

#### Miscellaneous 
* *Star Wars: Podracing* - Several games, including *Star Wars Episode I: Racer*, allow players to race pod racers on various tracks from the Star Wars universe.

* *Star Wars: The Force Unleashed* - An action game that tells the story of Darth Vader's secret apprentice and features a combination of lightsaber combat and Force powers.

### Upcoming titles 
There are also several upcoming projects and titles being developed, such as Star Wars Eclipse and new entries in the Jedi series.

## Upcoming projects 
### Movies
****Star Wars: Rogue Squadron*** is a *Star Wars* movie that was released on December 22, 2023. The movie is written and directed by Patty Jenkins making her the first woman to direct a Star Wars film. According to Starwars.com, the movie "introduces a new generation of starfighter pilots as they earn their wings and risk their lives in a boundary-pushing, high-speed thrill-ride, and move the saga into the future era of the galaxy." 
*'*Untitled *Rian Johnson* Trilogy*' a trilogy is currently being worked on by Rian Johnson who wrote and directed *Star Wars: The Last Jedi*. The trilogy was announced before the release of *The Last Jedi* but very little has been said about it. Rian Johnson said that he would start writing it after his film *Knives Out* and that it will take place in a new era with new characters. 
*Two '*Untitled *Star Wars* films** are set to release in December 2025 and December 2027.
*A **Untitled Kevin Fiege film** is currently in currently being developed by Marvel Cinematic Universe producer Kevin Feige
*A **Untitled *Star Wars Taika Watiti* film** is currently in development and was announced on May 4, 2020. Taika Waititi will be co-writing the movie with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Taika will also be the director of the film.

### Television shows
****Lando'''* is a future Disney+ show set in the *Star Wars* universe. The show will focus on the character Lando Calrissian but it is unclear if Donald Glover or Billy Dee Williams will come back to play Lando. The show is written by Justin Simien.
****Rangers of the New Republic*** is a future Disney+ show set in the *Star Wars* universe. The show was announced in December 2020 and will be worked on by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau. It will take place at the same time as, *Ahsoka*, *The Mandalorian* and *The Book of Boba Fett*.
****Ahsoka*** is a Disney+ television show set in the *Star Wars* universe. It takes place during the time of *The Mandalorian*, *Rangers of the New Republic*, and *The Book of Boba Fett*. The shows all join together in a story event at an unknown time. Rosario Dawson plays Ahsoka Tano again and the show is written and directed by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau.
****The Acolyte*** is a *Star Wars* Disney+ show written by Leslie Headland. The show takes place during the end of the High Republic Era of Star Wars and take a look at the dark forces in the galaxy as the events of *Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace* get closer.

## References
## Other websites 
* Star Wars.com The official *Star Wars'' website
* Official YouTube profile
* TheForce.net—One of the oldest Star Wars Fan Movie sites
* The Rebel Legion
* StarDestroyer.Net
* 
* The Force of Star Wars  from Time.com
* Star Wars Trailer 
* Directory to Star Wars sites on the internet.