Star Wars

This article is about the film series and media franchise. For the original 1977 film, see Star Wars (film). For other uses, see Star Wars (disambiguation).

Star Wars
Created by	George Lucas
Original work	Star Wars (1977)
Owners	Lucasfilm (The Walt Disney Company)
Print publications
Novel(s)	List of novels
Comics	List of comics
Films and television
Film(s)	Skywalker saga (9 films; 1977–2019) Anthology (2 films; since 2016) full list...
Television series	The Mandalorian (2019)
Animated series	The Clone Wars (since 2008) Resistance (since 2018) Rebels (2014–18) full list...
Games
Role-playing	List of RPGs
Video game(s)	List of video games
Audio
Radio program(s)	List of radio dramas
Original music	Music
Miscellaneous
Toy(s)	Toys
Theme park attraction(s)	List of theme park attractions

Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, created by George Lucas and centered around a film series that began with the eponymous 1977 movie. The saga quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon.

The first film was followed by two successful sequels, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983); these three films constitute the original Star Wars trilogy. A prequel trilogy was released between 1999 and 2005, albeit to mixed reactions from critics and fans. A sequel trilogy concluding the main story of the nine-episode saga began in 2015 with The Force Awakens. The first eight films were nominated for Academy Awards (with wins going to the first two released) and were commercially successful, with a combined box office revenue of over US$8.5 billion. Together with the theatrical spin-off films The Clone Wars (2008), Rogue One (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars is the second highest-grossing film series ever.

The film series has spawned into other media, including books, television shows, computer and video games, theme park attractions and lands, and comic books, resulting in significant development of the series' fictional universe. Star Wars holds a Guinness World Records title for the "Most successful film merchandising franchise". In 2018, the total value of the Star Wars franchise was estimated at US$65 billion, and it is currently the fifth-highest-grossing media franchise of all time.

Setting

"Star Wars galaxy" redirects here. For the video game, see Star Wars Galaxies. For the comic series named Star Wars Galaxy, see Star Wars (UK comics).

See also: List of Star Wars planets and moons

George Lucas, who created the franchise, directed and wrote
Episodes I–IV, and co-wrote/produced Episodes V and VI, has limited involvement with it since 2012.

The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." Many species of aliens (often humanoid) co-exist with droids who may assist them in their daily routines, and space travel between planets is common due to hyperspace technology. The rises and falls of different governments are chronicled throughout the saga: the democratic Galactic Republic is corrupted and overthrown by the Empire, which is fought by the "Rebel" Alliance to Restore the Republic. The New Republic later rebuilds society, but the remnants of the Empire reform as the First Order and attempt to destroy the Republic. Heroes of the former rebellion lead the Resistance against the oppressive dictatorship.

A mystical power known as "the Force" is described in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things. [...] [It] binds the galaxy together." Those whom "the Force is strong with" have quick reflexes; through training and meditation, they are able to perform various superpowers (such as telekinesis, precognition, telepathy, and manipulation of physical energy). The Force is wielded by two major knighthood orders at conflict with each other: the Jedi, who act on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration, and the Sith, who use the dark side through fear and aggression. The latter's members are intended to be limited to two: a master and their apprentice.

Theatrical films

Further information: List of Star Wars films and television series

The Star Wars film series centers around a "trilogy of trilogies" (also referred to as the "Skywalker saga" or the "Star Wars saga"). They were released out of sequence: the original (Episodes IV–VI, 1977–83), prequel (Episodes I–III, 1999–2005), and sequel (Episodes VII–IX, 2015–19) trilogy. The first two trilogies were released on three year intervals, the sequel trilogy films two years apart. Each trilogy centers on a generation of the Force-sensitive Skywalker family. The prequels focus on Anakin Skywalker, the original trilogy on his son Luke, and the sequels on Luke's nephew Kylo Ren.

A theatrical animated film, The Clone Wars (2008), was released as a pilot to a TV series of the same name. They were among the last projects overseen by George Lucas before the franchise was sold to Disney in 2012. An anthology series set between the main episodes entered development in parallel to the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney CFO Jay Rasulo as origin stories. The first entry, Rogue One (2016), tells the story of the rebels who steal the Death Star plans directly before Episode IV. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) focuses on Han's backstory, also featuring Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian.

An untitled trilogy by Episode VIII's director Rian Johnson has been announced, with an additional film series by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss also in development.

Skywalker saga

"Star Wars sequels" redirects here. For the trilogy of films, see Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Star Wars films
Directed by	George Lucas (IV, I–III) Irvin Kershner (V) Richard Marquand (VI) J. J. Abrams (VII, IX) Rian Johnson (VIII) Dave Filoni (The Clone Wars) Gareth Edwards (Rogue One) Ron Howard (Solo) Jon Favreau (The Mandalorian)
Based on	Characters created by George Lucas
Produced by	Gary Kurtz (IV–V) Howard Kazanjian (VI) Rick McCallum (I–III) Catherine Winder (Clone Wars) Kathleen Kennedy, (VII, Rogue, VIII, Solo, IX, Mandalorian) Jon Favreau (Mandalorian) Dave Filoni (Mandalorian) J. J. Abrams (VII, IX) Bryan Burk (VII) Allison Shearmur (Rogue One, Solo) Simon Emanuel (Rogue One, Solo) Ram Bergman (VIII) Michelle Rejwan (IX)
Production companies	Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Animation Bad Robot (VII, IX)
Distributed by	20th Century Fox (1977–2019) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (2015–present)
Release date	1977–present
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	Total (11 films): $2.079 billion
Box office	Total (11 films): $10.341 billion

The Star Wars franchise involves multiple live-action and animated films. The series started with a trilogy set in medias res that was later expanded into a trilogy of trilogies, known as the "Skywalker Saga".

The original 1977 self-titled film (later subtitled A New Hope) was followed by the sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983); these films form the original trilogy. Twenty-two years later, the Star Wars prequel trilogy was released, consisting of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Then, after creator George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, a Star Wars sequel trilogy consisting of Episodes VII through IX was released, namely Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

The first three spin-off films produced were the made-for-television Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), The Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). Following Disney's 2012 acquisition of the franchise, these earlier films were dropped from the official canon, but the theatrical animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and its television series continuation retain their canonical status. Two standalone films were produced and released between the sequel trilogy films: Rogue One (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), both set between the original and prequel trilogies. A yearslong hiatus began in late 2019, during which numerous films were announced and often shelved. Five officially announced projects were reputedly being developed as of early 2024, with a Mandalorian spin-off movie helmed by Jon Favreau reportedly slotted for release in May 2026.

The combined box office revenue of the films amounts to over US$10 billion, and it is currently the third-highest-grossing film franchise. The major live-action releases (including all the films within the Skywalker Saga) were nominated for Academy Awards. The original film was nominated for most of the major categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Alec Guinness (who played Obi-Wan Kenobi), while all theatrical live-action films have been nominated for particular categories. Several official Star Wars television series have also been released, all now on Disney+.

Skywalker Saga

The main Star Wars film series is a trilogy of subtrilogies; as it neared completion, Lucasfilm began to refer to it as the "Skywalker Saga". It was released beginning with the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V, and VI, 1977–1983), followed by the prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II, and III, 1999–2005) and the sequel trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX, 2015–2019). The first film released, Star Wars (1977), is the fourth film chronologically and was later subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope. The saga begins chronologically with Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) and concludes with Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

The story follows each generation of the Force-sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against Palpatine, an evil Sith Lord known as Darth Sidious. The prequel trilogy focuses on Anakin Skywalker's training as a Jedi and his fall to the dark side as Darth Vader. The original trilogy follows his children, Luke and Leia, as they join forces with Han Solo and the Rebel Alliance against Vader and Palpatine's Empire. The sequel trilogy features Kylo Ren (Ben Solo)—Leia and Han's son and Luke's former Jedi apprentice—who fell to the dark side and seeks to rule the galaxy with Rey, Palpatine's granddaughter and Luke and Leia's last Jedi apprentice.

Each episodic film begins with an opening crawl, accompanied by the main Star Wars theme by John Williams, who composed each film's score. Following their initial theatrical releases, franchise creator George Lucas made multiple rounds of retroactive changes to the films of the original trilogy (and to a lesser extent, the prequels).

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)	Refs
Prequel trilogy
Episode I – The Phantom Menace	May 19, 1999 (1999-05-19)	George Lucas			Rick McCallum
Episode II – Attack of the Clones	May 16, 2002 (2002-05-16)	George Lucas	George Lucas and Jonathan Hales	George Lucas
Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	May 19, 2005 (2005-05-19)	George Lucas
Original trilogy
Episode IV – A New Hope	May 25, 1977 (1977-05-25)	George Lucas			Gary Kurtz
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back	May 21, 1980 (1980-05-21)	Irvin Kershner	Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan	George Lucas
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi	May 25, 1983 (1983-05-25)	Richard Marquand	Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas		Howard Kazanjian
Sequel trilogy
Episode VII – The Force Awakens	December 18, 2015 (2015-12-18)	J. J. Abrams	J. J. Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt		Kathleen Kennedy, J. J. Abrams and Bryan Burk
Episode VIII – The Last Jedi	December 15, 2017 (2017-12-15)	Rian Johnson			Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman
Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker	December 20, 2019 (2019-12-20)	J. J. Abrams	Chris Terrio and J. J. Abrams	Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, J. J. Abrams and Chris Terrio	Kathleen Kennedy, J. J. Abrams and Michelle Rejwan

Standalone films

As Lucas was outlining a trilogy of trilogies, he also imagined making additional movies unrelated to the Skywalker Saga. The first theatrical films set outside the main episodic series were the Ewok spin-off films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), the first of which was screened internationally after being produced for television.

After the conclusion of his then-six-episode saga in 2005, Lucas returned to spin-offs in the form of television series. An animated film, The Clone Wars (2008), was released as a pilot to a TV series of the same name. An anthology series set between the main episodes entered development in parallel to the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney chief financial officer (CFO) Jay Rasulo as origin stories. The first entry, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), tells the story of the rebels who steal the Death Star plans directly before Episode IV. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) focuses on Han's backstory, also featuring Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian.

Animated film

Film	Release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Producer(s)	Refs
The Clone Wars	August 15, 2008 (2008-08-15)	Dave Filoni	Henry Gilroy, Steven Melching, and Scott Murphy	Catherine Winder

The Clone Wars (2008)

Main article: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film)

Preceding the airing of the animated TV series in late 2008, the theatrical feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars was compiled from episodes "almost [as] an afterthought." It reveals that Anakin trained an apprentice between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith; the series explains Padawan Ahsoka Tano's absence from the latter film. The film and series exist in the same level of canon as the episodic and anthology films.

Live-action films

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)	Refs
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	December 16, 2016 (2016-12-16)	Gareth Edwards	Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy	John Knoll and Gary Whitta	Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur, and Simon Emanuel
Solo: A Star Wars Story	May 25, 2018 (2018-05-25)	Ron Howard	Jonathan Kasdan and Lawrence Kasdan

Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, and parallel to his development of a sequel trilogy, George Lucas and original trilogy co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan started development on a standalone film about a young Han Solo. In February 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger made public the development of a Kasdan film and Entertainment Weekly reported that it would focus on Han Solo. Disney CFO Jay Rasulo has described the standalone films as origin stories. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed that there was "no attempt being made to carry characters (from the standalone films) in and out of the saga episodes." The standalone films are subtitled "A Star Wars Story".

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Main article: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Felicity Jones, the lead of Rogue One, and John Knoll, who supervised the visual effects of the prequels and pitched the plot of Rogue One

Rogue One is set directly before Episode IV: A New Hope and focuses on the eponymous group of rebels who obtain the plans to the Death Star. Its laser was developed by scientist Galen Erso (played by Mads Mikkelsen) after the Empire forcibly abducted him, separating him from his daughter Jyn. Galen secretly sends a defecting Imperial pilot, Bodhi Rook, to deliver a message warning of the weapon's existence and revealing its weakness to his rebel friend Saw Gerrera. Under the false promise of her father's liberation, Jyn agrees to help Rebel Alliance intelligence officer Cassian Andor and his droid K-2SO retrieve the message from Saw, now the paranoid leader of an extremist cell of rebels.

The idea for the movie came from John Knoll, the chief creative officer of Industrial Light & Magic. In May 2014, Lucasfilm announced Gareth Edwards as the director of an anthology film, with Gary Whitta writing the first draft for a release on December 16, 2016. The film's title was revealed to be Rogue One, with Chris Weitz rewriting the script, and Felicity Jones in the starring role. Ben Mendelsohn and Diego Luna also play new characters, with James Earl Jones returning to voice Darth Vader. Edwards stated, "It comes down to a group of individuals who don't have magical powers that have to somehow bring hope to the galaxy." The film was the first to feature characters introduced in animated Star Wars TV series, namely The Clone Wars' Saw Gerrera, portrayed by Forest Whitaker in the film. The movie received generally positive reviews, with its performances, action sequences, soundtrack, visual effects and darker tone being praised. The film grossed over US$500 million worldwide within a week of its release.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Main article: Solo: A Star Wars Story

Lawrence Kasdan, who co-wrote Episodes V–VII and Solo, and Alden Ehrenreich, who plays young Han Solo

Solo, the second anthology film, focuses on Han Solo about 10 years before A New Hope. After an escape attempt from his Imperial-occupied home planet of Corellia goes wrong, a young Han vows to return to rescue his girlfriend Qi'ra. Han "Solo" joins the Imperial Academy; however, he is expelled for his reckless behavior. Han and his newfound Wookiee friend Chewbacca resort to a criminal life, mentored by veteran smuggler Tobias Beckett. After angering gangster Dryden Vos, for whom Qi'ra now works, Han and his company's lives depend on pulling a heist for him. Without a ship to travel, they hire Lando Calrissian, the captain and owner of the Millennium Falcon. A twist ending acknowledges Maul's survival of The Phantom Menace, as previously explored by animated series.

Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney, George Lucas had hired Star Wars original trilogy veteran Lawrence Kasdan to write a film about a young Han Solo. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca (after serving as a double for the character in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi), Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra, and Woody Harrelson as Beckett. Lucasfilm originally hired Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to direct, but they were fired during principal photography, and replaced by Ron Howard.

Future

In mid-2018, Lucasfilm confirmed that multiple anthology films were in development, with their release following a hiatus after 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. Following multiple delays, dates in December 18, 2026 and December 17, 2027 were reserved for Star Wars films. In May 2023, Kennedy said future Star Wars films would come out "when they're ready", citing the 3–4 year interim of more recent James Bond films.

In May 2020, Taika Waititi was officially announced to write and direct a live-action Star Wars film. Three further live-action films were officially announced at April 2023's Star Wars Celebration, to be helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Dave Filoni, and James Mangold. Kennedy said upcoming films would include the trademark opening crawl. In January 2024, a Mandalorian film from Jon Favreau was announced.

Additionally, Kennedy stated in May 2022 that "There's a couple of [filmmakers] that we've been in conversation with ... that I'm hoping will" oversee future films in the way that Favreau and Filoni have done for Star Wars television series.

Film	U.S. release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)	Status	Refs
The Mandalorian & Grogu	May 22, 2026 (2026-05-22)	Jon Favreau			Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni & Jon Favreau	Post-production
Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film	TBA	Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy	Steven Knight		Kathleen Kennedy	Pre-production
Untitled Dave Filoni film		Dave Filoni			Kathleen Kennedy & Jon Favreau	In development
Untitled James Mangold film		James Mangold	James Mangold & Beau Willimon		Kathleen Kennedy
Untitled Taika Waititi film		Taika Waititi
Lando		TBA	Donald Glover & Stephen Glover
Rogue Squadron		Patty Jenkins
Untitled Shawn Levy film		Shawn Levy	Jonathan Tropper
Untitled Rian Johnson film		Rian Johnson			Kathleen Kennedy & Ram Bergman

The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026)

Main article: The Mandalorian & Grogu

In 2019, then–Walt Disney Studios CCO Alan Horn stated that if The Mandalorian was successful, a feature film spin-off would be considered. A fourth season of the TV series was written from May 2022 to February 2023. Pre-production occurred in April 2023. Filming for the season was scheduled to begin in September, but was delayed due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. In January 2024, it was announced that series creator Jon Favreau would write and direct a theatrical film based on the series (separate from Filoni's upcoming film), titled The Mandalorian & Grogu. It was unclear if the fourth season of the TV series would still be made because there was potential for future Mandalorian stories to instead be told through theatrical sequel films if the first film was a box-office success. Filming was expected to begin later in 2024 as the first Star Wars film to enter production since The Rise of Skywalker. In February 2024, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the film is aiming for a 2026 release, although specifics were not given at the time. In April 2024, it was announced that the film would be released on May 22, 2026.

Untitled Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy film (TBA)

In October 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported that after a two-week writers' room in July (which included Patrick Somerville, Rayna McClendon, Andy Greenwald, and maybe Dave Filoni), Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson were co-writing a Star Wars film, with Ms. Marvel director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attached as director. THR reported that according to its sources, "the project is intended as a stand-alone but in success could lead to more movies", taking place after the sequel trilogy and possibly featuring some of its characters. In March 2023, it was reported that Lindelof and Britt-Gibson had left the project in mid-February and that Steven Knight was hired to replace them as screenwriter. Filming was reportedly set to begin in February 2024. At April 2023's Star Wars Celebration, Kennedy officially announced a Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy-directed movie, with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey as she constructs a new Jedi Order 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. She reportedly may be a supporting character in the vein of Jedi Masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in the original and sequel trilogies, respectively. Steven Knight departed the project by October 2024 with filming not expected to start until late 2025.

Untitled Dave Filoni film (TBA)

In December 2020, it was revealed that The Mandalorian and its related series were planned to culminate in a "climactic story event". At Star Wars Celebration in 2023, it was announced that Dave Filoni would make his live-action feature directorial debut with a film set in the New Republic era, connecting storylines that began with The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew.

Untitled James Mangold film (TBA)

In April 2023, during Star Wars Celebration Europe IV, Lucasfilm announced that James Mangold would write and direct a Star Wars film whose story "will go back to the dawn of the Jedi" and explore the origins of The Force, set around 25,000 years before the events of A New Hope. It is set to be the start of a new era set within Star Wars timeline, dubbed Dawn of the Jedi. The film has been described as a "Cecil B. DeMille-style biblical epic.", with Mangold citing The Ten Commandments as a major inspiration for the film. Mangold was offered the project during production of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Mangold confirmed shortly afterwards that he had begun developing the film alongside his screenplay for the DC Universe Swamp Thing film, and was uncertain which project would move forward first following his Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. In April 2024, it was reported that Beau Willimon (who had written episodes of Andor) would co-write the film alongside Mangold. During an interview in May 2024, producer Simon Emanuel seemingly revealed the film's title, Jedi Prime.

In September 2023, David S. Goyer revealed that he had written a treatment for an unproduced Star Wars film about the origins of the Jedi Order.

Untitled Taika Waititi film (TBA)

On May 4, 2020, Taika Waititi (who directed the first-season finale of The Mandalorian and voiced IG-11) was officially announced to direct a Star Wars film from a screenplay he was co-writing with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. As of May 2022, his film was expected to be released before Rogue Squadron (originally scheduled for December 2023 prior to its delay), with Kennedy asserting that Waititi's film may be released in late 2023. In June 2022, Waititi agreed with Kennedy's view that the films should move into new territory in favor of origin stories, and stated he would continue writing the project while filming other projects. The movie was reportedly expected to be shot in Los Angeles. By March 2023, Waititi was also likely to appear in the film. The next month, Kennedy stated that Waititi was now writing the film alone. In early May, Deadline Hollywood reported that Waititi may begin filming the project in 2024. In September 2023, amidst rumors of the film's cancellation, it was revealed that it was still in development and that Waititi would resume writing the script after the conclusion of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

Lando (TBA)

In 2018, while promoting Solo, Kathleen Kennedy expressed interest in making a spin-off film focusing on Lando Calrissian. Though it was specified that a project of that sort was not a priority at Lucasfilm. Around the same time, Donald Glover expressed similar interest in a Lando-centric film, suggesting it could take inspiration from the Steven Spielberg film Catch Me If You Can. At Disney Investor Day 2020, a Lando series was announced to be in development for Disney+, with Justin Simien acting as showrunner. In 2023, it was revealed that Simien would be replaced as showrunner by Donald Glover and his brother Stephen. Nearly two months later, Stephen Glover stated in an interview that the project was being redeveloped as a feature film. Donald Glover confirmed his involvement as a writer on the film in September 2024.

Rogue Squadron (TBA)

On December 10, 2020, during Disney Investor Day, Wonder Woman (2017) director Patty Jenkins was announced as the director of a film titled Rogue Squadron, initially set to be released on December 22, 2023. According to the official Star Wars website, the film would "introduce 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." According to Jenkins, the film would be an original story "with great influence from the games and the books". A script was being worked on as of December 2020, at which time, Wonder Woman 3's story was still being worked on. Matthew Robinson was hired to write Rogue Squadron in May 2021; late the next month, Jenkins revealed that the script was almost finished. On November 8, the film's production was delayed from 2022 due to Jenkins' busy schedule. A month later, Jenkins had left her planned Cleopatra film as director in order to focus on Rogue Squadron and Wonder Woman 3. Disney announced in April 2022 that the film was still set to be released in December 2023. Kathleen Kennedy stated in May that the film has been "pushed off to the side for the moment", with the script still being worked on and Waititi's film expected to be released first. On September 15, 2022, the film was confirmed to be taken off from Disney's release schedule, although in December Jenkins said she was actively working on it amid the apparent cancellation of Wonder Woman 3. In April 2023, Kennedy said the project could still happen either as a film or a television series. On March 13, 2024, Jenkins stated that she had signed a new contract with Lucasfilm to write and direct Rogue Squadron.

Other future films

Rian Johnson, the writer/director of The Last Jedi (2017), is confirmed to write and direct the first film of a new trilogy he was outlining as of early 2019 with Ram Bergman producing alongside Kennedy. It was said to differ from the Skywalker-focused films in favor of focusing on new characters and possibly a different era than the main film franchise. The project was considered to have been "back-burnered" by May 2022 due to Johnson's involvement with other projects, including the Knives Out franchise. Johnson indicated that he would make at least one more film in that series following Glass Onion before returning to Star Wars.

In November 2022, Deadline Hollywood reported that Shawn Levy was in talks to direct a Star Wars film, following his work on Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. In September 2023, Levy revealed that development began, but has since been stalled due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.

In January 2024, it was reported that the fourth season of The Mandalorian would be reworked into theatrical sequel films if The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026) was a box-office success.

Produced for television

The first spin-off film (also the first sequel to be released) was a holiday TV special aired in 1978. Two live-action TV films created in the mid-1980s feature the Ewoks.

Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

Film	Release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Network
Star Wars Holiday Special	November 17, 1978	Steve Binder	Pat Proft, Leonard Ripps, Bruce Vilanch, Rod Warren & Mitzie Welch	CBS

Produced for CBS in 1978, the Star Wars Holiday Special was a two-hour television special, in the format of a variety show. Stars of the original film and archive footage from the original Star Wars film appeared alongside celebrity guest stars in plot-related skits, musical numbers, and an animated segment, all loosely tied together by the premise of Chewbacca's family waiting for his arrival for the "Life Day" celebration on his home planet, Kashyyyk. The special is notorious for its extremely negative reception and was aired only once. Only the 11-minute animated sequence, which features the debut of bounty hunter Boba Fett, was positively received.

Ewok films

The Ewoks from Return of the Jedi were featured in two spin-off television films, The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. Both aired on ABC on the Thanksgiving weekends of 1984 and 1985, respectively, with at least the first also being given a limited international theatrical release. Warwick Davis reprised his debut role as the main Ewok, Wicket, in both. They are set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Both films were released on VHS, LaserDisc, and on a double-feature DVD. Although based on stories written by George Lucas, they do not bear Star Wars in their titles, and were considered to exist in a lower level of canon than the episodic films. Following Disney's acquisition of the franchise, they were excluded from the canon. The Battle for Endor would be the last live-action Star Wars television project produced by Lucasfilm until 2019's The Mandalorian.

Film	Release date	Director(s)	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Network
The Ewok Adventure	November 25, 1984	John Korty	Bob Carrau	George Lucas	ABC
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor	November 24, 1985	Jim Wheat & Ken Wheat

The Ewok Adventure (1984)

In a story by Lucas and a screenplay by Bob Carrau, the Towani family spaceship shipwrecks on the forest moon of Endor. While trying to repair their ship, the castaway family is split, when a giant creature known as the Gorax kidnaps the parents. Taking pity on the kids, a group of native Ewoks led by Wicket decides to help little Cindel Towani and her older brother Mace, rescue their parents. Among other stylistic choices making the film unique from the Star Wars episodes is the inclusion of a narrator.

Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)

The sequel focuses on the Ewoks protecting their village from marauders led by the evil Lord Terak, who killed all the members of the Towani family except for Cindel, in search of a power battery. It was followed by the TV series Ewoks (1985–1987).

Produced for Disney+

A Droid Story

In December 2020, A Droid Story, an animated adventure film for Disney+ was announced. According to the official Star Wars Twitter, the "epic journey will introduce us to a new hero guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO."

Reception

Box office performance

The Star Wars films are the third-highest-grossing film franchise of all time worldwide, behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Spider-Man, having grossed over $10 billion at the global box office.

Each film is linked to the "Box office" section of its article.

Film	US release date	Box office gross			All-time ranking		Budget	Ref.
		US and Canada	Other territories	Worldwide	US and Canada	Worldwide
Skywalker Saga
A New Hope	May 25, 1977	$460,998,507	$314,399,500	$775,398,007	24	112	$11 million
The Empire Strikes Back	May 21, 1980	$292,753,960	$245,621,107	$538,375,067	109	218	$18 million
Return of the Jedi	May 25, 1983	$309,306,177	$165,800,000	$475,106,177	92	262	$32.5 million
The Phantom Menace	May 19, 1999	$487,576,624	$558,938,030	$1,046,515,409	21	43	$115 million
Attack of the Clones	May 16, 2002	$310,676,740	$343,103,230	$653,779,970	96	163	$115 million
Revenge of the Sith	May 19, 2005	$380,270,577	$488,119,983	$868,390,560	52	83	$113 million
The Force Awakens	December 18, 2015	$936,662,225	$1,134,647,993	$2,071,310,218	1	5	$447 million
The Last Jedi	December 15, 2017	$620,181,382	$714,226,324	$1,334,407,706	13	20	$300 million
The Rise of Skywalker	December 20, 2019	$515,202,542	$561,819,830	$1,077,022,372	19	38	$416 million
Anthology films
The Clone Wars	August 15, 2008	$35,161,554	$33,121,290	$68,282,844	2,558	2,440	$8.5 million
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	December 16, 2016	$533,539,991	$525,142,151	$1,058,682,142	18	42	$232 million
Solo: A Star Wars Story	May 25, 2018	$213,767,512	$179,157,295	$392,924,807	206	356	$271 million
Total		$5,096,097,791	$5,046,722,809	$10,360,195,279	2	3	$2.079 billion

Critical response

Each film is linked to the "Critical response" section of its article.

Film	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic	CinemaScore
Skywalker Saga
A New Hope	93% (140 reviews)	90 (24 reviews)	—
The Empire Strikes Back	95% (111 reviews)	82 (25 reviews)	—
Return of the Jedi	83% (103 reviews)	58 (24 reviews)	—
The Phantom Menace	52% (237 reviews)	51 (36 reviews)	A−
Attack of the Clones	65% (257 reviews)	54 (39 reviews)	A−
Revenge of the Sith	79% (305 reviews)	68 (40 reviews)	A−
The Force Awakens	93% (453 reviews)	80 (55 reviews)	A
The Last Jedi	91% (487 reviews)	84 (56 reviews)	A
The Rise of Skywalker	51% (527 reviews)	53 (61 reviews)	B+
Spin-off films
The Clone Wars	18% (171 reviews)	35 (30 reviews)	B−
Rogue One	84% (461 reviews)	65 (51 reviews)	A
Solo	69% (483 reviews)	62 (54 reviews)	A−
Television films
Holiday Special	27% (15 reviews)	—	—
The Ewok Adventure	21% (14 reviews)	—	—
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor	33% (3 reviews)	—	—

Accolades

Academy Awards

The eleven live-action films together have been nominated for 37 Academy Awards, of which they have won seven. The films were also awarded a total of three Special Achievement Awards. The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi received Special Achievement Awards for their visual effects, and Star Wars received a Special Achievement Award for its alien, creature and robot voices.

Film	Best Picture	Best Director	Best Supporting Actor	Best Original Screenplay	Best Costume Design	Best Film Editing	Best Makeup	Best Original Score	Best Production Design	Best Sound Editing	Best Sound Mixing	Best Visual Effects	Ref.
Star Wars	Nominated		Nominated	Nominated	Won		category not yet introduced	Won			Won	Won
The Empire Strikes Back				ineligible				Nominated				Special Achievement
Return of the Jedi										Nominated
The Phantom Menace												Nominated
Attack of the Clones
Revenge of the Sith							Nominated
The Force Awakens						Nominated		Nominated		Nominated	Nominated
Rogue One
The Last Jedi								Nominated		Nominated
Solo												Nominated
The Rise of Skywalker								Nominated		Nominated		Nominated

Grammy Awards

The franchise has received a total of fifteen Grammy Award nominations, winning six.

Film	Album of the Year	Best Pop Instrumental Performance	Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media	Best Instrumental Composition	Ref.
Star Wars	Nominated	Won	Won	Won
The Empire Strikes Back		Nominated	Won	Won
Return of the Jedi			Nominated
The Phantom Menace			Nominated
Revenge of the Sith			Nominated	Nominated
The Force Awakens			Won
Solo				Nominated
The Last Jedi			Nominated
The Rise of Skywalker			Nominated

Notes

Library of Congress

In 1989, the Library of Congress selected the original Star Wars film for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The Empire Strikes Back was selected in 2010, while Return of the Jedi was selected in 2021. 35 mm reels of the 1997 Special Editions were the versions initially presented for preservation because of the difficulty of transferring from the original prints, but it was later revealed that the Library possessed a copyright deposit print of the original theatrical releases. By 2015, Star Wars had been transferred to a 2K scan which can be viewed by appointment.

Emmy Awards

Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure was one of four films to be juried-awarded Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects at the 37th Primetime Emmy Awards. The film was additionally nominated for Outstanding Children's Program but lost in this category to an episode of American Playhouse.

At the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor and the CBS documentary Dinosaur! were both juried-awarded Emmys for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. The film additionally received two nominations for Outstanding Children's Program and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Special.

Unproduced and abandoned projects

See also: List of Star Wars television series § Abandoned projects

Untitled Zack Snyder film

In the 2000s Zack Snyder pitched an adult-oriented film to Lucasfilm, but conversations ceased by the time Disney acquired the company in 2012. The project was redeveloped as Rebel Moon (2023).

Spin-off films centered on Boba Fett and Yoda

In early 2013, Bob Iger announced the development of spin-off films focusing on Han Solo, Boba Fett, and Yoda. Simon Kinberg was announced to be the screenwriter of the Boba Fett film shortly afterward. In mid-2014, Josh Trank was officially announced as the director of an undisclosed spin-off film, but had left the project a year later due to creative differences, causing a teaser for the film to be scrapped from Star Wars Celebration. Though it was later revealed that Trank was removed from the project following behind the scenes issues on Fantastic Four. In May 2020, Trank confirmed that his planned Star Wars film was the Boba Fett film. In May 2018, it was reported that James Mangold would direct the Boba Fett movie, with Kinberg still attached as screenwriter. Five months later, the film was announced to be cancelled, with Lucasfilm instead focusing their attention on The Mandalorian, which utilized a similar character to Fett. Mangold confirmed his brief involvement in 2023, revealing he wrote a "borderline R-rated" script. He cited the poor commercial performance of Solo as the main reason for the film's cancellation.

Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story

In 2017, it was announced that an anthology film focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi was in development with Stephen Daldry set as director and writer. In May 2018, the film was reportedly titled Obi-Wan: A Star Wars Story, with a plot involving Kenobi protecting a young Luke Skywalker on the planet Tatooine during tensions between local farmers and Tusken Raiders. Production on the film was expected to take place in Northern Ireland under the working title Joshua Tree in 2019. The film was cancelled in 2018, later being re-developed as a TV series for Disney+, which aired in 2022.

Potential sequels to Rogue One and Solo

Rogue One and Solo actors Felicity Jones, Alden Ehrenreich and Emilia Clarke all stated that their contracts also included future installments. Solo director Ron Howard said that while no sequel was in development, it was up to the fans to decide. Although critics noted that Solo left room open for sequels, in 2022, Howard confirmed that the studio had no plans to make one.

Untitled Jabba the Hutt film

In August 2017, it was rumored that a film focused on Jabba the Hutt was in the works. In June 2018, a rumor circulated that a movie taking place in Mos Eisley was in the works as well. In September 2023, David S. Goyer confirmed that he had written a script treatment for an unproduced Jabba-centric film that was intended to be directed by Guillermo del Toro. It was also revealed that this was the same project as the rumored Mos Eisley film, with Alden Ehrenreich expected to reprise his role as Han Solo. The film was cancelled due to Solo's poor commercial performance.

Untitled D. B. Weiss & David Benioff series

In 2018, Lucasfilm announced that Game of Thrones showrunners D. B. Weiss & David Benioff would develop a series of Star Wars films, often believed to be a trilogy. In 2019, Kathleen Kennedy revealed the studio's intention of planning the next decade of films, with Weiss, Benioff, and Rian Johnson working together to map out the franchise's future. A month later, Bob Iger announced that the first Star Wars film released after a brief hiatus following the release of The Rise of Skywalker would be directed by Weiss & Benioff, set to be released in 2022. In October 2019, it was revealed that Weiss & Benioff had departed their trilogy after making an overall deal with Netflix. Though Kathleen Kennedy expressed interest in working with the duo in the future. Weiss & Benioff's films would have focused on the origins of the Jedi.

Untitled Knights of the Old Republic film

In April 2019, Kathleen Kennedy was asked by MTV News about a potential Knights of the Old Republic adaption and stated, "Yes, we are developing something to look at. Right now, I have no idea where things might fall." The following month, BuzzFeed News reported that Laeta Kalogridis had been hired in the spring of 2018 to write a film based on the 2003 video game, and that she was close to completing the first script of a potential trilogy.

Untitled Kevin Feige film

In September 2019, Marvel Cinematic Universe producer Kevin Feige reportedly began developing a Star Wars film with Kennedy; Michael Waldron was later announced to write the screenplay. In May 2022, Waldron confirmed the project was moving forward and that it would more or less stand alone, however in a separate interview the same month Kennedy denied that the film was in active development. By March 2023, the film was confirmed to no longer be in development. Contrary to earlier comments, Kennedy clarified the following month that the project was more something conflated through the media, that "nothing ever got developed. We never discussed an idea... If [Feige] did come up with something, I would be all ears. But, that's never really happened, so it's not an abandoned project. It just never really happened." In May 2023, Anthony and Joe Russo (who collaborated with Feige on multiple films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) revealed that they had conversations with Feige about potentially directing the film.

Untitled J. D. Dillard and Matt Owens film

J. D. Dillard and Luke Cage writer Matt Owens were reportedly involved in the early stages of developing a Star Wars film in February 2020, which may have taken place on the Sith planet Exegol. In November 2022, Dillard announced that he was no longer involved in the project, which was purportedly to take inspiration from the Star Wars: TIE Fighter video game.

Documentaries

Documentary films about Star Wars released by Lucasfilm include:

• The Making of Star Wars (1977)
• SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi (1983)
• From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga (1983)
• The Beginning: Making 'Episode I' (2001)
• From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II' (2002)
• The Story of Star Wars (2004)
• Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy (2004)
• Star Wars: Heroes & Villains (2005)
• Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III (2005)
• Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed (2007)
• Secrets of the Force Awakens: A Cinematic Journey (2016)
• The Force of Sound (2018)
• The Director and the Jedi (2018)
• The Skywalker Legacy (2020)
• Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett (2021)
• Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return (2022)

See also

• List of Star Wars cast members
• List of Star Wars characters

Parodies

• Hardware Wars (1978)
• Spaceballs (1987)
• Thumb Wars (1999)
• Robot Chicken: Star Wars (2007)
• Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy (2010)
• The Lego Movie (2014)
• Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars (2014)
• Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
• Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production (2018)

References

Bibliography

• Bouzerea, Laurent (1997). The Annotated Screenplays. Del Rey. ISBN 978-0-345-40981-2.
• Kaminski, Michael (2007). The Secret History of Star Wars.
• ——— (2008) [2007]. The Secret History of Star Wars (3.0 ed.). Legacy Books Press. ISBN 978-0-9784652-3-0.
• Rinzler, Jonathan W (2005). The Making of Star Wars, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Del Rey. ISBN 978-0-345-43139-4.
• ——— (2007). The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film (Star Wars). Del Rey. ISBN 978-0-345-49476-4.

External links

• Official website

Original trilogy

The central three characters of the original trilogy were played by, from left to right, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia).

In 1971, Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial, but couldn't obtain the rights. He began developing his own story inspired by the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Immediately after directing American Graffiti (1973), Lucas wrote a two-page synopsis for his space opera, titled Journal of the Whills. After United Artists, Universal Studios and Disney rejected the film, 20th Century Fox decided to invest in it. Lucas felt his original story was too difficult to understand, so on April 17, 1973, he began writing a 13-page script titled The Star Wars, sharing strong similarities with Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress (1958). By 1974, he had expanded the script into the first draft of a screenplay, adding elements such as the Sith and the Death Star. Subsequent drafts evolved into the script of the original film.

Lucas negotiated to retain the sequel rights. Tom Pollock, then Lucas' lawyer writes: "We came to an agreement that George would retain the sequel rights. Not all the [merchandising rights] that came later, mind you; just the sequel rights. And Fox would get a first opportunity and last refusal right to make the movie." Lucas was offered $50,000 to write, another $50,000 to produce, and $50,000 to direct the film. The offer was later increased. American Graffiti cast member Harrison Ford had given up on acting and become a carpenter whom Lucas hired for his home renovations, until Lucas decided to cast him as Han Solo.

Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977. Its success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial. With the backstory he created for the sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies, with the original film retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope for its 1981 rerelease. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi on May 25, 1983. The sequels were self-financed by Lucasfilm, and generally advertised without the episodic number distinction present in their opening crawls. The plot of the original trilogy centers on the Galactic Civil War of the Rebel Alliance trying to free the galaxy from the clutches of the Galactic Empire, as well as on Luke Skywalker's quest to become a Jedi.

Prequel trilogy

The central trio of the prequel trilogy was played by, from left to right, Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and Natalie Portman (Padmé Amidala).

According to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films. In 1980, Lucas confirmed that he had the nine-film series plotted, but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy and pressure from his wife to settle down, he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981.

Technical advances in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery, inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the prequel trilogy would be "unbelievably expensive." The popularity of the franchise had been prolonged by the Star Wars expanded universe, so that it still had a large audience. A theatrical rerelease "updated" the original trilogy with the style of CGI envisioned for the new films.

Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, and Episode II: Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002, both to mixed reviews. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the first PG-13 film in the franchise, was released on May 19, 2005. The plot of the trilogy focuses on the fall of the Galactic Republic, the formation of the Empire, as well as the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker's turn to the dark side.

Sequel trilogy

Main article: Star Wars sequel trilogy

Fisher, Hamill, and Ford reprised their characters in supporting roles in the sequel trilogy.

Prior to releasing the original film, and made possible by its success, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine films." He announced this to Time in 1978, and confirmed that he had outlined them in 1981. At various stages of development, the sequels were to focus on the rebuilding of the Republic, the return of Luke in a role similar to that of Obi-Wan in the original trilogy (and with a female love interest), Luke's sister (not yet determined to be Leia), Han, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO. However, after beginning work on the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy. While promoting The Clone Wars in 2008, Lucas maintained his position on a sequel trilogy: "The movies were the story of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, and when Luke saves the galaxy and redeems his father, that's where that story ends."

The main cast of the sequel trilogy is played by, clockwise from top left, Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren).

In May 2011, Lucas and Disney CEO Bob Iger began discussing the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney. A few months later, Lucas discreetly began working on guidelines for a sequel trilogy involving "a microbiotic world" and creatures known as the Whills, Force-beings that "control the universe," although not all of his ideas would be used. He later decided to leave the franchise in the hands of other filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would step away from making blockbuster films. Asked whether his decision was influenced by the criticism he received regarding the prequel trilogy and the alterations to the original trilogy, Lucas said, "Why would I make any more when everybody yells at you [...] and says what a terrible person you are?"

In October 2012, The Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015. The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, became president of the company, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn. Kennedy also served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films, with Lucas serving as creative consultant. As announced by Lucasfilm, the sequel trilogy also meant the end of the existing Star Wars expanded universe, which was discarded to give "maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience."

The sequel trilogy focuses on the journey of the orphaned scavenger Rey following in the footsteps of the Jedi with the guidance of the reluctant last Jedi, Luke Skywalker. Along with ex-stormtrooper Finn, she helps the Resistance led by Leia fight the First Order commanded by Supreme Leader Snoke and his pupil Kylo Ren (Han Solo and Leia's son). The Force Awakens was released on December 18, 2015, The Last Jedi on December 15, 2017, and Episode IX is due to be released on December 20, 2019.

Standalone films

In his initial planning following the success of Star Wars, Lucas planned a few standalone films separate from the Skywalker saga. Theatrical films outside the main episodic series have their origin in the Ewok spin-off films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) and Ewoks: Battle for Endor (1985), which were screened internationally after being produced for television. Although based on story ideas from Lucas, they do not bear Star Wars in their titles, and were considered to exist in a lower level of canon than the episodic films.

After the conclusion of his then six-episode saga in 2005, Lucas continued developing spin-offs in the form of television series and theatrical films.

Film	Release date	Director	Screenwriter(s)	Story by	Producer(s)	Composer	Initial distributor
01 Star Wars: The Clone Wars	August 15, 2008 (2008-08-15)	Dave Filoni	Henry Gilroy & Steven Melching & Scott Murphy		George Lucas and Catherine Winder	Kevin Kiner	Warner Bros. Pictures
03 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	December 16, 2016 (2016-12-16)	Gareth Edwards	Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy	John Knoll and Gary Whitta	Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel	Michael Giacchino	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
02 Solo: A Star Wars Story	May 25, 2018 (2018-05-25)	Ron Howard	Jon Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan			John Powell John Williams

Preceding the airing of the animated TV series in late 2008, the theatrical feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars was compiled from episodes "almost [as] an afterthought." It reveals that Anakin trained an apprentice between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith; the series explains Padawan Ahsoka Tano's absence from the latter film. The character was originally criticized by fans, but by the end of the series the character had become a fan favorite. It exists in the same level of canon as the episodic and anthology films.

Anthology films

Before selling Lucasfilm to Disney in 2012, and parallel to his development of a sequel trilogy, George Lucas and original trilogy co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan started development on a standalone film about a young Han Solo. On February 5, 2013, Disney CEO Bob Iger made public the development of the Kasdan film, along with an undisclosed film written by Simon Kinberg. Disney CFO Jay Rasulo has described the standalone films as origin stories.

Lucasfilm and Kennedy have stated that the standalone films would be referred to as the Star Wars anthology series (albeit the word anthology has not been used in any of the titles, instead carrying the promotional "A Star Wars Story" subtitle. Focused on how the rebels obtained the Death Star plans from the 1977 film, the first anthology film, Rogue One, was released on December 16, 2016 to favorable reviews and box office performance. The second, Solo: A Star Wars Story, centered on a young Han Solo with Chewbacca and Lando as supporting characters, was released on May 25, 2018 to mixed reviews and little box office success.

More anthology films are expected to be released.

Spin-off series

Untitled trilogy by Rian Johnson

In November 2017, Lucasfilm announced that Rian Johnson, the writer/director of The Last Jedi, would be working on a new trilogy. The films will reportedly differ from the Skywalker-focused films in favor of focusing on new characters. Johnson is confirmed to write and direct the first film.

Untitled films by Benioff and Weiss

In February 2018, it was announced that David Benioff and D. B. Weiss would write and produce a series of Star Wars films that are not Skywalker-focused films, similar to (but separate from) Rian Johnson's upcoming installments in the franchise.

Television

Further information: List of Star Wars films and television series

TV specials

Film	Release date	Director(s)	Screen writer(s)	Network	Setting	Canon
Holiday Special
Holiday Special	November 17, 1978	David Acomba and Steve Binder	Bruce Vilanch	CBS	Between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back	No
Ewok television films
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure	November 25, 1984	John Korty	Bob Carrau Story by: George Lucas	ABC	Between A New Hope and Return of the Jedi	No
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor	November 24, 1985	Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat	Jim Wheat and Ken Wheat Story by: George Lucas

A two-hour Star Wars Holiday Special focusing on Chewbacca's family was produced for CBS in 1978. Along with the stars of the original film, celebrity guest stars appear in plot-related skits and musical numbers. Lucas loathed the special and forbade it to be reaired or released on home video. An 11-minute animated sequence features the first appearance of bounty hunter Boba Fett.

The Ewoks from Return of the Jedi were featured in two spin-off television films, The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. Both aired on ABC on the Thanksgiving weekends of 1984 and 1985, respectively. Warwick Davis reprised his debut role as the main Ewok, Wicket, in a story by Lucas and a screenplay by Bob Carrau. Wicket helps two children rescue their parents from a giant creature. In the sequel, the Ewoks protect their village from invaders, while a child from the first film tries to escape.

Animated series

Title	Seasons	Episodes	Release year	Supervising Director	Production company	Network	Setting	Canon
Droids	1	13	1985–86	—	Nelvana	ABC	Between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope	No
Ewoks	2	35	1985–86				Before Return of the Jedi
Clone Wars	3	25	2003–05	Genndy Tartakovsky	Cartoon Network Studios	Cartoon Network	Between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith
The Clone Wars	6	121	2008–2014; 2019	Dave Filoni	Lucasfilm Animation	Cartoon Network (Season 1–5) Netflix (Season 6) Disney streaming service (Season 7)		Yes
Rebels	4	75	2014–18	Dave Filoni (Season 1-2) Justin Ridge (Season 3-4)		Disney XD	Between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope
Forces of Destiny	2	32	2017–	Dave Filoni		YouTube	Across all eras
Resistance	1	—	2018			Disney XD	Between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens

Nelvana, the animation studio that had animated the animated segment of the Holiday Special was hired to create two animated series. Droids (1985–1986), which aired for one season on ABC, follows the adventures of C-3PO and R2-D2 before the events of A New Hope. Its sister series Ewoks (1985–1987) features the Ewoks before Return of the Jedi and the Ewok movies.

Dave Filoni, supervising director on two Star Wars animated series, was later promoted to oversee the development of all future Lucasfilm Animation projects.

After the release of Attack of the Clones, Cartoon Network produced and aired the micro-series Clone Wars from 2003 to weeks before the 2005 release of Revenge of the Sith, as the series featured events set between those films. It won the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program in 2004 and 2005.

Lucas decided to invest in creating his own animation company, Lucasfilm Animation, and used it to create his first in-house Star Wars CGI-animated series. The Clone Wars (2008–2014) was introduced through a 2008 animated film of the same name. Both were accepted to the highest level canon in 2014; all series released afterwards would also be canon. In 2014, Disney XD began airing Star Wars Rebels, the first CGI-animated series produced in the new era. Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, it follows a band of rebels as they fight the Galactic Empire and helped close some of the arcs in The Clone Wars. The animated microseries Star Wars Forces of Destiny debuted in 2017, focusing on the female characters of the franchise. The animated series Star Wars Resistance debuted in late 2018, is anime-inspired, and focuses on a young Resistance pilot shortly before The Force Awakens.

An additional animated comedy series, titled Star Wars Detours, was in production with 39 episodes completed, but was cancelled following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm and never aired.

Live-action series

Main article: The Mandalorian

In November 2017, Bob Iger discussed the development of a Star Wars series for Disney's digital streaming service, due to launch in 2019. It has been reported that there are multiple live-action Star Wars television series currently in development, with noteworthy talent involved. Jon Favreau, who previously voiced a character in The Clone Wars, will produce and write one of the television series. In May 2018, Favreau announced his series would be set three years after Return of the Jedi and feature motion capture.

On October 3, 2018, Favreau revealed that his upcoming live-action Star Wars series would be called The Mandalorian and will follow the warrior race from which bounty hunters Jango Fett and Boba Fett were sprung, centring on a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic. Favreau will write the script and act as executive producer for the series.

In other media

Main article: Star Wars expanded to other media

From 1977 to 2014, the term Expanded Universe (EU) was an umbrella term for all officially licensed Star Wars storytelling material set outside the events depicted within the theatrical films, including novels, comics, and video games. Lucasfilm maintained internal continuity between the films and television content and the EU material until April 25, 2014, when the company announced all of the EU works would cease production. Existing works would no longer be considered canon to the franchise and subsequent reprints would be rebranded under the Star Wars Legends label, with downloadable content for the massively multiplayer online game The Old Republic the only Legends material to still be produced. The Star Wars canon was subsequently restructured to only include the existing six feature films, the animated film The Clone Wars (2008), and its companion animated series. All future projects and creative developments across all types of media would be overseen and coordinated by the Story Group, announced as a division of Lucasfilm created to maintain continuity and a cohesive vision on the storytelling of the franchise. Lucasfilm announced that the change was made "to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience." Multiple comics series from Marvel and novels published by Del Rey were produced after the announcement.

Print media

Star Wars in print predates the release of the first film, with the December 1976 novelization of Star Wars, subtitled "From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker". Credited to Lucas, it was ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster. The first "Expanded Universe" story appeared in Marvel Comics' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues being an adaptation of the film), followed by Foster's sequel novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following month.

Novels

Further information: List of Star Wars books

Timothy Zahn authored the Thrawn trilogy, which was widely credited with revitalizing the dormant Star Wars franchise.

After penning the novelization of the original film, Foster followed it with the sequel Splinter of the Mind's Eye (1978). The novelizations of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) by Donald F. Glut and Return of the Jedi (1983) by James Kahn followed, as well as The Han Solo Adventures trilogy (1979–1980) by Brian Daley, and The Adventures of Lando Calrissian (1983) trilogy by L. Neil Smith.

Timothy Zahn's bestselling Thrawn trilogy (1991–1993) reignited interest in the franchise and introduced the popular characters Grand Admiral Thrawn, Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, and Gilad Pellaeon. The first novel, Heir to the Empire, reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and the series finds Luke, Leia, and Han facing off against tactical genius Thrawn, who is plotting to retake the galaxy for the Empire. In The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave Wolverton, set immediately before the Thrawn trilogy, Leia considers an advantageous political marriage to Prince Isolder of the planet Hapes, but she and Han ultimately marry. Steve Perry's Shadows of the Empire (1996), set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, was part of a multimedia campaign that included a comic book series and video game. The novel introduced the crime lord Prince Xizor, another popular character who would appear in multiple other works. Other notable series from Bantam include the Jedi Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson, the 14-book Young Jedi Knights series (1995–1998) by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta, and the X-wing series (1996–2012) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston.

Del Rey took over Star Wars book publishing in 1999, releasing what would become a 19-installment novel series called The New Jedi Order (1999–2003). Written by multiple authors, the series was set 25 to 30 years after the original films and introduced the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy. The bestselling multi-author series Legacy of the Force (2006–2008) chronicles the crossover of Han and Leia's son Jacen Solo to the dark side of the Force; among his evil deeds, he kills Luke's wife Mara Jade as a sacrifice to join the Sith. Although no longer canon, the story is paralleled in The Force Awakens with Han and Leia's son Ben Solo, who has become the dark Kylo Ren.

Three series set in the prequel era were introduced for younger audiences: the 18-book Jedi Apprentice (1999–2002) chronicles the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn in the years before The Phantom Menace; the 11-book Jedi Quest (2001–2004) follows Obi-Wan and his own apprentice, Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones; and the 10-book The Last of the Jedi (2005–2008), set almost immediately after Revenge of the Sith, features Obi-Wan and the last few surviving Jedi. Maul: Lockdown by Joe Schreiber, released in January 2014, was the last Star Wars novel published before Lucasfilm announced the creation of the Star Wars Legends brand.

Although Thrawn had been designated a Legends character in 2014, he was reintroduced into the canon in the 2016 third season of Rebels, with Zahn returning to write more novels based in the character, and set in the new canon.

Comics

Main articles: Star Wars comics and List of Star Wars comic books

Marvel Comics published a Star Wars comic book series from 1977 to 1986. Original Star Wars comics were serialized in the Marvel magazine Pizzazz between 1977 and 1979. The 1977 installments were the first original Star Wars stories not directly adapted from the films to appear in print form, as they preceded those of the Star Wars comic series. From 1985–1987, the animated children's series Ewoks and Droids inspired comic series from Marvel's Star Comics line.

In the late 1980s, Marvel dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development, which was picked up by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series (1991–1995). Dark Horse subsequently launched dozens of series set after the original film trilogy, including Tales of the Jedi (1993–1998), X-wing Rogue Squadron (1995–1998), Star Wars: Republic (1998–2006), Star Wars Tales (1999–2005), Star Wars: Empire (2002–2006), and Knights of the Old Republic (2006–2010).

After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, it was announced in January 2014 that in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics, whose parent company, Marvel Entertainment, Disney had purchased in 2009. Launched in 2015, the first three publications were titled Star Wars, Darth Vader, and the limited series Princess Leia.

Audio dramas

Further information: Star Wars (radio)

Radio adaptations of the films were also produced. Lucas, a fan of the NPR-affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater the University of Southern California, licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC-FM for US$1. The production used John Williams' original film score, along with Ben Burtt's sound effects.

The first was written by science fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden. It was broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981, adapting the original 1977 film into 13-episodes. Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles.

The overwhelming success, led to a 10-episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1983. Billy Dee Williams joined the other two stars, reprising his role as Lando Calrissian.

In 1983, Buena Vista Records released an original, 30-minute Star Wars audio drama titled Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell, written by Daley. In the 1990s, Time Warner Audio Publishing adapted several Star Wars series from Dark Horse Comics into audio dramas: the three-part Dark Empire saga, Tales of the Jedi, Dark Lords of the Sith, the Dark Forces trilogy, and Crimson Empire (1998). Return of the Jedi was adapted into 6-episodes in 1996, featuring Daniels.

Video games

Further information: Star Wars video games and List of Star Wars video games

The first officially licensed Star Wars electronic game was Kenner's 1979 table-top Star Wars Electronic Battle Command. In 1982, Parker Brothers published the first Star Wars video game for the Atari 2600, The Empire Strikes Back. It was followed in 1983 by Atari's rail shooter arcade game Star Wars, which used vector graphics and was based on the Death Star trench run scene from the 1977 film. The next game, Return of the Jedi (1984), used more traditional raster graphics, with the following game The Empire Strikes Back (1985) returning to vector graphics.

Star Wars was released for Nintendo in 1991, followed by a sequel the next year. Super Star Wars was also released in 1992, followed by two sequels over the next two years.

Lucasfilm had started its own video game company in 1982, becomong known for adventure games and World War II flight combat games. In 1993, LucasArts released Star Wars: X-Wing, the first self-published Star Wars video game and the first space flight simulation based on the franchise. It was one of the best-selling games of 1993, and established its own series of games. The Rogue Squadron series released between 1998 and 2003 also focused on space battles set during the films.

Dark Forces (1995), a hybrid adventure game incorporating puzzles and strategy, was the first Star Wars first-person shooter. It featured gameplay and graphical features not then common in other games, made possible by LucasArts' custom-designed game engine, the Jedi. The game was well received, and followed by four sequels. The series introduced Kyle Katarn, who would appear in multiple games, novels, and comics. Katarn is a former stormtrooper who joins the rebellion and becomes a Jedi, a plot arc similar to that of Finn in The Force Awakens.

A massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Star Wars Galaxies, was in operation from 2003 until 2011. Disney partnered with Lenovo to create the augmented reality game Jedi Challenges, released in November 2017. In August 2018, it was announced that Zynga would publish free-to-play Star Wars mobile games.

Merchandising

Main articles: Kenner Star Wars action figures, List of Kenner Star Wars action figures, Star Wars: The Vintage Collection, Lego Star Wars, List of Lego Star Wars sets, Star Wars trading card, and Star Wars role-playing games

The success of the Star Wars films led the franchise to become one of the most merchandised franchises in the world. While filming the original 1977 film, George Lucas decided to take a $500,000 pay cut to his salary as director in exchange for full ownership of the franchise's merchandising rights. The first six films produced approximately US$20 billion in merchandising revenue.

Kenner made the first Star Wars action figures to coincide with the release of the film, and today the original figures are highly valuable. Since the 1990s, Hasbro holds the rights to create action figures based on the saga. Pez dispensers have been produced. Star Wars was the first intellectual property to be licensed in Lego history, which has produced a Star Wars Lego theme. Lego has produced animated parody short films and comedy mini-series to promote their sets. The Lego Star Wars video games are critically acclaimed best sellers.

In 1977 the board game Star Wars: Escape from the Death Star was released, not to be confused with the board game with the same name published in 1990. A Star Wars Monopoly and themed versions of Trivial Pursuit and Battleship were released in 1997, with updated versions released in subsequent years. The board game Risk has been adapted in two editions by Hasbro: The Clone Wars Edition (2005) and the Original Trilogy Edition (2006). Three Star Wars tabletop role-playing games have been developed: a version by West End Games in the 1980s and 1990s, one by Wizards of the Coast in the 2000s, and one by Fantasy Flight Games in the 2010s.

Star Wars trading cards have been published since the first "blue" series, by Topps, in 1977. Dozens of series have been produced, with Topps being the licensed creator in the United States. Some of the card series are of film stills, while others are original art. Many of the cards have become highly collectible with some very rare "promos", such as the 1993 Galaxy Series II "floating Yoda" P3 card often commanding US$1,000 or more. While most "base" or "common card" sets are plentiful, many "insert" or "chase cards" are very rare. From 1995 until 2001, Decipher, Inc. had the license for, created and produced a collectible card game based on Star Wars; the Star Wars Collectible Card Game (also known as SWCCG).

Multimedia projects

Shadows of the Empire (1996) was a multimedia project set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi that included a novel by Steve Perry, a comic book series, a video game, and action figures. The Force Unleashed (2008–2010) was a similar project set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope that included a novel, a 2008 video game and its 2010 sequel, a graphic novel, a role-playing game supplement, and toys.

Theme park attractions

Main article: List of Star Wars theme parks attractions

In addition to the Disneyland ride Star Tours (1987) and its renovation as Star Tours – The Adventures Continue (2011), many live attractions have been held at Disney parks, including the traveling exhibition Where Science Meets Imagination, the Space Mountain spin-off Hyperspace Mountain, a walkthrough Launch Bay, and the nighttime A Galactic Spectacular. An immersive themed area called Galaxy's Edge is planned for Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 2019, and a themed hotel will open at Walt Disney World in mid-2019.

Title	Park(s)	Opening date	Closing date	Status
Live attractions

Title	Park(s)	Opening date	Closing date
Star Tours	Disneyland	January 9, 1987 (1987-01-09)	July 27, 2010 (2010-07-27)
	Tokyo Disneyland	July 12, 1989 (1989-07-12)	April 2, 2012 (2012-04-02)
	Disney's Hollywood Studios	December 15, 1989 (1989-12-15)	September 7, 2010 (2010-09-07)
	Disneyland Paris	April 12, 1992 (1992-04-12)	March 16, 2016 (2016-03-16)
Star Wars Weekends	Disney's Hollywood Studios	1997 (1997)	November 2015 (2015)
Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination	Multiple locations	October 19, 2005 (2005-10-19)	March 23, 2014 (2014-03-23)
Jedi Training Academy	Disneyland	July 1, 2006 (2006-19-01)	November 15, 2015 (2015-11-15)
	Disney's Hollywood Studios	October 9, 2007 (2007-10-09)	October 5, 2015 (2015-10-05)
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue	Disney's Hollywood Studios	May 20, 2011 (2011-05-20)	N/A (operating)
	Disneyland	June 3, 2011 (2011-06-03)
	Tokyo Disneyland	May 7, 2013 (2013-05-07)
	Disneyland Paris	March 26, 2017 (2017-03-26)
Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain	Disneyland	November 14, 2015 (2015-11-14)	May 31, 2017 (2017-05-31)
	Hong Kong Disneyland	June 11, 2016 (2016-06-11)	N/A (operating)
	Disneyland Paris	May 7, 2017 (2017-05-07)
Star Wars Launch Bay	Disneyland	November 16, 2015 (2015-11-16)
	Disney's Hollywood Studios	December 4, 2015 (2015-12-04)
	Shanghai Disneyland	June 16, 2016 (2016-06-16)
Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple	Disney's Hollywood Studios	December 1, 2015 (2015-12-01)
	Disneyland	December 8, 2015 (2015-12-08)
	Disneyland Paris	July 11, 2015 (2015-07-11)
	Hong Kong Disneyland	June 25, 2016 (2016-06-25)
Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular	Disney's Hollywood Studios	June 17, 2016 (2016-06-17)
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser	Disney's Hollywood Studios	March 1, 2022 (2022-03-01)	September 30, 2023 (2023-09-30)
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge	Disneyland	May 31, 2019 (2019-05-31)	N/A (operating)
	Disney's Hollywood Studios	August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)
Star Wars: Millennium Falcon - Smugglers Run	Disneyland	May 31, 2019 (2019-05-31)
	Disney's Hollywood Studios	August 29, 2019 (2019-08-29)
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance	Disney's Hollywood Studios	December 5, 2019 (2019-12-05)
	Disneyland	January 17, 2020 (2020-01-17)

Themes

See also: Star Wars sources and analogues

Aside from its well-known science fictional technology, Star Wars features elements such as knighthood, chivalry, and princesses that are related to archetypes of the fantasy genre. The Star Wars world, unlike science fiction that features sleek and futuristic settings, is portrayed as dirty and grimy. Lucas' vision of a "used future" was further popularized in the science fiction films Alien, which was set on an aged space freighter; Mad Max 2, which is set in a post-apocalyptic desert; and Blade Runner, which is set in a crumbling, dystopian city of the future. Lucas made a conscious effort to parallel scenes and dialogue between films, and especially the journey of Anakin Skywalker in the prequels with that of his son Luke.

Comparisons with historical events

Political science has been an important element of Star Wars since the franchise launched in 1977, focusing on a struggle between democracy and dictatorship. McQuarrie's designs for Darth Vader, initially inspired by Samurai armor, also incorporated a German military helmet. Space battles in A New Hope were based on World War I and World War II dogfights and stormtroopers share a name with Nazi stormtroopers. Imperial officer uniforms resemble German uniforms of World War II and the political and security officers resemble the black-clad SS down to the stylized silver death's head on their caps. World War II terms were used for names in the films; e.g. the planets Kessel (a term that refers to a group of encircled forces) and Hoth (Hermann Hoth was a German general who served on the snow-laden Eastern Front).

Palpatine being a chancellor before becoming the Emperor in the prequel trilogy alludes to Adolf Hitler's role as chancellor before appointing himself Führer. Lucas has also drawn parallels to historical dictators such as Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte. The Great Jedi Purge mirrors the events of the Great Purge, the Cultural Revolution, and the Night of the Long Knives. The climax of Revenge of the Sith is modeled after the fall of the democratic Roman Republic and the formation of an empire.

On the inspiration for the First Order formed "from the ashes of the Empire", The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams spoke of conversations the writers had about how the Nazis could have escaped to Argentina after WWII and "started working together again."

Cultural impact

Main article: Cultural impact of Star Wars

The lightsaber and the blaster have become an iconic part of the franchise and have appeared throughout popular culture.

The Star Wars saga has had a significant impact on popular culture, with references to its fictional universe deeply embedded in everyday life. Phrases like "evil empire" and "May the Force be with you" have become part of the popular lexicon. The first Star Wars film in 1977 was a cultural unifier, enjoyed by a wide spectrum of people. The film can be said to have helped launch the science fiction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, making science fiction films a blockbuster genre and mainstream. The widespread impact made it a prime target for parody works and homages, with popular examples including Hardware Wars, Spaceballs, The Family Guy Trilogy, Robot Chicken: Star Wars, and its sequels Star Wars – Episode II and Star Wars – Episode III.

In 1989, the Library of Congress selected the original Star Wars film for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The Empire Strikes Back, was selected in 2010. 35mm reels of the 1997 Special Editions were the versions presented for preservation because of the difficulty of transferring from the original prints.

Industry

The original Star Wars film was a huge success for 20th Century Fox, and was credited for reinvigorating the company. Within three weeks of the film's release, the studio's stock price doubled to a record high. Prior to 1977, 20th Century Fox's greatest annual profits were $37 million, while in 1977, the company broke that record by posting a profit of $79 million. The franchise helped Fox to change from an almost bankrupt production company to a thriving media conglomerate.

Star Wars fundamentally changed the aesthetics and narratives of Hollywood films, switching the focus of Hollywood-made films from deep, meaningful stories based on dramatic conflict, themes and irony to sprawling special-effects-laden blockbusters, as well as changing the Hollywood film industry in fundamental ways. Before Star Wars, special effects in films had not appreciably advanced since the 1950s. The commercial success of Star Wars created a boom in state-of-the-art special effects in the late 1970s. Along with Jaws, Star Wars started the tradition of the summer blockbuster film in the entertainment industry, where films open on many screens at the same time and profitable franchises are important. It created the model for the major film trilogy and showed that merchandising rights on a film could generate more money than the film itself did.

Fan works

Main article: Star Wars fan films

The Star Wars saga has inspired many fans to create their own non-canon material set in the Star Wars galaxy. In recent years, this has ranged from writing fan fiction to creating fan films. In 2002, Lucasfilm sponsored the first annual Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards, officially recognizing filmmakers and the genre. Because of concerns over potential copyright and trademark issues, however, the contest was initially open only to parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries. Fan fiction films set in the Star Wars universe were originally ineligible, but in 2007, Lucasfilm changed the submission standards to allow in-universe fiction entries. Lucasfilm has allowed but not endorsed the creation of fan fiction, as long as it does not attempt to make a profit.

Academia

As the characters and the storyline of the original trilogy are so well known, educators have used the films in the classroom as a learning resource. For example, a project in Western Australia honed elementary school students storytelling skills by role-playing action scenes from the movies and later creating props and audio/visual scenery to enhance their performance. Others have used the films to encourage second-level students to integrate technology in the science classroom by making prototype lightsabers. Similarly, psychiatrists in New Zealand and the US have advocated their use in the university classroom to explain different types of psychopathology.

See also

• Architecture of Star Wars
• Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
• Jedi census phenomenon
• Jediism
• List of Star Wars creatures
• Physics and Star Wars
• Star Wars Day
• Music of Star Wars
• Star Wars documentaries
• The Story of Star Wars
• Technology in Star Wars
• List of space science fiction franchises

Bibliography

• Arnold, Alan (1980). Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the Making of The Empire Strikes Back. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-29075-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Bouzereau, Laurent (1997). The Annotated Screenplays. Del Rey. ISBN 978-0-345-40981-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Kaminski, Michael (2007). The Secret History of Star Wars. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• ——— (2008) [2007]. The Secret History of Star Wars (3.0 ed.). Legacy Books Press. ISBN 978-0-9784652-3-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Rinzler, Jonathan W (2005). The Making of Star Wars, Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Del Rey. ISBN 978-0-345-43139-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• ——— (2007). The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film (Star Wars). Del Rey. ISBN 978-0-345-49476-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

Further reading

• Decker, Kevin S. (March 10, 2005). Star Wars and Philosophy. Open Court. ISBN 978-0-8126-9583-0.
• Campbell, Joseph (June 1, 1991). The Power of Myth. Anchor. ISBN 978-0-385-41886-7.
• Henderson, Mary (November 3, 1997). Star Wars: The Magic of Myth. Bantam. ISBN 978-0-553-10206-2.
• Larsen, Stephen (April 1, 2002). Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind. Inner Traditions. ISBN 978-0-89281-873-0.
• Cavlelos, Jeanne (May 1999). The Science of Star Wars. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-20958-2.
• Lucasfilms (November 13, 2012). Nancy Reagin, Janice Liedl (ed.). Star Wars and History. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-111-82852-51.
• National Geographic Society (October 2005). Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. National Geographic & Boston Museum of Science. ISBN 978-0-7922-4183-6.

External links

• Official website
• Facebook page
• Official YouTube channel