STAR WARS

Star Wars is an epic Epic filmAn epic is a genre of film which places emphasis on human drama on a grand scale. They are more ambitious in scope than other genres which helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film... space opera Space operaSpace opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing powerful technologies and abilities... franchise Media franchiseA media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements... initially conceived by George Lucas George Lucas George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, director and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd. He is best known for being the creator of the epic sci-fi franchise Star Wars and joint creator of the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones... . The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox, is one of the six major American film studios... , and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy's final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released, again released at three-year intervals, with the final film released on May 19, 2005.

As of 2008, the overall box office Box office A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall, or at a wicket... revenue generated by the six Star Wars films has totalled approximately $4.3 billion, making it the third-highest-grossing film series, behind only the James Bond  James Bond (film series)''The James Bond film series are British spy films inspired by Ian Fleming's novels about the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The franchise remains as one of the longest continually running film series in history, having been in ongoing production from 1962 to 2009 with a six-year hiatus between... and Harry Potter Harry Potter (film series)'The Harry Potter fantasy film series is based on the seven Harry Potter novels by British writer J. K. Rowling, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson....' films.

The Star Wars film series has spawned other media including books, television series, video games Star Wars computer and video gamesStar Wars has spawned over one hundred computer and video games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on movie material, with the remaining games heavily involved in the Expanded Universe.-Early history:... , and comic books. Discussion

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Star Wars is an epic Epic filmAn epic is a genre of film which places emphasis on human drama on a grand scale. They are more ambitious in scope than other genres which helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film... space opera Space operaSpace opera is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing powerful technologies and abilities... franchise Media franchiseA media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements... initially conceived by George Lucas George Lucas George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, director and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd. He is best known for being the creator of the epic sci-fi franchise Star Wars and joint creator of the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones... . The first film in the franchise was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox 20th Century Fox Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox, is one of the six major American film studios... , and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy's final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released, again released at three-year intervals, with the final film released on May 19, 2005.

As of 2008, the overall box office Box office A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to a venue. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall, or at a wicket... revenue generated by the six Star Wars films has totalled approximately $4.3 billion, making it the third-highest-grossing film series, behind only the ''James Bond 'James Bond (film series)'The James Bond film series are British spy films inspired by Ian Fleming's novels about the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The franchise remains as one of the longest continually running film series in history, having been in ongoing production from 1962 to 2009 with a six-year hiatus between... and Harry Potter 'Harry Potter (film series)'The Harry Potter fantasy film series is based on the seven Harry Potter novels by British writer J. K. Rowling, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson....' films.

The Star Wars film series has spawned other media including books, television series, video games Star Wars computer and video gamesStar Wars has spawned over one hundred computer and video games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on movie material, with the remaining games heavily involved in the Expanded Universe.-Early history:... , and comic books. These supplements to the film trilogies comprise the Star Wars Expanded Universe Star Wars Expanded UniverseThe Star Wars Expanded Universe encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, spin-off films, television series, toys, and other... , and have resulted in significant development of the series' fictional universe Fictional universe A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements which differ from the real world. It may be called, variously, a fictional realm, world or universe... . These media kept the franchise going in the interim between the film trilogies. In 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film) ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a CGI animated science fiction film that follows the continuing adventures within the Star Wars saga. It is set between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith... was released to theaters as the first ever worldwide theatrical Star Wars'' film outside of the main trilogies. It was the franchise's first animated film, and was intended as an introduction to the Expanded Universe series of the same name Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series) Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and CGCG Inc. The series debuted on the US-version of Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008. It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, during the same time period...'' , a 3D CGI animated series based on a 2003 animated 2D series, also of the same name Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 TV series) Star Wars: Clone Wars is an American animated television miniseries set in the Star Wars galaxy. The series chronicles the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic under Chancellor Palpatine, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems under Count Dooku.Chronologically, the series takes place... .

Setting
The events depicted in Star Wars media take place in a fictional galaxy Star Wars galaxy The Star Wars galaxy is the fictional setting for the Star Wars franchise. It is referred to in several official publications as the galaxy or the Known Galaxy... . Many species of alien creatures (often humanoid HumanoidA humanoid is a hybrid term from Latin humanus "human" and the Greek -oeides expressing likeness. The term was coined in the year of 1918 to refer to fossils considered close to human but not strictly human, including species now classified as Homo such as the Neanderthals.The term more generally... ) are depicted. Robot Robot A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an electro-mechanical machine which is guided by computer or electronic programming, and is thus able to do tasks on its own... ic droid DroidDroids are robots seen in Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Ben 10 and is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd.Prominent examples of droids in Star Wars include R2-D2 and C-3PO. R2-D2 is an astromech droid, a class of droid used aboard spaceships for repairs and navigational computing... s are also commonplace and are generally built to serve their owners. Space travel is common, and many planets in the galaxy are members of a Galactic Republic, later reorganized as the Galactic Empire Galactic Empire (Star Wars) The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in A New Hope... .

One of the prominent elements of Star Wars is the "Force Force (Star Wars) The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional Star Wars universe, created by George Lucas. First mentioned in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, it is integral in all subsequent films in the series, as well as the Star Wars "Expanded Universe" of comic books, novels, and... ", which is an omnipresent Omnipresence"Omnipresence" is the property of being present everywhere. According to eastern theism, God is present everywhere. Divine omnipresence is thus one of the divine attributes, although in western theism it has attracted less philosophical attention than such attributes as omnipotence, omniscience, or... form of energy which can be harnessed by those with that ability. It is described in the first produced film as "an energy field created by all living things [that] surrounds us, penetrates us, [and] binds the galaxy together." The Force allows users to perform a variety of supernatural SupernaturalThe term supernatural or supranatural pertains to an order of existence beyond the scientifically visible universe. Religious miracles are typically supernatural claims, as are spells and curses, divination, the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead, and innumerable others... feats (such as telekinesis, clairvoyance Clairvoyance The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the alleged ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception..., precognition Precognition Precognition , also called Future Sight, refers to perception that involves the acquisition of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information... , and mind control Mind controlMind control refers to a broad range of psychological tactics thought to subvert an individual's control of his or her own thinking, behavior, emotions, or decision making... ) and also can amplify certain physical traits, such as speed and reflexes; these abilities can vary from user to user and can be improved through training. While the Force can be used for good, it has a dark side Dark side (Star Wars)The dark side of the Force is a prominent moral, philosophical, and psychic concept in the Star Wars universe. It is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and appears in all subsequent Star Wars fiction... that, when pursued, imbues users with hatred, aggression, and malevolence. The six films feature the Jedi Jedi The Jedi are fictional characters in the Star Wars universe, and the series' main protagonists.-Star Wars films:The Jedi are first introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as an order of warriors who serve as "the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy" and embrace the mystical Force... , who use the Force for good, and the Sith SithThe Sith are a group of characters in the fictional Star Wars universe. They are the central antagonists of the franchise. Characterized by their single-minded pursuit of power and disdain for sentient life, they are an alliance of warrior priests who use the dark side of the Force and serve as... , who use the dark side for evil in an attempt to take over the galaxy. In the Expanded Universe Expanded UniverseThe term Expanded Universe is generally used to denote the 'extension' of a media franchise with other media... many dark side users are Dark Jedi Dark JediDark Jedi is the name given in the Star Wars universe to fictional characters attuned to the Force and adept in its dark side. They exist by that name only in the Expanded Universe, including video games such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Jedi Knight series; the term is never... rather than Sith, mainly because of the Rule of Two (see Sith Origin).

Feature films
The film series began with the film Star Wars Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released simply as Star Wars, is an American 1977 space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films continue the story, while a prequel trilogy contributes... '', released on May 25, 1977. This was followed by two sequels; The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back ''Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan... , released on May 21, 1980, and Return of the Jedi Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth and final in terms of internal chronology... '', released on May 25, 1983. The opening crawl Star Wars opening crawlEach film in the Star Wars series opens with a crawl of text which provides an explanation of the backstory and context of the film...'' of the sequels disclosed that they were numbered as "Episode V" and "Episode VI" respectively, though the films were generally advertised solely under their subtitles. Though the first film in the series was simply titled Star Wars, it later had the subtitle SubtitleA subtitle can refer to:* Subtitle, an explanatory or alternate title of a book, play, film, musical work, etc., in addition to its main title... Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequel SequelA sequel is a work in literature, film, or other media that chronologically portrays events following those of a previous work.In many cases, the sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings. A sequel can lead to a series, in which key elements appear... s and prequels.

In 1997, to correspond with the twentieth anniversary of the release of Star Wars, Lucas released "Special Editions" of the three films to theaters. The re-releases featured alterations to the original films, primarily motivated by the improvement of CGI Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media... and other special effect Special effectThe illusions used in the film, television, theater, or entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects .... s technologies, which allowed visuals that were not possible to achieve at the time of the original filmmaking. Lucas continued to make changes to the original trilogy for subsequent releases, such as the first ever DVD DVD DVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage... release of the trilogy on September 21, 2004.

More than two decades after the release of the original film, the film series continued with the long-awaited prequel trilogy; consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace ''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It was the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the first in terms of internal chronology. It was also Lucas' first film as a director in 22 years, and only his fourth overall... , released on May 19, 1999, Episode II: Attack of the Clones 'Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones'Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of internal chronology....' , released on May 16, 2002, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology. It completes the entire Star Wars story.The film takes place three years after... , released on May 19, 2005.

Plot overview
The prequel trilogy follows the upbringing of Anakin Skywalker Anakin Skywalker Anakin Skywalker is a central character in the Star Wars saga. He is the main protagonist of the prequel trilogy, which follows his rise as a vessel of The Force, his fall to the dark side, and his ultimate redemption. In the prequel films, Anakin is a Jedi Padawan, and later a Jedi Knight of... , who is discovered by the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn Qui-Gon Jinn Qui-Gon Jim is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, and the main protagonist of the 1999 film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, portrayed by Liam Neeson. He also appears in the Star Wars Expanded Universe of comic books, video games, and novels... . He is believed to be the "Chosen One" foretold by Jedi prophecy ProphecyA prophecy is the message that has been communicated to a prophet which the prophet then communicates to others. In general, this message can involve divine inspiration, revelation, or interpretation. More specifically, it may be a professed psychic prediction. Confusion often exists between the... to bring balance to the Force. The Jedi Council Jedi CouncilThe Jedi High Council is a fictional institution from the Star Wars film series. The Jedi Council are the strongest members of the Jedi Order, and are elected to lead the Jedi.-History:... , led by Yoda Yoda Yoda is a character in the Star Wars fictional universe, appearing in the three prequel trilogy films as well as the second and third original films. Yoda dies in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, when he is around 800 years old. He is widely considered to be the greatest Jedi of all time... , sense that his future is clouded with fear, but reluctantly allows Qui-Gon's apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is one of several protagonists in the Star Wars series and the main protagonist of the second two films of the prequel trilogy. Along with Anakin Skywalker, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he is one of the few major characters to appear... to train Anakin after Qui-Gon is killed by the Sith Lord Darth Maul Darth Maul Darth Maul is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe and a main villain in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. He was portrayed by Ray Park and voiced by Peter Serafinowicz... . At the same time, the planet Naboo NabooNaboo is a fictitious planet in the fictional Star Wars universe with a mostly green terrain and which is the homeworld of two societies: the Gungans who dwell in underwater cities and the humans who live in colonies on the surface... is under attack, and its ruler, Queen Padmé Amidala Padmé Amidala Padmé Naberrie, better known as Padmé Amidala, is a fictional character in George Lucas's space opera saga Star Wars. She first appeared on film in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace as the young queen of the planet Naboo. In subsequent prequel trilogy films, Padmé represents Naboo in the... , seeks the assistance of the Jedi to repel the attack. The Sith Lord Darth Sidious secretly planned the attack to give his alias, Senator Palpatine Palpatine Palpatine is a fictional character in George Lucas' science fiction saga Star Wars. Palpatine, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films, is the main antagonist of the saga. He first appears in the original trilogy as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire... , a pretense to overthrow the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. The remainder of the prequel trilogy chronicles Anakin's fall to the dark side, as Sidious attempts to create an army to defeat the Jedi and lure Anakin to be his apprentice. Anakin and Padmé fall in love and secretly wed, and eventually Padme becomes pregnant. Anakin soon succumbs to his anger, becoming the Sith Lord Darth Vader Darth Vader Darth Vader is the central antagonist in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy and his final prequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In the original Star Wars trilogy, Vader is embodied by David Prowse, though Sebastian Shaw makes a brief cameo as the unmasked Vader. In Star Wars... . While Sidious re-organizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire, Vader participates in the extermination of the Jedi Order, culminating in a lightsaber LightsaberThe lightsaber is a science fiction weapon with a key role in the Star Wars movies and in the novels, games and other forms of media that constitute the Expanded Universe. The lightsaber is a sword with a column of brightly colored energy in the place of a metal blade... battle between him and Obi-Wan. After defeating his former apprentice, Obi-Wan leaves Vader for dead. However, Sidious arrives shortly after to save him and put him into a suit of black armor that keeps him alive. At the same time, Padmé dies while giving birth to twins. The twins are hidden from Vader and are not told who their true parents are.

The original trilogy begins 19 years later as Vader nears completion of the massive Death Star Death Star The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. In the films, the first Death Star is featured in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and a second Death Star is under construction in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the... space station which will allow him and Sidious, now the Emperor, to crush the rebellion Rebel Alliance The Alliance to Restore the Republic is a interstellar faction of the fictional universe of Star Wars.... which has formed against the evil empire. He captures Princess Leia Organa Princess Leia Organa Princess Leia Organa Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. She is portrayed by actress Carrie Fisher in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, and The Star Wars Holiday Special. Aiden Barton appeared as an infant Leia in Revenge of the Sith... who has stolen the plans to the Death Star and hidden them in droid R2-D2 R2-D2 R2-D2, is a fictional droid in the Star Wars universe, an astromech droid... . R2-D2, along with his counterpart C-3PO C-3PO C-3PO is a character from the Star Wars universe, who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Star Wars: Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games... , escape to the planet Tatooine TatooineTatooine is a fictional planet and setting for many key scenes in the Star Wars saga, appearing in every Star Wars film except The Empire Strikes Back. Since it is the home planet of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, it is also one of the most iconic planets in the Star Wars universe.Tatooine... . There, the droids are purchased by Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is the main protagonist of the Star Wars films Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi... , son of Anakin, and his step-uncle and aunt. While Luke is cleaning R2-D2, he accidentally triggers a message put into the robot by Leia, who asks for assistance from Obi-Wan. Luke later assists the droids in finding the Jedi Knight, who is now passing as an old hermit under the alias Ben Kenobi. Obi-Wan tells Luke of his father's greatness, but says that he was killed by Vader. Obi-Wan and Luke hire the Corellian space pilot and smuggler Han Solo Han SoloHan Solo, played by Harrison Ford, is a fictional smuggler and "reckless mercenary" in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Solo and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the evil Galactic Empire... and his Wookiee WookieeWookiees are a race of hirsute bipeds in the fictional Star Wars universe. The most notable Wookiee is Chewbacca, a companion to Han Solo.-Inspiration:... co-pilot Chewbacca Chewbacca Chewbacca, nicknamed Chewie, is a Wookiee character in Star Wars franchise. In the series' narrative chronology, he appears in the films Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the... to take them to the rebels. Obi-Wan begins to teach Luke about the Force, but allows himself to be killed in a showdown with Vader during the rescue of Leia. His sacrifice allows the group to escape with the plans that allow the rebels to destroy the Death Star.

Vader continues to hunt down the rebels, and begins building a second Death Star. Luke travels to find Yoda to become trained as a Jedi, but is interrupted when Vader lures him into a trap by capturing Han and the others. Vader reveals that he is Luke's father and attempts to turn him to the dark side. Luke escapes, and returns to his training with Yoda. He learns that he must face his father before he can become a Jedi, and that Leia is his twin sister. As the rebels attack the second Death Star, Luke confronts Vader under the watch of the Emperor. Instead of convincing Luke to join the dark side, the young Jedi defeats Vader in a lightsaber duel and is able to convince him that there is still some good in him. Vader kills the Emperor before succumbing to his own injuries, and the second Death Star is destroyed, restoring freedom to the galaxy.

Themes
Star Wars features elements such as (Jedi) knights, witches, and princess PrincessPrincess, is the feminine form of prince. Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters.... es that are related to archetypes of the fantasy genre. The Star Wars world, unlike science-fiction and fantasy films that featured sleek and futuristic settings, was portrayed as dirty and grimy. Lucas' vision of a "used universe" was further popularized in the science fiction-horror films Alien 'Alien (film) Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto...' , which was set on a dirty space freighter; Mad Max 2, which is set in a post-apocalyptic desert; and Blade Runner Blade Runner Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick... '', which is set in a crumbling, dirty city of the future. Lucas made a conscious effort to parallel scenes and dialogue between films, and especially to parallel the journeys of Luke Skywalker with that of his father Anakin when making the prequels.''

Technical information
All six films of the Star Wars series were shot in an aspect ratio Aspect ratio (image) The aspect ratio of an image is its width divided by its height.Aspect ratios are mathematically expressed as x :y and x×y. The most common aspect ratios used today in the presentation of films in movie theaters are 1.85:1 and 2.39:1... of 2.35:1. The original trilogy was shot with anamorphic lenses. Episodes IV and V were shot in Panavision Panavision Panavision is a motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk as a small partnership to create anamorphic projection lenses during the widescreen boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product lines to meet... , while Episode VI was shot in Joe Dunton Camera (JDC) scope. Episode I was shot with Hawk anamorphic lenses on Arri Arri The Arri Group has been the largest world wide supplier of high quality motion picture film equipment since 1917. Arri, named after founders August Arnold and Robert Richter, is the largest manufacturer of professional motion picture equipment, film cameras and cinematic lighting equipment in the... flex cameras, and Episodes II and III were shot with Sony's CineAlta CineAltaSony's CineAlta 24P HD Cameras are a series of professional digital video cameras that offer many of the same features of a 35mm motion picture film camera.- Concept :... high-definition digital cameras. Lucas hired Ben Burtt Ben Burtt Benjamin "Ben" Burtt, Jr. is a four-time Academy Award-winning American sound designer for many famous and noteworthy films, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and WALL-E, as well as a film director, screenwriter, editor and voice actor... to oversee the sound effects on A New Hope.

Burtt's accomplishment was such that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures.... presented him with a Special Achievement Award because it had no award at the time for the work he had done. Lucasfilm developed the THX THX THX is a trade name of a high-fidelity sound reproduction standard for movie theaters, screening rooms, home theaters, computer speakers, gaming consoles, and car audio systems. THX stands for Tomlinson Holman's eXperiment and is a throwback to George Lucas's first feature film, THX 1138... sound reproduction standard for Return of the Jedi. The scores for the six Star Wars films Star Wars musicThe music of Star Wars consists of the scores written for all six Star Wars films by composer John Williams from 1977 to 1983 for the Original Trilogy, and 1999 to 2005 for the Prequel Trilogy. More broadly, it refers to any music that is used to depict the larger Star Wars Universe, which would... were composed by John Williams John Williams John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career that spans six decades, Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in Hollywood history, including Star Wars, Superman, Home Alone, the first three Harry Potter movies and all but two of Steven... . Lucas' design for Star Wars involved a grand musical sound, with leitmotif LeitmotifA leitmotif is a recurring musical theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea... s for different characters and important concepts. Williams' Star Wars title theme has become one of the most famous and well-known musical compositions in modern music history.

The technical lightsaber choreography for the original trilogy was developed by Hollywood sword-master Bob Anderson. Anderson trained Mark Hamill and performed all the sword stunts as Darth Vader Darth Vader Darth Vader is the central antagonist in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy and his final prequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In the original Star Wars trilogy, Vader is embodied by David Prowse, though Sebastian Shaw makes a brief cameo as the unmasked Vader. In Star Wars... during the lightsaber duels wearing the Vader costume. Bob Anderson's role in the original Star Wars trilogy was highlighted in the film Reclaiming The Blade Reclaiming the BladeReclaiming the Blade is a documentary on the culture and craft of swords and the Hollywood legends and academic warriors who wield them. Produced by Galatia Films, the film focuses on the topic of swordplay and explores the Medieval and Renaissance blade... where he shares his experiences as the fight choreographer developing the lightsaber techniques for the movies.

Original trilogy
In 1971 1971 in filmThe year 1971 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 8 - Bob Dylan's hour long documentary film, Eat the Document, premieres at New York's Academy of Music... , Universal Studios Universal Studios Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the six major American movie studios. Its main motion picture production/distribution arm is called Universal Pictures. Its production studios are located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California... agreed to make American Graffiti 'American Graffiti'American Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age comedy-drama film co-written/directed by George Lucas, and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...'' and Star Wars in a two-picture contract, although Star Wars'' was later rejected in its early concept stages. American Graffiti was completed in 1973 and, a few months later, Lucas wrote a short summary called "The Journal of the Whills", which told the tale of the training of apprentice C.J. Thorpe as a "Jedi-Bendu" space commando by the legendary Mace Windy. Frustrated that his story was too difficult to understand, Lucas then wrote a 13-page treatment called The Star Wars, which was a loose remake of Akira Kurosawa Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. In a career that spanned 50 years, Kurosawa directed 30 films. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in film history...'' 's ''The Hidden Fortress 'The Hidden Fortress'is a 1958 jidai-geki film directed by Akira Kurosawa and starring Toshirō Mifune as General Rokurota Makabe and Misa Uehara as Princess Yuki. A literal translation of the Japanese title is The Three Villains of the Hidden Fortress.-Synopsis:... ''. By 1974, he had expanded the treatment into a rough draft screenplay, adding elements such as the Sith SithThe Sith are a group of characters in the fictional Star Wars universe. They are the central antagonists of the franchise. Characterized by their single-minded pursuit of power and disdain for sentient life, they are an alliance of warrior priests who use the dark side of the Force and serve as...'' , the Death Star Death Star The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. In the films, the first Death Star is featured in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and a second Death Star is under construction in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the... , and a young boy as the protagonist named Annikin Starkiller Anakin Skywalker Anakin Skywalker is a central character in the Star Wars saga. He is the main protagonist of the prequel trilogy, which follows his rise as a vessel of The Force, his fall to the dark side, and his ultimate redemption. In the prequel films, Anakin is a Jedi Padawan, and later a Jedi Knight of... . For the second draft, Lucas made heavy simplifications, and also introduced the young hero on a farm as Luke Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is the main protagonist of the Star Wars films Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi... . Annikin became Luke's father, a wise Jedi knight Jedi Knight"Jedi Knight" may refer to:*Jedi, Star Wars franchise fictional character*Jedi Knights *Jedi census phenomenonSee also:* Star Wars: Jedi Knight series... . The "Force" was also introduced as a supernatural power. The next draft removed the father character and replaced him with a substitute named Ben Kenobi, and in 1976 a fourth draft had been prepared for principal photography. The film was titled Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars. During production, Lucas changed Luke's name to Skywalker and altered the title to simply The Star Wars and finally Star Wars. At that point, Lucas was not expecting the film to become part of a series. The fourth draft of the script underwent subtle changes that made it more satisfying as a self-contained film, ending with the destruction of the Empire Galactic Empire (Star Wars) The Galactic Empire is one of the main factions in the fictional universe of Star Wars. It is a galaxy-spanning regime established by the series' lead villain, Palpatine, to replace the Galactic Republic in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The Galactic Empire is introduced in A New Hope... itself by way of destroying the Death Star. However, Lucas had previously conceived of the film as the first in a series of adventures. Later, he realised the film would not in fact be the first in the sequence, but a film in the second trilogy in the saga. This is stated explicitly in George Lucas' preface to the 1994 reissue of Splinter of the Mind's Eye 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye Splinter of the Mind's Eye is a science fiction novel; it is a sequel to both Star Wars and its novelization Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker...' :

It wasn't long after I began writing Star Wars that I realized the story was more than a single film could hold. As the saga of the Skywalkers and Jedi Knights unfolded, I began to see it as a tale that could take at least nine films to tell—three trilogies—and I realized, in making my way through the back story and after story, that I was really setting out to write the middle story.

The second draft contained a teaser for a never-made sequel about "The Princess of Ondos," and by the time of the third draft some months later Lucas had negotiated a contract that gave him rights to make two sequels. Not long after, Lucas met with author Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelisations of film scripts... , and hired him to write these two sequels as novels. The intention was that if Star Wars were successful, Lucas could adapt the novels into screenplays. He had also by that point developed a fairly elaborate backstory to aid his writing process.

When Star Wars proved successful, Lucas decided to use the film as the basis for an elaborate serial Serial (film) |}Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials or Film serials, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film that were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction... , although at one point he considered walking away from the series altogether. However, Lucas wanted to create an independent filmmaking center—what would become Skywalker Ranch Skywalker RanchSkywalker Ranch is the name of the workplace of film director and producer George Lucas in secluded but open country near Nicasio, California in Marin County. The ranch is located on Lucas Valley Road, although Lucas is not related to the road's namesake, a turn-of-the-century landowner in the area... —and saw an opportunity to use the series as a financing agent. Alan Dean Foster had already begun writing the first sequel novel, but Lucas decided to abandon his plan to adapt Foster's work; the book was released as Splinter of the Mind's Eye 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye Splinter of the Mind's Eye is a science fiction novel; it is a sequel to both Star Wars and its novelization Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker...' ''the next year. At first Lucas envisioned a series of films with no set number of entries, like the James Bond James Bond James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. The character has also been used in the longest running and most financially successful English language film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr...'' series. In an interview with Rolling Stone Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J. Gleason.The magazine was named after the 1948 Muddy Waters song of the same... ''in August 1977, he said that he wanted his friends to each take a turn at directing the films and giving unique interpretations on the series. He also said that the backstory where Darth Vader turns to the dark side, kills Luke's father and fights Ben Kenobi on a volcano as the Galactic Republic falls would make an excellent sequel.''

Later that year, Lucas hired science fiction author Leigh Brackett Leigh BrackettLeigh Douglass Brackett was an American author, particularly of science fiction. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on famous films such as The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo , The Long Goodbye and The Empire Strikes Back .-Life:Leigh Brackett was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California... to write Star Wars II with him. They held story conferences and by late November 1977, Lucas had produced a handwritten treatment called The Empire Strikes Back. The treatment is very similar to the final film except that Darth Vader does not reveal he is Luke's father. In the first draft that Brackett would write from this, Luke's father appears as a ghost to instruct Luke.

Brackett finished her first draft in early 1978; Lucas has said he was disappointed with it, but before he could discuss it with her, she died from cancer. With no writer available, Lucas had to write his next draft himself. It was this draft in which Lucas first made use of the "Episode" numbering for the films; Empire Strikes Back was listed as Episode II. As Michael Kaminski argues in The Secret History of Star Wars, the disappointment with the first draft probably made Lucas consider different directions in which to take the story. He made use of a new plot twist: Darth Vader claims to be Luke's father. According to Lucas, he found this draft enjoyable to write, as opposed to the year-long struggles writing the first film, and quickly wrote two more drafts, both in April 1978. He also took the script to a darker extreme by having Han Solo Han SoloHan Solo, played by Harrison Ford, is a fictional smuggler and "reckless mercenary" in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Solo and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the evil Galactic Empire... become imprisoned in carbonite CarboniteCarbonite has several meanings:-Explosive:Carbonite was one of the earliest and most successful coal-mining explosives. It is made from such ingredients as nitroglycerin, wood meal, and some nitrate as that of sodium; also nitrobenzene, saltpeter, sulfur, and diatomaceous earth... and left in limbo Limbo In Roman Catholic theology, Limbo is an idea about the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the damned. Limbo is not an official doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church or any other... .

This new story point of Darth Vader being Luke's father had drastic effects on the series. Michael Kaminski argues in his book that it is unlikely that the plot point had ever seriously been considered or even conceived of before 1978, and that the first film was clearly operating under an alternate storyline where Vader was separate from Luke's father; there is not a single reference to this plot point before 1978. After writing the second and third drafts of Empire Strikes Back in which the point was introduced, Lucas reviewed the new backstory he had created: Anakin Skywalker was Ben Kenobi's brilliant student; he had a child called Luke but was swayed to the dark side by Emperor Palpatine Palpatine Palpatine is a fictional character in George Lucas' science fiction saga Star Wars. Palpatine, portrayed by Ian McDiarmid in the feature films, is the main antagonist of the saga. He first appears in the original trilogy as the Emperor of the Galactic Empire... (who became a Sith and not simply a politician). Anakin battled Ben Kenobi on the site of a volcano and was wounded, but then resurrected as Darth Vader. Meanwhile Kenobi hid Luke on Tatooine TatooineTatooine is a fictional planet and setting for many key scenes in the Star Wars saga, appearing in every Star Wars film except The Empire Strikes Back. Since it is the home planet of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, it is also one of the most iconic planets in the Star Wars universe.Tatooine... while the Republic became the Empire and Vader hunted down the Jedi Jedi The Jedi are fictional characters in the Star Wars universe, and the series' main protagonists.-Star Wars films:The Jedi are first introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as an order of warriors who serve as "the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy" and embrace the mystical Force... knights.

With this new backstory in place, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy, changing Empire Strikes Back from Episode II to Episode V in the next draft. Lawrence Kasdan Lawrence KasdanLawrence Kasdan is an American movie producer, director and screenwriter. Raised in Morgantown, West Virginia, where he graduated from Morgantown High School in 1966, he went on to attend the University of Michigan as an education major.-Biography:Kasdan was born in Miami, Florida... , who had just completed writing Raiders of the Lost Ark 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'Raiders of the Lost Ark is a action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford...'' , was then hired to write the next drafts, and was given additional input from director Irvin Kershner Irvin Kershner Irvin "Kersh" Kershner, is an American film director and occasional actor, best known for directing Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Never Say Never Again and RoboCop 2.... . Kasdan, Kershner, and producer Gary Kurtz Gary KurtzGary Kurtz is a two time Academy Award nominated film producer whose list of credits include American Graffiti, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. He later produced The Dark Crystal and Return to Oz after departing from the Star Wars series... saw the film as a more serious and adult film, which was helped by the new, darker storyline, and developed the series from the light adventure roots of the first film.

By the time he began writing Episode VI in 1981 (then titled Revenge of the Jedi), much had changed. Making Empire Strikes Back was stressful and costly, and Lucas' personal life was disintegrating. Burnt out, and not wanting to make any more Star Wars films, he vowed that he was done with the series in a May 1983 interview with Time magazine. Lucas' 1981 rough drafts had Darth Vader competing with the Emperor for possession of Luke—and in the second script, the "revised rough draft," Vader became a sympathetic character. Lawrence Kasdan was hired to take over once again and, in these final drafts, Vader was explicitly redeemed and finally unmasked. This change in character would provide a springboard to the "Tragedy of Darth Vader" storyline that underlies the prequels.

Prequel trilogy
After losing much of his fortune in a divorce settlement in 1987, Lucas had no desire to return to Star Wars, and had unofficially canceled his sequel trilogy by the time of Return of the Jedi. However the prequels, which were quite developed, continued to fascinate him. After Star Wars became popular once again, in the wake of Dark Horse's comic line and Timothy Zahn Timothy ZahnTimothy Zahn is a writer of science fiction short stories and novels. His novella Cascade Point won the 1984 Hugo award. He is known for three Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, called the Thrawn Trilogy, which takes place after Return of the Jedi... 's trilogy of novels, Lucas saw that there was still a large audience. His children had begun to grow older, and with the explosion of CGI Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media... technology he was now considering returning to directing. By 1993 it was announced, in ''Variety 'Variety (magazine)'Variety is a weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the Daily... ''among other sources, that he would be making the prequels. He began outlining the story, now indicating the series would be a tragic one examining Anakin Skywalker's transformation to evil. Lucas also began to change how the prequels would exist relative to the originals; at first they were supposed to be a "filling-in" of history, backstory, existing parallel or tangential to the originals, but now he saw that they could form the beginning of one long story that started with Anakin's childhood and ended with his death. This was the final step towards turning the film series into a "Saga".''

In 1994, Lucas began writing the first screenplay titled Episode I: The Beginning. Following the release of that film, Lucas announced that he would also be directing the next two, and began working on Episode II at that time. The first draft of Episode II was completed just weeks before principal photography, and Lucas hired Jonathan Hales, a writer from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles ''The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is an American television series that ran from 1992 to 1996. The series explores the childhood and youth of the fictional character Indiana Jones... '', to polish it up. Unsure of a title, Lucas had jokingly called the film "Jar Jar's Great Adventure." In writing The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas initially decided that Lando Calrissian Lando Calrissian Lando Calrissian is a character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...'' was a clone and came from a planet of clones which caused the "Clone Wars" mentioned by Kenobi in A New Hope; he later came up with an alternate concept of an army of clone shocktroopers from a remote planet which attacked the Republic and were repelled by the Jedi knights. The basic elements of that backstory became the plot basis for Episode II, with the new wrinkle added that the entire event was personal manipulation of Palpatine's.

Lucas began working on Episode III even before Attack of the Clones was released, offering concept artists that the film would open with a montage of seven Clone War battles. As he reviewed the storyline that summer, however, he says he radically re-organized the plot. Michael Kaminski, in The Secret History of Star Wars, offers evidence that issues in Anakin's fall to the dark side prompted Lucas to make massive story changes, first revising the opening sequence to have Palpatine kidnapped and Dooku killed by Anakin as the first act in the latter's turn towards the dark side. After principal photography was complete in 2003, Lucas made even more massive changes in Anakin's character, re-writing his entire turn to the dark side; he would now turn primarily in a quest to save Padme from death, rather than the previous version in which that reason was one of several, including that he genuinely believed that the Jedi were evil and plotting to take over the Republic. This fundamental re-write was accomplished both through editing the principal footage, and new and revised scenes filmed during pick-ups in 2004.

Lucas often exaggerated the amount of material he wrote for the series; much of it stemmed from the post–1978 period when the series grew into a phenomenon. Michael Kaminski explained that these exaggerations were both a publicity and security measure. Kaminski rationalized that since the series' story radically changed throughout the years, it was always Lucas' intention to change the original story retroactively because audiences would only view the material from his perspective.

Future releases
At a ShoWest National Association of Theatre OwnersThe National Association of Theatre Owners is a trade organization based in the United States whose members are the owners of movie theaters. Most major theater chains are members, as are many independent theatre operators; collectively, they account for the operation of over 26,000 motion... convention in 2005, Lucas demonstrated new technology and stated that he planned to release the six films in a new 3-D film 3-D film In film, the term 3-D is used to describe any visual presentation system that attempts to maintain or recreate moving images of the third dimension, the illusion of depth as seen by the viewer.... format, beginning with A New Hope in 2007. However, by January 2007, Lucasfilm stated on StarWars.com that "there are no definitive plans or dates for releasing the Star Wars saga in 3-D." At Celebration Europe in July 2007, Rick McCallum confirmed that Lucasfilm is "planning to take all six films and turn them into 3-D," but they are "waiting for the companies out there that are developing this technology to bring it down to a cost level that makes it worthwhile for everybody". In July 2008 Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of Dreamworks Animations, let it slip that George Lucas is to redo all six of the movies in 3D.

Lucas has hinted in the past that he will release future, more definitive editions of the six Star Wars films on a next-generation home-video format. There have been discussions that he will take this opportunity to make any final adjustments, changes, additions, and/or subtractions to his films for this final release. An altered clip from The Phantom Menace included in a featurette on the DVD release of Revenge of the Sith features a computer generated Yoda replacing the original puppet; animation director Rob Coleman stated that the clip had been created as test footage of Yoda prior to work on Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm Vice President of Marketing Jim Ward announced that Lucasfilm is likely to do more work on the films, stating "As the technology evolves and we get into a high-definition platform that is easily consumable by our customers, the situation is much better, but there will always be work to be done."

Academy Awards
The six films together were nominated for a total of 22 Academy Awards Academy Awards The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is... , of which they won 7.

Expanded Universe
The term Expanded Universe (EU) is an umbrella term for officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the six feature films. The material expands the stories told in the films, taking place anywhere from 25,000 years before The Phantom Menace to 140 years after Return of the Jedi. The first Expanded Universe story appeared in Marvel Comics Marvel Comics Marvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc.... ' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 (the first six issues of the series having been an adaptation of the film), followed quickly by Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelisations of film scripts... 's novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye Splinter of the Mind's Eye is a science fiction novel; it is a sequel to both Star Wars and its novelization Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker...' the following month.

George Lucas retains artistic control Artistic controlArtistic control or Creative Control is a term commonly used in media production, such as movies, television, and music production. A person with artistic control has the authority to decide how the final product will appear. In movies, this commonly refers to the authority to decide on the final... over the Star Wars universe. For example, the death of central characters and similar changes in the status quo must first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes efforts to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across companies. Elements of the Expanded Universe have been adopted by Lucas for use in the films, such as the name of capital planet Coruscant Coruscant Coruscant is a planet in the fictional Star Wars universe. It first appeared on screen in Return of the Jedi: The Special Edition, but was first mentioned in Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire. An ecumenopolis, it was renamed Imperial Center during the reign of the Galactic Empire and Yuuzhan'tar... , which first appeared in Timothy Zahn Timothy ZahnTimothy Zahn is a writer of science fiction short stories and novels. His novella Cascade Point won the 1984 Hugo award. He is known for three Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, called the Thrawn Trilogy, which takes place after Return of the Jedi... 's novel Heir to the Empire 'Heir to the Empire Heir to the Empire is the first book in a trilogy of novels known as The Thrawn Trilogy, all written by Timothy Zahn.-Description:The book is set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi...' before being used in The Phantom Menace''. A character introduced in Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book publisher.Mike Richardson, the owner of several comic book shops in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, began to publish in 1986 with an anthology series called Dark Horse Presents, investing profits from his stores into Dark...'' ' Star Wars series, a blue Twi'lek Jedi Knight named Aayla Secura, was liked enough by Lucas to be included as a character in Attack of the Clones.

To date, six films and three animated series have been produced for television, with a live-action series and a 3D 3D computer graphics 3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images... CGI Computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media... animated series in pre-production as well as a 3D CGI full-length theatrical movie, The Clone Wars Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film) Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a CGI animated science fiction film that follows the continuing adventures within the Star Wars saga. It is set between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith... , which was released on August 15, 2008. Lucas has played a large role in the production of the television projects, usually serving as storywriter or executive producer. Star Wars has had numerous radio adaptations Star Wars (radio)An expanded radio dramatization of the original Star Wars trilogy was produced in 1981, 1983, and 1996. The first two radio series, based on A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, were produced and broadcast by National Public Radio as part of NPR Playhouse... . A radio adaptation of A New Hope was first broadcast on National Public Radio National Public Radio National Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed into law... in 1981. The adaptation was written by science fiction author Brian Daley Brian DaleyBrian Daley was an American science fiction novelist. He also adapted for radio the Star Wars radio dramas and wrote all of its episodes.-Biography:... and directed by John Madden John Madden (director)John Philip Madden is an English director of theatre, film, television, and radio. He was educated at Clifton College. He was in the same house as friend and fellow director Roger Michell. He began his career in British independent films. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1970 with... . It was followed by adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back in 1983 and Return of the Jedi in 1996. The adaptations included background material created by Lucas but not used in the films. Mark Hamill Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director and writer, Hamill is a best known for his role of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the iconic voice of The Joker in the DC Animated Universe.-Early life and education:Hamill was born and raised in... , Anthony Daniels Anthony DanielsAnthony Daniels is an English actor, best known for his role as the droid C-3PO in the Star Wars series of films made between 1977 and 2005.-Biography:... , and Billy Dee Williams Billy Dee Williams Billy Dee Williams is an American actor, artist, singer and writer, best known for his role as Lando Calrissian in the Star Wars films as well as pitchman for Colt 45 malt liquor.-Early life:... reprised their roles as Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is the main protagonist of the Star Wars films Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi... , C-3PO C-3PO C-3PO is a character from the Star Wars universe, who appears in both the original Star Wars films and the prequel trilogy. He is also a major character in the television show Star Wars: Droids, and appears frequently in the series' "Expanded Universe" of novels, comic books, and video games... , and Lando Calrissian Lando Calrissian Lando Calrissian is a character in the Star Wars universe. He is portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi... , respectively, except in Return of the Jedi in which Luke was played by Joshua Fardon and Lando by Arye Gross Arye Gross-Biography:Gross was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Sheri and Joseph Gross, who was an aerospace engineer and later worked in business.... . The series also used John Williams' original score from the films and Ben Burtt Ben Burtt Benjamin "Ben" Burtt, Jr. is a four-time Academy Award-winning American sound designer for many famous and noteworthy films, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and WALL-E, as well as a film director, screenwriter, editor and voice actor... 's original sound designs.

Other films
In addition to the two trilogies, several authorized films have been produced: '', a 1978 two-hour television special Television specialA television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a special TV telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, as opposed to the...'' , shown only once and never released on video. Notable for the introduction of Boba Fett Boba FettBoba Fett is a character in the Star Wars fictional universe. A bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader to track down the Millennium Falcon, he is the "next major villain" after Vader in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back... . , a 1984 American made-for-TV film Television movieA television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a... - released theatrically overseas. , a 1985 American made-for-TV film - released theatrically overseas. , a 1986 animated television special from the Star Wars: Droids 'Star Wars: Droids'Star Wars: Droids, also known as Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, was an animated television series that featured the exploits of R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droids who have appeared in all six Star Wars films...' TV series. '', a 2008 theatrical release that leads into the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series) Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and CGCG Inc. The series debuted on the US-version of Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008. It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, during the same time period...'' of the same name.
 * The Star Wars Holiday Special 'The Star Wars Holiday Special The Star Wars Holiday Special was a two-hour television special set in the Star Wars galaxy. It was the first official Star Wars spinoff produced. It was directed by Steve Binder. It was broadcast in its entirety in the United States only once, on Friday, November 17, 1978 on CBS-TV from 8:00...'
 * Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure 'Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure The Ewok Adventure was an American made-for-TV film set in the Star Wars galaxy. It was released theatrically in Europe as Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, and is known by that title today...'
 * Ewoks: The Battle for Endor 'Ewoks: The Battle for Endor Ewoks: The Battle for Endor is a made-for-TV movie set in the Star Wars galaxy. A sequel to Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, it focuses on Cindel Towani, the little girl from the first film, who, after being orphaned, joins the Ewoks in protecting their village and defeating the evil...'
 * The Great Heep 'The Great Heep The Great Heep was a 48-minute, animated television special that aired on June 7, 1986. It is part of the Star Wars franchise, and was a follow-up to the Star Wars: Droids series.-Plot:...'
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film) Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a CGI animated science fiction film that follows the continuing adventures within the Star Wars saga. It is set between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith...'

Animated series
Following the success of the movies and merchandising for both the original trilogy and its spin-offs, two cartoons were created for the younger fan base: , also known as Droids, which premiered in September 1985, focused on the travels of R2-D2 and C-3P0 as they shift through various different owners/masters, and vaguely fills in the gaps between the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology. It completes the entire Star Wars story.The film takes place three years after... and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released simply as Star Wars, is an American 1977 space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films continue the story, while a prequel trilogy contributes... . and colloquially as The Ewoks'', was simultaneously released in September 1985 and focused on the adventures of Wicket and various other recognizable Ewok EwokEwoks are a fictional species of teddy-bear-like hunter-gatherers that inhabit the forest moon of Endor. They first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi...'' characters from the original trilogy in the years leading up to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi ''Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth and final in terms of internal chronology... . ''cartoon series created by Genndy Tartakovsky Genndy TartakovskyGennady Borisovich Tartakovsky is an American animator, director, writer and producer.-Biography:Genndy Tartakovsky was born on January 17, 1970, in Moscow, in the then-USSR to Jewish parents. His father, Boris, worked as a dentist for government officials and a Russian hockey team. His mother,...'' that aired on Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (United States) Cartoon Network is a cable television network created by Turner Broadcasting which primarily shows animated programming. The original American channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 with the Bugs Bunny short Rhapsody Rabbit being its first-ever aired program... from 2003 to 2005. ''animated series coming off of the animated movie of the same name Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film) Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a CGI animated science fiction film that follows the continuing adventures within the Star Wars saga. It is set between Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith...'' , that began in October, 2008. , a 2009 official comedy spoof primarily based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series) Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and CGCG Inc. The series debuted on the US-version of Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008. It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, during the same time period... .
 * Star Wars: Droids 'Star Wars: Droids'Star Wars: Droids, also known as Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO, was an animated television series that featured the exploits of R2-D2 and C-3PO, the droids who have appeared in all six Star Wars films...''
 * Star Wars: Ewoks 'Star Wars: Ewoks'Star Wars: Ewoks is an American/Canadian animated television series featuring the Ewok characters introduced in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi....''
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars 'Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 TV series) Star Wars: Clone Wars is an American animated television miniseries set in the Star Wars galaxy. The series chronicles the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic under Chancellor Palpatine, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems under Count Dooku.Chronologically, the series takes place...'
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 TV series) Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an American 3D CGI animated television series created by Lucasfilm Animation, Lucasfilm Animation Singapore and CGCG Inc. The series debuted on the US-version of Cartoon Network on October 3, 2008. It is set in the fictional Star Wars galaxy, during the same time period...'
 * Lego Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 'Lego Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2'Lego Star Wars: The Quest for R2-D2 is an official Star Wars comedy short film directed by Peder Pedersen and produced by M2Film for Lego and Cartoon Network in collaboration with Lucasfilm....''

Literature
Star Wars-based fiction predates the release of the first film, with the 1976 novelization of Star Wars (ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelisations of film scripts... and credited to Lucas). Foster's 1978 novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye 'Splinter of the Mind's Eye Splinter of the Mind's Eye is a science fiction novel; it is a sequel to both Star Wars and its novelization Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker...' '', was the first Expanded Universe work to be released. In addition to filling in the time between the films, this additional content greatly expanded the Star Wars timeline before and after the film series. Star Wars fiction flourished during the time of the original series (1977–1983) but slowed to a trickle afterwards. In 1992, however, Timothy Zahn Timothy ZahnTimothy Zahn is a writer of science fiction short stories and novels. His novella Cascade Point won the 1984 Hugo award. He is known for three Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, called the Thrawn Trilogy, which takes place after Return of the Jedi...'' 's Thrawn Trilogy debuted, sparking a new interest in the Star Wars universe. Since then, several hundred tie-in novels have been published by Bantam Bantam BooksBantam Books is an American publishing house owned by Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine... and Del Rey. A similar resurgence in the Expanded Universe occurred in 1996 with the Steve Perry Steve Perry (author)Steve Perry is an American television writer and science fiction author. He has written books in the Star Wars, Alien and Conan universes, as well as all of the Tom Clancy's Net Force series. However, he is perhaps best known for the Matador series... novel Shadows of the Empire, set between Episodes V and VI, and accompanying video game and comic book series.

LucasBooks radically changed the face of the Star Wars universe with the introduction of the New Jedi Order The New Jedi Order ''The New Jedi Order is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of the galaxy 21-26 years after the events depicted in Return of the Jedi... series, which takes place some 20 years after Return of the Jedi'' and stars a host of new characters alongside series originals. For younger audiences, three series have been introduced. The Jedi Apprentice series follows the adventures of Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi before Episode I. The Jedi Quest series follows the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker after Episode I and before Episode II. The third and currently on-going series is The Last Of the Jedi series which follows the adventure of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the adventures of a surviving Jedi almost immediately after Episode III.''

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics Marvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc.... published Star Wars comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986. A wide variety of creators worked on this series, including Roy Thomas Roy Thomas Roy Thomas is a comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E... , Archie Goodwin Archie Goodwin (comics)Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work... , Howard Chaykin Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin is an American comic book writer and artist famous for his innovative storytelling and sometimes controversial material... , Al Williamson Al Williamson Al Williamson is an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, western, and science-fiction/fantasy... , Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino is an American comic book artist and editor who was a major force in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2000.-Early life and career:... , Gene Day Gene DayHoward Eugene Day was a Canadian comic book artist best known for Marvel Comics' Star Wars licensed series and Master of Kung Fu... , Walt Simonson Walt SimonsonWalter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist. After studying geology at Amherst College, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. His thesis project there was The Star Slammers, which was published as a black and white promotional comic book... , Michael Golden Michael Golden Michael Golden is an American comic-book artist and commercial artist best known for his late-1970s work on Marvel Comics' The Micronauts.... , Chris Claremont Chris ClaremontChris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer... , Whilce Portacio Whilce PortacioWilliam "Whilce" Portacio is a Filipino-American comic book artist. Noted for his work on such titles as The Punisher, X-Factor, and the Uncanny X-Men, Portacio was also one of the founders of Image Comics.-Biography:... , Jo Duffy Jo Duffy Jo Duffy, sometimes credited as Mary Jo Duffy is a comic book editor and writer, known for her work for Marvel Comics in the 1980s, and DC Comics and Image Comics in the 1990s.-Biography:... , and Ron Frenz Ron FrenzRonald Wade Frenz is an American comic book artist known for his work for Marvel Comics. He is well-known for his 1980s work on Amazing Spider-Man, and more recently, for his work on Spider-Girl... . They also published a Star Wars newspaper strip by Russ Manning Russ ManningRussell Manning was an American comic book artist who created the series Magnus, Robot Fighter and illustrated such newspaper comic strips as Tarzan and Star Wars... , Steve Gerber Steve Gerber Stephen Ross "Steve" Gerber was an American comic book writer best known as co-creator of the satiric Marvel Comics character Howard the Duck.... , and Archie Goodwin Archie Goodwin (comics)Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work... , the latter under a pseudonym. In the late 1980s, Marvel announced it would publish a new Star Wars comic by Tom Veitch Tom VeitchTom Veitch is an American writer, best known for his contributions to the Dark Horse line of Star Wars comic book titles, notably Dark Empire and Tales of the Jedi. For DC Comics Veitch wrote Animal Man, along with two Elseworlds series featuring Kamandi and an elder Superman... and Cam Kennedy Cam Kennedy Campbell Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on 2000 AD, especially the flagship titles Judge Dredd and Rogue Trooper.-Biography:... . However, in December 1991, Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book publisher.Mike Richardson, the owner of several comic book shops in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, began to publish in 1986 with an anthology series called Dark Horse Presents, investing profits from his stores into Dark... acquired the Star Wars license and used it to launch a number of ambitious sequels to the original trilogy instead, including the very popular Dark Empire Dark Empire ''Dark Empire is a Star Wars comic book series produced by Dark Horse Comics. It consists of a six issue limited series written and drawn by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy, followed by a second six issue limited series by Veitch and Kennedy and a two-issue limited series written by Veitch and drawn by... ''stories. They have since gone on to publish a large number of original adventures set in the Star Wars universe. There have also been parody comics, including Tag and Bink.''

Games
Since 1982, dozens of video games have been published bearing the Star Wars name, beginning with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Parker Bros. game) ''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is a scrolling shooter video game published by Parker Brothers in 1982 for the Atari 2600 and in 1983 for the Mattel Intellivision. It was the first Star Wars video game.-Gameplay:... ''published for the Atari 2600 Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...'' by Parker Brothers Parker Brothers Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Over nearly 130 years, the company published more than 1800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation and Probe. Parker Brothers is currently a subsidiary of Hasbro.-... . Since then, Star Wars has opened the way to a myriad of space-flight simulation games, first-person shooter games First-person shooterFirst-person shooter is a video game genre which centers the gameplay around gun- and projectile weapon-based combat through the first person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits... , roleplaying games, RTS Real-time strategyReal-time strategy games are a genre of computer wargames which do not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II.... games, and others. Two different official tabletop role-playing game Role-playing game A role-playing game is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines... s have been developed for the Star Wars universe: a version by West End Games Star Wars role-playing game (WEG) The Star Wars Roleplaying Game is a role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe, written and published by West End Games between 1987 and 1999... in the 1980s and 1990s, and one by Wizards of the Coast Star Wars Roleplaying Game (Wizards of the Coast) The Star Wars Roleplaying Game is a d20 System-based roleplaying game set in the Star Wars universe. The game was written by Bill Slavicsek, Andy Collins and JD Wiker and published by Wizards of the Coast in late 2000 and revised in 2002... in the 2000s. The best-selling games so far are the Lego Star Wars 'LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game Lego Star Wars The Video Game is a video game based on the Star Wars themed toy line by the Lego Group, that takes place during the prequel trilogy, with a bonus segment from A New Hope...' and the Battlefront Star Wars: Battlefront (series) The Star Wars: Battlefront series is a series of first-person/third-person shooter video games based on the Star Wars films by George Lucas. The gameplay is very similar to Digital Illusion's/EA's Battlefield series. The series has installments available on the PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PlayStation... ''series, with 12 million and 10 million units respectively. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It was released for the Xbox on July 15, 2003, for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003, and on September 7, 2004 for Mac OS X. The Xbox version is playable on Xbox 360 with its...'' is also an extremely well-known game.

The latest games released are Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga ''Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is a video game based on the Star Wars-themed toy line by the Lego Group. It is a combination of the game Lego Star Wars: The Video Game and its sequel Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy... and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, for the PS3 PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series... , PSP PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on May 11, 2004 at a Sony press conference before E3 2004... , PS2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.... , Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in Canada, the United States, and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside—with the bottom one being a touchscreen... and Wii Wii The is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both... . While The Complete Saga focuses on all six episodes of the series, The Force Unleashed, of the same name of the multimedia project which it is a part of, takes place in the largely unexplored time period between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith ''Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is a 2005 space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the sixth film released in the Star Wars saga and the third in terms of the series' internal chronology. It completes the entire Star Wars story.The film takes place three years after... and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released simply as Star Wars, is an American 1977 space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films continue the story, while a prequel trilogy contributes... ''and casts players as Darth Vader Darth Vader Darth Vader is the central antagonist in George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy and his final prequel, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. In the original Star Wars trilogy, Vader is embodied by David Prowse, though Sebastian Shaw makes a brief cameo as the unmasked Vader. In Star Wars...'' 's "secret apprentice" hunting down the remaining Jedi. The game features a new game engine, and was released on September 16, 2008 in the United States. There are two more titles based around the Clone Wars Clone Wars (Star Wars) The Clone Wars are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in the film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but no details are given , and the wars themselves are not featured until the second and third episodes of... which were released in November 2008 for the Nintendo DS Nintendo DS The is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in 2004 in Canada, the United States, and Japan. The console features a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP, with two LCD screens inside—with the bottom one being a touchscreen... (Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance is an 2008 video game for the Nintendo DS. The game was released on November 11, 2008.- Gameplay :... and Wii Wii The is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both... (Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Lightsaber Duels is a Wii video game based on Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The game was released in November 11, 2008.- Plot :... ).

Star Wars trading cards Star Wars Trading CardsStar Wars Trading Cards are nonsport, collectible trading cards, stickers, wrappers, and caps based on the Star Wars movies and television shows. Both screen stills and original art are featured in the cards and other items. An avid collecting and trading community of these cards and sets exists... have been published since the first 'blue' series, by Topps Topps The Topps Company, Inc. manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York City, it is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards, and other sports-related trading cards.... , in 1977. Dozens of series have been produced, with Topps Topps The Topps Company, Inc. manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York City, it is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards, and other sports-related trading cards.... 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$1000 or more. While most 'base' or 'common card' sets are plentiful, many 'insert' or 'chase cards' are very rare.

The board game Risk Risk (game) Risk is a commercial strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers. It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957, as La Conquête du Monde, in France.... has been adapted to the series in two editions by Hasbro: Risk Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Edition Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy EditionRisk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition is a commercial strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers, a division of Hasbro. It is a variation of the classic board game Risk, with the rules and appearance altered to fit within the fictional Star Wars universe, during the Galactic Civil War ... (2006) and Risk Star Wars: Clone Wars Edition Star Wars Risk: The Clone Wars EditionThe factions represented in the game are the Galactic Republic, led largely by the Jedi, and the Separatists, led by charismatic Count Dooku.-Victory conditions:... (2005).

Fan works
The Star Wars saga has inspired many fans to create their own apocrypha ApocryphaApocrypha comes from the Greek word, which means those having been hidden away. The general term is usually applied to the books that were considered by the Church as useful, but not divinely inspired... set in the Star Wars galaxy. In recent years, this has ranged from writing fan-fiction to creating fan film Fan filmA fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book or a similar source, created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the more notable films have actually been produced by... s. In 2002, Lucasfilm sponsored the first annual Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards is an annual contest put forth by Lucasfilm and AtomFilms to showcase and acknowledge the growing genre of fan films made by, for, and about fans of the Star Wars saga. The inaugural contest in 2002 was the first time Lucasfilm had officially sanctioned the... , 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.

While many fan films have used elements from the licensed Expanded Universe to tell their story, they are not considered an official part of the Star Wars canon Star Wars canonThe Star Wars canon consists of the six Star Wars feature films, along with all officially licensed, non-contradicting spin-off works to the six films. As once defined by Lucas Licensing:- History :... . However, the lead character from the ''Pink Five 'Pink Five'Pink Five is a Star Wars fan film that made its debut on the Internet in 2002. It was written and directed by Trey Stokes and stars Amy Earhart as Stacey, a fast-talking Valley Girl-type dropped into an X-Wing cockpit during the Battle of Yavin, and presents familiar events and story points from... ''series was incorporated into Timothy Zahn Timothy ZahnTimothy Zahn is a writer of science fiction short stories and novels. His novella Cascade Point won the 1984 Hugo award. He is known for three Star Wars Expanded Universe novels, called the Thrawn Trilogy, which takes place after Return of the Jedi...'' 's 2007 novel Allegiance Allegiance (novel) ''Allegiance is a novel set in the Star Wars galaxy released in January 2007 by Del Rey. The book was written by Timothy Zahn.-Story:The story is set just after Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope... , marking the first time a fan-created Star Wars'' character has ever crossed into the official canon. Lucasfilm, for the most part, has allowed but not endorsed the creation of these derivative fan-fiction works, so long as no such work attempts to make a profit from or tarnish the Star Wars franchise in any way. Lucasfilm's open support and sanction of fan creations is a marked contrast to the attitudes of many other copyright holders.''

Legacy
The Star Wars saga has had a significant impact on modern American pop culture. Both the films and characters have been parodied in numerous films and television. Notable film parodies of Star Wars include Hardware Wars Hardware Wars ''Hardware Wars is a short film spoof of the classic science fiction film Star Wars. The thirteen-minute film, which premiered in theatres only seven months after Star Wars, consisted of little more than inside jokes and visual puns that heavily depended upon audience familiarity with the original.... , a 13 minute 1977 spoof which Lucas has called his favorite Star Wars parody, and Spaceballs 'Spaceballs'Spaceballs is a 1987 science fiction parody film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks. It was released on June 24, 1987, and earned only modest returns, but has gone on to become a seminal cult classic on video...' '', a feature film by Mel Brooks Mel Brooks Melvin "Mel" Kaminsky, better known by his stage name Mel Brooks, is an American film director, screenwriter, composer, lyricist, comedian, actor and producer, best known as a creator of broad film farces and comic parodies. Brooks is a member of the short list of entertainers with the distinction...'' which featured effects done by Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic. Lucasfilm itself made two mockumentaries MockumentaryMockumentary or mock documentary is a genre of film and television, or a single work of the genre. Although a mockumentary may be one of the comedy genres, serious mockumentaries also exist. The mockumentary is presented as a documentary recording real life, but is actually fictional. It is a... , Return of the Ewok (1982), about Wicket W. Warrick's actor Warwick Davis Warwick Davis Warwick Ashley Davis is a British actor. He is noted for his dwarfism, standing at tall. Davis is probably best known as the title characters in Willow and the Leprechaun series of films; other prominent roles include Wicket W... , and R2-D2: Beneath the Dome (2002), which depicts R2-D2's "life story". There have also been many songs based on, and in, the Star Wars universe. "Weird Al" Yankovic "Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, actor, comedian, and satirist. Yankovic is known in particular for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts... recorded two parodies: "Yoda Yoda (song)"Yoda" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the song "Lola" by The Kinks. It is about Luke Skywalker's relationship with Yoda and is very much based on the events of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back... ", a parody of "Lola LolaLola Cars International Ltd. is a racing car engineering company founded in 1958 by Eric Broadley and based in Huntingdon, England. Lola Cars started by building small front-engined sports cars, and branched out into Formula Junior cars before diversifying into one of the oldest and largest... " by The Kinks The KinksThe Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era.... ", a parody of Don McLean Don McLeanDonald McLean, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".... 's song "American Pie American Pie"American Pie" is a folk rock song by singer-songwriter Don McLean.Recorded and released on the American Pie album in 1971, the single was a number-one U.S. hit for four weeks in 1972. A re-release in 1991 did not chart in the U.S., but reached number 12 in the UK... " that retells of The Phantom Menace from Obi-Wan Kenobi's perspective.
 * and "The Saga Begins The Saga Begins "The Saga Begins" is a parody by "Weird Al" Yankovic of "American Pie" by Don McLean, released from the 1999 album Running with Scissors, and later appeared on the compilation album entitled The Saga Begins...

When Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California .Born in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s... proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative Strategic Defense Initiative The Strategic Defense Initiative was a proposal by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic... (SDI), a system of lasers and missiles meant to intercept incoming ICBM Intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, is a long-range ballistic missile typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery, that is, delivering one or more nuclear warheads... s, the plan was quickly labeled "Star Wars," implying that it was science fiction and linking it to Ronald Reagan's acting career. According to Frances FitzGerald, Ronald Reagan was annoyed by this, but Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Perle Richard PerleRichard Norman Perle is an American political advisor and lobbyist who worked for the Reagan administration as an assistant Secretary of Defense and worked on the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee from 1987 to 2004... told colleagues that he "thought the name was not so bad."; "'Why not?' he said. 'It's a good movie. Besides, the good guys won.'" This gained further resonance when Reagan described the Soviet Union Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the, tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from, Sovetskiy Soyuz... as an Evil Empire Evil empireThe phrase evil empire was applied especially to the Soviet Union by U.S. President Ronald Reagan and American and Canadian conservatives, who took an aggressive, hard-line stance that favored matching and exceeding the Soviet Union's strategic and global military capabilities.-British House of... , which was taken from the opening crawl to A New Hope.