Star Wars

Star Wars is a media franchise from the United States, the creation of George Lucas. It began as a space opera with the original film in 1977 and rapidly grew into a global cultural touchstone. The franchise now includes movies, television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed areas, all set within a single fictional universe. It ranks among the most commercially successful media franchises ever and maintains a very large fanbase.

The first film, later renamed *Episode IV: A New Hope*, was followed by two sequels: *Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back* (1980) and *Episode VI: Return of the Jedi* (1983), which together form the original trilogy. Lucas later wrote and directed a prequel trilogy: *Episode I: The Phantom Menace* (1999), *Episode II: Attack of the Clones* (2002), and *Episode III: Revenge of the Sith* (2005). In 2012, Lucas sold his production company to Disney, giving up ownership of the franchise. This led to a sequel trilogy: *Episode VII: The Force Awakens* (2015), *Episode VIII: The Last Jedi* (2017), and *Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker* (2019).

All nine films, known together as the "Skywalker Saga," received Academy Award nominations, with the first three releases winning Oscars. Including the spin-offs *Rogue One* (2016), *Solo* (2018), and *The Mandalorian and Grogu* (2026), the total box office for Star Wars live-action theatrical films exceeds US$10 billion, making it the third-highest-grossing film franchise in cinema history.

The stories take place in a fictional galaxy set in the distant past. They cover multiple eras where humans and many alien species (often humanoid) live alongside droids—robots programmed for tasks like assistance or combat. Space travel between planets is routine thanks to lightspeed hyperspace technology. The planets shown feature a wide variety of societies, from wealthy city-covered worlds to barren deserts with primitive tribes. Nearly every Earth biome, plus many fictional ones, has a Star Wars planet counterpart, usually filled with sentient and non-sentient alien life. The franchise also uses other astronomical objects like asteroid fields and nebulae. Spacecraft range from small starfighters to massive capital ships like Star Destroyers, as well as space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars. Communication includes two-way audio, audiovisual screens, holographic projections, and hyperspace transmissions.

The Star Wars universe is broadly similar to the real one but has looser physical laws, allowing for more imaginative stories. One key element is the Force, described in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things ... [that] binds the galaxy together." It is portrayed as a kind of pantheistic god. Through training and meditation, those with whom the Force is strong can exhibit superpowers like telekinesis, precognition, telepathy, and manipulation of physical energy; it is believed nothing is impossible for the Force. These powers are used by two opposing knightly orders: the Jedi, peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who follow the light side through non-attachment and arbitration, and the Sith, who use the dark side by harnessing anger, fear, and aggression. While Jedi can be numerous, the Sith Lords are usually limited to two: a master and an apprentice.

The franchise is set against a backdrop of galactic conflict involving rebellions, republics, and empires, such as the evil Galactic Empire. Jedi and Sith prefer the lightsaber, a retractable plasma blade that can cut through almost anything and deflect energy bolts. The rest of the population, along with renegades and soldiers, use plasma-powered blaster firearms. In the outer reaches of the galaxy, crime syndicates like the Hutt cartel are dominant. Bounty hunters are often hired by both gangsters and governments, while illicit activities include smuggling and slavery.

Although best known as an archetypal space opera, the blend of science fiction and fantasy makes Star Wars very versatile, capable of telling stories in various genres.

The film series centers on three trilogies, the nine films of which are called the "Skywalker Saga." The saga was produced out of order, starting with the original trilogy from 1977 to 1983, followed by the prequel trilogy from 1999 to 2005, and the sequel trilogy from 2015 to 2019.

Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force-sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against the Sith lord Palpatine (also known as Darth Sidious). The original trilogy follows Luke Skywalker's development as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia. The prequels tell the backstory of their father, Anakin, who is seduced to the dark side by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader. The sequels follow the conflict between Leia's son, Ben Solo, and Luke and Leia's protégé, Rey, and their eventual alliance against Palpatine after the Empire's fall.

In 1971, George Lucas wanted to adapt the Flash Gordon serial but could not get the rights, so he began developing his own space opera. After directing *American Graffiti* (1973), he wrote a two-page synopsis, which 20th Century Fox decided to finance. By 1974, he had expanded it into the first draft of a screenplay. Fox expected limited financial success, so the film was given a relatively low budget.