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File:Star wars dvd cover.jpg
The DVD cover of the Star Wars trilogy.
For the missile defense program, see Strategic Defense Initiative.

Star Wars is the name of a hexalogy of science fantasy films created by producer/director George Lucas. The six-film series began in medias res in 1977 with the release of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (originally titled simply Star Wars), and has since become a pop culture phenomenon, spawning a major franchise of films, books, video games, television series, and other merchandising spin-offs. In 2005, Forbes Magazine estimated the overall revenue generated by the entire Star Wars franchise (over the course of its 28-year history) at nearly $20 billion U.S., easily making it the most successful film franchise ever.

The Star Wars story is set in outer space and employs archetypal motifs common to both science fiction and mythology. It is an outstanding example of the space opera sub-genre of science fiction.

The original (1977) Star Wars (A New Hope) has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Overview

Characters

For a more extensive list, see: List of Star Wars characters

Major Characters
Admiral Ackbar  | Padmé Amidala  | C-3PO  | Lando Calrissian  | Chewbacca  | Count Dooku  | Boba Fett  | Jango Fett  | General Grievous  | Jabba the Hutt  | Qui-Gon Jinn  | Obi-Wan Kenobi  | Darth Maul  | Bail Organa  | Princess Leia Organa  | Palpatine  | Admiral Piett  | R2-D2  | Darth Sidious  | Anakin Skywalker  | Luke Skywalker  | Han Solo  | Grand Moff Tarkin  | Darth Vader  | Mace Windu  | Yoda

Minor Characters
Jedi  | Rebels  | Villains  | Bounty Hunters  | Droids  | Tatooine Residents  | Miscellaneous

Setting

File:Rots32.jpg
Anakin Skywalker

The only clue given to indicate the time setting of Star Wars is the line that opens each film: "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...". This is an allusion to the classic fairy tale line "Once upon a time, in a faraway land...", and other variations thereof. It may reflect that the films are to be interpreted as myths of the future, as opposed to literally meaning the events take place in the past. Lucas himself intentionally left the details open to interpretation. See also on the official site. Although it is unclear when the stories take place, the scope of the entire Star Wars fiction covers over 25,000 years, with the film series spanning only two generations.

As far as location, all of the characters of Star Wars fiction come from the same galaxy (except a race called Yuuzhan Vong introduced in a novel series dubbed New Jedi Order). Unlike traditional science fiction films preceding it, the Star Wars world is portrayed as dirty and grimy rather than sleek and futuristic. In interviews, Lucas tells of rubbing the new props with dirt to make them look weatherworn. He may have been inspired by the Sergio Leone, who 1960s films performed a similar function for the Western genre. This break from traditional science fiction films may have influenced the cyberpunk genre that emerged around 1984.

Story

For more in-depth plot lines, see the individual film articles.

Template:Spoiler

The Star Wars story revolves around Anakin Skywalker, a man whose struggle between good and evil affects the fate of the entire universe. The first three films, known as the prequel trilogy, portray Anakin's rise as a gifted young Jedi (keepers of the peace and masters of the Good Side of the Force), and his eventual fall to the Dark Side of the Force, under the counsel of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.

File:Star Wars 1977.jpg
Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo

Skywalker eventually forms a new identity as Darth Vader. Sidious also orchestrates the fall of the Galactic Republic and the rise of the new Galactic Empire, in what is known as the Galactic Civil War.

The second part of the series, also known as the original trilogy (the first to be filmed and released), primarily revolves around Anakin's son, Luke Skywalker, who is a member of the ragtag Rebel Alliance. The Alliance is attempting to overthrow the Galactic Empire. Luke is training to become the last of the Jedi (and the first of a new generation in the Expanded Universe), and is perhaps the only person who can stand against Vader and his master, Emperor Palpatine.

The Film Series

The films in the Star Wars series are:

  1. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (19 May 1999)
  2. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (16 May 2002)
  3. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (19 May 2005)
  4. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (25 May 1977) (originally titled Star Wars)
  5. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (21 May 1980)
  6. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (25 May 1983)

Cast and crew

Conception

George Lucas

George Lucas conceived Star Wars in the early 1970s. He went through several revisions, which helped provide plenty of material for the subsequent films. The first film was released in 1977, and its novelization hit the shelves a year earlier. The sixth (and supposedly final) Star Wars film, Episode III, was released on May 19, 2005. Lucas originally planned to make three trilogies (a total of nine films), but he has since stated that he no longer intends to make any more Star Wars films after Episode III, owing partially to the gargantuan Expanded Universe of books, games, comics, and TV shows that were developed to continue the Star Wars story. The abandoned third trilogy (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX) was to have centered on the events after the fall of the Galactic Empire.

Filming

All the original films were shot at, among other locations, Elstree Studios, in Hertfordshire, England. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace was filmed at Leavesden Film Studios and the subsequent prequels were filmed in Sydney, Australia. Tunisia has served as the location for filming scenes set on the desert planet Tatooine in A New Hope, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith.

Similarities

There seem to be certain repeated elements between the original and prequel trilogies.

  • In Episode I & IV, the protagonist helps win a battle (Anakin destroys Trade Federation Droid Control Ship, Luke destroys first Death Star).
  • In the first part of the trilogy (Episode I & IV) the master of the main protagonist dies (Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi).
  • In the second part (Episode II & V) the protagonist suffers the loss of his right hand (Anakin, Luke).
  • In the third movie (Episode III & VI) the protagonist battles Palpatine's Sith apprentice before Palpatine, and also a character loses his right or left arm (Anakin, Mace, Darth Vader). The third movie also displays an army of hairy and primitive woodland creatures (the Wookiees and the Ewoks).
  • The titles are parallel: "The Phantom Menace" and "A New Hope" can be seen as referring to Anakin and Luke Skywalker, respectively; "Attack of the Clones" and "The Empire Strikes Back" both refer to the galactic government mounting a military attack against a rebellion, while "Revenge of the Sith" and "Return of the Jedi" both refer to the ultimate victory of a decimated, Force-based religious order. (In fact, up until a few weeks before Episode VI's release, Lucas called the final installment in the original trilogy, "Revenge of the Jedi". He did not keep this title, swapping "Revenge" for the current "Return," as revenge is not a characteristic of a true Jedi. One proposed explanation for the change is that it was planned all along to catch people making and selling false merchanidise for the movie. Another proposed explanation was to differentiate the film from the second Star Trek film, the planned original title of which was The Vengeance of Khan.)

Re-releases

File:Star Wars new scene.jpg
Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt in Episode IV's special edition

George Lucas has tinkered repeatedly with the original trilogy. Episodes IV through VI were remastered and re-released (both theatrically and on VHS) during 1997, and again on DVD in September 2004. The films underwent extensive clean-up and restoration work, and Lucas took advantage of this opportunity to make a number of changes. In a September 2004 interview with AP, he explains his reasons for the changes:

To me, the special edition ones are the films I wanted to make. Anybody that makes films knows the film is never finished. It's abandoned or it's ripped out of your hands, and it's thrown into the marketplace, never finished. ... Most artists, most painters, even composers would want to come back and redo their work now. They've got a new perspective on it, they've got more resources, they have better technology, and they can fix or finish the things that were never done. ...
I wanted to actually finish the film the way it was meant to be when I was originally doing it. At the beginning, people went, "Don't you like it?" I said, "Well, the film only came out to be 25 or 30 percent of what I wanted it to be." ... If you read any interviews for about an eight- or nine-year period there, it was all about how disappointed I was and how unhappy I was and what a dismal experience it was. You know, it's too bad you need to get kind of half a job done and never get to finish it. So this was my chance to finish it.

The re-release changes are a point of contention among fans, many claiming that they taint the movies. The fans' ire is increased by the impossibility of legally obtaining DVDs of the original releases. Ironically, Lucas testified before the U.S. Congress in opposition to colorizing black and white films (a position he has reiterated as recently as August 2004 [1]). Many fans see this attitude as hypocritical, but the types of alterations Lucas is opposed to are done without the consent of the artists involved in the original production, as opposed to changes he made to his own films.

The Expanded Universe

Main article: Expanded Universe (Star Wars).

The Expanded Universe refers to all of the officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the two trilogies, including books, comics, games, and other forms of media. It began with Alan Dean Foster's 1978 book Splinter of the Mind's Eye. In addition to filling in the time between the movies, this additional content greatly expands the Star Wars timeline before and after the film series. The books have made the biggest contributions to the Star Wars universe, since they allow for longer, more detailed stories. Two of the most prominent Expanded Universe authors are Timothy Zahn (The Thrawn Trilogy) and Michael Stackpole (The X-Wing Series). Notable Extended Universe characters include the twins Jaina and Jacen Solo, Anakin Solo, Ganner Rhysode, Corran Halcyon, Mara Jade, and the tactical genius Grand Admiral Thrawn.

In the Expanded Universe, the Empire supresses alien species because most Imperials are xenophobic. The idea of the Empire enslaving aliens is analagous to racism, and potentially Nazism (see Major Themes and Influences).

Some purists reject the Extended Universe, believing that only the events in the Film Series are part of the "real" Star Wars universe.

Many offical Expanded Universe films, as well as parody films by others, have been created since the premiere of Star Wars in 1977. The first was Hardware Wars (1977), a twelve-minute parody in which spaceships were presented as household appliances (i.e. the Millenium Falcon is a clothes iron). Chewbacca was replaced with a Muppet resembling the Cookie Monster. The film was made by Ernie Fosselius, one of the original members of The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo; later he had an uncredited voice part in Return of the Jedi.

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) is significant for containing the first appearance of bounty hunter Boba Fett. Also, a minor detail from the special becam a cult symbol-- the wookiee-ookiee (a type of Wookiee food). This spawned many plays on its name such as the "wookiee-cookie" (a Star Wars-themed dessert) and the "wookiee-hooky" (the act of skipping school to see a new Star Wars film).

After Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), two films were made that centered on a family marooned on the forest moon of Endor: The Ewok Adventure: Caravan of Courage (1984), and Ewoks: Battle for Endor (1985).

Spaceballs (1987) is a Star Wars parody by Mel Brooks.

The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards is a Lucasfilm sponsored contest of short films made by Star Wars fans about, referencing, and parodying the Star Wars phenomenon.

Star Wars Revelations (2005) is a fan-made movie which takes place between Episodes III and IV.

Radio and television

Star Wars the radio adaptation, NPR 1981, was followed by adaptations of the next two films of the series. These adaptations were written by science fiction author Brian Daley, who also wrote three novels detailing the adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca prior to their appearance in A New Hope.

Three cartoon series have been based on Star Wars. The first two, Ewoks and Droids, debuted in 1985, while Clone Wars began in 2003. Ewoks featured the adventures of the Ewoks prior to Return of the Jedi. Droids followed C-3PO and R2-D2 between Episodes III and IV. Clone Wars is set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, as the Jedi fight against the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the Clone Wars,

On April 25, 2005 at the Celebration III fan convention, George Lucas announced that two new television series would be produced for a debut in 2006 or 2007. The first will be a fully 3-D, half-hour length continuation of the Clone Wars cartoon, the second a live-action, hour-long series taking place sometime between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Speculation centered around the Jedi character Aayla Secura, played by actress Amy Allen as a recurring, if not main character for the series. The choice of placing the series between the two trilogies is notable, and controversial, in that the opening crawl for A New Hope states that the Rebellion won a battle against the Empire until shortly before the movie.

Books

Splinter of the Mind's Eye, 1978

Star Wars-based fiction predates the release of the first movie, with the novelization of "A New Hope" (by Alan Dean Foster but credited to George Lucas) released some months before the film itself. In 1978, Foster wrote the first original Star Wars novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, althought most expanded universe books were not written until much later.

The six Star Wars movies provide a basis for dozens of books. The books have been officially authorized by Lucasfilm, and were previously published by Bantam Books (with a few early titles published by Ballantine), though Del Rey now holds the contract again. The stories told by these books extend from a time long before The Phantom Menace to a time long after Return of the Jedi. Books authorized by Lucas are written by fans of the films, and are part of a collection known as the Expanded Universe. The first books considered to be part of the Expanded Universe began to appear in the late 1970s.

Officially licensed Star Wars novels have been published since the original movie was released in 1977. Although these novels are licensed by Lucas (meaning he shares in the royalties), he retains ultimate creative control over the Star Wars universe, forcing Lucasfilm Licensing to devote considerable ongoing effort to ensuring continuity between different authors' works and Lucas's films. Occasionally, elements from these novels are adopted into the highest tier of Star Wars canon, the movies -- the name of the planet Coruscant, for example, comes from the novel Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. Books, games, and stories that are not directly derived from the six movies of Star Wars are known as the Extended or Expanded Universe (EU for short). Lucas has said that he does not deeply involve himself in the EU, choosing instead to concentrate mainly on his movies instead of "...the licensing world of the books, games and comic books."

After Return of the Jedi the flow of new material slowed to a trickle. Then, in 1992, the first novel of Timothy Zahn's celebrated Thrawn trilogy was released. These stories, which covered what many fans had hoped would constitute Episodes VII, VIII, and IX, and introduced characters such as Luke's eventual bride Mara Jade, are considered to have captured the story and flavor of the original movie trilogy very well, and drew upon existing published works from other Star Wars-based fiction writers. Zahn's work not only revitalized the demand for new fiction in the Star Wars universe, but can also be credited with kick-starting the second wave of Star Wars fandom that turned the 1997 re-release of the Special Editions into surprise blockbusters and culminated in the unparalleled hype preceding The Phantom Menace.

The Expanded Universe experienced a revolution in the New Jedi Order (NJO) series, which recently concluded with The Unifying Force. The NJO tells the story of a horrific invasion by the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong, and includes the passing of many heroic characters.

Some fans of the original Star Wars movies reject the literary works of the Expanded Universe, and insist that only the films and the statements made by George Lucas interpreting his own works can be accepted as canonical. This is bolstered by statement made on StarWars.com to the effect that the only true canon are the films.

Many of the books that have been written also take place during the events of the film. For fans, these can be more exciting stories, as it opens up the narratives for many characters that only have a minor role, or even just briefly seen, in the movies. Every character has his or her in-depth tale. Of particular note is Steve Perry's Shadows of the Empire, which is set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In addition to focusing on relatively minor characters, it bridges some events between the two films. It also includes more scenes of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine scheming together, offering a greater understanding of their relationship (the nature of which is only now becoming clear in light of Episodes I through III).

Other books include such titles as The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide, Inside the Worlds of Star Wars, and the Star Wars Visual Dictionary|Visual Dictionaries, which detail things about the Star Wars universe and the films in a "non-fiction" style.

Comic books and strips

See also: List of Star Wars comic books

Marvel Comics published adaptations of the original trilogy as well as a Star Wars comic book series which lasted from 1977 to 1986, a total of 107 issues. A wide variety of creators worked on this series, including Archie Goodwin, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, Carmine Infantino, Walt Simonson, Michael Golden, Chris Claremont, Whilce Poratio, Jo Duffy, and Ron Frenz. In the 1980s, as part of their Star Comics line oriented towards young children, Marvel also published the short-lived series Ewoks and Droids, based on the Saturday morning cartoons.

Star Wars was also a daily newspaper comic strip from 1979 to 1984, written for the bulk of its run by Archie Goodwin and drawn by Al Williamson.

Beginning in the 1990s, Dark Horse Comics has published a large number of original adventures set in the Star Wars universe. As of 2004, these mainly include Star Wars Republic, Star Wars Empire, Star Wars Tales and Star Wars Jedi. Dark Horse has also published collections of the Marvel series in seven volumes and the comic strip as Classic Star Wars. In addition, the company has reprinted several Japanese manga interpretations of the films which retell the stories using the artistic devices and idioms of the form.

Games and toys

See also Star Wars computer and video games.

Since 1983, over 120 video games have been published bearing the name of Star Wars, beginning with 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back' published for the Atari 2600 by Parker Brothers. Other early titles include the game Star Wars for the Nintendo Entertainment System (published by JVC) and three other titles for the Atari 2600.

Among the non computer/video game of the Star Wars Universe is the Star Wars Customizable Card Game(SWCCG). Like any other CCG players construct decks with cards purchased, and attempt to defeat the opposing "Force" side(either Light Side of the Force or Dark Side of the Force).

Video game pioneer Atari produced arcade games based on the original trilogy, beginning with "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back", which were both 'flight sim' style games that utilized vector graphics. The third, "Return of the Jedi", used more traditional raster graphics and a '3/4' perspective.

The longest running series of computer games is the Dark Forces series. This first person shooter series began in 1995 with Dark Forces. The next in the series was Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, which allowed the player to play as a Jedi. The third game in the Dark Forces series, Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, focused more on a third person Jedi adventure than the previous games. And the fourth and latest release was Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, which originated as an expansion pack for Jedi Outcast, but evolved into a game of its own.

Another long running video game series began with Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for the Nintendo 64 and continued in Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - Rogue Leader and Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III - Rebel Strike for the Nintendo GameCube. The first title was also available for PCs, and all were developed by Factor 5 and published by LucasArts. 'Rogue Squadron III' featured emulated versions of the original Atari Star Wars arcade games.

Star Wars: X-Wing returns to the space fighter combat gameplay not seen since the Atari arcade games. Players generally played as a pilot for the Rebel Alliance, completing a variety of goals, culminating in the destruction of the Death Star. This game had sequels, in the form of Star Wars: TIE Fighter, Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter and Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance.

In 1997 there was an innovating game released for the PC called Star Wars Rebellion. It was among the first computer based global strategy real time games. Although it gained acclaim from those dedicated Star Wars fans it soon was pushed out of the market in favor of less i depth games for the more casual gamer.

Two role playing games set in the Star Wars universe have been published : a d6-based game from West End Games and a Wizards of the Coast game using the d20 system on which their popular Dungeons & Dragons is based. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, published in 2003, won over 40 different gaming awards in 2003, including Game of the Year recognition from several prominent gaming magazines, websites, etc. A sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, was released for the Xbox in December of 2004 and the PC in February of 2005.

Star Wars Galaxies introduced fans to the gameplay of an MMORPG set in the Star Wars universe. It was released in June of 2003 by Sony Online Entertainment.

Star Wars Combine is another MMORPG it has the basics of star wars and is under constant development however it does not follow any set time line. It is a fan made game and therefore is free as with all other fan games/films because they cannot be made/sold for profit.

Star Wars: Battlefront was released in 2004 and is a vehicle-based first/third person shooter game capable of online play where you can play in both trilogies on places like Hoth, Geonosis, etc. You can also play as Republic Clonetroopers, Rebel soldiers, Confederate Battle Droids, and Imperial Stormtroopers. A sequel, Battlefront II, is in the works. It features the same gameplay as the first, but includes levels located in space and features spaceship combat.

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a first person shooter computer game featuring the elite Clone commandos of Delta Squad and set during the Clone Wars. It was released on March 1, 2005.

Still in the works is Star Wars: Empire at War which is a real-time strategy game of the Star Wars universe. Currently being developed by Petroglyph Games, it is scheduled for a Fall 2005 release date.

Also Obsidian Entertainment hinted that they are keen on continuing the Knights of the Old Republic-saga with a couple of more games, possibly making KotOR 3, 4 and 5.

In 2005, Hasbro developed and released a DVD TV Game based on Star Wars and utilising the Trivial Pursuit game-play format.

For toys, see Star Wars toys.

Major Themes and Influences

The films draw extensively on archetypal figures and themes of classical literature.

Mythology

Many of the themes within Star Wars seem to reflect elements of Greek tragedy, such as the inability to control one's destiny, and the prominence of prophecy. The sub-plot revolving around the incestuous relationship between Luke and Leia is reminiscent of the story of Oedipus and how he unknowingly married his mother. Luke's relationship to his father also shows evidence of influence from Greek tragedy.

The Star Wars films also show considerable similarity to Asian Wuxia "Kung Fu" films, as well as Roman mythology. Lucas has stated that his intention was to create in Star Wars a modern mythology, based on the studies of his friend and mentor Joseph Campbell. He has also called the first movie's similarity to the film The Hidden Fortress (Akira Kurosawa) an "homage."

Philosophy and religion

Star Wars stresses the self-destructive nature of anger and hate, summed up in Yoda's words ("Fear is the path to the dark side: fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering"), as well as placing one's feelings for certain people aside. For example, Luke Skywalker is told to remain on Dagobah to complete his training rather than rescue his friends from Cloud City, because doing so will "destroy all for which they have fought and suffered."

This aligns with the philosophy of the Taoist and Buddhist religions, which emphasize rational thought and meditation as to the path of enlightenment, as opposed to the "Dark Side," of violent passion and emotion. The dualism inherent in the Light Side vs Dark Side conflict is universally applicable, which is why comparisons can be drawn between Star Wars and many, if not most, religious traditions.

Politics

Some interpret Star Wars to advocate democracy over dictatorship, though it offers no alternative for the corrupt Republic's government, while others see it as supporting monarchy over democracy. It should, however, be noted that the republic presented is portrayed as an initially suitable form of democracy, yet one which demonstrates an almost inherent tendency to fall into corruption (as the first stage in a process of decay which eventually leads to a dictatorship), and that even the films' most prominent monarchy -- Naboo -- is democratic.

At the Premiere of Episode III in Cannes, George Lucas mentioned the political stance, notably saying "I hope this doesn't come true in our country [the USA]" and "Maybe the film will waken people to the situation"; he went on to comment on the war in Iraq [2].

Technology

There appear to be anti-technological messages in the films - the primitive Ewoks and Gungans defeating technological adversaries, and the general idea of technology opposed to humanity - fitting with Lucas' vision. This site explains this theme and others in its analysis of the writing of Star Wars.

Lists

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to Star Wars.
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