Star Wars



Star Wars is an epic science fiction saga and fictional universe created by George Lucas. The Star Wars story employs archetypal motifs common to science fiction, political climax and classical mythology, as well as musical motifs of those aspects.

As one of the foremost examples of the space opera sub-genre of science fiction, Star Wars has become part of mainstream popular culture, as well as being one of the highest-grossing series of all time. The movies have become even more popular in recent years with a new generation of Star Wars fans, and is one of the most popular franchises ever.

Overview


The Star Wars story has been presented in a series of American films, which have spawned a large quantity of books and other media, which have formed the Expanded Universe. The Star Wars mythos is also the basis of many toys and games of varying types. The films and novels employ common science fiction motifs. Whereas Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, a science fantasy franchise that has enjoyed long-lasting popularity in American popular culture, is portrayed by its makers to take on a rational, scientific and progressive approach to storytelling, Star Wars has a strong mythic quality alongside its political and scientific elements.

Unlike the heroes of earlier space set sci-fi film and TV series such as Star Trek, the heroes of Star Wars are not militaristic types but romantic individualists. College literature professors have remarked that the Star Wars saga, with its struggle between good and evil, democracy and empire, can be considered a national epic for the United States. The film has many visual and narrative similarities to John Ford's "The Searchers" that also provides a clue to the relationship between Leia Organa and Luke Skywalker.

The strong appeal of the Star Wars story probably accounts for its enduring popularity; it has also been postulated that this popularity is based on nostalgia. Many Star Wars fans first saw the films as children, and the revolutionary (for the time) special effects and simple, Manichean story made a profound impact.

The Star Wars films show considerable similarity to Japanese Jidaigeki 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) a "homage."

The Star Wars films portray a world full of grime and technology that looks like it has been used for years, unlike the sleek, futuristic world typical of earlier science fiction films. In interviews, Lucas tells of rubbing the new props with dirt to make them look weatherworn. Lucas may have been inspired by the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western films of the 1960s, which performed a similar function on the Western many years earlier. It is tempting to speculate that this break from traditional science fiction film influenced the cyberpunk genre that emerged around 1984.

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 Lucas Licensing to devote considerable ongoing effort to ensuring continuity between different authors' works and Lucas' films. Occasionally, elements from these novels are adopted into the highest tier of Star Wars canon, the movies. 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 "&hellip;the licensing world of the books, games and comic books."

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

In 1978, Lucas sued the creators of Battlestar Galactica for its similarity to Star Wars, although the case was dismissed as having no merit in 1980 by a U.S. Federal judge.

Setting
The line "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.&hellip;", which appears at the beginning of every Star Wars film, is the only way the Star Wars galaxy has been defined in relation to the real world. It is alluding to the classic fairy tale line "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away&hellip;" and variations thereof. It may reflect that the films are to be interpreted as the myths of the future, as opposed to literally meaning that the events take place in the past. Lucas himself intentionally left the details open to interpretation.

The saga shows us an "ancient" galactic civilization thousands of years old. The setting is totally unrelated to Earth, our galaxy or reality, which gives it more liberty, in a sense. The Star Wars galaxy prominently features Human individuals that (coincidentally?) look like Terrans from Earth. Their civilization was able to develop space travel, terraform, build ecumenopoleis, and build space colonies 200,000 years "ago", according to the Expanded Universe.

The titular Star Wars originally referred to the Galactic Civil War which takes place in the Original Trilogy. However, when considering the prequels and the Expanded Universe, these events are only a portion of the millennia-spanning war between the Sith and the Jedi/Galactic Republic.

Star Wars also is considered to merge science with supernatural elements, that strongly relate to epic stories and fairy tales (eg. Magic, Knights, Witches, Princes, and 'whimsical' alien races such as Ewoks, Wisties, etc).

The scope of Star Wars history spans over 5,100 years among all of the Star Wars fiction produced to date (from Tales of the Jedi to Star Wars: Legacy), even though the films span only two generations.

Later novels from a series dubbed The New Jedi Order opened up the Star Wars setting with alien beings known as the Yuuzhan Vong that came from a different galaxy, much to the surprise of some fans. All species and events prior to this series considered only one single galaxy.

BALLS!

Spin-offs


The Expanded Universe (or EU) is the continuing story of the movies. One can read books from the prequel-era, between the movies, or post-Episode VI. There are also several books dealing with the lives of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian just before the movies. There are even books about the briefly shown Wedge Antilles. Some notable EU characters include the twins Jaina and Jacen Solo, the strong but angry Mara Jade, the pilot-turned-Jedi Corran Horn, and the tactical genius Grand Admiral Thrawn.

The books set during or after the Star Wars Original Trilogy follow Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and other minor characters, as well as the growth of the New Republic. The Truce at Bakura by Kathy Tyers is the first book chronologically set after Return of the Jedi, but the first Expanded Universe story written was Alan Dean Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye.

In the Expanded Universe, the Galactic Empire suppresses alien species because most Imperials are xenophobic, but this idea appears in the films only subtly (or, arguably, not at all). The idea of the Empire enslaving aliens is an analogy to racism. In the Young Jedi Knights series, there is even an example of reverse discrimination, when a group of aliens form the "Diversity Alliance" to get revenge on all Humans, by means of a viral plague, for the crimes of the Empire. Young Jedi Knights also deals with drug abuse, the homeless, and effects of disability; it is more prone to discussing modern issues than any other Star Wars series.

The post-Episode VI EU has often been criticized as being too dark and depressing, such as the Yuuzhan Vong invasion that kills several major characters, and trillions of deaths in the war. Critics often point to the fact that George Lucas wanted a saga with an ultimately happy ending, yet the current direction of the EU indicates a revival of the Sith that even Luke Skywalker cannot stop.

Radio adaptation

 * 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 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

Related movies



 * The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
 * Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984)
 * Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)
 * The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Several made-for-TV films have been made about Star Wars. The first was The Star Wars Holiday Special, which became famous for the first appearance of bounty hunter Boba Fett. An originally minor detail, the Wookiee food of wookiee-ookiees, became a cult symbol in the Star Wars fan universe, spawning plays on its name such as wookiee-cookiees (a Star Wars-themed dessert) and the term Wookiee Hooky (the act of skipping school to see a Star Wars film, particularly if it has just been released).

After Return of the Jedi, two films about a family marooned on the forest moon of Endor were made.

Spaceballs (1987) is a Star Wars parody movie 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.

Animated TV shows



 * Star Wars: Droids
 * Star Wars: Ewoks
 * Star Wars: Clone Wars
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars

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

Live-action TV shows

 * Untitled Star Wars television series expected in 2009.

Books
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, inaugurating a very successful literary spin-off franchise.

The six Star Wars movies have provided a basis for over 100 novels. The novels 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 in these books reach back thousands of year's before The Phantom Menace to several generations after Return of the Jedi. Books authorized by Lucas are written by fans of the films, and are part of a collection known as Expanded Universe. The first books considered to be part of the Expanded Universe began to appear in the late 1970s.

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 species known as the Yuuzhan Vong, and includes the passing of several well known and loved 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. However, numerous statements made by employees at Lucasfilm Ltd. and comments made by Lucas himself indicate that a majority of the works of the Expanded Universe are indeed part of the official universe.

Most of the novels that have been written take place after the events of the films. With a few that take place between the movies, and a growing number set in timelines before the films. For fans, these can be more exciting stories, as it opens up the narratives for many characters that only have a minor roles, or are only briefly seen in the movies. Every character has their own in-depth tale. One 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).

Perhaps the most widely acclaimed contribution is Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy, which      many fans had hoped would be the basis for Episodes VII, VIII, and IX. These novels are considered to have captured the essence of the original movie trilogy and drew upon existing published works from other Star Wars-based fiction writers.

Also, many elements first introduced in the Expanded Universe were later included in the films. The best examples are Coruscant, Boba Fett or Aayla Secura.

Other books which detail things about the Star Wars universe and the films in a "non-fiction" style and reveal many details that cannot fit into a story. and include such titles as The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide, Inside the Worlds of Star Wars, and the Visual Dictionaries,

Comic books and strips
See also: List of comics



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 Portacio, 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 2006, these mainly include Star Wars: Republic, Star Wars: Empire, Star Wars Tales, Star Wars: Jedi, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Legacy. Dark Horse has also published collections of the Marvel series in seven volumes and the comic strip as Classic Star Wars.

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.

The first games based on the franchise were released on the Atari 2600, the very first, The Empire Strikes Back (1982), the player drove a snowspeeder during the Battle of Hoth, destroying AT-AT walkers. While simplistic, the game captured the essence of the movie as well as technology allowed. Several other games appeared, like Return of the Jedi: Death Star Battle (1982), where the player controlled the Millennium Falcon in a mission to destroy the second Death Star, and Jedi Arena (1983), the first game to attempt to simulate a lightsaber battle (in this case, clearly inspired by the A New Hope scene, where Luke Skywalker trains with a seeker). Also in 1983, Star Wars was released based on A New Hope. In this game the player takes on the role of Luke Skywalker towards the end of the film in which Luke battles through many TIE fighters in an attempt to destroy the first Death Star.



Due to the video game crash of 1983, which killed the home console market, no further games based on the franchise were released until 1991, when the platformer Star Wars was released for both the NES and Game Boy, and one year later, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back reused the engine with the plotline of the fifth episode of the saga. It would be still in 1992 that Super Star Wars was released for the SNES (the Super prefix was often used in remakes of 8-bit games), followed by the remaining games in the trilogy: Super Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back (1993) and Super Star Wars: Return of Jedi (1994).

Other early titles include the game Star Wars for the Nintendo Entertainment System (published by JVC) and three other titles for the Atari 2600.

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 simulator-style games that utilized vector graphics. The third, Return of the Jedi, used more traditional raster graphics and a '3/4' perspective.

Star Wars: X-wing was the first PC game of the 'new generation' of officially released by LucasArts games in 1993. It 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, and Star Wars: X-wing Alliance.

The longest running series of computer games is the groundbreaking Dark Forces series. This First Person Shooter series began in 1995 with Star Wars: Dark Forces which entered to the furry started ago with Doom. 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, Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, focused more on a third person Jedi adventure than the previous games. And the fourth and latest release was Star Wars: 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: Knights of the Old Republic, published in 2003, won "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: Battlefront was released in 2004 and is a first/third person shooter game capable of online play where you can play in both trilogies, as all factions, in many different battlefields. Its sequels, Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron were released in 2005 and 2007 respectively.

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

Star Wars: Empire at War, an RTS game, was developed by Petroglyph Games and released in February 16, 2006.

LEGO Star Wars, a Lego spinoff series in which the characters of Star Wars and most other vehicles and objects are made of LEGO bricks. The second game of the series is LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. The third game of this series, LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, combines the first two games.

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.

Characters
The plot evolves around a small team of certain individuals. The Star Wars movies are unique in providing cast names even to minor characters, whose name is not even mentioned in the dialogue lines, even non-speaking ones that appear for few moments. The characters' backstory or importance is revealed in the Expanded Universe sources. Such examples include Boba Fett and Mon Mothma.

See Category:Individuals for more extensive listings.

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

Minor
Bounty hunters | Droids | Imperials | Jedi | Rebels | Separatists | Sith

Cast and crew
The cast of the movies feature notable actors. Many of them are only guest-starring in brief, even non-speaking roles, like Sofia Coppola and Keisha Castle-Hughes. Notable supporting roles played by acclaimed actors include Sir Alec Guinness, Oliver Ford Davies, and Christopher Lee. In the prequel trilogy, professional models did the non-speaking minor character roles.


 * Cast of Star Wars
 * Crew of Star Wars

Themes
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."

Star Wars seems to advocate democracy over dictatorship, although it offers no alternative for the corrupt Republic's government. Some people believe that Star Wars instead advocates monarchy over democracy, although this is not supported by much evidence in the films, as the only monarchs portrayed are democratically elected ones.

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.

The galactic setting of Star Wars is never given a name and is called simply "the galaxy." Since the characters never venture beyond the galaxy and the power of both the Republic and the Empire ends at its borders, the galaxy can be said to serve as a microcosm of both Earth as a whole and an individual nation.

The main story arc in the films traces the rise, fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker, mirrored by political events occurring on a galactic scale. As Anakin is seduced by the dark side, the Republic slides into despotism and war; when Anakin reclaims the Jedi values of peace and justice, the evil Empire that supplanted the Republic is overthrown by the Rebel Alliance.

Lists

 * List of vehicles
 * List of planets
 * List of weapons
 * List of locations
 * List of organizations
 * List of LucasArts Star Wars games