Star Wars is a George Lucas-created American epic space opera media series that began with the 1977 film of the same name and rapidly became a worldwide pop-culture sensation. The franchise has spawned several films and other forms of media, including television shows, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed regions, resulting in a sprawling fictional universe. It is now the fifth-highest-grossing media franchise of all time, with a total value projected at US$70 billion in 2020.

The original Star Wars trilogy was completed with the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), which were retrospectively renamed Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). Lucas later returned to directing, directing Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2003) as part of a prequel trilogy (2005). Lucas sold his production firm to Disney in 2012, giving up control of the property. Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker are the three sequel films that followed (2019).

The first two films in the ‘Skywalker saga’ were nominated for Academy Awards, with the first two winnings. The cumulative box office earnings of the films, together with the theatrical live-action spin-off films Rogue One (2016) and Solo (2018), totaled over US$10 billion, making it the second-highest-grossing film franchise of all time.

The Star Wars franchise depicts characters’ adventures “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid) coexist with robots, or “droids,” who may assist them in their daily routines; space travel between planets is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. Small starfighters, massive capital ships like the Star Destroyers, and space stations like the moon-sized Death Stars are all examples of spacecraft. Two-way audio and audiovisual screens, as well as holographic projections, are all examples of telecommunication.

In the original film, a mysterious force known as the Force is defined as “an energy field produced by all living things… ties the galaxy together.” Those with whom “the Force is strong” may accomplish different superpowers through training and meditation (such as telekinesis, precognition, telepathy, and manipulation of physical energy). The Force is used by two main knightly orders that are at odds with one another: the Jedi, Galactic Republic peacekeepers who operate on the light side of the Force via non-attachment and arbitration, and the Sith, who utilize the dark side of the Force by exploiting fear and violence. While Jedi Knights might have a large number of followers, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or ‘Darths’) are only supposed to have two: a master and an apprentice.

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