"Star Wars Trilogy The ""Star Wars"" Trilogy, often colloquially referred to as the original trilogy, is the first set of three films produced in the ""Star Wars"" franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox, and consisted of the original ""Star Wars"" film (1977), ""The Empire Strikes Back"" (1980) and ""Return of the Jedi"" (1983). The original trilogy would be followed by a prequel trilogy between 1999 and 2005, and a sequel trilogy between 2015 and 2019. Collectively, they have been referred to as the ""Skywalker saga"""
"retitled ""Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope"" for its 1981 rerelease. ""Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back"" was released on May 21, 1980, and """" on May 25, 1983. The sequels were self-financed by Lucasfilm, and generally advertised without the episodic number distinction present in their opening crawls. The plot of the original trilogy centers on the Galactic Civil War of the Rebel Alliance trying to free the galaxy from the clutches of the Galactic Empire, as well as on Luke Skywalker's quest to become a Jedi. A Rebel spaceship is intercepted by the Empire above the desert"
"Howard Kazanjian took over the producer's reins for ""Return of the Jedi"". ""The Empire Strikes Back"" was released on May 21, 1980, becoming the most critically acclaimed chapter in the ""Star Wars"" saga and one of the most highly rated films in history. It earned more than $538 million worldwide over the original run and several re-releases, making it highest-grossing film in 1980. When adjusted for inflation, it is the twelfth-highest-grossing film in the U.S. and Canada . In 2010, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being ""culturally, historically,"
"The Empire Strikes Back The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back) is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay, with George Lucas writing the film's story and serving as executive producer. The second installment in the original ""Star Wars"" trilogy, it was produced by Gary Kurtz for Lucasfilm and stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz. The film is set three years after ""Star Wars""."
"Star Wars (film) Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope) is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first film in the original ""Star Wars"" trilogy and the beginning of the ""Star Wars"" franchise. Starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew, the film focuses on the Rebel Alliance, led by Princess Leia (Fisher), and its attempt to destroy the Galactic Empire's space station, the Death Star. ""Star Wars"" was released"
"A series of other charity benefit premieres were held in numerous locations on May 19 and 20. The film went on to official general release in North America and the U.K. on May 21, 1980. The first wave of release included 126 70 mm prints, before a wider release in June 1980 (which were mostly 35 mm prints). During the initial theatrical run in Europe and Australia, the short film ""Black Angel"" by ""Star Wars"" art director Roger Christian was shown before the feature. Though the film was simply titled ""The Empire Strikes Back"" in its original promotional materials, the"
"of 1930s film serials such as ""Flash Gordon"", a childhood favorite of Lucas', that similarly featured a city afloat in the sky. The world premiere of ""The Empire Strikes Back"" was held on May 17, 1980, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (as a special Children's World Premiere event). The film had a Royal Charity Premiere in London at the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square on May 20. The special event was dubbed ""Empire Day"", a playful take the British Commonwealth Day holiday (known as Empire Day prior to 1958), where legions of stormtroopers were unleashed across the city."
"one part. Radio agencies estimate that about 750,000 people tuned in to listen to this series radio play beginning on February 14, 1983. In terms of the canonical ""Star Wars"" story, this radio drama has been given the highest designation, G-canon. Footnotes Citations The Empire Strikes Back The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back) is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay, with George Lucas writing the film's story and serving as executive producer. The second installment in the"
"Star Wars (1983 video game) Star Wars is an arcade game designed by Mike Hally and produced by Atari, Inc. in 1983. The game is a first person space combat game using 3D color vector graphics to simulate the attack on the Death Star from the 1977 film ""Star Wars"". It was developed during the Golden Age of Arcade Games and has appeared in lists of the greatest video games of all time. The game features several digitized samples of voices from the movie, including Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, James Earl Jones as Darth"
"initially but has since grown in esteem, becoming the most critically acclaimed chapter in the ""Star Wars"" saga; it is now widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. The film ranked at #3 on ""Empire""s 2008 list of the 500 greatest movies of all time. It became the highest-grossing film of 1980 and, to date, has earned more than $538 million worldwide from its original run and several re-releases. When adjusted for inflation, it is the second-highest-grossing sequel of all time and the 13th-highest-grossing film in North America. The film was followed by ""Return of the"
"the film continuously for over a year; in 1978, Lucasfilm distributed ""Birthday Cake"" posters to those theaters for special events on May 25, the one-year anniversary of the film's release. ""Star Wars"" premiered in the UK on December 27, 1977. News reports of the film's popularity in America caused long lines to form at the two London theaters that first offered the film; it became available in 12 large cities in January 1978, and other London theaters in February. ""Star Wars"" was re-released theatrically in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982. After ILM used computer-generated effects for Steven Spielberg's 1993 film"
"Arnold, Alan. ""Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of Making the Empire Strikes Back"". Sphere Books, London. 1980. . Return of the Jedi Return of the Jedi (also known as Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer. It is the third and final installment in the original ""Star Wars"" trilogy, set one year after ""The Empire Strikes Back"". The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie"
"The 1970s and 1980s also include several films and their sequels as classics of family films, including: ""Star Wars"" (1977) and its sequels ""The Empire Strikes Back"" (1980) and ""Return of the Jedi"" (1983). Other similar movies and sequels include Robert Zemeckis's film ""Back to the Future"" (1985) and its sequels ""Back to the Future Part II"" (1989) and ""Back to the Future Part III"" (1990). ""Since the resurgence of Disney feature films with ""The Little Mermaid"" (1989)"", writes Laurie, ""high-budget animations have become part of the Hollywood box office furniture, with phenomenal successes from Pixar Studies, DreamWorks animations and"
"the market, Marvel printed an estimated 1,500 copies of ""Star Wars"" #1 with a ""35 cents"" cover price, and reputedly sold these in only four states, none of which were major markets. Such experimentation continued until issue #4, and starting with issue #5, all comic books were sold for 35 cents. The series was also translated and produced under license by some non-American publishers: Star Wars (1977 comic book) Star Wars is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics from April 12, 1977 to May 27, 1986. Featuring classic ""Star Wars"" characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca,"
"the existing ""Star Wars"" expanded universe, which was discarded to give ""maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience."" The sequel trilogy focuses on the journey of the orphaned scavenger Rey following in the footsteps of the Jedi with the guidance of the reluctant last Jedi, Luke Skywalker. Along with ex-stormtrooper Finn, she helps the Resistance led by Leia fight the First Order commanded by Supreme Leader Snoke and his pupil Kylo Ren (Han Solo and Leia's son). """" was released on December 18, 2015, """" on December 15, 2017,"
"Return of the Jedi Return of the Jedi (also known as Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who was also the executive producer. It is the third and final installment in the original ""Star Wars"" trilogy, set one year after ""The Empire Strikes Back"". The film stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Frank Oz. The Galactic Empire, under"
"""Star Wars"" was released. The BBFC, reviewing the film for certification in 1981, said Harryhausen's effects were well done and would give entertainment to audiences of all ages, but might appear a little ""old hat"" to those familiar with ""Star Wars"" and ""Superman"". Columbia Pictures were initially set to distribute the film having made most of Harryhausen and producer Charles H. Schneer's films, but after a change of guard at the studio, they dropped the project during pre-production, leading to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to pick it up instead. Stars Harry Hamlin and Ursula Andress were romantically involved at the time of production."
"RCA Victor. A novelization of the film was released on April 12, 1980, and published by the company Del Rey Books. The novelization was written by Donald F. Glut, and it was based on the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett, and George Lucas. This novelization was originally published as ""Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back"". However, the later editions have been renamed ""Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back"" to conform with the change in the titles of the ""Star Wars"" saga. Like the other novelizations of the ""Star Wars Trilogy"", background information is added to explain the"
"Galactica 1980 Galactica 1980 is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original ""Battlestar Galactica"" television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 10 episodes. A massive write-in campaign began upon the cancellation of the original ""Battlestar Galactica"". Because letter writing campaigns in favor of restoring cancelled television programs were uncommon in 1979, it prompted ABC to re-think their reasons for canceling the show. After some deliberation, they contacted Glen A. Larson to see about reviving the series, albeit in some modified and"
"Star 80 Star 80 is a 1983 American film based on, though fictionalized somewhat, ""Playboy"" model Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered by her husband Paul Snider in 1980. The film was directed by Bob Fosse, and stars Mariel Hemingway and Eric Roberts. Hugh Hefner sued the producers of the picture, stemming from his disapproval of how he was depicted in the film. In accordance with the family's wishes, Dorothy's mother is never mentioned by name in the movie, and the names of her sister and brother were altered. Other names were also changed due to legal concerns. The film was"
"2009, Dynamite Entertainment released a ""Galactica 1980"" comic series. It was written by Marc Guggenheim and is a re-imagining of the original series. Galactica 1980 Galactica 1980 is an American science fiction television series and a spin-off from the original ""Battlestar Galactica"" television series. It was first broadcast on ABC in the United States from January 27 to May 4, 1980, lasting for 10 episodes. A massive write-in campaign began upon the cancellation of the original ""Battlestar Galactica"". Because letter writing campaigns in favor of restoring cancelled television programs were uncommon in 1979, it prompted ABC to re-think their reasons"
"of ""Star Wars"" 1977. From 1980 on, every year saw at least one major science fiction or fantasy film, which critics disparaged and were ignored on Oscar night, except in the technical categories. Disney's 1982 film ""Tron"" had a unique visual style, being one of the first major studio films to use extensive computer graphics. The 1980s and later saw the growth of animation as a medium for science fiction films. This was particularly successful in Japan where the anime industry produced ""Akira"" (1988) and ""Ghost in the Shell"" (1995). Serious animation has not yet proven commercially successful in the"
"to ""The Star Wars Holiday Special"" as canon in a 2015 interview. After being introduced by the special, the character Boba Fett and the planet Kashyyyk have gone on to play integral roles in the franchise, making their first film appearances in ""The Empire Strikes Back"" and """", respectively. Apart from this, more specific references to ""The Star Wars Holiday Special"" have been made including: Footnotes Citations Bibliography Star Wars Holiday Special The Star Wars Holiday Special is a 1978 American musical science fiction television film set in the ""Star Wars"" galaxy. It stars the original film's main cast, Chewbacca's"
"theaters. Despite the mounting financial pressures, distribution obstacles, and overall risk, a substantial number of genre movies from small studios and independent filmmakers were still reaching theaters. In September 1980, Corman released his most expensive movie to date: ""Battle Beyond the Stars"", with screenplay by John Sayles and art direction by James Cameron, cost his New World Pictures a grand total of $2 million. By comparison, the ""Star Wars"" sequel ""The Empire Strikes Back"", which came out three-and-a-half months before the Corman epic, was originally budgeted at $18.5 million and wound up costing $33 million, triple the cost of ""Star"
"the Millennium Falcon. As in the film, the ending sees Luke, Leia, Chewie, 3PO and R2-D2 reunited, with Luke and Lando finalizing their plan to rescue Han Solo from Jabba's captivity. The book has some differences from the film, such as: The book is followed by ""Return of the Jedi"", written by James Kahn. It is the third and final novel adaptation of the ""Star Wars"" classic trilogy. The Empire Strikes Back (novel) The Empire Strikes Back is a science fiction novel written by Donald F. Glut and first published on April 12, 1980 by Del Rey. It is based"
"The Galactic Empire, under the leadership of the villainous Darth Vader and the mysterious Emperor, is in pursuit of Luke Skywalker and the rest of the Rebel Alliance. While Vader relentlessly pursues the small band of Luke's friends—Han Solo, Princess Leia Organa, and others—across the galaxy, Luke studies the Force under Jedi Master Yoda. When Vader captures Luke's friends, Luke must decide whether to complete his training and become a full Jedi Knight or to confront Vader and save them. Following a difficult production, ""The Empire Strikes Back"" was released on May 21, 1980. It received mixed reviews from critics"
"response, the studio demanded that theaters order ""Star Wars"" if they wanted the eagerly anticipated ""The Other Side of Midnight"" based on the novel by the same name. ""Star Wars"" debuted on Wednesday, May 25, 1977, in fewer than 32 theaters, and eight more on Thursday and Friday. Kurtz said in 2002, ""That would be laughable today."" It immediately broke box office records, effectively becoming one of the first blockbuster films, and Fox accelerated plans to broaden its release. Lucas himself was not able to predict how successful ""Star Wars"" would be. After visiting the set of the Steven Spielberg"
"Star Wars: The Last Jedi Star Wars: The Last Jedi (also known as Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi) is a 2017 American space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson. It is the second installment of the ""Star Wars"" sequel trilogy and the eighth installment of the main ""Star Wars"" film franchise, following """" (2015). It was produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The film's ensemble cast includes Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, and"
"Star Wars (manga) Four ""Star Wars"" films were adapted to manga by Dark Horse Comics between 1998 and 1999: ""Star Wars"" (1977), ""The Empire Strikes Back"" (1980), ""Return of the Jedi"" (1983), and """" (1999). To conform to Western standards, for the English versions the art was copied in mirror-image in order to be read from left to right. Artwork - Hisao Tamaki Volumes - 4 Volume 1: Luke meeting Obi-wan and the droids, destruction of Luke's home Volume 2: Meeting of Han Solo, journey to Death Star Volume 3: Death Star events, Obi-wan's death Volume 4: Attack of Death"
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens Star Wars: The Force Awakens (also known as Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) is a 2015 American epic space opera film produced, co-written and directed by J. J. Abrams. It is the first installment of the ""Star Wars"" sequel trilogy and the seventh installment of the main ""Star Wars"" film franchise, following ""Return of the Jedi"" (1983). The film stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Max von Sydow, and was produced by"
"The film has been reissued multiple times at Lucas's behest, incorporating many changes including modified computer-generated effects, altered dialogue, re-edited shots, remixed soundtracks and added scenes. The film's success led to two critically and commercially successful sequels, ""The Empire Strikes Back"" in 1980 and ""Return of the Jedi"" in 1983, and later to a prequel trilogy, a sequel trilogy, and two anthology films. The galaxy is in the midst of a civil war. Rebel spies have stolen plans to the Galactic Empire's Death Star, a colossal space station capable of destroying an entire planet. Princess Leia, one of the rebellion's"
"""Star Wars"". Film producer Serafim Karalexis got the rights to distribute the movie in America in the 80s, retitled ""The Eagle's Shadow"". It had a new score made due to copyright issues with the original score. At the Hong Kong box office, ""Snake in the Eagle's Shadow"" earned HK$2,708,748.20 (). In South Korea, it was the second highest-grossing film of 1979 (behind Jackie Chan's ""Drunken Master""), with 765,930 box admissions in Seoul, equivalent to approximately (). Combined, the film grossed a total of approximately in East Asia, equivalent to adjusted for inflation in 2018. In 1979, a film entitled ""Snake"
"did mark the first time a film was booked to theaters before a release date, a common practice today. The massive success of ""Jaws"" was eclipsed just two years later by another legendary blockbuster and film franchise. The George Lucas science-fiction film ""Star Wars"" hit theater screens in May 1977, and became a major hit, growing in ticket sales throughout the summer and the rest of the year. In time earning some $460 million, the good versus evil fantasy set in space was not soon surpassed. The film's breathtaking visual effects won an Academy Award. The film also won for"