The Galaxy Far, Far Away

On May 25th, 1977, the world was introduced to a film that would inspire people all around the globe for decades to come. Star Wars took the world by storm, capturing the imaginations of both young and old and after a 41 year history there have been 8 more films, 2 anthology stories, 2 brand new sagas completely separate from the original story, animated television series, brand new live action TV series, video games, and content on every platform imaginable. Think of anything on this planet and there will be that same thing with a Star Wars logo on it. Aside from being a media juggernaut, this franchise has become something that has helped people deal with real life struggles. Lets hop into our star fighters and cover each era in depth without spoilers (for those who wish to experience it for the first time) and how this "most impressive" franchise has shaped the world we live in today.

Where It All Began

May 25th, 1977, is when the original Star Wars, what we know today as 'A New Hope,' was released into theatres. After sitting through the iconic theme song and scroll overviewing the story that lays ahead is where we start our journey into the galaxy far, far away. Right off the hop we get our first glimpse of the almighty empire lead by the one and only master of evil Darth Vader, who is in search of the data tapes containing plans to the "Death Star." Here we are also introduced to our favorite droids R2D2 and C3PO accompanied by Princess Leia played by the late, great Carrie Fisher. Upon the arrest of the princess by the empire we follow C3PO and R2D2 as they land on the dessert planet of Tatooine, where we meet our hero of the story Luke Skywalker. This is where the story truly begins. Luke is just a young moisture farmer who knows he is destined for far more than what he is. Enter Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi who puts young Luke on the path to his true destiny — their mission, save the princess. After finding safe passage off Tatooine aboard the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Han Solo and co-pilot Chewbacca, Luke must learn the ways of the force in order to truly succeed. Through a daring rescue of Leia and a barrage of blaster aboard the Death Star our heroes manage an escape, through this Luke realizes he must stay with the Rebellion for the greater good of the galaxy. What follows is an epic space dogfight WWII style. Through the power of the force and hope, the rebellion will find a way.

Three years later Lucasfilm released the next chapter in the saga The Empire Strikes Back. It further expands the journeys of our heroes Luke, Leia and Han as they continue to serve the galaxy in the fight against Darth Vader and the dreaded Empire. In this second adventure through the galaxy far, far away we get a deeper look inside the Empire and their associates known as bounty hunters. We also meet new friends of the Rebellion. After the battle of Hoth in the beginning of the film, Luke journeys to the distant planet of Dagobah to further his training of the Jedi arts with the master who trained Obi-Wan — Yoda. In the mean time Han, Leia, and Chewy continue to run from the Empire suffering substantial damages to the falcon and decide to go see an old friend of Hans, Lando Calrissian in Cloud City on the planet Bespin. Trust is broken and confrontations arise with the Empire when Lando betrays Han in order to protect his city. Back on Dagobah, Luke continues his training with master Yoda when he feels a disturbance in the force and feels his friends are in grave danger. Despite what both Yoda and Obi-Wan have told young Luke, he hops in his X-Wing to help his friends. Upon arriving on Bespin and helping his friends escape, Luke finds himself facing off against Darth Vader attempting to turn him to the dark side of the force only to learn the true of his past.

Return Of The Jedi isthe epic final showdown of the saga. Once again the galaxy is further deepened with new faces, locations, and creatures on both sides of the battlefront. Everything from ruthless gangsters, the Rancor, the Sarlacc, and Lord Vader's master to (almost) everyone's favorite — the Ewoks. Being the final showdown, our heroes must band together if they have any chance of putting a stop to the oppression from the Empire to restore peace and freedom in the galaxy. Our final journey begins on the Death Star, where Darth Vader has arrived to check on the progress of his army. Jabba the Hutt's palace on Mos Eisley, located on Luke's home planet of Tatooine, is where we travel to next in order to execute a daring rescue mission. Upon arriving and failing to come to a deal our beloved princess is taken captive by Jabba with no signs of escape that is until Luke Skywalker comes in to save the day but little does he know that Jabba has a few tricks up his sleeve. Before Luke can do anything offensive to save Leia, a trap door is sprung and Luke finds himself in a pit, alone, facing down the Rancor without his lightsaber. Through quick thinking and concentration he is able to defeat the beast but the rescue isn't over, due to the fact that now Luke is now in captivity and sentenced to death by Sarlacc. Of course, with the quick wit of our heroes they make their escape and complete the mission. After reuniting with Yoda and we see the intentions of the true leader of the Empire, Darth Sidious, master of Darth Vader, the Rebelion is reassembled and begin the final stand against the Empire. The Battle takes place on the forest moon of Endor, the mission is to destroy the shield generator protecting the Death Star and final destroy the Empire once and for all. After a high-speed chase on speeder bikes and a little run in with our furry friends, the Ewoks, victory seems far from a sure thing. But hope always finds a way.

George Lucas has always said that Star Wars is for kids and families, emphasis on kids. So when it came time to release the movie, he didn't want the children to forget the magic the first film was able to convey. Enter Jenner Toys. Jenner Toys didn't only put out Star Wars toys, they started a movement where movie studios could advertise their products differently. What Jenner did after the toy line released was they opened the toy to any movie that was 'toyable' would get pushed into production and shoved into as many stores as they can. Their plan worked beyond expectations. Every kid in the world who watches not just Star Wars but anything, now had action figures and playsets to create their own stories with the characters they know and love. To this day the toy industry is a major advertisement tool to the film industry, and I believe we have George Lucas to thank for that.

In summary, when George Lucas gave us the original trilogy he opened the doors to a vast galaxy where the possibilities are endless and imaginations can flourish. Conveying hope and showing everyone that there is good in everyone, regardless of how evil they may seem. These 3 films have been loved and adored by everyone, while everyone thought it was the end of Star Wars — it stopped nothing.

Episode II coming soon.