—Dr. Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2017. Few objects in Star Wars are as iconic as the lightsaber. [i] Episode VII was met with both critical and box office success, and Episode VIII, while also meeting critical and financial success, had a mixed reception from audiences. Lucas, a fan of the NPR-affiliated campus radio station of his alma mater the University of Southern California, licensed the Star Wars radio rights to KUSC-FM for US$1. [219] Supreme Leader Snoke encourages Kylo Ren to kill his father, Han Solo. Prior to 1977, 20th Century Fox's greatest annual profits were $37 million, while in 1977, the company broke that record by posting a profit of $79 million. [228] Shots of the commanders looking through AT-AT walker viewscreens in The Empire Strikes Back resemble tank interiors,[229] and space battles in the original film were based on World War I and World War II dogfights. She is the editor of Twilight and History, Harry Potter and History, and Star Trek and History. Star Wars has has had a history on television since almost the very beginning, but it hasn't always been pretty. For a sampling of the reviews, read the following: Learn how and when to remove this template message, massively multiplayer online role-playing game, List of Star Wars theme parks attractions, Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination, Star Wars: Millennium Falcon - Smugglers Run, those of German forces during World War II, "Star Wars Official New Timeline, Updated For The High Republic", "Why I love the 'Star Wars' prequels (and you should too)", "The Clone Wars Returns February 2020, and All the Other Star Wars News Just Revealed at D23", "Star Wars Timeline Gives Official Titles For Prequel, Original & New Trilogies", "How Palpatine Returned In The Rise of Skywalker", "New Star Wars Photos Reveal The Villain, A Space Pirate And Lots More", "Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker Finally Explains How The First Order Are So Powerful", "The $11 million spent on "Star Wars" in 1977 was the best film investment ever made", "EMPIRE at 40 | 7 Little-Known Facts About the Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back", "Celebrating the Star Wars Franchise's Box Office Impact as The Empire Strikes Back Turns 40", "A side-by-side comparison of Denis Villeneuve's 'Dune' trailer to the David Lynch effort", "The Star Wars prequels are bad — and insightful about American politics", "Star Wars rewatch: Why is Attack of the Clones so heartless? From the clones who … Judith P. Zinsser, Professor Emerita of History, Miami University, Ohio, "Star Wars has been so successful precisely because it has spoken to myths, legends, and, above all, historical episodes and types familiar to its fans. [238] Phrases like "evil empire" and "May the Force be with you" have become part of the popular lexicon. The opening crawl of the sequels disclosed that they were numbered as \"Episode V\" and \"Episode VI\" respectively, though the films were generally advertised solely under their subtitles. "Star Wars" took place long ago in a galaxy far, far away, but its epic stories are based on our own history. [210] From 1995 until 2001, Decipher, Inc. had the license for, created, and produced the Star Wars Customizable Card Game. Daughter is born. The Star Wars franchise has spawned over one hundred[170] computer, video, and board games, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. The rest of the population, as well as renegades and soldiers, use laser-powered blaster firearms. [161] Michael Giacchino composed the score of Rogue One. ." —Dr. [240], Film critic Roger Ebert wrote in his book The Great Movies, "Like The Birth of a Nation and Citizen Kane, Star Wars was a technical watershed that influenced many of the movies that came after." Disney partnered with Lenovo to create the augmented reality video game Jedi Challenges, released in November 2017. I eagerly anticipated this book, being both a Star Wars fan and a scholar of politics. They marched backward through the looking-glass. The first officially licensed electronic Star Wars game was Kenner's 1979 table-top Star Wars Electronic Battle Command. [259] Lucas's concept of a "used universe" particularly influenced Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982) and Alien (1979), James Cameron's Aliens (1986) as well as The Terminator (1984), George Miller's Mad Max 2 (1981), and Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003). Jedi: Fallen Order was released in November 2019 and Star Wars: Squadrons was released in October 2020. [152][153], After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, it was announced in January 2014 that in 2015 the Star Wars comics license would return to Marvel Comics,[154] whose parent company, Marvel Entertainment, Disney had purchased in 2009. Not the best book I have read but very interesting all the same. Seeing Palpatine compared to Caesar and Hitler makes for informative reading. they began a war unlike any other in the galaxy’s history. [166][164], The overwhelming success, led to a 10-episode adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back debuted in 1983. Have you ever wondered whether the rebellion against the Empire bears any resemblance to the American Revolution or the Vietnam War? 1. [49][50] In September 2019, it was announced that Kathleen Kennedy and Kevin Feige would collaborate to develop a Star Wars film. Each film was released two days later in the U.S. Not to be confused with the board game with the same name published in 1990, In his early drafts, Lucas used the plot point of a dictator staying in power with the support of the military. Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition: The Definitive Guide to the Star Wars Universe, The Star Wars Book: Expand your knowledge of a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual History, Updated Edition (Star Wars (DK Publishing)), Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection: Lightsabers from the Skywalker Saga, The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels and more | (Star Wars gift, Lightsaber book), Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles, Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, New Edition, Star Wars Retro Collection 2019 Episode IV: A New Hope Princess Leia Organa, Star Wars Rebels: Complete Series Seasons 1-4 DVD. The original film, retroactively subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original Star Wars trilogy. [166][164][165] Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels reprised their film roles. Father is born. The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away",[5] in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid) co-exist with robots, or 'droids', who may assist them in their daily routines; space travel between planets is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. [212] Anakin was conceived of a virgin birth, and is assumed to be the "Chosen One", a messianic individual. The Mandalorian is a many-faceted Star Wars series. [222][223] Darth Vader's design was initially inspired by Samurai armor, and also incorporated a German military helmet. The execution of Order 66 is a pivotal moment in the Star Wars story. [123][125] Other notable series from Bantam include the Jedi Academy trilogy (1994) by Kevin J. Anderson,[126][127] the 14-book Young Jedi Knights series (1995–1998) by Anderson and Rebecca Moesta,[127][128] and the X-wing series (1996–2012) by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston. Anne Rubenstein, Associate Professor of History, York University, United Kingdom, "Star Wars and History isn't only a nod to the old adage 'history repeats itself'; rather, by examining such themes as political power and rebellion, diplomacy, slavery and civil rights, and more, this book reminds us that historical people and events have influenced how George Lucas fashioned those moments and how much Star Wars in turn has informed our understanding of these universal themes." [10] The Force is wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict with each other: the Jedi, peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration, and the Sith, who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression. The Discovery of The Chosen One. [123][124] The Force Unleashed (2008–2010) was a similar project set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope that included a novel, a 2008 video game and its 2010 sequel, a graphic novel, a role-playing game supplement, and toys. You will also read about how our own civilization's civil wars, slavery, corporate empire-building, and teenage queens were transformed into epic Star Wars history, and you'll discover how Tatooine reflects the lawless seaports of the past and Coruscant embodies our more recent history of glittering, greedy capitalism. She has been an avid fan of Star Wars since the first film's 1977 release. This is the entire history of the Star Wars canon as of May 4, 2020. Pedro Pascal and Jon Favreau on the Future of the Newest 'Star Wars' Franchise", "Boba Fett Series Confirmed as a Mandalorian Spinoff; Pedro Pascal Will Be Back as Mando for Season 3", "Rogue One prequel series gets title: Andor", "Deborah Chow to Direct Obi-Wan Kenobi Series Exclusively on Disney+", "Lucasfilm Announces 'The Mandalorian' Spin-Offs 'Ahsoka' and 'Rangers of the New Republic, "ConDFW XIII 2014: Kevin J. Anderson Profile", "Is the New 'Star Wars' Trilogy the Story of the Solo Twins and Darth Caedus? [241] The film can be said to have helped launch the science-fiction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, making science-fiction films a mainstream genre. The first will be a film titled Rogue Squadron, which is being directed by Patty Jenkins, and is scheduled for release on December 25, 2023. Here's a look back at the best, worst and weirdest Star Wars TV projects. There was a problem loading your book clubs. [185][186] The series introduced Kyle Katarn, who would appear in multiple games, novels, and comics. [59] Most of the main cast would return for the two additional installments of the original trilogy, which were self-financed by Lucasfilm. [150], In the late 1980s, Marvel dropped a new Star Wars comic it had in development, which was picked up by Dark Horse Comics and published as the popular Dark Empire series (1991–1995). [159], John Williams composed the soundtracks for the nine episodic films; he has stated that he will retire from the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker. Learn more about this galaxy-shifting massacre of all time we 'll send you a link download! Are often employed by both gangsters and governments the name of World War II terms were used names... Franchise helped Fox to change from an almost bankrupt production company to a record high films not. 243 ] the 1977 movie 's success led Lucas to make it the basis of elaborate. 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