- "A film for a generation growing up without fairy tales."
- ―George Lucas
The Star Wars saga, also referred to as the Skywalker saga, is the main line of Star Wars films that began in 1977 by George Lucas, with Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope being the first film. While a larger universe of stories and characters has evolved around it, the saga films tell the story of the Skywalker family through a set of three trilogies. The original trilogy ran from 1977 to 1983, which was followed by the prequel trilogy from 1999 to 2005, and the sequel trilogy from 2015 to 2019.
Plot summary[]
Chronologically, the story spans 67 years. It begins with Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One of Jedi prophecy, as the prequel trilogy charts his rise as a Jedi Knight through his fall to the dark side of the Force and becoming Darth Vader. The original trilogy tells the story of Anakin's children, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, as they lead the fight against the Galactic Empire, and Luke saves Anakin from the dark side and becomes a Jedi in his own right. The sequel trilogy focuses on Rey, a Force prodigy who is swept up into a new galactic conflict and faces off against Anakin's fallen grandson, Ben Solo, now known as Kylo Ren, while becoming the first of a new generation of Jedi.
Development[]
The series was created by George Lucas, who, as the writer and director of A New Hope and the entire prequel trilogy, has written and directed more films in the Skywalker saga than any other person. Other saga film directors include Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand, J.J. Abrams, and Rian Johnson. Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt, Abrams, Johnson, and Chris Terrio have all been writers on the films. Gary Kurtz and Howard G. Kazanjian produced the original trilogy, Rick McCallum produced the prequel trilogy, and Kathleen Kennedy produced the sequel trilogy.
Films[]
In story order:
- Prequel trilogy
- Original trilogy
- Sequel trilogy
Characteristics[]
Episode titles[]
The nine released films of the Skywalker saga begin their designation with "Episode" followed by their chronological order displayed as a Roman numeral. Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope was originally released simply as Star Wars, as it was not known whether it would be followed by a sequel. Beginning with its April 10, 1981 re-release, it was renamed to its current title.
Opening crawls[]
The opening crawl of each film in the Skywalker saga follows the same format. The introduction and crawl begins with the blue text "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....," which is then immediately followed by the Star Wars logo and the slanted, yellow-text-on-starfield summaries of immediately preceding off-screen action. While the typefaces vary slightly, these all follow the same overall general format. These crawls were inspired by the Flash Gordon serials from George Lucas' childhood.
Skywalker lineage[]
The Star Wars saga follows the Skywalker family through all nine films:
The original trilogy (out-of-universe: 1977–1983; in-universe: 0 BBY–4 ABY) focuses on protagonist Luke Skywalker, his unbeknownst-to-him sister Princess Leia, the smuggler Han Solo, and the redemption of Darth Vader.
The prequel trilogy (out-of-universe: 1999–2005; in-universe 32 BBY–19 BBY) focuses on protagonist Anakin Skywalker as he matures from 9-year-old Tatooine slave child to a Jedi Knight. The prequel trilogy also focuses on Skywalker's eventual wife, Padmé Amidala, and his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and sets the groundwork and basis of the plot in the original trilogy.
The sequel trilogy (out-of-universe: 2015–2019; in-universe: 34 ABY—35 ABY) focuses on the scavenger Rey as she discovers and trains with the Force, the ex-stormtrooper Finn, the ace pilot Poe Dameron, and the antagonist Kylo Ren, who is the son of Leia Organa and Han Solo.
Planned[]
George Lucas had previously changed the "planned" number of saga films from interview to interview over the years[2] (with potentially as many as twelve as far back as 1978).[3] After Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, their "announced" saga films will remain at nine, as they develop animated and live-action television shows, web series, Anthology films, a film series, and a trilogy.
Sources[]
- The Jedi Master's Quizbook
- "Looking At Lucasfilm" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 1
- "Star Wars 10th Anniversary Convention!!" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 1
- "Collections" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 2
- "Mark Hamill: 10 Years Later" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 3
- "Warwick Davis: An Unlikely Hero" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 4
- "George Lucas: The Force Behind Lucasfilm" — The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine 6
- The Long, Winding, and Shapeshifting Trail to Episodes VII, VIII & IX on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Lucasfilm + Disney = More Star Wars and Great Times for Fans on StarWars.com (backup link)
- New Video Series: A Discussion About the Future of Star Wars on StarWars.com (backup link)
- On the Brink of the Future on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Passing the Baton: Meet Kathleen Kennedy on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Returning to Star Wars: A Convergence in the Force on StarWars.com (backup link)
- New Star Wars Movies Announced as Disney Enters Agreement to Acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Introducing Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide on StarWars.com (backup link)
- SDCC 2014: "The Heroes of Star Wars Rebels" Panel - Liveblog on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Creatures and Peoples of the Galaxy
- Star Wars: The Lightsaber Collection
- Star Wars: Best of 2020 on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars Bust Collection 1 (Behind the Cameras: How the Death Star Was Created)
- Star Wars Bust Collection 2 (Behind the Cameras: Evolution of the Stormtroopers)
- Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 Announces First Celebrity Guests on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Plan Ahead with the Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 Panel Schedule on StarWars.com (backup link)
- High Republic Phase II Deep Dive, Star Wars Celebration, and More! on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Will Be Back in Theaters for 40th Anniversary Celebration on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars Day 2023 Games and Experiences Deals! on StarWars.com (backup link)
- This Star Wars Day, Carrie Fisher Honored with Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Everything Star Wars on Disney+ on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Jedi at 40 | ILM Legend Thomas G. Smith on the Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Launchpad" — Star Wars Insider 220
- Star Wars: Best of 2023 on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Celebrates 25 Years with Return to Theaters on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Skywalker Saga Marathon Coming to Theaters on May the 4th on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Pun-ch It! The Making of Star Wars: Dad Jokes on StarWars.com (backup link)
- First Celebrity Guests Confirmed for Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Quiz: Which Droid Are You Taking on Your Next Adventure? on StarWars.com (backup link)
- The Acolyte Explained | Highlights from "Lost / Found" and "Revenge / Justice" on StarWars.com (backup link)
- "Leslye Headland: Acolyte & Architect" — Star Wars Insider 226
- "Amanda Lawrence: A Commanding Performance" — Star Wars Insider 226
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1995 Topps Star Wars Galaxy Series (Card: Joseph Campbell/George Lucas) (backup link)
- ↑ The Long, Winding, and Shapeshifting Trail to Episodes VII, VIII & IX on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ George Lucas' Galactic Empire on www.time.com (March 6, 1978) (archived from the original on September 30, 2007)