Star Wars is an influential science fantasy saga created by George Lucas, who was the director, writer and producer of these films in the early 1970s. The saga began with the film Star Wars, which was released on May 25, 1977. The film, later re-titled in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, became a pop culture phenomenon, spawning five more feature films and an extensive collection of licensed books, comics, video games, spin-off films, television series, toys, et all.
George Lucas
Everything began with George Lucas. George Walton Lucas, Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter famous for his epic Star Wars saga and his Indiana Jones films. He is one of Hollywood’s most financially successful directors and producers. George Walton Lucas, Jr. was born in Modesto, California. Lucas decided to go to college. He enrolled at Modesto Junior College, and then transferred to the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television. USC was one of the earliest universities to have a school devoted to film studies. There he made a number of short films, including an early version of THX 1138, which later became his first full-length feature film. After some successful films like American Graffiti and Star Wars: A New Hope, he was able to found his own film studio called Lucasfilm. He also founded Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light and Magic, the sound and visual effects subdivisions of Lucasfilm, respectively, have become among the most respected firms in their fields. Lucasfilm Games, later re-named to Lucas Arts, is highly regarded in the gaming industry. With STAR WARS he had his break trough.
The History of Star Wars
Star Wars began with a 13-page treatment for a space adventure movie that George Lucas drafted in 1973, inspired by multiple myths and classic stories. It wasn’t an easy way to realize his dream because none of Hollywood’s film studios wanted to spend money in such a risky project. Finally in 1976 Twentieth Century Fox Studios gave George Lucas 10 Million $ film the first Star Wars film. But this wasn’t enough money to produce the film and so he had to sell merchandising articles to finance the movie and so the era of merchandising began. In 1977 the first film, Star Wars – later re-named in Star Wars: Episode IV: A new Hope – started in the USA. Although only 37 cinemas in America agreed to show this film, it was one of the most successful films ever. The film Star Wars is responsible that we use the word Blockbuster for movies because everybody wanted to see Star Wars and only a few cinemas showed it. So there were queues about one or two blocks. In 1980 George Lucas released the second part of the Star Wars-Saga, Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. After 1983, when Star Wars: Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi was released, there was a big brake for Star Wars, which lasted until 1995, when George Lucas proclaimed that he would make another trilogy. 1999 Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released. In 2002 and 2005 Episode 2: Attack of the Clones and Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith followed. In 2003 and 2004 there were also two animated films: Star Wars – Clone Wars.
The films
Explication of Background information
First of all we have to explain some things that you’ll understand the plot of the film.
1. The main organizations
There are 5 important organizations: The Galactic Republic, the Trade Federation, the CIS (Confederation of Independent Systems), the Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
2. The Jedi
The Jedi-Knights are the guardians of peace and justice. They fought for the Galactic Republic for more than 1000 generations. The traditional weapon of the Jedi is the light-saber.
3. The Sith
The Sith are the biggest enemy of the Jedi. They are the counterpart of the Jedi. The Sith are sadistic and fight for more power. The whole system of the Sith is base on treason. If the student of a Sith-Lord is stronger than his master, he kills him and takes over his place.
4. The Force
The Force is one of the main topics in the Star Wars-Saga. Both, the Jedi and the Sith use the Force. The Jedi are servants of the Light Side of Force and the Sith are servants of the Dark Side of Force. Those who can use the Force, such as the Jedi, can perform feats of telepathy, psycho kinesis, prescience, and mental control. Nobody can say which side is stronger, but in the films the Light Side wins. In Episode IV, there’s the best description of the Force which exists: „The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the Galaxy together.“
The Characters
Star Wars has a big amount of characters but we cannot list everybody because it would take too much time. So we’ll list the most important characters. (show pictures)
1.) Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader: He’s the main character of the Star Wars. First he was a slave boy on the planet Tattoine, but then he was found by the Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn. After Qui-Gon’s death Obi-Wan Kenobi became his teacher. Finally in Episode III Anakin turned to the Dark side and became Darth Vader.
2.) Obi-Wan Kenobi: He’s one of the most powerful Jedi in the Republic and the teacher of Anakin. Later on he also taught Anakin’s son Luke.
3.) Qui-Gon Jinn: Qui-Gon found Anakin on the planet Naboo when he was 9 years old. He decided to train him to a Jedi. Unfortunately he was killed at the end of Episode 1.
4.) Padmé Amidala: Senator Padmé Amidala, former queen of Naboo, was in love with Anakin. She was the reason why he turned to the Dark Side because Anakin wanted to rescue her from death.
5.) Chancellor Palpatine / Darth Sidious / The Emperor: He’s the main villain in the Star Wars-Saga. After he was elected to Chancellor, he began a war which lead to the destruction of the Republic and the rise if the Empire.
6.) Master Yoda: Yoda is a very strong and wise Jedi-Master. After the lost fight against Darth Sidious, he went into exile. Later on he taught Luke Skywalker to use the Force.
7.) The droids R2-D2 and C-3PO: For many Star Wars-Fans R2-D2 & C-3PO are the real heroes in Star Wars. Without their help the adventures of the main characters would often end badly.
8.) Luke Skywalker: Luke is the son of Darth Vader, but at first he didn’t know that. When he met Obi-Wan Kenobi he decided to become a Jedi.
9.) Leia Organa: She’s the twin-sister of Luke, but they didn’t know it at first because they where separated when they were babies. Leia is one of the most important leaders of the Rebel Alliance.
10.) Han Solo: Han Solo is the coolest person in the whole Star Wars-Galaxy. At first he was a smuggler but later he participated in the Rebel Alliance by accident.
11.) Chewbacca: Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk and the best friend of Han Solo.
The plot
Before we’ll start with the plot, we want to show you a music-video with scenes from all films (show video)
Episodes I, II, and III chronicle the downfall of the Old Republic and the Rise of the Galactic Empire. It is also the story of Anakin Skywalker’s rise as a gifted young Jedi and his fall to the Dark Side of the Force. In the films, Darth Sidious manipulates the Trade Federation into invading and occupying the planet Naboo. Using his public identity of Senator Palpatine, Sidious uses the crisis to manipulate the Senate into electing him Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. Sidious then further manipulates the Senate into granting him emergency power, and orchestrates the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Republic (which he controls as Chancellor Palpatine) and a Separatist movement (which he controls as Darth Sidious). Meanwhile, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala fall in love. They hold a secret wedding at the end of Episode II. During the latter parts of the Clone Wars, Padmé becomes pregnant with twins, Luke and Leia. As the Clone Wars come to an end, Sidious turns Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. Anakin, now known as Darth Vader, helps Sidious to wipe out the Jedi and Sidious, as Palpatine, declares himself Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Padmé gives birth to Luke and Leia but dies during childbirth. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda choose to go into exile. Obi-Wan takes Luke to Tatooine with the intent to watch over him from afar, while Leia was sent to Alderaan and raises her. Yoda goes to Dagobah to await the arrival of Luke.
Episode IV, V, and VI pick up approximately nineteen years after the events of Episode III, during the Galactic Civil War, which leads to the downfall of the Galactic Empire at the hands of the Rebel Alliance. These films follow the story of Luke Skywalker, the son of Anakin Skywalker, and his rise in the Rebel movement against the Empire. Leia, now a Princess and a member of the Imperial Senate, sends a plan for help to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke inadvertently intercepts the message and meets Kenobi. After the murder of his aunt and uncle by Imperial Stormtroopers, Luke joins the ragtag Rebel Alliance. He trains to become a Jedi like his father, whom he believes was betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader. When Luke learns the truth — that his father is Darth Vader — he is profoundly shaken. Despite this, Luke successfully resists the efforts of Vader and the Emperor to turn him to the Dark Side, instead turning his father back to the Light Side of the Force. A mortally wounded Vader then kills the Emperor, while the Rebel fleet scores a decisive victory against the Empire, by destroying the second Death Star. The Rebel Alliance’s victory eventually leads to the end of the Galactic Civil War, the downfall of the Empire, and the formation of the New Republic.
We hope you enjoyed our presentation and we want to finish it with the following quote from the film:
May the Force be with you!
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