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Star Wars Galactic Racer Release Today!
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Franchise Hub
Star Wars
Star Wars movies, TV series and games, all in one hub.
Total Apex Take
Still finding its footing after the sequel trilogy — Andor proved the franchise can be genuinely great when it stops chasing nostalgia.
“Andor” is, by a wide critical margin, the best thing to carry the Star Wars name since the original trilogy, and it succeeded specifically by doing the opposite of fan-service: no cute creatures, no legacy-character cameos propping up the plot, just a genuinely political, adult story about how rebellions actually form. That it came from Tony Gilroy rather than a Star Wars franchise veteran says something about what the brand needs more of.
Dave Filoni being given a broader creative-shepherd role across the franchise's timeline is the clearest sign Lucasfilm knows the post-sequel-trilogy plan needs more coherence than it's had, after years of announced films that quietly disappeared from the release calendar.
Our take: judge new Star Wars by the Andor standard — specific, political, willing to let side characters matter — not by how many familiar faces or lightsabers show up. The IP has plenty of nostalgia equity left; what it's been short on is scripts with something to say.
About Star Wars
Star Wars is the space-opera franchise George Lucas created in 1977, following a galaxy-spanning conflict between the Jedi, the Sith, and the political forces around them. The original and prequel trilogies, along with the sequel trilogy that began in 2015, form the franchise's core "Skywalker Saga," while standalone films, animated series, and live-action Disney+ shows have steadily widened the timeline in both directions.
Lucasfilm, now a division of Disney, oversees the franchise's film and television output, while console, PC, and mobile games built around Star Wars are produced by a rotating slate of developers under Lucasfilm Games. The brand's reach also extends into novels, comics, theme-park lands, and one of the most extensive toy and collectibles businesses in entertainment.
George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company in 2012, handing over the franchise along with Industrial Light & Magic, the visual-effects house he founded to realize the original film's effects. Kathleen Kennedy has led Lucasfilm since that acquisition, overseeing the sequel trilogy, the spin-off films, and the expanding slate of Disney+ series.
Beyond film and television, Star Wars maintains one of the longest-running tie-in publishing operations in entertainment, alongside theme-park lands at Disney's resorts and a games business now organized under the Lucasfilm Games label rather than developed in-house.
History
1977–1983
Original Trilogy
A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi introduce Luke Skywalker, Leia, Han Solo, and Darth Vader, and define the look of the franchise.
1999–2005
Prequel Trilogy
The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith trace Anakin Skywalker's fall and the fall of the Jedi Order.
2015–2019
Sequel Trilogy
The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker close out the Skywalker Saga under Disney's ownership of Lucasfilm.
2019–present
Streaming expansion
The Mandalorian kicks off a wave of live-action Disney+ series exploring the wider galaxy alongside films set at different points in the timeline.
Key People
George Lucas Creator
Wrote and directed the original 1977 film and later the prequel trilogy, and founded Industrial Light & Magic and Lucasfilm, which he sold to Disney in 2012.
Kathleen Kennedy President, Lucasfilm
Has led Lucasfilm since Disney's acquisition, overseeing the sequel trilogy, spin-off films, and the Disney+ series slate.
Irvin Kershner Director, The Empire Strikes Back
Directed the 1980 sequel widely regarded as a high point of the original trilogy.
Dave Filoni Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm
Co-created The Clone Wars with Lucas and has gone on to shape much of the studio's animated and live-action Disney+ output, including Ahsoka.
Jon Favreau Creator, The Mandalorian
Launched the Disney+ era of Star Wars television with The Mandalorian in 2019.
Heroes & Villains
Heroes
Luke Skywalker Star Wars, 1977
Played by Mark Hamill across the original and sequel trilogies, Luke was the franchise's original central protagonist.
Princess/General Leia Organa Star Wars, 1977
Played by Carrie Fisher; Leia appeared across both the original and sequel trilogies.
Han Solo Star Wars, 1977
Played by Harrison Ford, who reprised the role through the sequel trilogy and a 2018 standalone film centered on the character.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars, 1977
Played by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy and Ewan McGregor in the prequels and a later Disney+ series.
Yoda The Empire Strikes Back, 1980
A puppet performed by Frank Oz in the original and prequel trilogies.
Chewbacca Star Wars, 1977
Played by Peter Mayhew in the original trilogy and Joonas Suotamo in later films.
Rey The Force Awakens, 2015
Played by Daisy Ridley, Rey served as the sequel trilogy's central protagonist.
Din Djarin (The Mandalorian) The Mandalorian, 2019
Played by Pedro Pascal, the character anchors Lucasfilm's first flagship live-action Disney+ series.
Villains
Darth Vader Star Wars, 1977
Performed in costume by David Prowse with voice work by James Earl Jones, Vader is one of the most recognizable villains in film history.
Emperor Palpatine Star Wars (voice cameo), 1977; on-screen in Return of the Jedi, 1983
Played by Ian McDiarmid across the original, prequel and sequel trilogies.
Darth Maul The Phantom Menace, 1999
Played by Ray Park with voice work by Peter Serafinowicz; later expanded in animated series.
Grand Moff Tarkin Star Wars, 1977
Played by Peter Cushing; the character commands the first Death Star in the original film.
Kylo Ren The Force Awakens, 2015
Played by Adam Driver as the sequel trilogy's primary antagonist.
Key Star Wars Releases
| Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Star Wars (A New Hope) | 1977 | The film that started the franchise |
| The Empire Strikes Back | 1980 | Frequently ranked as a high point of the saga |
| The Mandalorian | 2019 | Flagship live-action Disney+ series |
| Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order | 2019 | Revived Star Wars as a major single-player game franchise |
| Ahsoka | 2023 | Continued storylines first planted in animated series |
Financials
| Disney acquisition (2012) | The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm, including Star Wars and Industrial Light & Magic, for roughly $4.05 billion |
|---|---|
| Box office record | Guinness World Records recognizes Star Wars for the highest box-office gross of any science-fiction film series, with franchise earnings around $10 billion worldwide |
| Highest-grossing entry | Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) holds the Guinness World Record as the highest-grossing film in the franchise |
Star Wars' revenue extends well past box office into games, publishing, and one of the largest merchandising and theme-park businesses in entertainment. As with other franchises on this hub, treat the figures above as sourced milestones rather than a constantly updating total.
Books & Comics
Star Wars comics have changed publishers more than once. Marvel published the original Star Wars comic line from 1977 to 1986, Dark Horse Comics held the license from 1991 to 2014, and the rights returned to Marvel in 2015 following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, consolidating Star Wars publishing alongside Marvel's other franchises.
The current Marvel-published line runs ongoing series tied to the films and shows alongside original stories set between them, continuing a tie-in comics tradition that has run almost continuously since the first film's release.
How It Compares
| Compared To | Key Difference |
|---|---|
| Marvel | Both franchises are owned by Disney and published by Marvel Comics, but Star Wars centers on one connected saga rather than a large ensemble of individually headlined heroes. |
| The Lord of the Rings | Star Wars has continually expanded its story across new trilogies and series since 1977, while Tolkien's core narrative was completed as a finished work before being adapted. |
| Harry Potter / Wizarding World | Star Wars has sustained a much larger ongoing release slate across film and television than the more sporadic Wizarding World expansions. |
Trivia & Fan Culture
The opening crawl
Every mainline Star Wars film opens with the same scrolling text format George Lucas introduced in 1977, a convention fans now treat as a franchise signature.
Industrial Light & Magic
Lucas founded the visual-effects company Industrial Light & Magic specifically to realize the first film's effects, and it has since worked on blockbusters well outside the franchise.
THX sound
The THX audio standard was developed by Lucasfilm engineer Tomlinson Holman for Return of the Jedi, aiming to make theater sound systems more consistent.
"No, I am your father"
The famous Empire Strikes Back line is widely misquoted as "Luke, I am your father" — Vader never actually says "Luke" in that line.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should the Star Wars films be watched in?
Release order (starting with the 1977 original) is the classic way to experience the saga the way audiences did; chronological order (starting with The Phantom Menace) follows the in-universe timeline instead.
Are the Star Wars animated shows canon?
Yes. Since Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, shows like The Clone Wars, Rebels, and Tales of the Jedi are treated as part of the same official continuity as the films and live-action series.
Who currently leads Lucasfilm?
Kathleen Kennedy has served as Lucasfilm's president since Disney's 2012 acquisition of the company, overseeing its film and television slate.
Who owns Star Wars now?
The Walt Disney Company has owned Star Wars since acquiring Lucasfilm from George Lucas in 2012 for roughly $4.05 billion.
What is the Skywalker Saga?
The Skywalker Saga refers to the nine mainline episodic films — the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies — that together follow the Skywalker family across generations.
Why does the first Star Wars film say "Episode IV"?
George Lucas structured the saga as a larger story from the start and labeled the 1977 film "Episode IV: A New Hope" even though it was the first one released.
Who publishes Star Wars comics?
Marvel currently publishes Star Wars comics, a license it held in the franchise's early years before Dark Horse Comics took over from 1991 to 2014; the rights returned to Marvel in 2015.
Is The Mandalorian connected to the films?
Yes — The Mandalorian and its spin-offs are set in the same timeline as the films, in the years after Return of the Jedi, and have introduced storylines that later crossed over into other Disney+ series.
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