There is a war in outer space. The über-evil Emperor is spreading fear throughout the galaxy with a super weapon. But a Rebel Alliance has formed to fight back.
We can all sing along with John Williams' film music and imitate Darth Vader's raspy voice or Chewbacca's wordless grunt - even those of us who may never have seen a single Star Wars film. When George Lucas began work on the Star Wars screenplays in 1973, he never could have dreamed of having such a huge impact on popular culture - although he certainly was out to revolutionize Hollywood.
Off to a rough start
George Lucas has continued to see his vision through
But it was a long, hard path until the first film was finally finished. The production company was concerned about the millions of dollars it had put into the project. Most of the actors were young and relatively unknown. Bigger names like Alex Guinness and Peter Cushing just had small parts.
The filming conditions were - in part - catastrophic and involved burning heat in the deserts of Tunisia, sweating actors, and an increasingly irritated Lucas about to have a nervous breakdown. What's more, the visual effects team was light years behind schedule - even though Lucas had founded a new company just to handle that task.
The planned release date for December 1976 was postponed until the following May. For the production company, 20th Century Fox, this was the worst possible time to release a film - and no one thought it would be a success.
The beginning of a revolution
Darth Vader is a tragic figure (and a popular Halloween costume)
But all those worries were quickly forgotten on the day after May 25, 1977. The world premiere was celebrated by viewers, critics and the entire film team alike. The $11 million in production costs suddenly seemed like peanuts; the box office hit brought in a whopping $503 million, making it the most financially successful film of all time.
The next Star Wars episodes followed in 1980 ("The Empire Strikes Back") and in 1983 ("Return of the Jedi"). The three films told the story of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo. That was all, we thought at least.
But George Lucas simply couldn't let go. In 1999, he launched a new Star Wars trilogy that told the story of what had happened prior to his first three films. There had been peace in the galaxy until the evil Supreme Chancellor Valorum took power and the young Jedi knight Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. Audiences were mesmerized by the installation of prequel movies.
A never-ending story
The Star War universe also exist in Lego form
Even that was not enough. In 2012, Disney bought the rights to the Star Wars saga for $4 billion and released the seventh film at the end of 2015. The story picks up where the original trilogy left off, proving to be a recipe of success: Old Star Wars fans joined back in and young new fans were equally won over.
All seven Star War films have raked in more than $6 billion, but that's nothing compared to the merchandise revenue. More than $20 billion in Legos, t-shirts and other fan paraphernalia have been sold over the years - and there is no end in sight.
This year, part eight - "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" - is scheduled to hit cinemas on December 15. "Star Wars: Episode IX," is slated for May 24, 2019.
Whatever happens after that is written in the stars.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'What a piece of junk!'
Smuggler and contractor Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford - who returns in "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" - is one of the leading players in the Rebel Alliance in the fight against the Galactic Empire. He won the space vehicle Millennium Falcon in a game and fixed it up, but Luke Skywalker wasn't impressed when he first saw it.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'When I left you, I was the learner; now I am the master.'
Darth Vader said this to Obi-Wan in "A New Hope," the first in the original trilogy of Star Wars films. Originally trained as a Jedi, Darth Vader turned to the dark side, though we later find out that he was also the father of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Complicated family relations, a spooky mask, and an unforgettable raspy voice are the perfect ingredients for a blockbuster.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'No, I'm your father'
This is probably the most famous Star Wars quote, but the way it is always repeated is not quite correct. Most people say: "Luke, I am your father" - but the original lines are slightly different. Luke Skywalker is fighting Darth Vader in Cloud City and discovers the identity of his progenitor by declaring: "You killed my father!" "No Luke. I am your father."
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'May the force be with you'
If "No Luke. I am your father" isn't the most famous quote from the Star Wars universe, this one is. The phrase is even connected to the official Star Wars day, May 4th, as in "May the fourth be with you." It's a greeting that Star Wars characters use all the time. Star Wars without the force wouldn't be Star Wars, after all.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope'
Princess Leia often gets the short end of the stick in the trilogy, since she spends a significant amount of time in captivity. But she also gets to do something we all dream of: Be a hologram. She request Obi-Wan's help in the name of her father, who was a rebel fighter. It's cute little R2-D2 who presents her desperate message.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'That's no moon, it's a space station.'
Foreshadowing doom is a recurring theme in the futuristic films. After all, Luke, Han, Leia and the gang are in constant danger of being blown up, sliced by lightsabers, frozen forever, and dying other horrific deaths. It's Luke's Jedi mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi who sets the facts straight and teaches the young warrior a bit about astronomy. That 'moon' is actually the Imperial Death Star.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'These are not the droids you are looking for'
Trained Jedis, such as Obi-Wan, had the power to influence people's minds, rather than utilizing physical aggression, and Obi-Wan Kenobi was a master. When imperial stormtroopers are looking for C-3PO and R2-D2, Obi-Wan calls on the Force and simply tells the stormtrooper to keep looking. Now, if only that would work in real life, too…
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?'
Princess Leia clearly wasn't afraid when Luke Skywalker showed up to rescue her from the Death Star - dressed in that uncomfortable uniform. Mark Hamill, who played Skywalker, is approximately 5' 9" or 175 cm tall, while stormtroopers average 183 cm according to starwars.com. Leia was familiar with the soldiers of the Galactic Empire and quickly recognized that Luke's suit didn't sit quite right.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'Judge me by size, do you?'
Luke had already been picked on by Leia for his size (back on the Death Star, in a stormtrooper costume) and apparently still hadn't recovered his self-confidence. The young Jedi still had much to learn and Yoda was quick to remind him that even a 66-centimeter alien can do anything - with the help of the Force.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
'The force is strong in my family. My father has it, I have it, my sister has it.'
Luke Skywalker said this iconic phrase in "Return of the Jedi" (1983) to his sister Leia, and now it was repeated in the second teaser of Star Wars VII. The producers even used the same recording from 1983. Those two scenes are more than 30 years apart: True fans got goosebumps from the flashback quote. Get ready for more when you see the actual film.
Author: Aaron Skiba / Kate Müser