Star Wars is an American epic space-opera media franchise created by George Lucas. The franchise began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon.

The first film, later subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope, was followed by the sequels Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), forming what is collectively referred to as the original trilogy. A prequel trilogy was later released, consisting of Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Finally, a sequel trilogy began with Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), continued with Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017), and will conclude with Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019).[1] The first eight films were nominated for Academy Awards (with wins going to the first two released) and were commercially successful. Together with the theatrical anthology films Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), the films combined box office revenue equates to over US$9 billion,[2] and is currently the second-highest-grossing film franchise.[3]

The film series expanded into other media, including television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions and themed areas, resulting in an all encompassing fictional universe. Star Wars holds a Guinness World Records title for the "Most successful film merchandising franchise". In 2018, the total value of the Star Wars franchise was estimated at US$65 billion, and it is currently the fifth-highest-grossing media franchise of all-time.

The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."[4] in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid) co-exist with robots, or "droids", who may assist them in their daily routines, and space travel between planets is common due to hyperspace technology.[5][6][7] The rises and falls of different governments are chronicled throughout the saga: the democratic Republic is corrupted and overthrown by Sheev Palpatine, who establishes the Galactic Empire.[8] The Empire is fought by the Rebel Alliance in a Galactic Civil War that spans several years. The surviving Rebellion gives rise to the New Republic,[9] while the remnants of the Empire reform as the First Order and threaten to destroy the Republic.[10] Heroes of the former rebellion lead the Resistance against the oppressive dictatorship.