ABOUT STARWARS...
Star Wars is an epic space opera franchise and a fictional universe initially developed by George Lucas during the 1970s and expanded since that time. The first film was Star Wars (later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope), which was released on May 25, 1977 by 20th Century Fox. The film became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, spawning two sequels subtitled The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Twenty-two years after the first Star Wars film was released, a prequel trilogy, set before the original trilogy, was released.
After the release of Star Wars, other writers developed the Star Wars Expanded Universe, which includes three spin-off films, five television series and an extensive collection of licensed books, comics, video games, action figures, trading cards, and other merchandise, all set within the fictional Star Wars galaxy. In 2007, the overall box office revenue generated by the entire Star Wars franchise (over the course of its history) is at around US$4.3 billion, making it one of the most successful franchises of all time
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LIST OF FILMS...
Feature films
Episode Original release date..
I The Phantom Menace May 19, 1999
II Attack of the Clones May 16, 2002
III Revenge of the Sith May 19, 2005 [2]
IV A New Hope[3] May 25, 1977
V The Empire Strikes Back May 21, 1980
VI Return of the Jedi May 25, 1983
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SETTING...
The events of Star Wars take place in the fictional Star Wars galaxy. Each film begins with an "opening crawl" of text that provides a specific context for the events of the film. In each instance, the crawl is preceded by the line, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."
Many of the main characters in the film are essentially identical to humans. The characters commonly interact with fantastic creatures of many different types from numerous planetary systems within the Star Wars galaxy. Star Wars features elements such as magic, Jedi Knights, witches, and princesses that are related to archetypes of the fantasy genre.[4]
The Star Wars world, unlike many science-fiction and fantasy films that featured sleek and futuristic settings, was portrayed as dirty and grimy. Lucas' vision of a "used universe" was further popularized in the science fiction-horror films Alien,[5] which was set on a dirty space freighter; Mad Max 2, which is set in a post-apocalyptic desert; and Blade Runner, which is set in a crumbling, dirty city of the future.
PLOT...
Episodes I - III chronicle the downfall of the Old Republic and the Jedi Order through the machinations of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, who subsequently establishes himself as ruler of the Galactic Empire. It is also the story of Anakin Skywalker, the "Chosen One," who rises as a gifted young Jedi who is married to Padme, a former queen of Naboo, and in an attempt to save her life, he is seduced by Darth Sidious and the Dark Side of the Force, transforming into the Sith Lord Darth Vader.
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Episodes IV - VI pick up 19 years after the events of Episode III, during the Galactic Civil War, a lengthy conflict in which the Galactic Empire falls to the Rebel Alliance. These films follow the story of Luke Skywalker, the son of Anakin (now Darth Vader), his rise in the rebellion against the Empire, and his training as a Jedi. The tale ends with Luke leading his father to redemption, as well as the death of the Emperor.
MAIN CHARACTERS...
Anakin Skywalker
Darth Vader
Luke Skywalker
Han Solo
Princess Leia Organa
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Padmé Amidala
Yoda
Chewbacca
C-3PO
R2-D2
Palpatine/Darth Sidious
Lando Calrissian
Boba Fett
Mace Windu
Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker are the same person except that they are in a different state of mind.
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ABIT ABOUT COLLECTABLES...
Marvel Comics published Star Wars comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986. A wide variety of creators worked on this series, including Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, Carmine Infantino, Gene Day, Walt Simonson, Michael Golden, Chris Claremont, Whilce Portacio, Jo Duffy, and Ron Frenz. They also published a Star Wars newspaper strip by Russ Manning, Steve Gerber, and Archie Goodwin, the latter under a pseudonym. In the late 1980s, Marvel announced it would publish a new Star Wars comic by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy. However, in December 1991, Dark Horse Comics acquired the Star Wars license and used it to launch a number of ambitious sequels to the original trilogy instead, including the very popular Dark Empire stories. They have since gone on to publish a large number of original adventures set in the Star Wars universe. There has also been parody comics, including Tag and Bink.
GAMES...
Since 1982, over 120 video games have been published bearing the Star Wars name, beginning with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back published for the Atari 2600 by Parker Brothers. Since then, Star Wars has opened the way to a myriad of space-flight simulation games, first-person shooter games, roleplaying games, RTS games, and others. Two different official tabletop role-playing games have been developed for the Star Wars universe: a version by West End Games in the 1980s and 1990s, and one by Wizards of the Coast in the 2000s. The successful Rogue Squadron series was introduced in the late 1990s with Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and its accompanying comic series.
In the Star Wars: Battlefront series, the player can choose to be on the Rebel Alliance, the Galactic Empire, the Separatists, or the Republic, depending on the situation. The player travels across many different exotic worlds. Within the many different modes of play, there is one named "Galactic Conquest" in which the player struggles against the opposing side for total control of the galaxy by moving their fleets across the map and fighting in a battle on each planet until the player controls all the planets. It also has online play for those competitive players who want to go beyond the AI players usually played against. It is the best selling Star Wars game to date. In the new game, Star Wars: Battlefront II, the player is given more gameplay and character options, as well as the chance to play as a Jedi or Sith.
In Lego Star Wars and its sequel, the films are played in a different way. In Star Wars: Empire at War, players can take control of either the Empire or the Rebellion and fight for control of the galaxy. Sony Online Entertainment, developed a MMORPG called Star Wars Galaxies. In this game, which requires a monthly subscription fee, the player chooses a class, (Jedi, commando, smuggler, etc.) and fights for control of the galaxy by choosing to be on the Empire or the Rebel Alliance. The game was widely anticipated throughout the industry, and as of 2007, many, albeit in less numbers compared to the numbers around the initial games timeframe of release, players are still participating in it, and 3 expansions (Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookiees and Trials of Obi-Wan) have been made.
LucasArts is also currently developing a next-gen Star Wars game for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The game, which is of the same name of the multimedia project which it is a part of, is entitled The Force Unleashed, and takes place in the largely unexplored time period between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and casts players as Darth Vader's "secret apprentice" hunting down the remaining Jedi. The game features a new game engine, and is set for a Spring 2008 release.
TRADING CARDS...
Star Wars trading cards[17] have been published since the first 'blue' series, by Topps, in 1977. Dozens of series have been produced, with Topps being the licensed creator in the United States. Some of the card series are of film stills, while others are original art. Many of the cards have become highly collectible with some very rare 'promos', such as the 1993 Galaxy Series II 'floating Yoda' P3 card often commanding US$1000 or more. While most 'base' or 'common card' sets are plentiful, many 'insert' or 'chase cards' are very rare. Star Wars card game cards are different from the trading cards. A thriving market for both types exists on eBay.
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FIGURES...
Discover Star Wars Action Figures
Star Wars and Kenner revolutionized the action figure industry with the popularization of the 3 ¾-inch action figure. From the shipping of the first Early Bird Certificate Package in 1977 to the Droids and Ewok line of figures and accessories in 1985, to light sabers and Master Replicas, Star Wars and Kenner were able to create an empire of merchandising.
The 3 ¾-inch figure was far less expensive to produce than the industry standard 12-inch action figure, plus it was possible to create a line of accessories the size and variety of which had never been seen before. This produced a few effects that radically changed the toy industry.
First, by producing a smaller, less expensive figure, children could literally try to collect them all. If a child wanted to re-enact the rescue of Princess Leia from the Death Star, Luke, Han, Chewie, Leia, and a couple of storm troopers would do it.
The second result was that Kenner was able to create a vast array of accessories that would not have been possible had the figures been scaled at 12 inches. Space ships, play sets, and a myriad of other accessories were all available for collecting.
With such a wide range of products, toys were available at every price point. From inexpensive figures to elaborate play sets, the Star Wars line ensured that children could get something new for almost any occasion.
Innovation continued with the pre-movie releases of action figures. Children and collectors could get a sneak peak at what the newest chapter of the Star Wars saga had in store, all while building the brand momentum that helped Star Wars movies set worldwide box office records.
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