Star Wars

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This article is about the film series and media franchise. For the original 1977 film, see Star Wars (film). For other uses, see Star Wars (disambiguation).

Star Wars
The Star Wars franchise's logo, introduced in the original film A New Hope
Created by	George Lucas
Original work	Star Wars (1977)
Print publications
Novel(s)	List of novels
Comics	List of comics
Films and television
Film(s)	Saga: Original trilogy: IV – A New Hope (1977) V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) Prequel trilogy: I – The Phantom Menace (1999) II – Attack of the Clones (2002) III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) Sequel trilogy: VII – The Force Awakens (2015) VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) IX (2019) Anthology films: Rogue One (2016) Untitled Han Solo film (2018) Untitled Anthology film (2020)[1] Animated film: The Clone Wars (2008) TV films: Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) Caravan of Courage (1984) The Battle for Endor (1985)
Television series	Droids (1985–86) Ewoks (1985–86) Clone Wars (2003–2005) The Clone Wars (2008–14) Rebels (2014–present) Forces of Destiny (2017–present)
Games
Video game(s)	List of video games
Audio
Radio program(s)	Star Wars
Original music	Music of Star Wars
Miscellaneous
Toys	Action figures Die-casts and model toys Chess and soldiers Other
Theme parks	Star Tours Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple Star Tours–The Adventures Continue Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge

Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, centered on a film series created by George Lucas. It depicts the adventures of various characters "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away".
The franchise began in 1977 with the release of the film Star Wars (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981),^[2][3] which became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. It was followed by the successful sequels The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983); these three films constitute the original Star Wars trilogy. A prequel trilogy was released between 1999 and 2005, which received mixed reactions from both critics and fans. A sequel trilogy began in 2015 with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. All seven films were nominated for Academy Awards (with wins going to the first two films) and have been commercial successes, with a combined box office revenue of over US$7.5 billion,^[4] making Star Wars the third highest-grossing film series.^[5] Spin-off films include the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and Rogue One (2016), the latter of which is the first in a planned series of anthology films.
The series has spawned an extensive media franchise including books, television series, computer and video games, and comic books, resulting in significant development of the series' fictional universe. Star Wars also holds a Guinness World Records title for the "Most successful film merchandising franchise". In 2015, the total value of the Star Wars franchise was estimated at US$42 billion,^[6][7] making Star Wars the second highest-grossing media franchise of all time.
In 2012, The Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm for US$4.06 billion and earned the distribution rights to all subsequent Star Wars films, beginning with the release of The Force Awakens in 2015.^[8] The former distributor, 20th Century Fox, retains the physical distribution rights for the first two Star Wars trilogies, owns permanent rights for the original 1977 film and continues to hold the rights for the prequel trilogy and the first two sequels to A New Hope until May 2020.^[9][10] Walt Disney Studios owns digital distribution rights to all the Star Wars films, excluding A New Hope