Star Wars Star Wars Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise, created by George Lucas and centered around a film series that began with the eponymous 1977 movie. The saga quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The first film was followed by two 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, albeit to mixed reactions from critics and fans. Finally, a sequel trilogy to conclude the nine-episode saga began in 2015 with "". The first eight
Star Wars expanded to other media Star Wars expanded to other media "Star Wars" expanded to other media includes all "Star Wars" fictional material produced by Lucasfilm or officially licensed by it outside of the original "Star Wars" films and television series. Intended as an enhancement to and extension of the theatrical films produced by George Lucas, the spin-off material was moderated by Lucasfilm, and Lucas reserved the right to both draw from and contradict it in his own works. This includes an array of derivative "Star Wars" works produced in conjunction with, between, and after the original trilogy (1977–1983), prequel trilogy (1999–2005), and sequel trilogy