Star Wars (film) inspired by the silver female robot Maria, the "Maschinenmensch" from Fritz Lang's 1927 film "Metropolis". The film was originally released in 1977 with the title ""Star Wars"". The subtitles "Episode IV" and "A New Hope" were only added to the opening crawl in subsequent re-releases. Official sources state that the change was made at the theatrical re-release of April 10, 1981. The retroactive addition of these subtitles was intended to bring the film into line with the introduction to its sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back", which was released in 1980 bearing the designation ""Episode V"". Lucas has claimed to have
C-3PO April 2014, most of the licensed "Star Wars" novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film "Star Wars" were rebranded by Lucasfilm as "Star Wars Legends" and declared non-canon to the franchise. Before the release of "The Phantom Menace" and the revelation that C-3PO was constructed by a young Anakin Skywalker, the canon account of C-3PO's creation placed his construction on the planet Affa 112 years before "A New Hope". This older version of his creation originated with George Lucas, and both versions were harmonized from the outset: in 1977, Lucas provided a guide for early Expanded Universe creators,