Star Wars
From Wikinfo
- Alternate meaning: Strategic Defense Initiative
Star Wars is the name of a science fantasy movie (now called A New Hope), based on the ideas of writer/director George Lucas, which has had numerous prequels, sequels, and literary adapatations. The movies revolve around the transition between the Galactic Republic and the Galactic Empire, as well as the galactic civil war which erupts between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire in an epic struggle between good and evil. The story is set A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.
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Overview
The Star Wars story has been presented in a series of American movies, which have spawned dozens of books. The Star Wars mythos is also the basis of many toys and games. Though the films and books are set in outer space and employ common science fiction motifs, the plots are humanistic in nature. Star Wars is an outstanding example of the space opera sub-genre of science fiction.
It has been noted that it is almost impossible in the United States to go for a full day without hearing some reference to Star Wars. This is a testament to the extraordinary popularity that the Star Wars films have enjoyed. (Only Star Trek has a comparable popularity in American popular culture.) However, whereas Star Trek takes a fundamentally rational, scientific view to storytelling, Star Wars has a strong 'mythic' quality to it, with individual heroes and villains in the style of Campbellian myth.
The strong human appeal of the Star Wars story probably accounts for its enduring popularity; it has also been postulated that this popularity is based on nostalgia. Many Star Wars fans first saw the films as children, and their (for the time) revolutionary special effects and simple, Manichean story made a profound impact.
The Star Wars films show considerable similarity to Asian Wuxia "Kung Fu" films, as well as Greek mythology. Lucas has stated that his intention was to create in Star Wars a modern mythology, based on the studies of his friend Joseph Campbell. Lucas has also stated that Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress (USA release 1962) was a strong influence. The resemblance between the two buffoon farmers in The Hidden Fortress and the two talkative droids in Star Wars is striking. Indeed, when the droids find themselves alone on Tatooine, even the music and the style of "wipe" cuts are a clear homage to Hidden Fortress.
A notable feature of the Star Wars films is that they portray a world full of grime and hokey technology, not the sleek, futuristic world typical of earlier science fiction films. In one of his many interviews on the making of Star Wars, Lucas told of rubbing the new props with dirt to make them look weatherworn. It is tempting to speculate that this break from traditional science fiction film influenced the cyberpunk genre that emerged around 1984.
The film is not universally admired. Since its release, there has been a clear trend towards special-effects-driven movies geared towards a teenage audience. Many critics deplore this trend, and hold Star Wars responsible. It may be that the trend was a natural consequence of economic and technological forces in the film industry, but Star Wars, for better or for worse, is an emblem to many of that sea change.
The Star Wars franchise goes beyond the five already released films. Bantam Books has for quite some time been publishing officially-sanctioned Star Wars novels. The novels are officially part of the Star Wars universe and they feature characters from the films, as well as others that are not from the films. The legacy of Star Wars is continued in this manner in between the releases of the films. Some fans consider the novels to have better stories than the films themselves.
The original Star Wars (A New Hope) has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
Star Wars Movies
Listed in order of story time:
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (19th May 1999)
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (16th May 2002)
- Star Wars Episode III (scheduled release 2005)
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope original title was Star Wars; the first Star Wars movie to be released (25th May 1977)
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (21st May 1980)
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (25th May 1983)
Star Wars Books
The six Star Wars movies offer the basis for which dozens of books have been written. Many of the books have been officially authorized by LucasFilm, and are often published by Bantam Books. The stories told by these books extend from a time long before The Phantom Menace, to a time long after The Return of the Jedi. Books authorized by Lucas are written by fans of the films, and are part of a collection known as the Expanded Universe.
The Expanded Universe has been making its way through a revolution as of late in the New Jedi Order (NJO) series, which recently was wrapped up in The Unifying Force. The NJO has told the story of the galaxy's horrific invasion by the extragalactic Yuuzhan Vong, and has seen the passing of many heroes, such as Chewbacca and Anakin Solo.
Other books include such titles as The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide, which detail things about the Star Wars universe, and the films, in a "non-fiction" style.
Star Wars Comic Books
Comic book adaptations have been created for each of the movies, and other comic books and series of comics have been written detailing events not contained in the movies.
See also: Star Wars Comic Books
Star Wars videogames
The Star Wars franchise has spawned many products in the industry of videogames. Star Wars videogames are in general very popular, though there are cases where games are reported as being buggy or of terrible quality.
- Star Wars: Dark Forces (1995), a first person shooter featuring Kyle Katarn as the main character.
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (1997), a first person shooter, sequel to Dark Forces, featuring Kyle Katarn as the main character.
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (2002), a first person shooter, third chapter of the series, featuring once again Kyle Katarn as the main character.
- Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (2003), a first person shooter, fourth chapter of the series, featuring Jaden Korr as the main character. Kyle Katarn makes an appearance as well.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), a role playing game that is highly considered among fans and is often described as the best Star Wars game ever produced. It also won the "game of the year" award in 2003. Detractors have described the product as being somewhat buggy.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2005), role playing game, sequel of Knights of the Old Republic, it is regarded as a good product by fans, though not as good as its predecessor because of several bugs that cripple gameplay and because of the presence of "cut content" (several elements have been cut from the game due to time constraints during production).
Some fans are trying to create a modification which aims to bring much of the cut content back. [1]
Star Wars Characters
See also: List of Star Wars characters for a more extensive listing
Anakin Skywalker �| Boba Fett �| C-3PO �| Chewbacca �| Darth Maul �| Darth Sidious �| Darth Vader �| Han Solo �| Jabba the Hutt �| Jango Fett �| Jar Jar Binks �| Lando Calrissian �| Luke Skywalker �| Obi-Wan Kenobi �| Padme Amidala �| Palpatine �| Princess Leia �| R2-D2 �| Yoda
Star Wars Places
Alderaan �| Bespin �| Corellia �| Coruscant �| Dagobah �| Endor �| Hoth �| Naboo �| Tatooine �| Yavin 4
Star Wars Spaceships
Rebel Alliance
X-wing�|
Y-wing�|
A-wing�|
B-wing�|
Corellian Corvette�|
Nebulon-B Frigate�|
Mon Calamari Cruiser�|
Millennium Falcon
Imperial
Death Star�|
Star Forge�|
TIE Fighter�|
TIE Interceptor�|
TIE Bomber�|
TIE Advanced�|
Star Destroyer�|
Super Star Destroyer
Star Wars Species & Races
Ewoks �| compare to the Pil in David Brin's Sundiver and Uplift series Geonosians �| Gungans �| Humans �| Hutts �| Jawa �| Neimoidians �| Tuskan Raiders �| Wampas �| Wookies �| compare to the Hawartha in Eleanor Arnason's Ring of Swords Stormtroopers
Star Wars Organizations
Galactic Republic �| Galactic Empire �| Jedi �| Rebel Allience �| Sith �| Trade Federation
See Also
- Physics and Star Wars
- Languages in Star Wars
- Dates in Star Wars
- The Phantom Edit
- X-wing computer game series
- Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided
- Star Wars and the theory of plagiarism
- Wilhelm scream
External Links
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Star_Wars" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
