Star Wars is an American epic space opera media 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 (it later added the subtitle "Episode IV: A New Hope" in 1981), 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 directed by George Lucas was released between 1999 and 2005 consisting of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wras: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2000), and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). Starring top talent such as Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L Jackson, Christopher Lee, and Liam Neeson - the "prequels" received mixed reactions from both critics and fans.
A new sequel trilogy began with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Episodes 7-9 attempted to pick up where Return of the Jedi left off with some of the original stars returning and introducing us to their children and new characters. These films were also met with mixed reactions.
The Star Wars franchise has spawned an extensive media franchise including books, television series, computer and video games, theme park attractions and lands, 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 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. The former distributor, 20th Century Fox, retains the physical distribution rights for the first two Star Wars trilogies and owns permanent rights for the original 1977 film. Walt Disney Studios owns digital distribution rights to all the Star Wars films, excluding A New Hope.