Star Wars is an American media franchise created by George Lucas. The space opera saga began with the original Star Wars film (1977) and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. It has expanded into various films and other media, including television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed areas, comprising an all-encompassing fictional universe. Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.
The original film, later retitled Episode IV: A New Hope, was followed by the sequels Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), forming the original Star Wars trilogy. Lucas later returned to the series to write and direct a prequel trilogy, consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002), and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). In 2012, Lucas sold his production company to Disney, relinquishing his ownership of the franchise. This led to a sequel trilogy, consisting of Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017), and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
All nine films, collectively referred to as the "Skywalker Saga", were nominated for Academy Awards, with Oscars going to the first three releases. Together with the spin-off films Rogue One (2016), Solo (2018) and The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026), the combined box office revenue of Star Wars theatrical live-action films equals over US$10 billion, making Star Wars the third-highest-grossing film franchise in cinematic history.
Premise
Star Wars stories are set in a fictional galaxy in the distant past. They span multiple fictional eras, in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid) co-exist with droids (robots), which may be programmed for personal assistance or battle. Space travel between planets is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. The various planets depicted contain a range of societies, from wealthy, planet-wide cities to deserts scarcely populated by primitive tribes. Virtually any Earth biome, along with many fictional ones, has its counterpart as a Star Wars planet which, in most cases, teem with sentient and non-sentient alien life. The franchise also makes use of other astronomical objects such as asteroid fields and nebulae. Spacecraft range from small starfighters to large capital ships, such as the Star Destroyers, as well as space stations such as the moon-sized Death Stars. Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens, holographic projections, and hyperspace transmission.
The universe of Star Wars is generally similar to the real universe but its laws of physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories. One aspect of that is a mystical power known as the Force which is described in the original film as "an energy field created by all living things ... [that] binds the galaxy together". The field is depicted as a kind of pantheistic god. Through training and meditation, those whom "the Force is strong with" exhibit various superpowers (such as telekinesis, precognition, telepathy, and manipulation of physical energy); it is believed nothing is impossible for the Force. These superpowers are wielded by two major knightly orders at conflict with each other: the Jedi, peacekeepers of the Galactic Republic who act on the light side of the Force through non-attachment and arbitration, and the Sith, who use the dark side by manipulating anger, fear and aggression. While Jedi Knights can be numerous, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or 'Sith Lords') are intended to be limited to two: a master and their apprentice.
The franchise is set against a backdrop of galactic conflict involving rebellions, republics and empires, such as the evil Galactic Empire. The Jedi and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called the lightsaber, a retractable blade of plasma that can cut through virtually any surface and deflect energy bolts. The rest of the population, as well as renegades and soldiers, use plasma-powered blaster firearms. In the outer reaches of the galaxy, crime syndicates such as the Hutt cartel are dominant. Bounty hunters are often employed by both gangsters and governments, while illicit activities include smuggling and slavery.
While the franchise is best-known as an archetypal space opera, the combination of science fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars very universal, capable of telling stories of various genres.
Films
The Skywalker Saga
The Star Wars film series centers on three sets of trilogies, the nine films of which are collectively referred to as the "Skywalker Saga". The saga was produced non-chronologically, beginning with the original trilogy between 1977 and 1983. This was followed by the prequel trilogy, released between 1999 and 2005, and the sequel trilogy, released between 2015 and 2019.
Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the Force-sensitive Skywalker family and their struggle against the Sith lord Palpatine (also known as Darth Sidious). The original trilogy depicts the development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia. The prequels tell the backstory of their father, Anakin, who is seduced to the dark side by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader. The sequels follow the conflict between Leia's son, Ben Solo, and Luke and Leia's protegé, Rey, and their eventual alliance against Palpatine after the fall of the Empire.
Original trilogy
In 1971, George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial, but could not obtain the rights, so he began developing his own space opera. After directing American Graffiti (1973), he wrote a two-page synopsis, which 20th Century Fox decided to finance. By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay. Fox expected the film would be of limited financial success, and so it was given a relatively low budget, with production moved to Elstree Studios in England to lower costs.
Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and was first subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope in the 1979 book The Art of Star Wars. The film's success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial. With the backstory he created for the sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back was released on May 21, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, was released on May 25, 1983.
Prequel trilogy
According to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films. In 1980, Lucas confirmed that he had the nine-film series plotted, but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy, he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981. In 1983, Lucas explained that "There was never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now ... As the stories unfolded, I would take certain ideas and save them ... I kept taking out all the good parts, and I just kept telling myself I would make other movies someday."
Technical advances in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the prequels would be "unbelievably expensive". In 1992, he acknowledged that he had plans to create the prequel trilogy. A theatrical rerelease of the original trilogy in 1997 "updated" the 20-year-old films with the style of CGI envisioned for the new trilogy.
Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released on May 19, 1999, Episode II: Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002, and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith on May 19, 2005. The first two films were met with mixed reviews, with the third being received more positively. Together with the original trilogy, Lucas has referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as "the tragedy of Darth Vader".
Sequel trilogy
Prior to releasing the original 1977 film, and made possible by its success, Lucas planned "three trilogies of nine films". However, he announced to Time in 1978 that he planned "10 sequels". He confirmed that he had outlined the prequels and sequels in 1981. At various stages of development, the sequel trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of the Republic, the return of Luke as a Jedi Master (a role similar to that of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy), Luke's sister (not yet determined to be Leia), Han, Leia, R2-D2 and C-3PO. However, after beginning work on the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy.
Lucas decided to leave the franchise in the hands of other filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would make no more Star Wars films. That October, the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that Episode VII would be released in 2015. The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, became president and served as executive producer of new Star Wars feature films. Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for the sequels during the 2012 sale, but in 2015 it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been discarded. The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe stories, which were discarded from canon to give "maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the audience."
Episode VII: The Force Awakens was released on December 18, 2015, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi on December 15, 2017, and Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker on December 20, 2019, in many countries. The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi were both critical and box office successes. Episode IX received a mixed reception from critics and audiences.
Standalone films
Several Star Wars films have been produced separately from the Skywalker Saga. In 2008, Lucasfilm released the animated film The Clone Wars, which is set during the time period of the prequel trilogy and serves as the theatrical pilot of the television series The Clone Wars. Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012, an "anthology" film series set between the main episodes of the Skywalker Saga entered development in parallel with the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo as origin stories.
The first film released was 2016's Rogue One, which tells the story of the rebels who steal the plans for the Death Star, the Galactic Empire's superweapon, just before the events of the original Star Wars film. A second film, 2018's Solo, tells Han Solo's backstory, set 10 years prior to A New Hope. The series Obi-Wan Kenobi was originally planned as a film, but was changed to a miniseries due to Solo's underperformance at the box office.
In January 2024, it was announced that Jon Favreau would direct a new Star Wars film, titled The Mandalorian & Grogu. In February of the same year, Bob Iger announced that the film would be the first release of the next slate of Star Wars movies. The Mandalorian & Grogu released on May 22, 2026.
Upcoming films
In April 2023, three new untitled Star Wars films were announced, each taking place in different eras of the franchise's fictional universe. James Mangold will write and direct a film set during the early years of the Jedi, while Dave Filoni will direct a film set between the original and sequel trilogies during the New Republic era. Filoni's movie will serve as the climax of the various live-action television series that began with The Mandalorian in 2019. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy will direct a third film about a new Jedi Order, set fifteen years after the sequel trilogy. In January 2025, George Nolfi was hired to write the script for the Obaid-Chinoy film.
In November 2022, Shawn Levy entered talks to direct a Star Wars film, following his work on Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and the fifth and final season of Stranger Things. In September 2023, Levy said that development on his Star Wars film began, but would not continue until after the conclusion of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. In April 2025, Ryan Gosling was cast in the film, the title was officially revealed as Star Wars: Starfighter, and the film received the release date of May 28, 2027. In June 2025, Mia Goth joined the cast.
Other announced projects
Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars films in various stages of development, including:
Untitled Rian Johnson trilogy: In November 2017, a trilogy of movies written by The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson was announced to be in development. In April 2023, Kennedy stated that trilogy of films is still in open development at the studio, with the writer/director working on the story, although it is not currently a priority. By July 2025, Johnson admitted that "nothing really happened with it".
Untitled David Benioff and D. B. Weiss trilogy: In February 2018, it was announced that David Benioff and D. B. Weiss would serve as writers and producers on a trilogy of new Star Wars movies. The plot would take place chronologically before the prequel trilogy, and center around the origin of the Jedi. By May 2019, the duo were also slated to serve as co-directors of the first installment in their three films. In October of the same year however, the filmmaking duo exited development of the projects due to scheduling conflicts with projects they are developing for Netflix. Kennedy stated that the studio is open to working with the duo, and developing their films once their schedule allows it. In January 2024, the filmmaking duo announced that the working title was The First Jedi and would have followed the titular ancient protagonist. The pair cast doubt on returning to their planned trilogy, commenting on its apparent influence on James Mangold's similarly premised Dawn of the Jedi movie.
Untitled Taika Waititi film: In May 2020, Taika Waititi signed onto the project which was stated to be the first priority for the studio, with the filmmaker Waititi serving as director from a script he is co-writing with Krysty Wilson-Cairns. In May 2022, the movie was named as the next Star Wars film to begin production ahead of Rogue Squadron, with Kennedy stating that the studio was tentatively looking towards late 2023 for a debut, but had not yet officially set a release date. By April 2023, she stated that the project is still in development, with Waititi continuing to work on the script. In April 2025, it was announced that Tony McNamara was hired to contribute to the script.
Rogue Squadron: A standalone film following the events of Rogue One will be directed by Patty Jenkins with a script written by Matthew Robinson. In April 2023, Kennedy stated that the script is still in development, with the studio considering changing the project into a television series. In March 2024, Jenkins announced that she had once again commenced working on the script; confirming that developments for the project are ongoing.
Untitled J.D. Dillard film: In February 2020, a film was announced to be in development from director J. D. Dillard and writer Matt Owens; although, Dillard announced he was no longer to direct that film in November 2022.
Star Wars: A Droid Story: In December 2020, an animated film centered around the adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO was announced as being in development; the story will introduce a new heroic character to the franchise, alongside the two returning droids. The project will be a joint-venture production between Lucasfilm Animation, and Industrial Light & Magic. The film is being developed to debut via streaming, exclusively through Disney+.
Lando: In December 2020, a spin-off series to Solo: A Star Wars Story was announced as being in development. The miniseries which was being developed exclusively for Disney+ was revealed to be centered around Landonis "Lando" Calrissian III, titled Lando. Donald Glover was confirmed at that time to be reprising the lead role, while Justin Simien was named as the series creator and showrunner. By July 2020 however, Donald and Stephen Glover were hired to replace Simien, write and redevelop the show. In September 2023, the show was repurposed to be released as a theatrical film instead.
Untitled Simon Kinberg trilogy: In November 2024, Simon Kinberg was hired to write and produce the new trilogy of Star Wars movies. The series of movies was reported to be Episode X–XII, though this was also disputed by other sources.
Television
Animated series
The first two animated series, Droids and Ewoks, were produced in the 1980s. They were followed by the Clone Wars animated micro-series in 2003 and the 2008 The Clone Wars. Following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, all animated series released prior to 2014, apart from the 2008 series, were discarded from the franchise's canon. Subsequent animated series include Rebels, released in 2014; Resistance, released in 2018; and The Bad Batch, released in 2021.
Several micro-series and shorts have also been released by Lucasfilm since Disney's acquisition, with the earlier animated series falling under Disney's "Vintage" collection of Star Wars content.
At Star Wars Celebration Japan in April 2025, a new animated series titled Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord was announced with a premiere expected in April 2026. The series will cover the period following the Clone Wars where Maul tries to rebuild his defunct Shadow Collective criminal syndicate into what will eventually become Crimson Dawn on a planet unknown to the Empire. Sam Witwer will return to voice Maul.
Live-action series
The Star Wars franchise includes several live-action series. The first series, The Mandalorian, was released in 2019 for the streaming service Disney+ and is set between the original and sequel trilogies of the Skywalker Saga. Due to its success, the series spawned multiple live-action spin-offs set during the same fictional era, including The Book of Boba Fett, released in 2021; Ahsoka, released in 2023; and Skeleton Crew, released in 2024. These series follow the plight of the New Republic and its allies against the remnants of the fallen Galactic Empire.
A story focused on Obi-Wan Kenobi was planned as a film before becoming a live-action series after the box office failure of Solo in 2018. The series was released on Disney+ in 2022 and is set between the prequel and original trilogy films. It was followed by the live-action series Andor in the same year; both series follow their titular characters during the reign of the Empire.
The Acolyte is a series created by Leslye Headland set at the end of the High Republic era before the events of the Skywalker Saga, and follows an investigation into a series of murders of Jedi Masters.
Films and specials
Fictional timeline
The Star Wars canon fictional universe spans multiple eras, of which three are focused around each of the film trilogies. The following eras were defined in January 2021, and further refined and expanded in April 2023:
Dawn of the Jedi: The first Jedi wields the Force, which is set to be depicted in an upcoming untitled film.
The Old Republic: The Galactic Republic is founded and the Jedi Order emerges to protect it. A schism within the Jedi leads to the creation of the Sith.
The High Republic: Under the protection of the Jedi, the Republic grows into a golden age. This era includes the live-action series The Acolyte, the animated series Young Jedi Adventures, and The High Republic literary works.
Fall of the Jedi: The Republic's Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine (secretly the Sith lord Darth Sidious), orchestrates the Clone Wars, overthrows the Republic, exterminates the Jedi Order and corrupts Anakin Skywalker. This era includes the prequel trilogy films, the beginning of the episodic Skywalker Saga, the animated series The Clone Wars and Tales of the Jedi, and the upcoming video game Zero Company.
Reign of the Empire: Palpatine's Galactic Empire rules the galaxy and the remaining Jedi are hunted down. This era includes the standalone films Solo and Rogue One, the live-action series Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor, the animated series The Bad Batch, Maul – Shadow Lord, and Rebels, and the video games Jedi: Fallen Order, Jedi: Survivor and Vader Immortal.
Age of Rebellion: The Rebellion against the Empire spreads across the galaxy, while the Jedi return with the emergence of Luke Skywalker. This era includes the original trilogy films and the video games Battlefront II, Squadrons, and Outlaws.
The New Republic: Following the Empire's defeat, the emergent New Republic attempts to reunite the galaxy, while threatened by the remnants of the Empire. This era includes the live-action series The Mandalorian (and its film sequel The Mandalorian and Grogu), The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew.
Rise of the First Order: The remnants of the Empire transform into the First Order but are fought by the Resistance, climaxing with the defeat of Palpatine and the Sith by the Jedi Rey. This era includes the sequel trilogy films, the animated series Resistance and the video game Tales from the Galaxy's Edge.