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George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
's
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
multi-film ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' saga has had a significant impact on modern
popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
. ''Star Wars'' references are deeply embedded in popular culture; references to the main characters and themes of ''Star Wars'' are casually made in many
English-speaking countries The following is a list of English-speaking population by country, including information on both native speakers and second-language speakers. List * The European Union is a supranational union composed of 27 member states. The total Engl ...
with the assumption that others will understand the reference. Darth Vader has become an iconic villain, while characters such as Luke Skywalker,
Han Solo Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...
,
Princess Leia Princess Leia Organa is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, portrayed in films by Carrie Fisher. Introduced in the Star Wars (film), original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is princess of th ...
,
Chewbacca Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...
, C-3PO and R2-D2 have all become widely recognized characters around the world. Phrases such as " evil empire", "
May the Force be with you The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the ''Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal will ...
",
Jedi mind trick The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the '' Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal wi ...
and " I am your father" have become part of the popular lexicon. The first ''Star Wars'' film in 1977 was a cultural unifier, enjoyed by a wide spectrum of people. Many efforts produced in the science fiction genre (particularly in filming) can now be seen to draw heavy influence and inspiration from the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, as well as the magnitude of sequels, spin-offs, series, games, and texts that it spawned. Sounds, visuals, and even the iconic score of the films have become integral components in American society. The film helped launch the science fiction boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, making
science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...
s a blockbuster genre. This impact also made it a prime target for parody works and homages, with popular examples including ''
Spaceballs ''Spaceballs'' is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It is primarily a parody of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but also parodies other sci-fi films and popular franchises including ...
'', ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
''s "
Blue Harvest "Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''Family Guy'' and the first part of the series' '' Laugh It Up, Fuzzball'' trilogy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on Sep ...
" special,
Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, producer, and writer. Green's film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting ...
's " Robot Chicken: Star Wars",
Steve Oedekerk Steven Brent Oedekerk (born November 27, 1961) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, editor, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with actor and comedian Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac (particular ...
's "
Thumb Wars ''Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle'' is a 1999 short film directed by Steve Oedekerk. Using dressed up and coifed thumbs as puppets, Oedekerk created a parody of ''Star Wars'', with characters like Loke Groundrunner, Princess Bunhead, Oobee ...
", and Lucas's self-proclaimed favorite parody, ''
Hardware Wars ''Hardware Wars'' is a 1978 American short science fiction parody film in the form of a teaser trailer for a fictitious science fiction film that parodies ''Star Wars''. The 13-minute film, which was released almost 18 months after ''Star Wars' ...
'' by
Ernie Fosselius Carl Ernst Fosselius (born October 23, 1945), better known as Ernie Fosselius, is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his satirical spoofs of popular films, including the ''Star Wars'' parody ''Hardware Wars''. Film career Fosselius' fil ...
.


Arts


Filmmaking history


Financial impact on Fox

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
optioned ''Star Wars''. When it unexpectedly became the decade's blockbuster, grossing $100 million in three months, Fox's stock soared from $6 to $25 per share and generated revenues of $1.2 million a day for the studio. Fox purchased the Aspen skiing and
Pebble Beach golf A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predominan ...
corporations with the increased cash flow and still declared excess profits in 1977. Income from ''Star Wars'' re-releases, sequels, and merchandising enriched the studio in the following decades. ''Star Wars'' helped Fox to change from an almost bankrupt production company to a thriving media conglomerate.


Impact on filmmaking

''Star Wars'' fundamentally changed the aesthetics and narratives of
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
films, switching the focus of Hollywood-made films from deep, meaningful stories based on dramatic conflict, themes and
irony Irony (), in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what on the surface appears to be the case and what is actually the case or to be expected; it is an important rhetorical device and literary technique. Irony can be categorized into ...
to sprawling special-effects-laden blockbusters, as well as changing the Hollywood film industry in fundamental ways. Before ''Star Wars'', special effects in films had not appreciably advanced since the 1950s. ''Star Wars'' was also important in the movement towards the use of
computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...
in films. The commercial success of ''Star Wars'' created a boom in state-of-the-art special effects in the late 1970s. There was increased investment in
special effect Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wor ...
s. Companies like
Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pro ...
and
Digital Productions Digital Productions was a computer animation company in Los Angeles, California, that produced advertisements and special effects for films in the 1980s. The company was founded by John Whitney, Jr. and Gary Demos in 1982, following their depart ...
were created to provide them. The 1977 ''Star Wars'' pioneered the genre pastiche, where several classic film genres are combined in one film. In ''Star Wars'', the genres were science fiction, the Western, the war film, and the quasi-mystical epic. Along with ''
Jaws Jaws or Jaw may refer to: Anatomy * Jaw, an opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth ** Mandible, the lower jaw Arts, entertainment, and media * Jaws (James Bond), a character in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' and ''Moonraker'' * ...
'', ''Star Wars'' started the tradition of the summer blockbuster film in the entertainment industry, where films open on many screens at the same time and profitable franchises are important. It created the model for the major film trilogy and showed that merchandising rights on a film could generate more money than the film itself. Another impact Star Wars made on film making was its use of the "Monomyth" or Hero's journey" found in
Joseph Campbell Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the ...
's book ''
The Hero with a Thousand Faces ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces'' (first published in 1949) is a work of comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell, in which the author discusses his theory of the mythological structure of the journey of the archetypal hero found in world myths ...
''. While George Lucas wrote through 4 drafts of the film, between the first and second drafts, he read Joseph Campbell's book titled ''The Hero with a Thousand Faces.'' He was surprised to find that his first draft followed many of its principles. This epic structure at the deepest roots of the films was a major factor in its success. Many future films successfully adopted the monomyth, such as ''
The Matrix trilogy ''The Matrix'' is an American media franchise consisting of four feature films, beginning with ''The Matrix'' (1999) and continuing with three sequels, ''The Matrix Reloaded'', ''The Matrix Revolutions'' (both 2003), and ''The Matrix Resurrectio ...
'', '' The Lord of the Rings trilogy'', and '' The Hobbit trilogy'' to name a few. The plot of a second-season episode of
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
television series '' Legends of Tomorrow'' (2017), entitled "Raiders of the Lost Art", centered on the impact of George Lucas's films on the titular heroes.


Lucasfilm-produced mockumentaries

* ''
Return of the Ewok ''Return of the Ewok'' is an unreleased 1982 mockumentary short, written, produced and directed by David Tomblin, starring Warwick Davis as himself in a fictionalized account of how he got the role of Wicket W. Warrick in ''Return of the Jedi''.' ...
'' (1982): a 24-minute fictional mockumentary, focusing on the decision of
Warwick Davis Warwick Ashley Davis (born 3 February 1970) is an English actor. He played the title character in ''Willow'' (1988) and the ''Leprechaun'' film series (1993–2003), several characters in the ''Star Wars'' film series (1983–2019), most nota ...
to become an actor and act as
Wicket In cricket, the term wicket has several meanings: * It is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch. The fielding team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batsman out. ...
the Ewok in ''Return of the Jedi''. * ''R2-D2: Beneath the Dome'' (2002): a 20-minute mockumentary, focusing on the "true" story of R2-D2's life. It was made as a side-project by some of the crew of ''Attack of the Clones'', released on television in three installments, and later on DVD.


Parodies

The ''Star Wars'' saga has had a significant impact on modern American
popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
, both the films and characters have received official parodies in numerous films and television productions. * ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' animated TV series: ** "
Mayored to the Mob "Mayored to the Mob" is the ninth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 20, 1998. After Homer prevents Mayor Quimby and Mar ...
", a 1998 episode of the features multiple references to ''Star Wars'', most centrally a plot in which
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
and ''Star Wars'' actor
Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards f ...
face the threat of being trampled at a fan convention. ** ''
The Force Awakens from Its Nap ''Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from Its Nap"'' is an animated short film based on the television series ''The Simpsons''. The short was released on May 4, 2021, on Disney+ in celebration of ''Star Wars'' Day. It is the third short film ...
''. A parody short. **
Plusaversary ''The Simpsons in Plusaversary'', or simply ''Plusaversary'', is an American animated short film based on the television series ''The Simpsons'' produced by Gracie Films and 20th Television Animation, debuting on streaming service Disney+'s 2nd an ...
. A 2021 celebration of
Disney+ Day The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
featuring characters from
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
and other
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
owned assets including Star Wars Characters. * ''
Robot Chicken ''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...
'' has produced three television specials satirizing the ''Star Wars'' films (" Robot Chicken: Star Wars", " Episode II" and " Episode III"). The success of the specials led to the development animated parody series ''
Star Wars Detours ''Star Wars Detours'' is an unaired American CGI-animated comedy series. It is differentiated from the other '' Star Wars'' animated series in that it is a parody of the franchise. It offers a comedic take on what happened between the prequel ...
''. * ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' has also produced three parody episodes, each of which satirized the first three films in the series. The September 2007 sixth-season premiere, titled "
Blue Harvest "Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''Family Guy'' and the first part of the series' '' Laugh It Up, Fuzzball'' trilogy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on Sep ...
", was produced in dedication of the saga's 30th anniversary. This was followed by "
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" is a direct-to-video special of the animated series ''Family Guy'' which later served as the 20th episode of the show's eighth season and is the second part of the series' ''Star Wars'' parody trilogy ...
", which parodies '' The Empire Strikes Back'', and "
It's a Trap! "It's a Trap!" is a direct-to-video special of the animated series '' Family Guy'' which later served as the double-episode season finale of the ninth season and is the final part of the series' '' Star Wars'' parody trilogy '' Laugh It Up, Fuzz ...
", which parodies '' Return of the Jedi''. They originally were released
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
on December 22, 2009, and December 21, 2010, then later aired on Fox May 23, 2010 ( season eight, episode 20) and May 22, 2011 (
season nine A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
, episode 18) respectively. * " Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars", also titled "Episode IV: May the Ferb Be with You", is an episode of the TV series '' Phineas and Ferb'' that aired in mid-2014, soon after Disney's acquisition of the franchise. * "
Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri "Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri" is the tenth and final episode of the fourth season of the Adult Swim animated television series ''Rick and Morty''. Written by Anne Lane and directed by Erica Hayes, the episode was broadcast on May 31, 2020, i ...
", the fourth season finale of the animated television series ''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
'' premiered on May 31, 2020. * ''
Hardware Wars ''Hardware Wars'' is a 1978 American short science fiction parody film in the form of a teaser trailer for a fictitious science fiction film that parodies ''Star Wars''. The 13-minute film, which was released almost 18 months after ''Star Wars' ...
'', a 13-minute 1978 spoof which Lucas has called his favorite ''Star Wars'' parody. * ''
Spaceballs ''Spaceballs'' is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It is primarily a parody of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but also parodies other sci-fi films and popular franchises including ...
'', a feature film by
Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...
, parodies the first ''Star Wars'' film, and features special effects by Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic. * The films and television series of Kevin Smith reference ''Star Wars'' numerous times. ** A scene in Smith's debut film '' Clerks'' centers upon the politics and ethics of the destruction of the two Death Stars in the first trilogy, which Lucas later addressed in his commentary track for ''Attack of the Clones''. ** A courtroom sequence in the series premiere of '' Clerks: The Animated Series'' sees
Randal Graves This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse. ''Clerks'' (1994) Dante Hicks Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
intensely cross-examining George Lucas about the plot holes in ''Phantom Menace'', and demanding a refund. After successfully attaining one, Randall does the same to directors
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
,
Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designer. H ...
,
Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
, and
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...
. ** In Smith's film '' Zack and Miri Make a Porno'' (2008), Zack ( Seth Rogen) and Miri ( Elizabeth Banks) decide to pay off their debts by producing and starring in a ''Star Wars''-themed pornographic film titled ''Star Whores'' before changing it to a coffee house-themed film. ** '' Trooper Clerks'' - In this parody of both ''Star Wars'' and the ''Clerks'' series by Studio Creations, convenience store clerks Dante Hicks and Randall Graves are stormtroopers depicted in locations such as the first Death Star and the planet Tatooine, discussing topics like whether ''
Mallrats ''Mallrats'' is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Ben Affleck, Jason Mewes, Joey Lauren Adams, Michael Rooker, and Smith as Silent Bob. ...
'' or ''
Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...
'' is the Smith film with the better story. * ''Star Wars'' has been the subject of several parodies in the humorous magazine '' Mad'', a publication that frequently publishes cartoon spoofs of Hollywood films. A parody called ''Star Roars'' was published in January 1978, featuring the magazine's mascot,
Alfred E. Neuman Alfred E. Neuman is the fictitious mascot and cover boy of the American humor magazine '' Mad''. The character's distinct smiling face, parted red hair, gap-tooth smile, freckles, protruding nose, and scrawny body, first emerged in U.S. iconog ...
, wearing a Darth Vader helmet. * '' Pinky and the Brain'' - "Star Warners" *
Fanboys (film) ''Fanboys'' is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Kyle Newman and starring Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, Kristen Bell, Danny McBride, and Seth Rogen. It was released in the United States on February 6, 2009, and ...
about a group of friends anticipating the release of
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace ''Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' is a 1999 American Epic film, epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Dan ...


Fandom and fan films

''Star Wars'' fandom comprises the community of fans of the ''Star Wars'' film series and related media. In some cases, there have been instances of "toxic fandom" within fan community. Authors Steve Perry and
K. W. Jeter Kevin Wayne Jeter (born March 26, 1950) is an American science fiction and horror author known for his literary writing style, dark themes, and paranoid, unsympathetic characters. He has written novels set in the '' Star Trek'' and '' Star Wa ...
have both said they began receiving death threats after contributing works to the franchise. According to
Daisy Ridley Daisy Jazz Isobel Ridley (born 10 April 1992) is an English actress. She rose to prominence for her role as Rey in the ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy: ''The Force Awakens'' (2015), ''The Last Jedi'' (2017), and ''The Rise of Skywalker'' (2019) ...
, when she was being cast for the
sequel trilogy The ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy is the third trilogy of the main ''Star Wars'' franchise, an American space opera created by George Lucas. It is produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The trilogy ...
,
J. J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as ''Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' For ...
warned her that the franchise "is a religion for people." Fan backlash has evidently increased since the release of the Disney films. The franchise inspired many
fan edit A fan edit is a version of a film Film editing, modified by a viewer, that removes, reorders, or adds material in order to create a new interpretation of the source material. This includes the removal of scenes or dialogue, replacement of audio an ...
s, which have gained a notable presence on the internet thanks to the advancement of social media platforms
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
,
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. like
Harmy's Despecialized Edition ''Star Wars: The Despecialized Edition'', also known as ''Harmy's Despecialized Edition'' is a Fan edit, fan-created film preservation of the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' trilogy films: ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars'' (1977 ...
, there have been various memes related to specific moments in the movies themselves, like a mistranslated Chinese bootleg of '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' and 'TR-8R' from '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens''. The ''Star Wars'' saga has inspired many fans to create their own non-canon material set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy, ranging from writing fan-fiction to creating
fan film A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book, book, or video game created by fans rather than by the source's copyright holders or creators. Fan filmmakers have traditionally been amateurs, but some of the more ...
s. In 2002, Lucasfilm sponsored the first annual Official ''Star Wars'' Fan Film Awards, officially recognizing filmmakers and the genre. Because of concerns over potential
copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
and trademark issues, however, the contest was initially open only to parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries. Fan-fiction films set in the ''Star Wars'' universe were originally ineligible, but in 2007 Lucasfilm changed the submission standards to allow in-universe fiction entries. Lucasfilm, for the most part, has allowed but not endorsed the creation of these derivative fan-fiction works, so long as no such work attempts to make a profit from or tarnish the ''Star Wars'' franchise in any way. ''Star Wars'' parodies include: *
Star Wars Kid ''Star Wars Kid'' is a viral video made in 2002 by Ghyslain RazaI ...
*
The Force (advertisement) ''The Force'' is a television advertisement created by (Deutsch Inc.) to promote Volkswagen's Passat. Commercial Volkswagen had not aired a commercial during the Super Bowl in more than 10 years, but in 2011, the company ran two ads, both from ...
*
Chewbacca Mask Lady Chewbacca Mask Lady (also known as Chewbacca Mom) is a viral video featuring 37-year-old Texan mother Candace Payne filming herself heartily laughing while wearing a '' Star Wars'' Chewbacca mask. The video was posted to Facebook with the descr ...
* ''
Broken Allegiance ''Broken Allegiance'' is a fan film that made its debut on the internet in April 2002, created by Australian fans of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It is a live-action drama set in the ''Star Wars'' universe, taking place a few weeks between the ...
'' * ''
Chad Vader ''Chad Vader: Day Shift Manager'' is an American fan web sitcom created by Aaron Yonda and Matt Sloan, who wrote, directed, and appeared in the series, which parodies '' Star Wars''. The show's central character is Chad Vader, the day-shift mana ...
'' * ''
Crazy Watto ''Crazy Watto'' is a two-minute-long fan film that made its debut on the Internet in 2000. The film is a spoof of used car deal ads shown on television, featuring Watto from '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace''. Watto offers up for sale ...
'' * '' The Dark Redemption'' * '' Dark Resurrection'' * '' Darth Maul: Apprentice'' * ''
Darth Vader's Psychic Hotline ''Darth Vader's Psychic Hotline'' is a fan film that made its debut on the Internet on April 16, 2002, created by fans of the '' Star Wars'' franchise. It is a spoof of '' Star Wars'' and Miss Cleo-type psychic hotline infomercials, with Darth V ...
'' * ''
Duality Duality may refer to: Mathematics * Duality (mathematics), a mathematical concept ** Dual (category theory), a formalization of mathematical duality ** Duality (optimization) ** Duality (order theory), a concept regarding binary relations ** Dual ...
'' * '' The Formula'' * ''
George Lucas in Love ''George Lucas in Love'' is a 1999 American parodical short film directed by Joe Nussbaum. A parody of ''Shakespeare in Love'', it depicts a young George Lucas and his real-life inspirations behind the characters and plot of ''Star Wars''. Upon ...
'' * '' Han Solo: A Smuggler's Trade'' * ''
Hardware Wars ''Hardware Wars'' is a 1978 American short science fiction parody film in the form of a teaser trailer for a fictitious science fiction film that parodies ''Star Wars''. The 13-minute film, which was released almost 18 months after ''Star Wars' ...
'' * '' How the Sith Stole Christmas'' * '' The Jedi Hunter'' * '' Knightquest'' * ''
Pink Five ''Pink Five'' is a ''Star Wars'' fan film that made its debut on the Internet in 2002 and was written and directed by Trey Stokes and stars Amy Earhart as Stacey (a.k.a. Pink Five), a fast-talking Valley Girl-type dropped into an X-wing cockpit d ...
'', ''
Pink Five Strikes Back ''Pink Five Strikes Back'' is a fan film that made its debut on the internet in 2004, created by fans of the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The sequel to the popular ''Pink Five'', it is a comedy set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. Amy Earhart returns as ...
'', ''
Return of Pink Five ''Return of Pink Five'' is a sequel to the fan films ''Pink Five'' and ''Pink Five Strikes Back''. It continues the adventures of Stacey (Pink Five) around the edges of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. The film was directed by series creator Tr ...
'': While many fan films have used elements from the licensed Expanded Universe to tell their story, they are not considered an official part of the ''Star Wars'' canon. However, the lead character from the ''Pink Five'' series was incorporated into
Timothy Zahn Timothy Zahn (born September 1, 1951) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. He is known best for his prolific collection of ''Star Wars'' List of Star Wars books, books, chiefly the Thrawn trilogy, ''Thrawn'' series, and has publis ...
's 2007 novel '' Allegiance'', marking the first time a fan-created ''Star Wars'' character has ever crossed into the official canon. * '' Rebel Scum'' * '' Ryan vs. Dorkman'' * ''
Saving Star Wars ''Saving Star Wars'' is a 2004 independent film by Woodworks Films that was written and produced by Gary Wood. The title is a play on the titles of the World War II movie ''Saving Private Ryan'' and '' Star Wars''. The first preview of the film ...
'' * ''
Sith Apprentice ''Sith Apprentice'' is a ''Star Wars'' fan film that made its debut on the internet on March 29, 2005, directed by John E. Hudgens and co-written by Hudgens, Denny Humbard, and ''Men in Black'' creator Lowell Cunningham. Made for around $1000, it ...
'' * ''
Star Dudes ''Star Dudes'' is an internet-based Flash animated series that premiered in 2000. Created by animator Rich Cando, the series presents the major events of several ''Star Wars'' films condensed down to less than five minutes per film. The stylized c ...
'' * '' Star Wars: Revelations'' * '' Star Wars: The Emperor's New Clones'' * '' Star Wars: Threads of Destiny'' * ''
Star Wars Uncut ''Star Wars Uncut'' is a 2010 online parody film produced, edited and directed by Casey Pugh. It is a shot-for-shot recreation of the 1977 film ''Star Wars'' consisting of 473 fifteen-second segments created and submitted from a variety of partici ...
'' * ''
Thumb Wars ''Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle'' is a 1999 short film directed by Steve Oedekerk. Using dressed up and coifed thumbs as puppets, Oedekerk created a parody of ''Star Wars'', with characters like Loke Groundrunner, Princess Bunhead, Oobee ...
'' * '' TIE Fighter'' * ''
Troops A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troop Ro ...
'' * '' Vader Episode I: Shards of the Past''


Fan edits/restorations

The franchise has inspired many
fan edit A fan edit is a version of a film Film editing, modified by a viewer, that removes, reorders, or adds material in order to create a new interpretation of the source material. This includes the removal of scenes or dialogue, replacement of audio an ...
s, such as ''
Harmy's Despecialized Edition ''Star Wars: The Despecialized Edition'', also known as ''Harmy's Despecialized Edition'' is a Fan edit, fan-created film preservation of the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' trilogy films: ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars'' (1977 ...
'' and ''
The Phantom Edit ''Star Wars Episode I.I: The Phantom Edit'' is a fan edit of the film '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', removing many elements of the original film. The purpose of the edit, according to creator Mike J. Nichols, was to make a muc ...
'', which circulated on the Internet thanks to the advance of social media platforms
Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
,
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. Like
Harmy's Despecialized Edition ''Star Wars: The Despecialized Edition'', also known as ''Harmy's Despecialized Edition'' is a Fan edit, fan-created film preservation of the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' trilogy films: ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars'' (1977 ...
, there have been various memes related to specific moments in the movies themselves, like a mistranslated Chinese bootleg of '' Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith'' and 'TR-8R' from '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens''. A fan-edit to visually incorporate the ghosts of Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan, Luke and Yoda, into a scene from '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' was positively received for its technical execution. In contrast, a 46-minute fan-edits of the previous film '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', which removed all the female characters, was criticized for sexism. A YouTuber who attempted to improve the original VFX effects of Luke Skywalker's de-aged appearance on '' The Mandalorian'' Season 2 finale was later hired by Lucasfilm. Other ''The Mandalorian'' fan-edits that were made included
Baby Yoda Grogu, colloquially referred to as Baby Yoda, is a character from the '' Star Wars'' Disney+ original television series ''The Mandalorian''. He is a toddler member of the same species as the ''Star Wars'' characters Yoda and Yaddle, with whom he ...
fighting against Darth Sidious in ''Revenge of the Sith'', while Tommy Wisseau's character, Johnny, from ''
The Room ''The Room'' is a 2003 American drama film written, produced, executive produced and directed by Tommy Wiseau, who stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. The film centers on a melodramatic love triangle between amiable ...
'' was edited in a crossover set within the entire saga.


Cosplay

* 501st Legion *
Rebel Legion The Rebel Legion is an international fan-based volunteer organization dedicated to the construction and wearing of screen-accurate replicas of the Rebel Alliance, the Galactic Republic, the New Republic, the Resistance, the Jedi Order, and oth ...
*
Princess Leia's bikini Princess Leia's bikini (also known as Princess Leia's metal bikini) is an iconic costume worn by actress Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in the 1983 '' Star Wars'' film ''Return of the Jedi''. Development Costume designer Aggie Guerard Rodgers ...


Websites

*
Wookieepedia Wookieepedia: The ''Star Wars'' Wiki is an online encyclopedia for information about the ''Star Wars'' universe—including information on all the films, as well as '' Clone Wars'', '' The Clone Wars'' and its introductory film, ''Rebels'', t ...
* TheForce.Net


Theatre

In December 1978, an onstage ''Star Wars'' parody appeared in the form of a Broadway musical, ''The Force and I—the Mad Star Wars Musical''. A similar fan-made musical of the original 1977 film was made in 1999 in anticipation of the release of '' The Phantom Menace'' and another parody musical was announced for a March 2020
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production. During the winter of 2015,
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
based theater company,
Under the Gun Theater Under the Gun Theater is a theater company located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Angie McMahon and Kevin Mullaney, Under the Gun is a sketch and improvisational comedy theater which opened in Chicago's Lake View community in 2014.Wachtler, Ma ...
developed a parody revue which recapped all six of the ''Star Wars'' films as a lead up to the release of '' Star Wars: The Force Awakens''.Hatch, Megan Hors
Celebrate the release of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ in style in Chicago
AXS TV. Retrieved on December 3, 2015.
In November 2019, Ichikawa Ebizō XI supervised production of and played Kylo Ren in a ''
kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...
'' adaptation of scenes from the sequel trilogy, which was entitled . In addition, his son Kangen Horikoshi portrayed a younger version of Ren in the play's third act.


Music

In 1993, Mexican pop singer
Paulina Rubio Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes (; born 17 June 1971) is a Mexican singer. Referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Golden Girl" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Pop", she first achieved recognition as ...
said that for the concept of her second studio album, ''
24 Kilates 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky in many East Asian c ...
'', she has been inspired by the Star Wars movies. Coldplay's lead singer Chris Martin said that the band's ninth studio album '' Music of the Spheres'' had been inspired by the alien
Mos Eisley Mos Eisley is a spaceport town in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. Located on the planet Tatooine, it first appeared in the 1977 film ''Star Wars'', described by the character Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness) as a "wretched hive of s ...
cantina band from the first ''Star Wars'' film.


Parody songs

*
"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
recorded two parodies: " Yoda", a parody of " Lola" by The Kinks; and " The Saga Begins", a parody of Don McLean's song " American Pie" that retells the events of ''The Phantom Menace'' from Obi-Wan Kenobi's perspective. *
Dan Amrich Daniel Edward Amrich (born 5 February 1971) is an American writer, author, actor, musician, and social media expert. He graduated from Ithaca College with a major in audio production and minor in writing and became a professional journalist and c ...
recorded ''Princess Leia's Stolen Death Star Plans'', an adaptation of the Beatles album ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
'' which retells the story of the original ''Star Wars'' film. * Natalie's Rap 2.0 * '' Star Wars Gangsta Rap''


Documentaries

* ''
The Making of Star Wars ''The Making of Star Wars'' is a television special produced by 20th Century Fox, which aired on the ABC Television Network on September 16, 1977. It was written by Richard Schickel and directed and produced by Robert Guenette. Synopsis Premie ...
'' * '' SP FX: The Empire Strikes Back'' * '' Classic Creatures: Return of the Jedi'' * '' From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga'' * '' Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy'' * ''
Star Wars Tech ''Star Wars Tech'' is a 2007 forty-six-minute television documentary about the science and technology of ''Star Wars'' including droids (robots) and other major aspects. The documentary was included in the special features in the Blu-ray release ...
'' * '' Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed'' * '' Science of Star Wars''


Fan documentaries

* ''
Elstree 1976 ''Elstree 1976'' is a 2015 documentary film about the making of the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' and the legacy that it left behind. Cast * Paul Blake * Jeremy Bulloch * Garrick Hagon * Anthony Forrest * David Prowse * Angus MacInnes, who played Jo ...
'' * '' I Am Your Father'' * ''
The People vs. George Lucas ''The People vs. George Lucas'' is a 2010 documentary comedy film directed by Swiss director Alexandre O. Philippe. It explores the issues of filmmaking and fanaticism pertaining to the '' Star Wars'' franchise and its creator, George Lucas. Th ...
'' * '' Plastic Galaxy'' * '' The Prequels Strike Back: A Fan's Journey''


Video games

Darth Vader, as well as Yoda and
Starkiller Starkiller, born Galen Marek and also known as The Apprentice, is the fictional protagonist of the '' Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' video games and literature, part of the now non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' expanded universe; however, ...
, appear as playable characters in the 2008 fighting game '' Soulcalibur IV''.


Science


Impact on aeronautics

The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum had an exhibition called ''Star Wars: The Magic of Myth''. It was an exhibition of original production models, props, costumes, and characters from the first three ''Star Wars'' films. In October 2007, NASA launched a
Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program na ...
carrying an original lightsaber into orbit. The prop handle had been used as Luke Skywalker's lightsaber in ''Return of the Jedi''. After spending two weeks in orbit, it was brought back to Earth on November 7, 2007, to be returned to its owner, George Lucas. The first successfully launched space-rocket, to be sent by the private spaceflight company
SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
, was named the Falcon 1.
Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The Bori ...
used the word "falcon" within the name of the space-rocket, as a reference to the ''
Millennium Falcon The ''Millennium Falcon'' is a fictional starship in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Designed by Joe Johnston for the movie ''Star Wars'' (1977), it has subsequently appeared in '' The Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), ''The Empire Strikes Back ...
'' from ''Star Wars''. The Falcon 1's success led to the fabrication of updated versions of the space rocket, in what became known as the Falcon family of space-rockets. The Falcon 1 has since been retired, in favor of the Falcon 9. The spacecraft
LICIACube Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube, ) is a six-unit CubeSat of the Italian Space Agency (ASI). LICIACube is a part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission and carries out observational analysis of the Didy ...
, a part of
DART Dart or DART may refer to: * Dart, the equipment in the game of darts Arts, entertainment and media * Dart (comics), an Image Comics superhero * Dart, a character from ''G.I. Joe'' * Dart, a ''Thomas & Friends'' railway engine character * Dar ...
mission, is equipped with two optical cameras, dubbed LUKE and LEIA.


Organisms named after ''Star Wars'' characters


Politics and religion


Political impact

When
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
proposed the
Strategic Defense Initiative The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively nicknamed the "''Star Wars'' program", was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental ballistic ...
(SDI), a system of lasers and missiles meant to intercept incoming
ICBMs An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons ...
, the plan was quickly labeled "Star Wars", implying that it was science fiction and linking it to Reagan's acting career. According to Frances FitzGerald, Reagan was annoyed by this, but Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Perle told colleagues that he "thought the name was not so bad."; "'Why not?' he said. 'It's a good movie. Besides, the good guys won.'" This gained further resonance when Reagan described the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
as an " evil empire". In television commercials, public interest group critics of the
Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
administration's
Strategic Defense Initiative The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively nicknamed the "''Star Wars'' program", was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental ballistic ...
program deridingly referred to the orbital missile defense project as "Star Wars".
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
originally sued to try to enjoin this usage of its trademark, and lost.''Lucasfilm Ltd. v. High Frontier'', 622 F.Supp. 931 (D.D.C. 1985) Explaining its decision, the court said, When
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
won the
1979 United Kingdom general election The 1979 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher, ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with ...
held on May 3, the Tories took out a newspaper ad that read "May the Fourth Be with You Maggie. Congratulations." On May 4, 1995, during a defence debate in the UK parliament, MP
Harry Cohen Harry Michael Cohen (born 10 December 1949) is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leyton from 1983 to 1997 and Leyton and Wanstead from 1997 to 2010. Early life Cohen left the George Gascoigne Secon ...
related the
Star Wars Day ''Star Wars'' Day is an informal commemorative day observed annually on May4 to celebrate the ''Star Wars'' media franchise created by founder, former chairman and CEO of Lucasfilm, George Lucas. Observance of the day spread quickly through m ...
joke: "
May 4 be with you May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May ...
". In
England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
, 390,127 people (almost 0.8%) stated their religion as Jedi on their 2001 Census forms, surpassing
Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...
,
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...
and
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
, and making it the fourth largest reported religion in the country. The holographic video effect associated with ''Star Wars'' served as a technological tool for
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
during its 2008 Election Night coverage. CNN reporter
Jessica Yellin Jessica Sage Yellin (born February 25, 1971) is an American journalist. Focused primarily on politics, she was the White House press corps, Chief White House Correspondent for CNN in Washington, D.C. from 2011 to 2013. Described as "one of the ...
and musician
will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "Will-I-am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the founding and lead member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. ...
looked as though they were in the network's
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
studios talking face-to-face with hosts
Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator from the Vanderbilt family. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news broadcast show ''Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties at C ...
and Wolf Blitzer, when in reality, they were in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
at
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
's rally. The process involved Yellin and will.i.am standing in front of a blue screen in a special tent, while being shot by 35 HD cameras. On March 1, 2013, American President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
spoke on the sequestration debate. He said that some people expect him to do a "Jedi
mind meld Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to l ...
" on the Republicans who refuse to deal. In the
2014 Ukrainian presidential election Snap presidential elections held in Ukraine on 25 May 2014 resulted in Petro Poroshenko being elected President of Ukraine.Internet Party of Ukraine tried to nominate a man named Darth Vader; but his registration was refused because his real identity could not be verified. A man named Darth Vader was a candidate at May 25 2014 Kyiv mayoral election and the
Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
mayoral election Mayoral may refer to: * Mayoral is an adjectival form of mayor * Mayoral, a Spanish Children's Fashion Company * Borja Mayoral (born 1997), Spanish footballer * César Mayoral (born 1947), Argentine diplomat * David Mayoral (born 1997), Spanish f ...
of the same day for the same party. In the
2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Snap elections to the Verkhovna Rada took place on 26 October 2014. Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, had pressed for early parliamentary elections since his victory in the presidential election in May.Ukrainian parliament The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
. In the election the party failed to clear the 5% election threshold (it got 0.36% of the votes) and also did not win a constituency seat and thus no parliamentary seats. In 2015, as a part of the decommunization process in Ukraine, a statue of a
Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 19 ...
was modified into a monument to Darth Vader at the territory of Pressmash plant in Odessa. In the 2020 Odessa local election, a person called Darth Vader was again a candidate for
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of Odessa (nominated by Darth Vader Bloc). He scored 0.48% of the total votes cast.


Religion (Jediism)

A real-life religion based on ''Star Wars'' called Jediism follows a modified version of the Jedi Code, and they believe in the concept of ''The Force'' as an energy field of all living things, which "surrounds us... penetrates us" and "binds the galaxy together", as is depicted within ''Star Wars'' movies, although without the fictional elements such as telekinesis. Many citizens around the world answer list their religion as Jedi during their countries respective Census, among them Australia and New Zealand getting high percentages. A petition in
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
to build a Jedi Temple within a university, also got international media attention.


Other

Between 2002 and 2004, museums in Japan, Singapore, Scotland and England showcased the ''Art of Star Wars'', an exhibit describing the process of making the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy. In 2013, ''Star Wars'' became the first major motion picture translated into the
Navajo language Navajo or Navaho (; Navajo: or ) is a Southern Athabaskan language of the Na-Dené family, through which it is related to languages spoken across the western areas of North America. Navajo is spoken primarily in the Southwestern United States ...
. Professional sports teams in the United States and Canada regularly hold Star Wars-themed promotional nights. In 2015, Star Wars-themed
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) games had average higher attendance than typical MLB games. Star Wars promotional nights in
minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
sports events often feature teams wearing Star Wars-inspired uniform designs. Outside of Star Wars-themed games, North American sports teams often play " The Imperial March" over their public address systems while opposing teams are being introduced. Several organizations worldwide teach lightsaber combat as a competitive sport, instructing on techniques interpreted from the films, and using life-size replica weapons composed of highly durable plastic that emit lights and sounds. During the 2012
Emerald City Comicon The Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC), formerly the Emerald City Comicon, is an annual comic book convention taking place in Seattle, Washington. Originally taking place at the city's Qwest Field (first at West Field Plaza, then at the Event Center), ...
in
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, several prominent cartoon voice actors, consisting of
Rob Paulsen Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and three Anni ...
,
Jess Harnell Jess Harnell (born December 23, 1963) is an American voice actor and singer. His notable roles include Captain Hero in the animated TV series ''Drawn Together'', Wakko Warner in ''Animaniacs'', Ironhide in the first three ''Transformers'' films ...
, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche,
Tara Strong Tara Lyn Strong (née Charendoff; born February 12, 1973) is a Canadian-American actress. She is known for her voice work in animation, websites, and video games. Strong's voice roles include animated series such as ''The New Batman Adventures ...
and
Kevin Conroy Kevin Conroy (November 30, 1955 – November 10, 2022) was an American actor. He appeared in a variety of stage performances, television series, and television films, but earned worldwide fame for his voice portrayal of the DC Comics superhero ...
, performed a parody reading of ''A New Hope'' as a radio play in each of their signature voice roles; i.e. Paulsen and Harnell as Yakko and Wakko Warner from '' Animaniacs'', Strong as
Bubbles Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fundame ...
from '' The Powerpuff Girls'' and
Timmy Turner This article features an extensive cast of characters from the Nickelodeon animated series ''The Fairly OddParents'', created by Butch Hartman. Main Timmy Turner Timothy Tiberius Turner is a 10-year-old boy who was given fairy godparents to gran ...
from '' The Fairly OddParents'', LaMarche and DiMaggio as
Kif Kroker This article lists the many characters of '' Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a ...
and Bender from ''
Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...
'', and Conroy narrating as
Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
. After Disney's acquisition of Star Wars, they proceeded to open Galaxy's Edge. Star Wars themed parks in both Disney World and
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
that opened in December 2019 in Disney World and January 2020 in
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
. In the theme parks fans will be transported to a Galaxy Far Far Away and live their own Star Wars experience, through flying the Millennium Falcon, or stopping at Oga's Cantina for some food and drinks. "Star Wars bar" has entered the English language vernacular meaning a less than desirable bar or pub. This is because the "Mos Eisley Cantina", and the events depicted therein during the original Star Wars film, is a sufficiently well known cultural reference for the term to have become useful in every day conversation. Bare Squadron is a fanfiction about a division of Rebel Alliance made of nudists from different races in Star Wars who are the Original Characters belonging to members of DeviantArt.


See also

* ''
Star Wars and History ''Star Wars and History'' is a book published on November 1, 2012, edited by Janice Liedl and Nancy R. Reagin. The book, authorized by Lucasfilm, discusses how the epic film series '' Star Wars'' borrowed elements from various Earth histories. ...
''


References


Further reading

* *


External links

* * {{Star Wars
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
Star Wars Cultural Impact
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
Star Wars fandom