A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Lucas created Star Wars, an epic space opera that became a massive franchise. Well, to be fair, this statement is only half true. While Lucas created the franchise in the 1970s, it all started here on Earth. Inspired by other space sci-fi media like Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Flash Gordon, he set out to create his own space opera.
Little did he know that it would become one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. Although the series is decades old, the Star Wars hype has never died down. Beyond the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies, we’ve seen the release of countless TV shows and video games and the announcement of plenty of prospective projects in the works.
The Core Star Wars Film Saga
The core nine films, beginning with A New Hope in 1977, make up the foundation of the Star Wars universe. In this film, we were introduced to iconic characters and elements like the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Han Solo.
This film became part of the original trilogy, which includes The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The following prequel trilogy (Episodes I to III) explores Anakin Skywalker’s backstory and the rise of the Empire, deepening our understanding of the Jedi vs. the Dark Side. Ten years after Revenge of the Sith, we were introduced to the start of the sequel trilogy, which moved past the Skywalker story and brought the saga in a new direction.
As Star Wars became such a pop culture phenomenon, fans were constantly finding ways to immerse themselves deeper into its lore. With that desire came an evolution in storytelling across various media—graphic novels, video games, and TV shows, to name a few—which compounded the depth of its fictional universe. We even saw some Star Wars-themed slots, which were unfortunately discontinued by Disney but may still be available online for those who are interested in playing for fun.
Augmented Storytelling Through Comics and Novels
When franchises expand, it usually means two things: more content to enjoy and richer lore. One of the first forms of media that came about beyond the films was, naturally, novels and comics. After all, these two storytelling formats were the most common during that time. They served as tools to help flesh out storylines and introduce new subplots and characters that fans could explore. Books like Heir to the Empire and the initial Star Wars comic series by Marvel Comics helped propel the franchise into pop culture, adding depth past the few hours of movie content.
Expanding the Universe Through TV Series
Soon enough, more visual content was released, such as made-for-TV movies like Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and the animated series Ewoks. Since Return of the Jedi proved the Ewoks’ popularity, using these cute, memorable creatures to appeal to younger audiences, build family-friendly narratives, and capitalize on merchandising potential made sense. Similarly, Droids, the long-running The Clone Wars series, Rebels, Bad Batch, and other TV series, were created around specific, important aspects of the Star Wars universe. It allowed fans to explore the characters and eras they were most interested in.
From 2019 onwards, live-action series like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Andor took the Star Wars expansion to the next level. The post-Empire galaxy was now here in full force, and these big-budget productions delved into characters and narratives that weren’t previously explored. Many of them took a more mature approach to the saga, focusing on darker themes, nuanced relationships, and other sides to the original story.
The Star Wars Experience in Video Games
Since the 1980s, the Star Wars experience in video games has complemented the main media releases with arcade classics. Games let fans enjoy a new type of immersion, putting them in the driver’s (or more fittingly, pilot’s) seat. Players could participate in those epic battles and iconic scenes that were previously only watchable.
Once the video games industry became more refined thanks to technological advancements, we could play a wider variety of titles on home consoles. Rather than simply re-enacting scenes from the films, role-playing games and shooters let us explore entire worlds, decide our fate through moral choices, and follow an actual storyline that didn’t simply mimic an already existing one. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic introduced us to new planets and creatures, Battlefront allowed us to battle as different characters, and Squadrons on PCVR demonstrated what it would be like to pilot a ship.
How Expansions Have Impacted Star Wars Lore
While good vs. evil was a strong starting point for the saga, the expanded universe is what continued to fuel the growth of Star Wars. Although the incredible success of the original trilogy sparked widespread attention in the first place, who knows what reputation the franchise would’ve had without all the follow-up movies, books, comics, video games, and merchandise to help it thrive?
Yet it’s not enough just to say the presence of these expansions did the trick; it’s also the intelligent approach to world-building that has kept Star Wars relevant for generations to come. For other franchises looking for longevity, there’s no better blueprint than Star Wars. Despite not having released a movie since 2019, it was still named the top film franchise of 2023 by online entertainment encyclopedia Fandom.
