written by Jeremy "kokugatsu" griffin

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Star Wars is an epic franchise created by George Lucas in 1977. He never expected his franchise to become as big as is now, 45 years later. The story of the battle between the classic Jedi “space wizards” and the monstrous Sith Lords is a tale that has captivated many. It is a wonderful story of good vs evil with the thin line between love and hate and the politics that are influenced by them.

Man, is this video nostalgic. I wasn't born in 1976, but I first saw this trailer years ago during my very first May 4th Star Wars celebration in 2008. I was first exposed to Star Wars as a child, but my family was a major Star Trek fan family rather than Star Wars. When I finally got to see Luke Skywalker, played by the infamous Mark Hamill, I was hooked. The story was so amazing. The lightsabers and the spaceships were amazingly made for the time period and even in 2008, was still an amazing experience to have. Then came the ultimate force of the Sith, Darth Vader himself. Clad in all black and was a “force” to be reckoned with. It wasnt until 1979, that We got our first May the 4th, based on May the Force be with you. As far we understand, one of the earliest known references to the day followed the May 4, 1979, which was the election of Thatcher as Britain's prime minister, according to various sources, including the Star Wars Fandom page. But now…

The Trilogies

Here I will focus a little more on the movie trilogies. On another part, maybe I, or someone else, can break down things on the videogames and the series that have erupted from this franchise. But for now, let’s stick with the basics of the series. Last year we did an Xtreme review and breakdown of the original Trilogies. Please click the buttons to listen to our podcast on Spotify. Our podcasts have also expanded to other platforms, like Google Podcast, Apple Podcast and much much more. Love Star Wars and want much more Star Wars content? Join our Star Wars Zone on Facebook today. But for right now, Let’s ZONE in on it.

Going into release order we have the “Original Trilogy” with episodes 4-6. This is the story of young Luke Skywalker as he was found by Obi-wan Kinobi, joined with the wonderful cast of Chewbacca, Han Solo and his soon-to-be-discovered-sister, Princess Leia. We also meet the androids, R2-D2 and C-3PO. A wonderful Trilogy that introduces us to the series right in the middle of a political war, the growth of our Skywalkers and the family bonds that were hidden by those who we thought we could trust. Ending with the wonderful 6th episode of the entire series that showed the destruction of the planet killer, Deathstar, this trilogy was an action packed ride of adventure.

Next we have the “Prequel Trilogy” consisting of episodes 1-3. Here we get the background of the Old Republic, the story of young Anakin Skywalker and his influence on the fall of the Jedi Order. The birth of Darth Vader is a compelling story of love, betrayal, trust, loss and so much more. Many fans dislike the prequel trilogy. It was much more action oriented and the story fell with many plot holes, in fact many more than the original trilogy. It is a compelling story that, although not perfect, was wonderfully made.

Lastly, we talk about the “Sequel Trilogy” with episodes 7-9. Oh man, this trilogy was a lot. Like a helluva lot. Considered the most hated amongst Star Wars fans for the complete change of story from the “Skywalker Saga” that consisted of the first 6 episodes. This was the story of the aftermath. Darth Vader is dead, Luke Skywalker has gone missing and the Jedi Order is dead. The universe is not seemingly in danger, but if danger was to come, who would protect the Universe? The Skywalker lineage dies with Leia dying to protect the new warriors that emerge and Luke reappears, only to try and right his wrong that would have doomed everyone. Evil would have won and the fans did not like the new heroes or the villain. Finn’s character was not very fleshed out. Rey just could not live up to the skywalker mantle that was left and the story of her past being so…uncaptivating. Kylo Ren could not live up to Darth Vader. In case of skill, planning and cunning, he missed the mark tremendously, but maybe he wasn't supposed to. There is still open interpretation for this trilogy, but many fans have written it off as non-canon. Hopefully we can get a much better conclusion later on.

The Star Wars franchise has reached a fanbase across the universe. Galaxies far away a long time ago have grown and fallen. This epic series has touched the hearts of millions to the point of Holidays. Remember that “This is the May” for Star Wars fans everywhere. May the Force be with you. Also, please listen to our podcasts where we discuss each movie in depth and give our views, loves and hates of each one. Again, if you love Star Wars and want much more content, please join our Star Wars Zone on Facebook. Until next time friends, great things are coming. We are Zoning out.

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