The (Almost) Definitive Guide to the Star Wars Universe

 

We are talking about a story that began in a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… (more specifically, in 1977), you were probably not even born and chances are you don't know the original trilogy, right?

So do not worry. We've put together a definitive guide on star wars universe, designed for the next generation Z. Check out the details below, so you can go to the cinemas in peace and post your comments without running the risk of being embarrassed.

Star Wars is not the same as Star Trek

The first thing you should learn, my young padawan, is: Star Wars e Star Trek they are different franchises. Now let's get to the details.

Star Wars, or Star Wars in Brazil, is the epic space opera, conceived and produced by George Lucas, which changed the course of cinema when it was released in 1977. It tells the story of a group of rebels fighting against the great intergalactic empire. A defining point: the Earth, our planet, is not part of this context.

Star Trek, on the other hand, tells the interstellar adventures of the Captain James T. Kirk and his crew inside a United Federation of Planets spaceship: the USS Enterprise. It originated with a 60's TV series rather than a movie, but has since expanded to over 12 movies and 5 new series. And, here, the Earth is part of the context.

Episode IV – the first to be released

Many people find it strange and even confusing that the first film in the saga is the episode IV, but there is a very obvious reason for this. George Lucas, the creator of the saga, was just a novice film director when devising it. He had barely made a movie, American Graffiti, a comedy set in the 1950s, which was its only hit before the resounding Star Wars.

The initial script of the saga was immense and could yield more than 12 hours of film, but no studio would be crazy to accept such a story. So Lucas decided to split the story into 6 movies, creating two trilogies. As he thought the second trilogy would be the easiest to sell to a studio, he started with it. and he thought it best to try to sell the second part. Even so, it wasn't easy.

War movies were at a low ebb at the time, and science fiction was considered a genre as poor as it was saturated. Believing his story, Lucas decided to try to sell at least the initial chapter to the studios. Universal e Warner, which they refused outright. THE FOX would have done the same if not for Alan Ladd Jr., the company's head of creative resources, who fell in love with Lucas' vision and convinced the studio to make the film. 

for not believing so much Star Wars, a FOX did like the Xerox, which gave the graphical interface and idea of ​​the kissing hands mouse to Steve Jobs da Apple. She gave Lucas all rights to a sequel (they believed that Star Wars wouldn't go beyond that movie) and ownership of the entire merchandising from the movies. I imagine that regret knocked on the door of the FOX some time later…

With 8 million dollars in hand, Lucas had to create the impossible for the time. With the crisis of science fiction films, several special effects studios closed their doors. For that reason, he decided to create his own, the ILM – Industrial Light & Magic, which today creates unimaginable effects and is at the forefront of digital technologies. Including we talk about him here, I recommend reading.

And those were just the first problems... practically the entire cast and production crew didn't believe that Star Wars would work, and what I'm going to say now might offend fans of the saga, but sir Alec Guines, Obi-Wan of the original trilogy, is not proud of having participated in the films. He even said: "Except for the money, I regret getting on board." He explained why during filming: “I get ridiculous new dialogue every day… and none of the lines make the character clear or at least acceptable”. It was the actor himself who suggested the death of Obi-Wan, with the intention of leaving the series. "I can't take all this bullshit anymore", said.

Even with all the challenges, the first film was not only a success but also gave space for sequels without intervention from the studio. For the first time, a film director had complete control over his creation. So the sequels O Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21, 1980, and Return of the Jedi, launched on May 25, 1983 were financed with his own money. George Lucas and his new studio, the LucasFilm.

Main characters from the Star Wars universe

Luke Skywalker

As a boy, he was a farmer in Tatooine, a desert country ruled by the Hutts, intergalactic gangsters. Luke Skywalker lived with her uncle Owen and an aunt. He was an orphan and of humble origin, but along with Han e Read, managed to fight the wicked Empire and become one of the greatest I say the galaxy has ever known.

Princess Leia Organa

One of the greatest leaders of Rebel Alliance, fearless on the battlefield and dedicated to ending the tyranny of the Empire, Leia Organa not the helpless, endangered type of woman. She is one of the greatest characters in Star Wars and is disputed by Luke e Han. For having a soft spot for scoundrels… and discovering that the young Jedi was her brother, you can imagine who she ended up with, right? The rest of the story, just watching the movies.

Han Solo

Smuggler, ordinary, hero and captain of the Millennium Falcon, is one of the great leaders of the Rebel Alliance. He and his co-pilot Chewbacca come to believe in the cause of galactic freedom, joining Luke Skywalker and the princess Leia Organa in the fight against the Empire. And let it be clear, Han Solo shoot first...

Chewbacca

legendary warrior Wookiees, affectionately called Chewie and co-pilot of Han Solo on board the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca is part of a tight group of rebels who have restored freedom to the galaxy. Known for his short fuse and accuracy with a crossbow Wookiees, he he also has a big heart—and an unwavering loyalty to his friends. Owner of an unusual strength and a peculiar dialect, he is the favorite mascot of all fans.

Yoda

Yoda is a legendary Maester Jedi, leader of the board and stronger than most in terms of his connection to the Force. Small in size, but wise and powerful, he trains the Jedi for over 800 years, playing integral roles in the Clone Wars, training Luke Skywalker and unlocking the path to immortality. Despite appearing to be fragile, he is also very skilled with the lightsaber, possessing a unique fighting technique.

Anakin Skywalker

discovered by Qui Gon Jinn e Obi-Wan Kenobi when I was a slave on Tatooine, Anakin Skywalker had the potential to become one of the most powerful Jedi of all time. Some believed he was the Chosen of prophecy, the one who would bring balance to the Force. Clone Wars Hero, Anakin he was kind and compassionate, but his fear of loss would eventually become his undoing.

C-3PO

C-3PO is a bumbling, charismatic and funny droid programmed to work with etiquette and protocol, created by the heroic Jedi Anakin Skywalker, as a child, and constant companion of the astromech R2-D2. Year after year, he is involved in some of the most defining moments and most electrifying battles in the galaxy, and is fluent in over six million forms of communication and the Waze's current voice.

R2-D2

The useful astromech droid, R2-D2, serves Padmé Amidala, Anakin Skywalker, and later Luke Skywalker, showing great bravery in rescuing his masters and friends from many dangers. A skilled assistant pilot and spacecraft mechanic, he forms an unlikely but lasting friendship with the bumbling protocol droid C-3PO. R2 is the only character to appear in the 6 films of the saga and will be in episode 7.

Darth Vader

Once a heroic Jedi Knight, Darth Vader is seduced by the dark side of the Force, becomes a Sith Lord and leads the Empire's eradication of the Jedi Order. For decades, he continues in the service of the Emperor, the evil Darth Sidious, enforcing his master's will and trying to crush the nascent Rebel Alliance. But there's still something good about him...

Emperor / Darth Sidious

Calculating, powerful and deeply evil, Darth Sidious rehabilitates the Sith and destroys the Jedi Order. Leading a double life, Sidious is a phantom menace. He slowly manipulates the Galactic Republic's political system to rule the galaxy through fear and tyranny.

I won't talk about the new characters, because I imagine you will see the movie in theaters correct? Now let's finally understand the Star Wars timeline.

Timeline, Expanded Universe, Canon, and Legends

We should take as year zero the year of the Battle of Yavin, which was the biggest battle of the Galactic Civil War, portrayed in the movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, which resulted in the destruction of the first death star. Keeping that in mind, we have two timelines: BBY and BBY, where BBY means “Before the Battle of Yavin” and BBY is “After the Battle of Yavin”.

Star Wars is not only made of movies, there are books, games, drawings, TV series, comics and the stories told in these media may or may not be considered official, that is, they are part of the same universe of cinemas.

The official stories, that is, all that are part of the Star Wars universe in cinema, TV and books is called canon. The other stories, released before Disney acquired the rights from Lucasfilm, usually books and comics, are under the seal. Legends. That is, the studio is not obliged to follow these stories and the fan is free to believe or not in these legends. It is a type of story that may or may not be told in a future film, different from the canon, which must be considered.

All this merging of original stories from Star Wars that do not appear in the movies is called Expanded Universe and covers periods before or after the films. There is no predetermined order to start reading or getting to know the Expanded Universe, you who are, or want to become a fan, can choose the story that you like the most to start a reading, or game and thus fill several gaps left in the movies.

See a beautiful infographic made by the publisher Aleph with the timeline of books and movies through this link.

Is there a correct order to watch the movies?

Amazingly, there is no official order, or said to be correct. The choice is made from fan to fan. There are those who prefer the chronological order of the story, watching from episodes I to VI, as there are those who watch in the order of release, which is IV, V, VI, I, II, III, but in these two ways there are serious problems and unnecessary spoilers that could end the surprise in the next movies.

I recently experimented with the order known as Ernst Rister, which is suggested by fans of the saga and I liked it a lot. she is IV, V, I, II, III and VI and in my opinion it's the best order to understand the story without too many spoilers.

There is also the call Machete Order, which is similar to the previous one, but completely ignores episode I, looking like this:  IV, V, II, III and VI. In this order, episode I, which is the “least good”, remains as a kind of optional. A lot of people hate it because it shows Anakin as a child, Jar Jar Binks, etc., but it's a great film like the others in my opinion. The pod races, the final fight of Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan and Darth Maul and other moments are worth seeing. 

Now that you're up to date with the Star Wars universe, grab some popcorn, sit on the couch and do a marathon to prepare for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which will be released on December 17, 2015, and may the force be like you.

Which film from the Star Wars Universe? Tell us Comment!

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