Star Wars

Star Wars is a fictional universe created by George Lucas. It was first featured in six films released between 1977 and 2005, and then expanded into two expanded universes (EU): the Legend EU and the Official EU. These expanded universes are composed of medias produced by third-parties, but officially recognized as an expansion of the Star Wars universe. Both expanded universes recognize the six movies as cannon, but the storylines, characters and places represented are all unique.

Star Wars belongs to the Science-Fantasy genre. It depicts the adventures of characters "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away", in which humans and many species of aliens (often humanoid) co-exist with robots (typically referred to as 'droids'), who may assist them in their daily routines; space travel between planets is common due to lightspeed hyperspace technology. The planets range 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 one-seat fighters, to huge capital ships such as the Star Destroyers, to space stations such as the moon-sized Death Star. Telecommunication includes two-way audio and audiovisual screens, holographic projections, and HoloNet (internet counterpart).

The universe of Star Wars is generally similar to ours but its laws of physics are less strict allowing for more imaginative stories. One result 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. The mentioned powers 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 fear and aggression. While Jedi Knights can be numerous, the Dark Lords of the Sith (or 'Darths') are intended to be limited to two: a master and their apprentice.

Force-wielders are very limited in numbers in comparison to the population. The Jedi and Sith prefer the use of a weapon called a lightsaber, a 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. As a result of galaxy-scaled politics (involving republics, empires, kingdoms, alliances, etc.), all this weaponry is made use of in various military conflicts during which most Star Wars material takes place. 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. Illicit activities include smuggling and slavery.

The combination of science fiction and fantasy elements makes Star Wars a very universal franchise, capable of telling stories of various genres.

Mythology and History
The year 0 of the galactic calendar is the Battle of Yavin. This battle marked a crucial turn in the fight between the Empire and the Rebellion, ushering a new hope for freedom in the Galaxy. Because chronological events differ between the two expanded universes, this timeline only focuses on elements that are approximately common to both universes. BBY and ABY mean, respectively, Before and After the Battle of Yavin.


 * Before 27,000 BBY: Life appeared, and evolved into sentient life forms, pretty much everywhere in the Galaxy. Some of them eventually achieved Space travel and started colonizing nearby planets and system, though spacecrafts were too slow to explore the galaxy.


 * 27,000 BBY: A few planets start to independently develop Hyperspace travel, allowing them for advanced exploration and colonization of the universe. The humans were one of these species. This early colonization is possibly the reason humans are present almost everywhere in the galaxy.


 * 25,000 BBY: Space travel is adopted by more and more planets around the Galaxy.
 * The Galactic Republic is formed. Coruscant, (allegedly the homeworld of humans) is chosen as its capital. Initially made of a few dozen "core" worlds, it will expand and eventually include the entire Galaxy (on paper, though, since their influence in remote worlds is feeble).


 * 32 BBY: Darth Sidious, a Sith master, devises a plan to take control of the Galaxy. He secretely makes Count Dooku his apprentice.
 * He enters the galactic politics by becoming the senator of planet Naboo, under the name of Sheev Palpatine.
 * He places his apprentice, Dooku, at the head of the Confederation of Independant Systems (CIS).
 * The CIS invades planet Naboo using an army of battle droids.
 * Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, two Jedi Masters en route to inform the Republic of the rebellion, are forced to stop on planet Tatooine, where they meet Anakin Skywalker.
 * Because Anakin was heavily sensitive to the force, the two Jedis propose to bring him to Coruscant, so he can be trained as a Jedi. Anakin accepts, but leaves behind his mother, who can't come with him since she is a slave.
 * The Republic refuses to help Naboo for multiple reasons, notably the cowardice of some senators. Disappointed by the passivity of the Republic, the queen of Naboo decides to free her planet by herself. With the help of Anakin, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and the Gungans (Natives from Naboo), they manage to deactivate the droid army. Because of this victory, Palpatine is elected Supreme Chancellor of the Republic.


 * 24 BBY: Numerous planets leave the Republic to join the CIS. The two are not at war but the tension is palpable.
 * The CIS secretly prepares for a war by manufacturing a large army of battle droids.
 * The Republic debates the idea of reinforcing their own military. The debate is slow, but a lone Jedi, thinking a war is inevitable, officiously commissions an army of clones to the planet Kamino.


 * 22 BBY: Start of the Clone Wars
 * Obi-Wan is tasked with the protection of Padmé Amidala, Senator of Naboo. He manages to thwart two assassination attempts against her, and follows the assassins up to Kamino (where he discovers the secret clone army) and finally to Geonosis (part of the CIS), where he gets captured.
 * Anakin, also tasked with the protection of Padmé, falls in love with her. He suffers from nightmares where he sees his mother suffering and dying.
 * In order to put an end to his nightmare, Anakin goes back to Tatooine. He discovers that his mother was kidnapped and mortally wounded by local bandits. In a fit of rage, he slaughters all of them, falling a bit to the dark side of the Force.
 * Upon learning that the CIS has created an army of droids, the Republic decides to strengthen their own army. The clone troopers officiously produced on Kamino officially become the main troops of the Republic.
 * Having received a distress signal from Obi-Wan, Anakin and Padmé go to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, but get captured themselves.
 * Obi-wan, Anakin and Padmé are set to be executed on Geonosis, but they are rescued by a special Jedi operation, and a bit later by the Great Army of the Republic, that battles the CIS for control of Geonosis. Master Jedi Yoda fights Count Dooku, but the leader of the Separatists manage to escape.
 * This battle marks the start of the Clone Wars.
 * Padmé and Anakin have a secret marriage on Naboo, since their love is still forbidden.


 * 19 BBY: End of the Clone Wars
 * In an attempt to put an end to the war, the CIS launches a surprise attack on Coruscant, the capital of the Republic. They manage to kidnap Palpatine.
 * Obi-Wan and Anakin manage to rescue Palpatine. They also defeat Count Dooku, who is then executed by Anakin under Palpatine's command. General Grievous becomes the de facto leader of the Separatists.
 * Padmé is pregnant with her and Anakin's children.
 * In fear of the threat presented by the CIS, The Galactic Senate passes the Security Act, that gives full powers to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine.
 * Palpatine tempts Anakin to the Dark Side, explaining that the Dark Side of the Force could have prevented his mother from dying, and could prevent Padmé from dying too.
 * The Jedi Council finally discovers that Palpatine is, in fact, Darth Sidious, the Dark Lord of the Sith. They try to stop him and nearly succeed. However, Darth Sidious is saved by Anakin.
 * Anakin embraces the dark side of the Force and swears himself as Palpatine's Sith apprentice. Palpatine rechristens him "Darth Vader"
 * Now that he has full powers, Palpatine issues Order 66: the order to the Great Army of the Republic to kill every Jedi in the Galaxy. The Jedi Order is wiped out.
 * Under Palpatine's orders, Vader leads an assault on the Jedi Temple and slaughters all the Jedi, underage trainees included. He then travels to Mustafar, where he kills the entire Separatist Council, putting an end to the CSI and the Clone Wars.
 * Palpatine formally reorganizes the Republic into the Galactic Empire, proclaiming himself Emperor.
 * Yoda and Obi-Wan, two of the few surviving Jedis, decide to exile themselves and wait until a new hope for the Galaxy emerges.
 * Obi-Wan tracks duels with Vader on Mustafar. Obi-Wan wins, severely injuring Vader without killing him. He is then retrieved and healed, though his injuries are so severe that he is forced to wear a respirator and a full body suit to stay alive.
 * Padmé gives birth to two twins, whom she names Luke and Leia. She dies shortly afterwards, having lost the will to live after Anakin's fall to the dark side.
 * In order to protect them from the Empire, Luke and Leia are split up: Luke is placed in the care of Anakin's stepbrother and stepsister-in law, while Senator Bail Organa adopts Leia as his daughter.


 * 0 BBY: the Empire controls the Galaxy, but struggles to keep every system in line.
 * A Rebellion emerges to resist and eventually overthrow the Empire. Leia Organa is part of it.
 * In order to impose its authority by fear, the Empire builds a space station capable of destroying an entire planet, the Death Star.
 * A small group of Rebels manage to steal a copy of the Death Star plans. However, an Imperial destroyer catches up to them and they are all killed or taken prisoners. Before she is taken prisoner, Leia gives the plans to two droids which she sends to planet Tatooine in hope that they can reach Obi-Wan.
 * The two droids are captured by local scrap dealers and bought by Luke, who now works in his adoptive family's moisture farm.
 * Luke learns from the droids that they are looking for "Ben Kenobi", so he brings them to an old hermit he simply knows as Ben. Ben reveals that he is in fact Obi-Wan Kenobi and tells Luke about the Jedis and the Force.
 * When Luke returns, he finds his adoptive family slaughtered by the Empire's troops. Having nowhere else to go, he accepts to accompany Obi-Wan on his journey to bring the plans to the Rebellion, and to eventually become a Jedi.
 * Obi-Wan and Luke hire a mercenary pilot, Han Solo, to bring them to Alderaan, the home planet of Leia's adoptive family.
 * In order to coerce Leia into giving away the location of the Rebel base, the Grand Moff Tarkin destroys Alderaan. When Han, Luke and Obi-Wan arrive on Alderaan, all they find is a field of asteroids and the Death Star.
 * Their ship is captured by the Death Star via a tractor beam. However, the group manages to deactivate the tractor beam, save Leia, and escape the Death Star, although Obi-Wan dies in the operation.
 * Leia leads them to the Rebel base on Yavin 4. Unbeknownst to them, the Empire is tracking them down and thus discovers the Rebel base.
 * Studying the plans of the Death Star, the Rebels discover a weak point they could use to destroy the Death Star. As the space station prepares to destroy Yavin 4, the Rebels launch their attack immediately. Luke takes part in the fight, using a single seat spacecraft.
 * Luke trusts the Force to guide him during the battle, and thanks to it, manages to hit the Death Star's weak point.
 * Luke and Hann become official members of the Rebellion and are decorated for their victory.
 * Despite this victory, the rebels are forced to evacuate their base when the Empire attacks it with conventional troops and ships.


 * 3 ABY:
 * The Empire has discovered the Rebels' new base of operations, on planet Hoth. They launch a global assault and the Rebels have to evacuate.
 * During the evacuation, Luke sees the ghost of Obi-Wan, who tells him to go on planet Dagobah so he can meet Master Yoda a train as a Jedi. Luke goes on Dagobah, leaving the Rebel forces.
 * Han and Leia (now in a romantic relationship) are separated from the Rebel forces when their hyperdrive malfunctions. They stop on a gas exploitation mine on Bespin, that is directed by Lando Calrissian, a friend of Han Solo. However, as a part of a deal with the Empire, Lando captures Han and Leia.
 * Palpatine reveals to Vader that Luke is his son. Together, they decide to bring him to the dark side instead of killing him.
 * Luke goes to Dagobah where he meets Master Yoda. He receives some Jedi training, but chooses to end it prematurely to join his friends, after he has a vision where he sees his friends in danger.
 * Han is frozen in carbonite by the Empire, and sold to a crime cartel as a trophy. This was not part of the original deal with Lando, and since Darth Vader keeps changing the terms of their deal, Lando decides to betray the Empire, join the Rebellion, and free Leia.
 * Luke battles Vader on Bespin, but loses. Vader reveals that he is his father, but Luke refuses to join Vader's side, and gets saved by Lando and Leia who then travel back to the Rebels' main fleet.


 * 4 ABY: End of the Civil War
 * Leia and Luke manage to rescue Han from the cartel, and revive him from the carbonite. Leia kills Jabba the Hutt, the head of the cartel.
 * The Rebels discover that the Empire is building a second Death Star, even more powerful than the first one. In order to destroy it, they first have to destroy the shield generator that protects it, located on a moon of planet Endor. The Empire itself has intentionally leaked this information, planning to ambush the Rebels and destroy them.
 * Yoda confirms to Luke that Vader is his father, and adds that Leia is his sister. He then dies of old age.
 * Luke Skywalker devises a plan to bring Vader back to the light side. He surrenders to the Empire and is brought before the Emperor.
 * With the help of local primitive natives, the Rebels manage to thwart the Empire's ambush and destroy the shield generator.
 * Luke once again resists the Emperor's attempts to bring him to the Dark Side. The Emperor then starts to kill him with Force lightnings, but Vader is refuses to see his son die. He betrays Palpatine and throws him into the depths of the Death Star. He removes his mask so Luke can look him in the eyes, which causes his death. Luke leaves the Death Star.
 * The Rebels' fleet manages to destroy the second Death Star, taking advantage of the fact that it was still under construction.
 * A New Republic is formed, starting a new era of (relative) peace for the Galaxy. Numerous worlds around the Galaxy celebrate the fall of the Empire. Luke decides to resurrect the Jedi Order and form new apprentices.

What happens to the new Republic and the heroes then differs between the Canon and the Legend universes.

Geography and Places
The Galaxy contains thousands of inhabited planets, thus offering an extremely wide variety of places, societies and landscapes.

The climate on a given planet is generally rather homogeneous. Some planets offer landscapes similar to earth, like forests or deserts, others offer more alien-like landscapes of alien-looking vegetation. Some planets have an extremely harsh climate, like the completely frozen planet of Hoth or the dry deserts of Tatooine, but even these environments can be populated by both animal and intelligent life forms, though animal life forms must evolve in accordance to the climate, and intelligent life forms rely on adequate technologies.

The Galaxy is, more or less, completely explored by the time the movies take place. However, some territories can still be categorized as "uncharted", because they have few contacts with the rest of the Galaxy. The worlds close to Coruscant form the "core" of the Republic/Empire, and as a rule of thumb, the farthest a world is from the core worlds, the less influence the Republic/Empire has over it. These distant worlds can range from worlds officially under the control of the Republic/Empire but left to themselves, to worlds that wish to remain independent, to forgotten, hidden or top secret worlds full of mystical beings and things. Some of these worlds are effectively in the hands of criminal cartels that allow slavery and human trafficking to go on.

Major elements
"The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together." - Obi-Wan, Episode IV. The Force (also known as many other names depending on the culture) is a central plot of many Star Wars stories. It is an invisible, but omnipresent phenomenon that governs everything in the Galaxy. Each cell of every living being in the Galaxy contains midichlorians, microscopic organisms that link the living beings to the Force. Thanks to the midichlorians, everyone has the potential to feel, and eventually use the Force, but few people actually do, since feeling the Force and using it require a long, hard and intense training (especially in the Empire era, as the Empire had erased most information about the Force, the Jedi and the Sith, which became a myth to most people). However, some species, and to a lesser extent some individuals, are more intrinsically tied to the Force than others. Force sensitive people can see or feel things the Force shows them, from future and past events to additional details on their current surroundings. Force users can levitate things, use certain energies like lightning, and influence living beings to heal them or modify their thoughts.

There is presumably no limit to what the Force can do, but the Force will not do something that fundamentally goes against the balance of the universe. Conversely, the Force is seemingly able to influence the world in meaningful ways: Anakin Skywalker was created entirely by the Force, as his mother fell pregnant with him without mating with a male. On several occasions, the Force is depicted as having a will of it's own, though it is unknown if this is a religious interpretation, or an actual attribute of the Force.

Force users have categorized the Force into two sides: the light side and the dark side. The light side is linked to serenity, detachment, life and protection. The dark side is linked to impulsivity, selfishness, destruction and bending the laws of nature. These two sides were adopted by two major religious factions, the Jedi and the Sith respectively. It seems that the "will" of the Force, if it exists, is to reach a balance between the two. Anakin Skywalker was presumably created by the Force to bring balance in the universe, which he did by killing most Jedis, and then the last Sith lord. Other religious groups do not make the same distinction, or consider that the dark and light side must balance each other.

Another major element of Star Wars is technology. Technology is extremely common and wide spread. Even modest farmers on distant planets have access to droids for manual labor. The wookies on Kashyyk, despite living in wooden houses perched in trees, use laser guns, electricity, flying vehicles and spacecrafts. Holograms are used commonly for communications as well as other trivial matter, like a chess-like game. Paper is very rarely used. Most people, including poors and old-timers, usually record things with datapads, while Jedi and Sith use the more sophisticated holocrons. The only people who use primitive weapons and technologies are semi-intelligent tribes of natives, who have little to no contact with the galactic civilization.

The technology allows for relatively easy faster than light interstellar travel. While spaceships are inaccessible to poor people, they don't seem to be limited to the elite either either. Also, instantaneous interstellar discussions are possible, though it relies on an array of satellites that can be compromised.

Recurring themes
The Star Wars movies have several recurring themes. The dark side of the Force is a representation of how evil can be more tempting and easier than good, especially for individuals who are vulnerable emotionally. The importance of the balance between light and dark may be interpreted as an interpretation of the Yin-Yang philosophy, while other people may interpret the Force in a more Manichean way.

The whole story of the Skywalker family is about protecting loved ones, and how one can still be redeemed from the dark side with enough determination.

Episodes 4, 5 and 6 are about rebellion against a tyrannic regime, while Episodes 1, 2 and 3 show how democracy can die by itself if their citizens yield to fear, echoing the way some dictators got the full powers in a democratic way.

Aesthetics
The aesthetics of the science-fiction is pretty old school. Spaceships, droids and land vehicles are usually chunky and gray-colored. However, some cultures in the Galaxy use vehicles that have a much more refined design, like the Naboo vehicles that are curvy and plated in shiny materials.

The technology is not designed with efficient engineering in mind. For example, few devices actually use wheels or tracks, even when realistically speaking, using wheels would be far more economic and efficient. Some droids and vehicles use mechanical legs and feet, others hover over the ground. Buildings, even those built in space out of costly materials like metal, often include a lot of useless space like big corridors and bottomless pits.

The Jedi and Sith designs include some traditional religious aspects (like hoods, capes and swordfight) mixed with science-fiction elements, although some of the most ancient and less known Jedi and Sith installations feature no high technology at all.

Star Wars is also known for using the aesthetic of the "used future". Although the richest areas of the Galaxy can have access to newly produced tools and equipment, most people must do with second or third-hand equipment, and on the remote worlds, scrap dealers are the prominent source of equipment.

A myriad of intelligent creatures exist, although humans are the most prominent species and most main characters are humans. Aliens are usually humanoids with some deformities, insect eyes, or other alien trait.

Star Wars usually features orchestral music, sometimes accompanied by choirs to underline the most intense scenes.

Further information
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars

Wookiepedia, a wiki dedicated to Star Wars: https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page