In just over two months, yet another Star Wars movie will be released. Thirty-nine years have passed since the May 25, 1977 opening of Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, and it does not look like the people have become tired of the media giant. I sure haven't, already planning to see the upcoming Rogue One at least twice in theaters. The most recent installment in the main saga, The Force Awakens made over two billion dollars at the box office within a matter of months, made a billion dollars in a few weeks. People young and old showed up, children, adults, grandparents. Near everybody from every walk of life eventually found their way into the theater, and even if you didn't, there is no doubt that you haven't in some way been exposed to the Star Wars franchise. Yet, even though the series is pulling billions of dollars in revenue, there was little faith in the original production, and it is almost entirely an accidental hit, one unexpected by everyone, including the creator.

George Lucas attended the University of Southern California, and excelled in the film program, being considered part of the “Dirty Dozen” of filmmakers in the era – young, upstarting students who had immense talent and skill in their craft. Around 1968, Lucas and Francis Ford Coppela formed American Zoetrope, a film studio in which they would produce their original projects and help others get their movies into production. Lucas had made a short film, Electronc Labyrinth THX-1138, a science-fiction drama, which attracted the attention of another rising director, Steven Spielberg. As the three began to make their mark as part of “New Hollywood,” Lucas looked to his love of classic science-fiction movie serials and films, such as Flash Gordon. By 1970, Lucas was trying to get a remake of Flash Gordon off the ground, but the rights could not be secured to American Zoetrope. Instead, Lucas adapted Electronic Labyrinth to a feature-length, releasing his directorial debut, THX-1138 in 1971. A commercial failure and lukewarm reception, this discouraged Lucas, leading to Coppela hiring Lucas to work as an occasional camera operator and second-unit director on The Godfather. The two would later collaborate on Apocalypse Now, which was originally intended to be directed by Lucas, until he started work on Star Wars. Around this time, Lucas formed his own studio, Lucasfilm, to pursue his own individual projects.

In 1973, George Lucas released his seminal teen drama, American Graffiti. The film was an instant success, and Universal called on Lucas to work on a second film for the company. Recalling his failed attempt to get Flash Gordon made, Lucas started writing a massive screenplay for a sci-fi epic, then known as The Star Wars. This version differed vastly from the final product. It followed “Anikin Starkiller,” a training Jedi Bendu. He traveled through space with his father and brother, fighting the evil Empire's lightsaber-weilding Stormtroopers, the Imperial officer Darth Vader, and met characters like Han Solo, a green-skinned alien, and General Luke Skywalker, an aging member of the resistance forces. Gary Kurtz, who signed on as producer due to their work together on American Graffiti, suggested the script be streamlined, leading to different drafts and ideas, such as a female protagonist and a search for a Force-based crystal – ideas that would be used in later Star Wars projects. Universal ended up passing on the project, as did Disney. Due to the idealism of Alan Ladd Jr., Kurtz, and the paintings commissioned from noted concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, Eventually, the script came to being called The Star Wars: The Adventures of Luke Starkiller, then eventually, The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, as taken from The Journal of the Whills, Saga 1: The Star Wars. Fox had the title shorted and reworked. The budget was approved, and Lucas could begin work in 1975.

Sharing audition space and time with friend Brian de Palma, Lucas ran his Star Wars auditions at the same time as Carrie. Both productions were searching for unknown actors, and if one did okay for one film, but could do better in the other, they were sent to the other director. Robert Englund, who would go on to play Freddy Kruger, auditioned for the part of Han Solo, and told a couch-surfing friend named Mark Hamill to audition for Star Wars. Carrie Fisher auditioned for both films, and was selected for final rounds for Lucas' project. Doing a favor for a friend, which was installing shelves for Lucas and Kurtz, was Harrison Ford. He was brought in to read for Han and Luke during screen tests, eventually reading only for Han. Once the three read a scene together, the casting for the leads was made. Bodybuilder David Prowse and medical assistant Peter Mayhew were selected to meet with Lucas, Mayhew choosing to play Chewbacca. Prowse was cast in the physical portrayal of Darth Vader, while Orson Welles was scouted for the voice – when it proved that Welles would be too expensive and well-known, James Earl Jones was brought in. Alec Guinness, Oscar-winning actor, was brought in to play Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi, and Christopher Lee turned down the role of Grand Moff Tarkin, but suggested Peter Cushing, who took the part. Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker were also cast, as the droids that would bring the war to Luke Skywalker.

Soon afterward, the filming began on March 22, 1976. Starting in Tunisia, the scenes on the desert planet Tattooine were among the most difficult. Lucas, not used to large-scale projects, kept quiet and gave minimal direction. The temperatures ranged from over one hundred to below freezing. Guinness, who personally did not like the film itself but rather the ideas behind it, is said to have kept the production going by staying professional during the shoot, and helping out the newer actors. The R2-D2 remote-controlled robot would often break, Kenny Baker would be stuck inside the two-legged costume for the droid, and the C-3PO costume had to be redesigned to prevent parts from snapping off while Anthony Daniels moved. Once these scenes were complete, filming moved to London, where the iconic Death Star sequences were put together, among others. During these scenes, Lucas would often run back and forth between soundstages, trying to get the film finished to get working on the special effects. The boots issued to Cushing for the costume were too small, and because Tarkin would only be seen from the waist up, he was allowed to wear his slippers while in character. Eventually, three units of filming had to be created, all filming at the same time – one handled the actors, one handled effects-based shots, and another handled the minor scenes, such as R2's third leg locking into place.

The effects team was established by George Lucas during pre-production as Industrial Lights and Magic, or ILM. They were instructed to build up the effect shots and scenes, with a minimal budget and still look good. It came down to using miniatures, rotoscoping (hand-drawing in lasers and lightsaber blades), and blue screens to give the audience the feeling of being there in a futuristic world. Sound effects designer Ben Burtt used varying objects to create sounds, such as a hammer on an electrical wire becoming the sound of a blaster bolt, while the hum of a lightsaber was a combination of an old television set and a film projector. Massive, detailed tiles were set up for the trench run scene, and the explosions from rebel fighters were timed detonations using cheap explosives. The iconic opening crawl was made by shining a light through a screen and filming the text, with the camera moving down at an angle. Matte paintings made by Ralph McQuarrie and his team were also used, and superimposed into scenes as needed – specifically the opening scene of the Tantive IV being chased by the Star Destroyer, and the ending medal ceremony. However, the effects were not finished, and the release date had to be moved from December 25, 1976 to May 25, 1977. This allowed more time, but also caused issues between Alan Ladd and the others on the board of directors at 20^th Century Fox.

Once all was said and done, George Lucas screened a cut for his friends, including Spielberg. The only one who found the film to be enjoyable was Spielberg, but scenes involving Luke Skywalker and his friend Biggs Darklighter were cut to make the story more of an action-based film than an epic in space. Lucas convinced Fox to allow him to keep merchandising rights, as he could at least make some money off of t-shirt sales. Lucas did organize an adaptation of the film with Marvel Comics, to be written by Avengers and X-Men writer Roy Thomas. He also met with Alan Dean Foster, having him write a novelization of the movie and a book that could be used to make a low-budget sequel if the film failed. Around this time, Lucas and Spielberg made a bet – Spielberg bet that if Star Wars did better than his own Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Lucas would give him a percentage of the annual income, and Lucas bet on Close Encounters.

The film was released on May 25. People stood in lines that wrapped around the block, ready to get in to see Star Wars. Lucas went on a vacation with his wife (who helped edit the film) and Spielberg during the release. There, the idea for what would become Raiders of the Lost Ark was first brought about. Lucas only discovered the popularity of the film when he turned on the news to see Walter Cronkite talking about the “new science-fiction movie Star Wars.” Very quickly, despite issues and despite no faith, Lucas had created a massive empire (pun intended) – a toy deal was made with Kenner, and CBS wanted a TV deal, which of course led to the infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special. When they arrived back to Hollywood, George Lucas was being seen as a visionary, and the careers of the three leads skyrocketed. The book that Lucas had commissioned was given a paperback release as Splinter of the Mind's Eye. The film was an instant hit, winning multiple Academy Awards, and losing out on Best Picture in a very controversial vote by the Academy. Not long after the release. production started on the then-titled Star Wars II, which after multiple drafts and reworkings would become The Empire Strikes Back.

Fast forward to 2016. Disney has now bought out Lucasfilm in an ironic twist. The effects on the original trilogy were altered in a controversial move in 1997. George Lucas is semi-retired, and two new trilogies have been produced, one of which is still in the making. Star Wars: Episode VIII is due out in theaters in December 2017, forty years and a few months after the anniversary of the original film. Toys are sold left and right, video games and books are made on a regular basis, and two hit television programs have aired in recent years, with a previous five attempts during the 1980s. Charity costuming groups are based off the series. Even when all was almost lost when they had to finish the film quickly, George Lucas' science-fiction project has become one of the most well-known media franchises in history. It is passed down from generation to generation, and as long as there is people to see them, Star Wars will continue on. We can look forward to crowds, eagerly awaiting those famous words - “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” and the fanfare of the opening crawl being met with cheers from the audience of fans.