With “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” about to be the largest film in the planet, right now is a great time for casual moviegoers to brush up on their basic Star Wars knowledge.
There is a great deal to wrap one’s head around – not all of it of equal importance. You do not need to have the ability to debate the merits of the “Machete Order” vs. “Episode Order” or even have read through every one of Marvel’s recent canonical Star Wars comics, however, not understanding some crucial details can unquestionably take away from the brand new movie, which picks up thirty years after the events of 1983’s “Return of the Jedi.”
Therefore knowing that, here is a primer for the Star Wars novices these days – the “padawan,” one may say – including a couple of possible conversation starters to help you bridge the gap with hardcore Star Wars fans while waiting on line or even relaxing in the theater.
The basics
As almost everyone of a particular age could likely recite from memory, the Star Wars saga takes place “a while ago in a galaxy far, far away.” In many other words, even with the regular classification of its as “science fiction,” it is pure fantasy.
The first trilogy (Episodes IV VI) involves an interplanetary battle between the evil Empire (modeled after Nazi Germany) as well as the noble Rebel Alliance, but at the core of its, the Star Wars Saga is actually a multigenerational melodrama about the Skywalker family.
The crucial component which describes the Star Wars universe is actually the Force. The Force is available in 2 flavors: Light Side (Dark Side and good) () that is bad.
As Obi Wan Kenobi defines it in “Star Wars: Episode IV – A brand new Hope,” “The Force is the thing that provides a Jedi the power of his. It is an energy field developed by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together.”
And also the tool of the Jedi, obviously, is actually the lightsaber, “an elegant weapon for a far more civilized age.”
The primary characters
• Luke Skywalker: The hero of George Lucas’ original trilogy, beginning with “Episode IV – A brand new Hope,” Luke starts as a whiny farm boy on the desert planet Tatooine but transforms into a rock star Jedi Knight dressed completely in black.
In “Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,” after Luke has the lightsaber wielding hand of his chopped off by Darth Vader, it’s revealed (in probably the most misquoted lines in movie history) that Darth Vader is actually actually Luke’s father. In “Episode VI – Return of the Jedi,” Luke – now wearing a cool manual hand – defeats Vader in a duel, but just by momentarily sipping out of the rage filled juice box which will be the Dark Side of the Force.
Nearly all popular line: “I am a Jedi, including the father of mine before me” (from “Return of the Jedi”).
Conversation starter: Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, lost a whopping fifty pounds to be able to reprise the role of his for “The Force Awakens” (via ABC News).
• Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker: The Star Wars saga’s tragic hero-turned-villain. Audiences first encountered Vader as Emperor Palpatine’s right hand male. The prequels, nonetheless, delved into his past as a boy rescued from indentured servitude by a pair of Jedi: Qui Gon Jinn and a young Obi Wan Kenobi.
There is additionally some strange stuff involving a prophecy about a “Chosen Anakin and One” perhaps being the item of immaculate conception, but for the majority of audiences, it is sufficient to understand that Anakin’s turning to the Dark Side was motivated, however misguidedly, by love for Natalie Portman’s Padme.
In the last minutes of “Return of the Jedi,” Anakin/Darth Vader manages to redeem himself, saving Luke from the evil Emperor Palpatine ahead of, presumably, being incinerated if the next Death Star gets blown to pieces.
Nearly all popular line: “The Force is actually strong with this particular one” (from “A New Hope”).
Conversation starter: Altogether, so many as 5 actors brought Anakin/Darth Vader to life on the fundamental screen: Jake Lloyd (young Anakin, Episode I), Hayden Christensen (young adult Anakin, Episodes II III), David Prowse (Darth Vader, Episodes IV VI), James Earl Jones (Darth Vader’s voice, Episodes IV VI) and Sebastian Shaw (adult Anakin, Episode VI).
• Obi Wan Kenobi: Luke’s mentor in “A New Hope,” a considerably younger Obi Wan also trained Anakin – and ultimately chopped off the legs of his and left him to burn within a volcano – prior to the entire Darth Vader thing.
While attempting to rescue Princess Leia, Obi Wan is actually killed by Vader, but he reappears throughout the first trilogy, sometimes as only a voice, other times as a “Force ghost,” giving Luke helpful advice.
Nearly all popular line: Either “These are not the droids you are looking for” or perhaps “Use the force, Luke” (both from “A New Hope”).
Conversation starter: George Lucas’ original pick for the job of Obi Wan was “Seven Samurai” and “Yojimbo” actor Toshiro Mifune (via The Guardian).
• Princess Leia Organa: A leader in the Rebel Alliance and, as Luke discovers in a serious third act twist in “Return of the Jedi,” Luke’s twin sister.
Nearly all popular line: Either “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi. You are the only hope” of mine or maybe “Aren’t you a bit of light for a Stormtrooper?” (both from “A New Hope”).
Conversation starter: The origin of Leia’s iconic cinnamon bun hairdo from “A New Hope” is actually a little a mystery. Lucas’ personal explanation – it is a “kind of Southwestern Pancho Villa female groundbreaking look” – has been basically debunked. Based on Attendly, other possible sources of inspiration range from a regular hairstyle used by unmarried Hopi females to the 1955 war movie “The Dambusters” to Flash Gordon comics.
• Han Solo: Everyone’s the pilot and favorite scoundrel of the Millennium Falcon. By “The Empire Strikes Back,” Han has turned into an invaluable leader in the Rebel Alliance alongside Leia, with whom he ultimately falls in love.
Nearly all popular line: “I know” (in reaction to Princess Leia saying “I love you” in “The Empire Strikes Back”).
Conversation starter: In the initial script for “Return of the Jedi,” Han was claimed to die halfway through the film during a raid on an Imperial base. Lucas opted to not kill him out of fear that it may harm toy sales. For a long time (including as recently as 2010), Harrison Ford maintained that that has been a mistake (via ABC News).
• Chewbacca: Also referred to as Chewie, he’s Han Solo’s co pilot on the Millennium Falcon.
Nearly all popular line: “GGGWARRRHHWWWW” (from “The Empire Strikes Back”).
Conversation starter: The initial inspiration for Chewie was Lucas’ dog, an Alaskan malamute named Indiana – yup, the exact same dog that gave Indiana Jones the name of his.
• C 3PO: A protocol droid initially developed by a Anakin Skywalker.
Nearly all popular line: “I suggest a brand new strategy, R2: Let the Wookiee win” (from “A New Hope”).
Conversation starter: Original Star Wars concept artist Ralph McQuarrie based the designs of his for C 3PO off of the Maschinenmensch from Fritz Lang’s silent classic “Metropolis.”
• R2 D2: An astromech droid and C-3PO’s partner in crime. In “A New Hope,” Leia uses R2 to smuggle stolen plans for the Death Star to members of the rebellion, setting in motion the events of the first trilogy.
Nearly all popular line: A lot of to select from.
Conversation starter: Based on Slashfilm, R2 D2 almost appeared alongside Batman, Shaq, Gandalf, etc. as one of the Master Builders in “The Lego Movie.”
• Lando Calrissian: A former smuggler/gambler and one of Han Solo’s old pals, in “The Empire Strikes Back,” he betrays Leia and Han to the Empire, that leads to Luke’s dramatic confrontation with Vader. Lando subsequently joins the Alliance and becomes an invaluable component of the assault on the next Death Star, captaining the Millennium Falcon.
Nearly all popular line: “Why, you slimy, double crossing, no good swindler. You have a great deal of guts comin’ right here after everything you pulled” (to Han Solo in “The Empire Strikes Back”).
Conversation starter: Before Han, Lando was the Millennium Falcon’s owner. He lost it to Han in a card game.
• Emperor Palpatine: Also referred to as Darth Sidious, “The Phantom Menace” or simply plain old “The Emperor,” Palpatine is actually the Big Bad of the Star Wars saga. After luring Anakin to the Dark Side, he quite practically manages to totally clean out the Jedi Order in “Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.”
In “Return of the Jedi,” he tries to turn Luke to the Dark Side just love Anakin before him, and when that does not work, he attempts to electrocute him with “Force lightning.” Vader intervenes, throwing Palpatine down the Death Star’s reactor shaft, presumably killing him for good.
Nearly all popular line: “There is actually an excellent disturbance in the Force” (from “The Empire Strikes Back”).
Conversation starter: British actor Ian McDiarmid, who, while still in his 30s, first played the Emperor in “Return of the Jedi,” reprised the role sixteen years later for Lucas’ prequel trilogy, this time playing a Palpatine twenty years younger (via IMDB).
• Yoda: A great Jedi master with backwards syntax. Of the prequel trilogy, Yoda was the head of the Jedi Council. After “Revenge of the Sith,” he goes into hiding on the swampy planet Dagobah.
In “The Empire Strikes Back,” Luke seeks Yoda out and trains with him until he senses that the friends of his are actually in danger, at which point he leaves before his education is actually completed.
Yoda dies of aging in “Return of the Jedi.”
Nearly all popular line: “Do, or perhaps don’t. There’s no try” (from “The Empire Strikes Back”).
Conversation starter: Based on Screenrant, Lucas in the beginning hated Frank Oz’s voice performance as Yoda and attempted to replace him. Once the movie was done, although, he changed the brain of his and definitely campaigned to snag Oz probably a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, including pouring a lot of money of the own money of his in it.
• Boba Fett: One of the Star Wars universe’s most popular characters, Boba Fett is actually a bounty hunter hired by Darth Vader in “The Empire Strikes Back.” In the prequels, audiences had been released to a significantly younger Boba Fett (in “Episode II – Attack of the Clones”), exactly where it was discovered he was a duplicate of bounty hunter Jango Fett.
Boba Fett meets the untimely end of his in “Return of the Jedi” after falling into the jaws of a sarlacc (a great, sand dwelling monster).
Nearly all popular line: “He’s no great to me dead” (from “The Empire Strikes Back”).
Conversation starter: Boba Fett was initially created by Joe Johnston, director of movies like “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and “Captain America: The very first Avenger.” The first appearance of his, nonetheless, was really in the infamously bad “Star Wars Holiday Special” – riding a dinosaur.
• Grand Moff Tarkin: A leader in the Imperial army as well as the commander of the very first Death Star. (Grand Moff is actually a name in the Star Wars Universe.)
Tarkin dies when Luke destroys the very first Death Star at the conclusion of “A New Hope.”
Nearly all popular line: “The Jedi are actually spoiled. The fire of theirs has gone out of the universe. You, the friend of mine, are actually all that is left of the religion” of theirs (to Darth Vader in “A New Hope”).
Conversation starter: Grand Moff Tarkin was played by British actor Peter Cushing. In “The Force Awakens,” the design for Andy Serkis’ Supreme Leader Snoke was allegedly influenced by the old Hammer Horror films, a lot of which starred Cushing opposite another Star Wars veteran, the late Christopher Lee (who played Count Dooku in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith”).
Some other terms well worth knowing
• The Death Star: A moon sized, spherical space station capable of destroying planets with a concentrated laser blast. In “A New Hope,” Grand Moff Tarkin demonstrated the power of its on Princess Leia’s home planet of Alderaan.
• Sith: The Dark Side equivalent of the Jedi Order.
• Padawan: A Jedi-in-training which studies under a mentor (a la Obi Wan and Anakin).
• Midi chlorians: Probably the most debatable parts of the whole prequel trilogy, midi chlorians are just used in “Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” where Obi-Wan’s mentor Qui Gon Jinn identifies them as microscopic organisms that live inside cells and also allow the Force to be quantified.