Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year intervals.Sony VAIO PCG-3B1M Battery
Sixteen years after the release of the trilogy's final film, the first in a new prequeltrilogy of films was released. The three films were also released at three-year intervals, with the final film released on May 19, 2005.
Currently, the overall box office revenue generated by the Star Wars films has totaled at $4.49 billion,[1]Sony VAIO PCG-3C1T Battery
making it the third-highest-grossing film series,[2] behind only the Harry Potterand James Bond films.
The Star Wars film series has spawned a media franchise including books, television series, video games, and comic books. These supplements to the film trilogies comprise the Star Wars Expanded Universe, and have resulted in significant development of the series' fictional universe. Sony VAIO PCG-3D1M Battery
These media kept the franchise going in the interim between the film trilogies. In 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released to theaters as the first-ever worldwide theatrical Star Wars film outside of the main trilogies. It was the franchise's first animated film, and was intended as an introduction to the Expanded Universe television series of the same name, Sony VAIO PCG-3G2M Battery
a 3D CGI animated series based on a previous 2D animated series of a similar name.
The events depicted in Star Wars media take place in a fictional galaxy. Many species of alien creatures (often humanoid) are depicted. Robotic droids are also commonplace and are generally built to serve their owners. Sony VAIO PCG-5R1M Battery
Space travel is common, and many planets in the galaxy are members of a Galactic Republic, later reorganized as the Galactic Empire.
One of the prominent elements of Star Wars is the "Force", an omnipresent energy that can be harnessed by those with that ability, known as Force-sensitives. Sony VAIO PCG-7141M Battery
It is described in the first produced film as "an energy field created by all living things [that] surrounds us, penetrates us, [and] binds the galaxy together."[3]The Force allows users to perform various supernatural feats (such as telekinesis, clairvoyance, precognition, and mind control) and can amplify certain physical traits, such as speed and reflexes; Sony VAIO PCG-7143M Battery
these abilities vary between characters and can be improved through training. While the Force can be used for good, it has a dark side that, when pursued, imbues users with hatred, aggression, and malevolence. The six films feature the Jedi, who use the Force for good, and the Sith, who use the dark side for evil in an attempt to take over the galaxy. Sony VAIO PCG-7151M Battery
In the Star Wars Expanded Universe, many dark side users are Dark Jedi rather than Sith, mainly because of the "Rule of Two" (see Sith Origin).[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Theatrical films
The film series began with Star Wars, released on May 25, 1977. This was followed by two sequels: The Empire Strikes Back, released on May 21, 1980, and Return of the Jedi, released on May 25, 1983. Sony VAIO PCG-7154M Battery
The opening crawl of the sequels disclosed that they were numbered as "Episode V" and "Episode VI" respectively, though the films were generally advertised solely under their subtitles. Though the first film in the series was simply titled Star Wars, with its 1981 re-release it had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to remain consistent with its sequel, and to establish it as the middle chapter of a continuing saga.[9] Sony VAIO PCG-7162M Battery
In 1997, to correspond with the 20th anniversary of A New Hope, Lucas released a "Special Edition" of the Star Wars trilogy to theaters. The re-release featured alterations to the three films, primarily motivated by the improvement of CGI and other special effects technologies, which allowed visuals that were not possible to achieve at the time of the original filmmaking. Sony VAIO PCG-7181M Battery
Lucas continued to make changes to the films for subsequent releases, such as the first ever DVDrelease of the original trilogy on September 21, 2004 and the first ever Blu-ray release of all six films on September 16, 2011.[10]
More than two decades after the release of the original film, the series continued with the long-awaited prequel trilogy; Sony VAIO PCG-41112M Battery
consisting of Episode I: The Phantom Menace, released on May 19, 1999; Episode II: Attack of the Clones, released on May 16, 2002; and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, released on May 19, 2005.[11]
On August 15, 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released theatrically as a lead-in to the weekly animated TV series of the same name. Sony VAIO PCG-7153M Battery
Plot overview
The prequel trilogy follows the life of a young slave named Anakin Skywalker, who is discovered by the Jedi Knight Qui-Gon Jinn on the desert planet Tatooine. Qui-Gon comes to believe that Anakin is the "Chosen One" foretold by Jedi prophecy to bring balance to the Force, and he helps liberate the boy from slavery. Sony VAIO PCG-71312M Battery
The Jedi Council, led by Yoda, sense that Anakin's future is clouded by fear, but reluctantly allow Qui-Gon's apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi to train Anakin after Qui-Gon is killed by the Sith Lord Darth Maul. At the same time, the planet Naboo is under attack, and its ruler, Queen Padmé Amidala, seeks the assistance of the Jedi to repel the attack. Sony VAIO PCG-7144M Battery
The Sith Lord Darth Sidious secretly planned the attack to give his alter ego, Senator Palpatine, a pretense to overthrow the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic and take his place.[4]
The remainder of the prequel trilogy chronicles Anakin's gradual fall to the dark side of the Force as he fights in the Clone Wars, Sony VAIO PCG-7191L Battery
which Palpatine secretly engineers in order to destroy the Republic and lure Anakin into his service.[5] Anakin and Padmé fall in love and secretly wed, and eventually Padmé becomes pregnant. Anakin has a prophetic vision of Padmé dying in childbirth, and Palpatine convinces him that the dark side holds the power to save her life; Sony VAIO PCG-3C1M Battery
desperate, Anakin submits to the dark side and takes the Sith name Darth Vader. While Palpatine re-organizes the Republic into the tyrannical Galactic Empire—appointing himself Emperor for life—Vader participates in the extermination of the Jedi Order, culminating in a lightsaber battle between himself and Obi-Wan on the volcanic planet Mustafar.[6] Sony VAIO PCG-3F1M Battery
Obi-Wan ultimately defeats his former apprentice and friend, severing his limbs and leaving him for dead beside a lava flow. However, Palpatine arrives shortly afterward and saves Vader, putting him into a black, mechanical suit of armor that keeps him alive. At the same time, Padmé dies while giving birth to twinsLuke and Leia. Sony VAIO PCG-3H1M Battery
The twins are hidden from Vader and are not told who their real parents are.
The original trilogy begins 19 years later as Vader nears completion of the massive Death Star space station, which will allow the Empire to crush the Rebel Alliance, an organized resistance formed to combat Palpatine's tyranny. Sony VAIO PCG-3J1M Battery
Vader capturesPrincess Leia, who has stolen the plans to the Death Star and hidden them in the astromech droid R2-D2. R2, along with his protocol droid counterpart C-3PO, escapes to Tatooine. There, the droids are purchased by Luke Skywalker and his step-uncle and aunt. While Luke is cleaning R2, he accidentally triggers a message put into the droid by Leia, who asks for assistance from Obi-Wan. Sony VAIO PCG-8141M Battery
Luke later assists the droids in finding the Jedi Knight, who is now passing as an old hermit under the alias Ben Kenobi. When Luke asks about his father, Obi-Wan tells him that Anakin was a great Jedi who was betrayed and murdered by Vader.[13]
Obi-Wan and Luke hire the smuggler Han Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca to take them to Alderaan, Sony VAIO PCG-8161M Battery
Leia's home world, which they eventually find has been destroyed by the Death Star. Once onboard the space station, Obi-Wan allows himself to be killed during a lightsaber rematch with Vader; his sacrifice allows the group to escape with the plans that help the rebels destroy the Death Star. Luke himself fires the shot that destroys the deadly space station.[3] Sony VAIO PCG-3C2M Battery
Three years later, Luke travels to find Yoda, now living in exile on the swamp-infested world Dagobah, in order to start his Jedi training. However, Luke is interrupted when Vader lures him into a trap by capturing Han and the others. During a fierce lightsaber duel, Vader reveals that he is Luke's father and attempts to turn him to the dark side.[7] Sony VAIO PCG-5N2M Battery
Luke escapes, and, after rescuing Han from the gangster Jabba the Hutt a year later, returns to Yoda to complete his training. However, now over 900 years old, Yoda is on his deathbed. Before he passes away, Yoda confirms that Vader is Luke's father; moments later, Obi-Wan's spirit tells Luke that he must face his father before he can become a Jedi, and that Leia is his twin sister. Sony VAIO PCG-5P1M Battery
As the Rebels attack the second Death Star, Luke confronts Vader as Palpatine watches; both Sith Lords intend to turn Luke to the dark side and take him as their apprentice.[8]
During the subsequent lightsaber duel, Luke succumbs to his anger and brutally overpowers Vader, but controls himself at the last minute; Sony VAIO PCG-5S1M Battery
realizing that he is about to suffer his father's fate, he spares Vader's life and proudly declares his allegiance to the Jedi. An enraged Palpatine then attempts to kill Luke withForce lightning, a sight that moves Vader to turn on and kill his master, suffering mortal wounds in the process. Redeemed, Anakin Skywalker dies in his son's arms. Sony VAIO PCG-9Z1M Battery
Luke becomes a full-fledged Jedi, and the Rebels destroy the second Death Star and, with it, the Empire.
Star Wars features elements such as knights, witches, and princesses that are related to archetypes of the fantasy genre.[15] The Star Wars world, unlike fantasy and science-fiction films that featured sleek and futuristic settings, was portrayed as dirty and grimy. Sony VAIO PCG-7171M Battery
Lucas' vision of a "used future" was further popularized in the science fiction-horror films Alien,[16] which was set on a dirty space freighter; Mad Max 2, which is set in a post-apocalyptic desert; andBlade Runner, which is set in a crumbling, dirty city of the future. Sony VAIO PCG-7186M Battery
Lucas made a conscious effort to parallel scenes and dialogue between films, and especially to parallel the journeys of Luke Skywalker with that of his father Anakin when making the prequels.[4]
Technical information
All six films of the Star Wars series were shot in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The original trilogy was shot with anamorphic lenses. Sony VAIO PCG-81112M Battery
Episodes IV and V were shot in Panavision, while Episode VI was shot in Joe Dunton Camera (JDC) scope. Episode I was shot with Hawk anamorphic lenses on Arriflex cameras, and Episodes II and III were shot with Sony's CineAlta high-definition digital cameras.[17]
Lucas hired Ben Burtt to oversee the sound effects on A New Hope. Sony VAIO PCG-31311M Battery
Burtt's accomplishment was such that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented him with a Special Achievement Award because it had no award at the time for the work he had done.[18] Lucasfilm developed the THX sound reproduction standard for Return of the Jedi.[19] John Williams composed the scores for all six films. Sony VAIO PCG-8152M Battery
Lucas' design for Star Wars involved a grand musical sound, with leitmotifs for different characters and important concepts. Williams' Star Wars title theme has become one of the most famous and well-known musical compositions in modern music history.[20]
The technical lightsaber choreography for the original trilogy was developed by Hollywood sword-master Bob Anderson. Sony VAIO VPCS13X9E/B battery
Anderson trained actor Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and performed all the sword stunts as Darth Vader during the lightsaber duels in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, wearing Vader's costume. Anderson's role in the original Star Wars trilogy was highlighted in the film Reclaiming the Blade, Sony VAIO VPCS12V9E/B battery
where he shares his experiences as the fight choreographer developing the lightsaber techniques for the movies.
Original trilogy
In 1971, Universal Studios agreed to make American Graffiti and Star Wars in a two-picture contract, although Star Wars was later rejected in its early concept stages. Sony VAIO VPCS12V9E/B battery
American Graffiti was completed in 1973 and, a few months later, Lucas wrote a short summary called "The Journal of the Whills", which told the tale of the training of apprentice C.J. Thorpe as a "Jedi-Bendu" space commando by the legendary Mace Windy.[22] Frustrated that his story was too difficult to understand, Sony VAIO VPCF13M8E/B battery
Lucas then wrote a 13-page treatment called The Star Wars, which was a loose remake of Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress.[23] By 1974, he had expanded the treatment into a rough draft screenplay, adding elements such as the Sith, the Death Star, and a protagonist named Annikin Starkiller. Sony VAIO VPCF13Z0E/B battery
For the second draft, Lucas made heavy simplifications, and introduced the young hero on a farm as Luke Starkiller. Annikin became Luke's father, a wise Jedi knight. "The Force" was also introduced as a supernatural power. The next draft removed the father character and replaced him with a substitute named Ben Kenobi, and in 1976 a fourth draft had been prepared for principal photography. Sony VAIO VPCM13M1E/L battery
The film was titled Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars. During production, Lucas changed Luke's name to Skywalker and altered the title to simply The Star Wars and finally Star Wars.[24]
At that point, Lucas was not expecting the film to become part of a series. Sony VAIO VPCM13M1E/W battery
The fourth draft of the script underwent subtle changes that made it more satisfying as a self-contained film, ending with the destruction of the Empire itself by way of destroying the Death Star. However, Lucas had previously conceived of the film as the first in a series of adventures. Later, he realized the film would not in fact be the first in the sequence, but a film in the second trilogy in the saga. Sony VAIO VPCF22M1E battery
This is stated explicitly in George Lucas' preface to the 1994 reissue of Splinter of the Mind's Eye:
It wasn't long after I began writing Star Wars that I realized the story was more than a single film could hold. As the saga of the Skywalkers and Jedi Knights unfolded, I began to see it as a tale that could take at least nine films to tell—three trilogies—and I realized, Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E/H battery
in making my way through the back story and after story, that I was really setting out to write the middle story.
The second draft contained a teaser for a never-made sequel about "The Princess of Ondos," and by the time of the third draft some months later Lucas had negotiated a contract that gave him rights to make two sequels. Sony VAIO VPCF13M0E/B battery
Not long after, Lucas met with author Alan Dean Foster, and hired him to write these two sequels as novels.[25] The intention was that if Star Wars were successful, Lucas could adapt the novels into screenplays.[26] He had also by that point developed an elaborate backstory to aid his writing process.[27] Sony VAIO VPCYB2M1E battery
When Star Wars proved successful, Lucas decided to use the film as the basis for an elaborate serial, although at one point he considered walking away from the series altogether.[28] However, Lucas wanted to create an independent filmmaking center—what would become Skywalker Ranch—and saw an opportunity to use the series as a financing agent.[29] Sony VAIO VPCYB3V1E battery
Alan Dean Foster had already begun writing the first sequel novel, but Lucas decided to abandon his plan to adapt Foster's work; the book was released as Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following year. At first Lucas envisioned a series of films with no set number of entries, like theJames Bond series. Sony VAIO VPCY11M1E battery
In an interview with Rolling Stone in August 1977, he said that he wanted his friends to each take a turn at directing the films and giving unique interpretations on the series. He also said that the backstory in which Darth Vader turns to the dark side, kills Luke's father and fights Ben Kenobi on a volcano as the Galactic Republic falls would make an excellent sequel. Sony VAIO VPCS12L9E/B battery
Later that year, Lucas hired science fiction author Leigh Brackett to write Star Wars II with him. They held story conferences and, by late November 1977, Lucas had produced a handwritten treatment called The Empire Strikes Back. The treatment is very similar to the final film, except that Darth Vader does not reveal he is Luke's father. Sony VAIO VPCF11S1E/B battery
In the first draft that Brackett would write from this, Luke's father appears as a ghost to instruct Luke.[30]
Brackett finished her first draft in early 1978; Lucas has said he was disappointed with it, but before he could discuss it with her, she died of cancer.[31] Sony VAIO VPCYB3V1E/R Battery
With no writer available, Lucas had to write his next draft himself. It was this draft in which Lucas first made use of the "Episode" numbering for the films;Empire Strikes Back was listed as Episode II.[32] As Michael Kaminski argues in The Secret History of Star Wars, the disappointment with the first draft probably made Lucas consider different directions in which to take the story.[33] Sony VAIO VPCF23P1E Battery
He made use of a new plot twist: Darth Vader claims to be Luke's father. According to Lucas, he found this draft enjoyable to write, as opposed to the yearlong struggles writing the first film, and quickly wrote two more drafts,[34] both in April 1978. He also took the script to a darker extreme by having Han Solo imprisoned in carbonite and left in limbo.[7] Sony VAIO VPCF23N1E Battery
This new story point of Darth Vader being Luke's father had drastic effects on the series. Michael Kaminski argues in his book that it is unlikely that the plot point had ever seriously been considered or even conceived of before 1978, and that the first film was clearly operating under an alternate storyline where Vader was separate from Luke's father;[35] Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/L Battery
there is not a single reference to this plot point before 1978. After writing the second and third drafts of Empire Strikes Back in which the point was introduced, Lucas reviewed the new backstory he had created: Anakin Skywalker was Ben Kenobi's brilliant student and had a child named Luke, but was swayed to the dark side by Emperor Palpatine (who became a Sith and not simply a politician). Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/G battery
Anakin battled Ben Kenobi on the site of a volcano and was wounded, but then resurrected as Darth Vader. Meanwhile Kenobi hid Luke on Tatooine while the Republic became the Empire and Vader systematically hunted down and killed the Jedi. Sony VAIO VPCF24M1E battery
With this new backstory in place, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy, changing Empire Strikes Back from Episode IIto Episode V in the next draft.[34] Lawrence Kasdan, who had just completed writing Raiders of the Lost Ark, was then hired to write the next drafts, and was given additional input from director Irvin Kershner. Sony VAIO VPCS128EC Battery
Kasdan, Kershner, and producer Gary Kurtzsaw the film as a more serious and adult film, which was helped by the new, darker storyline, and developed the series from the light adventure roots of the first film.[37]
By the time he began writing Episode VI in 1981 (then titled Revenge of the Jedi), much had changed. Sony VAIO VPCS129GC Battery
Making Empire Strikes Backwas stressful and costly, and Lucas' personal life was disintegrating. Burned out and not wanting to make any more Star Warsfilms, he vowed that he was done with the series in a May 1983 interview with Time magazine. Lucas' 1981 rough drafts had Darth Vader competing with the Emperor for possession of Luke—and in the second script, Sony VAIO VPCS12C7E/B Battery
the "revised rough draft", Vader became a sympathetic character. Lawrence Kasdan was hired to take over once again and, in these final drafts, Vader was explicitly redeemed and finally unmasked. This change in character would provide a springboard to the "Tragedy of Darth Vader" storyline that underlies the prequels.[38] Sony VAIO VPCS12L9E/B Battery
Prequel trilogy
After losing much of his fortune in a divorce settlement in 1987, Lucas had no desire to return to Star Wars, and had unofficially canceled his sequel trilogy by the time of Return of the Jedi.[39] Nevertheless, the prequels, which were quite developed at this point, continued to fascinate him. Sony VAIO VPCS12V9E/B Battery
After Star Wars became popular once again, in the wake of Dark Horse's comic book line and Timothy Zahn's trilogy of novels, Lucas saw that there was still a large audience. His children were older, and with the explosion of CGI technology he was now considering returning to directing.[40] By 1993 it was announced, in Varietyamong other sources, that he would be making the prequels. Sony VAIO VPCY115FGS Battery
He began outlining the story, now indicating the series would be a tragic one examining Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side. Lucas also began to change how the prequels would exist relative to the originals; at first they were supposed to be a "filling-in" of history tangential to the originals, Sony VAIO VPCY115FX/BI Battery
but now he saw that they could form the beginning of one long story that started with Anakin's childhood and ended with his death. This was the final step towards turning the film series into a "Saga".[41]
In 1994, Lucas began writing the first screenplay titled Episode I: The Beginning. Sony VAIO VPCY115FXBI Battery
Following the release of that film, Lucas announced that he would also be directing the next two, and began working on Episode II at that time.[42] The first draft ofEpisode II was completed just weeks before principal photography, and Lucas hired Jonathan Hales, a writer from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, to polish it.[43] Sony VAIO VPCY118EC Battery
Unsure of a title, Lucas had jokingly called the film "Jar Jar's Great Adventure."[44] In writing The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas initially decided that Lando Calrissian was a clone and came from a planet of clones which caused the "Clone Wars" mentioned by Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope; Sony VAIO VPCY118GX/BI Battery
he later came up with an alternate concept of an army of clone shocktroopers from a remote planet which attacked the Republic and were repelled by the Jedi.[47] The basic elements of that backstory became the plot basis for Episode II, with the new wrinkle added that Palpatine secretly orchestrated the crisis.[5] Sony VAIO VPCY119FJ/S Battery
Lucas began working on Episode III before Attack of the Clones was released, offering concept artists that the film would open with a montage of seven Clone War battles.[48] As he reviewed the storyline that summer, however, he says he radically re-organized the plot.[49] Michael Kaminski, in The Secret History of Star Wars, Sony VAIO VPCY11AFJ Battery
offers evidence that issues in Anakin's fall to the dark side prompted Lucas to make massive story changes, first revising the opening sequence to have Palpatine kidnapped and his apprentice, Count Dooku, murdered by Anakin as the first act in the latter's turn towards the dark side.[50] After principal photography was complete in 2003, Sony VAIO VPCY11AGJ Battery
Lucas made even more massive changes in Anakin's character, re-writing his entire turn to the dark side; he would now turn primarily in a quest to save Padmé's life, rather than the previous version in which that reason was one of several, including that he genuinely believed that the Jedi were evil and plotting to take over the Republic. Sony VAIO VPCY11AHJ Battery
This fundamental re-write was accomplished both through editing the principal footage, and new and revised scenes filmed during pick-ups in 2004.[51]
Lucas often exaggerated the amount of material he wrote for the series; much of it stemmed from the post–1978 period when the series grew into a phenomenon. Sony VAIO VPCY11AVJ Battery
Michael Kaminski explained that these exaggerations were both a publicity and security measure. Kaminski rationalized that since the series' story radically changed throughout the years, it was always Lucas' intention to change the original story retroactively because audiences would only view the material from his perspective. Sony VAIO VPCY11M1E/S Battery
When congratulating the producers of the TV series Lost in 2010, Lucas himself jokingly admitted, "when Star Wars first came out, I didn't know where it was going either. The trick is to pretend you've planned the whole thing out in advance. Throw in some father issues and references to other stories – let's call them homages – and you've got a series".[53] Sony VAIO VPCY11S1E Battery
Sequel trilogy
The sequel trilogy was a reportedly planned trilogy of films (Episodes VII, VIII and IX) by Lucasfilm as a sequel to the original Star Wars trilogy (Episodes IV, V and VI) released between 1977 and 1983.[54] Sony VAIO VPCY11V9E/S Battery
While the similarly discussed Star Wars prequel trilogy (Episodes I, II and III) was ultimately released between 1999 and 2005, Lucasfilm and George Lucas have for many years denied plans for a sequel trilogy, insisting that Star Wars is meant to be a six-part series.In May 2008, speaking about the upcoming Star Wars: Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/G Battery
The Clone Wars, Lucas maintained his status on the sequel trilogy:
"I get asked all the time, 'What happens after Return of the Jedi?,' and there really is no answer for that. The movies were the story of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker, and when Luke saves the galaxy and redeems his father, that's where that story ends." Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/L Battery
In January 2012, Lucas announced that he would step away from blockbuster films and instead produce smaller art-house films. In an interview regarding whether or not the scrutiny he received from the prequel trilogy and the alterations made on the original trilogy were a factor on his retirement,
Lucas stated: Sony VAIO VPCY218EC/P Battery
"Why would I make any more,... when everybody yells at you all the time and says what a terrible person you are?"
Future releases
At a ShoWest convention in 2005, Lucas demonstrated new technology and stated that he planned to release the six films in a new 3-D film format, beginning withA New Hope in 2007.[59] Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/L Battery
However, by January 2007, Lucasfilm stated on StarWars.com that "there are no definitive plans or dates for releasing the Star Wars saga in 3-D." At Celebration Europe in July 2007, Rick McCallum confirmed that Lucasfilm is "planning to take all six films and turn them into 3-D," Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/P Battery
but they are "waiting for the companies out there that are developing this technology to bring it down to a cost level that makes it worthwhile for everybody".[60] In July 2008, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the CEO of DreamWorks Animation, revealed that Lucas plans to redo all six of the movies in 3D.[61] Sony VAIO VPCY21S1E/SI Battery
In late September 2010, it was announced that The Phantom Menace would be theatrically re-released in 3-D on February 10, 2012.All six films would be re-released in order, with the 3-D conversion process taking at least a year to complete per film.
Expanded Universe
The term Expanded Universe (EU) is an umbrella term for officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the six feature films. Sony VAIO VPCF11AGJ Battery
The material expands the stories told in the films, taking place anywhere from 25,000 years before The Phantom Menace to 140 years after Return of the Jedi. The first Expanded Universestory appeared in Marvel Comics' Star Wars #7 in January 1978 Sony VAIO VPCF11AHJ Battery
(the first six issues of the series having been an adaptation of the film), followed quickly byAlan Dean Foster's novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye the following month.[93]
George Lucas retains artistic control over the Star Wars universe. For example, the death of central characters and similar changes in the status quo must first pass his screening Sony VAIO VPCF11JFX/B Battery
before authors are given the go-ahead. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes efforts to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across companies.[94] Elements of the Expanded Universe have been adopted by Lucas for use in the films, such as the name of capital planet Coruscant, Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E Battery
which first appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire before being used in The Phantom Menace. Additionally, Lucas so liked the character Aayla Secura, who was introduced in Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars series, that he included her as a character in Attack of the Clones.[95] Sony VAIO VPCF11M1E/H Battery
Lucas has played a large role in the production of various television projects, usually serving as storywriter or executive producer.[96] Star Wars has hadnumerous radio adaptations. A radio adaptation of A New Hope was first broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981. The adaptation was written by science fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden. Sony VAIO VPCF11MFX/B Battery
It was followed by adaptations of The Empire Strikes Back in 1983 and Return of the Jedi in 1996. The adaptations included background material created by Lucas but not used in the films. Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams reprised their roles as Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and Lando Calrissian, respectively, Sony VAIO VPCF11S1E Battery
except in Return of the Jedi in which Luke was played by Joshua Fardon and Lando by Arye Gross. The series also used John Williams' original score from the films and Ben Burtt's original sound designs.
Literature
Star Wars-based fiction predates the release of the first film, with the 1976 novelization of Star Wars (ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster and credited to Lucas). Sony VAIO VPCF11S1E/B Battery
Foster's 1978 novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was the first Expanded Universe work to be released. In addition to filling in the time between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, this additional content greatly expanded the Star Wars timeline before and after the film series. Star Wars fiction flourished during the time of the original trilogy (1977–1983) but slowed to a trickle afterwards. Sony VAIO VPCF11Z1E Battery
In 1992, however, Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy debuted, sparking a new interest in the Star Wars universe. Since then, several hundred tie-in novels have been published by Bantam and Del Rey. A similar resurgence in the Expanded Universe occurred in 1996 with the Steve Perry novel Shadows of the Empire, Sony VAIO VPCF11Z1E/BI Battery
set in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and accompanying video game and comic book series.[99]
LucasBooks radically changed the face of the Star Wars universe with the introduction of the New Jedi Order series, Sony VAIO VPCF11ZHJ Battery
which takes place some 20 years after Return of the Jedi and stars a host of new characters alongside series originals. For younger audiences, three series have been introduced. The Jedi Apprentice series follows the adventures of Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi prior to The Phantom Menace. Sony VAIO VPCF127HGBI Battery
The Jedi Quest series follows the adventures of Obi-Wan and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker in between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. The Last of the Jedi series follows the adventures of Obi-Wan and another surviving Jedi almost immediately following Revenge of the Sith. Sony VAIO VPCF137HG/BI Battery
Marvel Comics published Star Wars comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986. A wide variety of creators worked on this series, including Roy Thomas,Archie Goodwin, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, Carmine Infantino, Gene Day, Walt Simonson, Michael Golden, Chris Claremont, Whilce Portacio, Jo Duffy, and Ron Frenz. Sony VAIO VPCS111FM/S Battery
The Los Angeles Times Syndicate published a Star Wars newspaper strip by Russ Manning, Goodwin and Williamson[100][101] with Goodwin writing under a pseudonym. In the late 1980s, Marvel announced it would publish a new Star Wars comic by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy. However, in December 1991, Sony VAIO VPCS115EC Battery
Dark Horse Comics acquired the Star Wars license and used it to launch a number of ambitious sequels to the original trilogy instead, including the popular Dark Empirestories.[102] They have since gone on to publish a large number of original adventures set in the Star Wars universe. There have also been parody comics, including Tag and Bink.[103] Sony VAIO VPCS115FG Battery
Games
Since 1982, dozens of video games have been published bearing the Star Wars name, beginning with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back published for the Atari 2600by Parker Brothers. Since then, Star Wars has opened the way to a myriad of space-flight simulation games, Sony VAIO VPCS117GG Battery
first-person shooter games, roleplaying games, RTSgames, and others. Two different official tabletop role-playing games have been developed for the Star Wars universe: a version by West End Games in the 1980s and 1990s, and one by Wizards of the Coast in the 2000s. The best-selling games so far are the Lego Star Wars and the Battlefront series, Sony VAIO VPCS117GGB Battery
with 12 million and 10 million units respectively.[104][105] Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is also an extremely well known game.[106]
The most recently released games are Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, Star Wars: Sony VAIO VPCS118EC Battery
The Force Unleashed and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, for the PS3, PSP, PS2, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS and Wii. While The Complete Saga focuses on all six episodes of the series, The Force Unleashed, of the same name of the multimedia project which it is a part of, takes place in the largely unexplored time period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope and casts players as Sony VAIO VPCS119FJ/B Battery
Darth Vader's "secret apprentice" hunting down the remaining Jedi. The game features a new game engine, and was released on September 16, 2008 in the United States.[107][108] There are three more titles based on the Clone Wars which were released for the Nintendo DS (Star Wars: Sony VAIO VPCS119GC Battery
The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance) and Wii (Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber Duels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes).
Star Wars trading cards have been published since the first 'blue' series, by Topps, in 1977.[109] Dozens of series have been produced, with Topps being the licensed creator in the United States. Sony VAIO VPCS11AFJ Battery
Some of the card series are of film stills, while others are original art. Many of the cards have become highly collectible with some very rare "promos", such as the 1993 Galaxy Series II "floating Yoda" P3 card often commanding US$1000 or more. While most "base" or "common card" sets are plentiful, many "insert" or "chase cards" are very rare.[110] Sony VAIO VPCS11AGJ Battery
The board game Risk has been adapted to the series in two editions by Hasbro: Risk Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Edition[111] (2006) and Risk Star Wars: Clone Wars Edition[112] (2005).
Fan works
The Star Wars saga has inspired many fans to create their own non-canon material set in the Star Wars galaxy. Sony VAIO VPCS11AHJ Battery
In recent years, this has ranged from writing fan-fiction to creating fan films. In 2002, Lucasfilm sponsored the first annual Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards, officially recognizing filmmakers and the genre. Because of concerns over potential copyright and trademark issues, however, the contest was initially open only to parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries. Sony VAIO VPCS11AVJ Battery
Fan-fiction films set in the Star Wars universe were originally ineligible, but in 2007 Lucasfilm changed the submission standards to allow in-universe fiction entries.[113]
While many fan films have used elements from the licensed Expanded Universe to tell their story, they are not considered an official part of the Star Warscanon. Sony VAIO VPCS11J7E/B Battery
However, the lead character from the Pink Five series was incorporated into Timothy Zahn's 2007 novel Allegiance, marking the first time a fan-createdStar Wars character has ever crossed into the official canon.[114] Lucasfilm, for the most part, has allowed but not endorsed the creation of these derivative fan-fiction works, Sony VAIO VPCS11M1E/W Battery
so long as no such work attempts to make a profit from or tarnish the Star Wars franchise in any way.[115]
Attractions
In 1986, George Lucas established a partnership with the Walt Disney Company and its Walt Disney Imagineering division to createStar Tours, an attraction that opened at Disneyland in 1987. Sony VAIO VPCS11V9E Battery
The attraction also had subsequent incarnations at other Disney Parks worldwide, with the exception of Hong Kong Disneyland.
The attractions at Disneyland, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Tokyo Disneyland closed on July 27, 2010, September 7, 2010 and April 2, 2012, respectively, Sony VAIO VPCS11V9E/B Battery
in order to allow the rides to be converted into Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. The successor attraction opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios on May 20, 2011 and June 3, at Disneyland. The Japan version is expected to open in 2013. Sony VAIO VPCS11X9E/B Battery
The Jedi Training Academy is a live show where children are selected to learn the teachings of the Jedi Knights and the Force in order to become Padawan learners. The show is present at the Rebels stage at Disney's Hollywood Studios and at the Tomorrowland Terrace at Disneyland.
The Walt Disney World Resort's Disney's Hollywood Studios park hosts an annual festival, Sony VAIO VPCS123FGB Battery
Star Wars Weekends during specific dates from May to June. The event began in 1997.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones is a 2002 American epic space opera film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales. It is the fifth film to be released in the Star Wars saga and the second in terms of the series's internal chronology. Sony VAIO VPCS125EC Battery
At 142 minutes, it is the longest film in the series.
The film is set 10 years after the events in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, when the galaxy is on the brink ofcivil war. Under the leadership of a renegade Jedi named Count Dooku, thousands of planetary systems threaten to secedefrom the Galactic Republic. Sony VAIO VPCCW21FX/R Battery
When an assassination attempt is made on Senator Padmé Amidala, the former Queen of Naboo, Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker is assigned to protect her, while his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi is assigned to investigate the assassination attempt. Soon, Anakin, Padmé, and Obi-Wan are drawn into the heart of the Separatist territories and the beginning of a new threat to the galaxy, the Clone Wars. Sony VAIO VPCCW21FX/W Battery
Released on May 16, 2002, Attack of the Clones was one of the first motion pictures to be shot completely on a high definition digital 24-frame system. Like its predecessor, it garnered mixed reviews from critics[2] and was a financial success; however, it also became the first Star Wars film to be internationally out-grossed in its year of release. Sony VAIO VPCCW26EC Battery
The Galactic Republic is in turmoil. Following the invasion of Naboo ten years earlier, the former Jedi Knight Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) has now organized a Separatist movement against the Republic. The Galactic Senate debates a plan to create an army for the Republic to assist the Jedi against the Separatist threat. Sony VAIO VPCCW26FX/B Battery
Senator Padmé Amidala, the former queen of Naboo and now a politician, returns to Coruscant to cast her vote. Upon her arrival, she narrowly escapes an assassination attempt, and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine assigns Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker(Hayden Christensen) to protect her. Sony VAIO VPCCW28EC Battery
Obi-Wan and Anakin subdue the assassin, Zam Wessell, during another assassination attempt. However, before she can give them any information, the assassin is killed by her employer using a poisonous dart. Obi-Wan learns that the dart was manufactured on the remote ocean planet of Kamino, and is assigned to investigate, while Anakin is assigned to escort Padmé back to her home planet of Naboo. Sony VAIO VPCCW28FJ/P Battery
Anakin relishes the opportunity to spend time with her, and they fall in love. In investigating Kamino, Obi-Wan discovers that it has been removed from the navigation maps of the Jedi archives. Yoda reveals that such a thing could only have been done by a Jedi, suggesting that a conspiracy is afoot. Sony VAIO VPCCW28FJ/R Battery
Obi-Wan heads to Kamino, where he discovers that an army of clone troopers is being secretly produced for the Republic, using a bounty hunter named Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) as their genetic template. Realizing that Jango is the assassin's employer, Obi-Wan tracks Jango and his son Boba (Daniel Logan) to Geonosis, a rocky planet where a new droid army is being created. Sony VAIO VPCCW28FJ/W Battery
Meanwhile, on Naboo, Anakin becomes troubled by premonitions of his mother Shmi in pain. Despite Obi-Wan's orders to remain on Naboo, Anakin and Padmé go to Tatooine. After meeting his new stepfather, Cliegg Lars (Jack Thompson), and stepbrother Owen Lars (Joel Edgerton), Anakin learns Shmi had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders some weeks earlier. Sony VAIO VPCCW29FJ/W Battery
He heads out alone to rescue Shmi, but she dies after being tortured by the Tuskens. He kills the tribe in a rage and buries his mother's body at the Lars homestead.
Having learned that Count Dooku authorized the assassination attempt on Padmé and that the Separatists are developing a new battle droid army, Sony VAIO VPCCW2AFJ Battery
Obi-Wan relays this information via hologram to Anakin, who transmits it to the Jedi Council. However, Obi-Wan is captured by Dooku mid-transmission. Dooku unsuccessfully attempts to make an ally of Obi-Wan, and reveals to him that the Republic is being secretly controlled by Darth Sidious. Sony VAIO VPCCW2AHJ Battery
While Anakin and Padmé head to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan, Chancellor Palpatine is granted emergency powers to organize the clone army and send them into battle. Shortly after arriving on Geonosis, Anakin and Padmé are captured and sentenced to be executed along with Obi-Wan. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E Battery
Anakin and Padmé profess their love before being led into a large gladiatorial arena where they and Obi-Wan are pitted against gigantic beasts in a public execution. However, Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) and a team of Jedi appear and lead a strong defense against the beasts and the Separatists. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/B Battery
Windu kills Jango Fett in a brief battle, but then the Jedi find themselves outnumbered by the Separatists' droid army. As Dooku demands their surrender, Yoda arrives with the clone army and rescues the survivors of the battle. After the arena is emptyed, Boba recovers the decapitated head of his father, and swears revenge for him. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/L Battery
As a large battle erupts between the Republic's clone army and the Separatists' droid forces, Obi-Wan and Anakin engage Dooku in a lightsaber duel. Dooku defeats them both, injuring Obi-Wan and severing Anakin's right arm, but then Yoda arrives to challenge the Count. Unable to defeat Yoda, Dooku flees in his ship to Coruscant, taking the blueprints for an ultimate weapon with him. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/P Battery
He is met in an isolated hangar by his Sith master, Darth Sidious, who states that everything is going as planned now that the galaxy is at war. As the Jedi gravely acknowledge the start of the Clone Wars, Palpatine oversees the launching of several battalions of clone troopers. Meanwhile, Anakin —now fitted with an artificial arm — and Padmé secretly marry on Naboo, with C-3PO and R2-D2 as witnesses. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/R Battery
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi Knight and mentor to his Padawan learner, Anakin Skywalker, who investigates the assassination attempt of Padmé which led him to discover the makings of a Clone Army. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S1E/W Battery
Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker: Obi-Wan's gifted padawan apprentice. He is believed to be the "chosen one" of Jedi prophecy destined "to bring balance to the Force." In the 10 years since The Phantom Menace, he has grown powerful but arrogant, and believes that Obi-Wan is holding him back. Sony VAIO VPCCW2S5C CN1 Battery
- Natalie Portman as Senator Padmé Amidala: Former Queen of Naboo, who has recently been elected the planet's Senator.
Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine: A former Galactic Senator from Naboo, who amasses vast emergency powers upon the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Sony VAIO VPCF112FX/B Battery
- Christopher Lee as Count Dooku: A former Jedi Master who is now leader of the Separatist movement as Darth Tyranus, and a suspect in Obi-Wan's investigation.
Samuel L. Jackson as Mace Windu: A Jedi Master sitting on the Jedi Council who warily watches the Galactic Senate's politics. Sony VAIO VPCF115FG/B Battery
- Temuera Morrison as Jango Fett: A bounty hunter who gave his DNA for use by the cloning facilities on Kamino for the creation of the clone army. In addition to his wage, he requested an unaltered clone for himself to take as his son — Boba Fett.
Frank Oz voices Yoda: A Jedi Grand Master of an unknown species. Sony VAIO VPCF116FGBI Battery
- In addition to sitting on the Jedi Council, Yoda is the instructor for the young Jedi padawans.
- Anthony Daniels as C-3PO: A protocol droid for the Lars homestead.
- Kenny Baker as R2-D2: An astro-droid, often seen on missions with Anakin and Obi-Wan.
Daniel Logan as Boba Fett: Jango Fett's clone and adopted son, who is created from his "father"'s DNA. Sony VAIO VPCF117FJ/W Battery
- Leeanna Walsman as Zam Wesell: A bounty hunter and partner of Jango Fett, who is given the task of assassinating Padmé. Although her appearance is human, she is actually a shapeshifter.
Silas Carson as Nute Gunray and Ki-Adi-Mundi: Gunray is the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, who attempts to assassinate Padmé as revenge for his loss against her people on Naboo. Sony VAIO VPCF117HG/BI Battery
- Ki-Adi-Mundi is a Jedi Master and a member of the Jedi Council.
- Ahmed Best as Delegate Jar Jar Binks: A Gungan whom Padmé appoints Representative of Naboo.
E! Online reported that Lucas had allowed 'N Sync to film a small background cameo appearance, in order to satisfy his daughters. Sony VAIO VPCF118FJ/W Battery
They were subsequently cut out of the film in post-production.[3] The end credits erroneously list Alan Ruscoe as playing Neimoidian senator Lott Dod. The character was actually another Neimoidian, played by an uncredited David Healey and voiced by Christopher Truswell.
A large search for the new Anakin Skywalker was performed across the United States. Sony VAIO VPCF119FC Battery
Lucas auditioned various actors, mostly unknown, before casting Christensen. Among the many established actors who auditioned were Jonathan Brandis, Ryan Phillippe,[4] Colin Hanks,[5] and Paul Walker.[6] Leonardo DiCaprio also met with Lucas for the role, but was "definitely unavailable" according to DiCaprio publicist Ken Sunshine.[7] Sony VAIO VPCF119FC/BI Battery
Co-star Natalie Portman later told Time magazine that Christensen "gave a great reading. He could simultaneously be scary and really young."
Writing
After the mixed critical response to The Phantom Menace, Lucas was hesitant to return to the writing desk. Sony VAIO VPCF119FJ/BI Battery
In March 2000, just three months before the start of principal photography, Lucas finally completed his rough draft for Episode II. Lucas continued to iterate on his rough draft, producing a proper first and second draft. For help with the third draft, which would later become the shooting script, Lucas brought on Jonathan Hales, Sony VAIO VPCF11AFJ Battery
who had written several episodes ofThe Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for him, but had limited experience writing theatrical films. The final script was completed just one week before the start of principal photography.
As an in-joke, the film's "working title" was "Jar Jar's Big Adventure", a sarcastic reference to the negative fan response to the Episode I character.[9] Sony VAIO VGN-SR91PS BatteryIn writing The Empire Strikes Back, Lucas initially decided that Lando Calrissian was a clone and came from a planet of clones which caused the "Clone Wars" mentioned by Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope;[10][11] he later came up with an alternate concept of an army of clone shocktroopers from a remote planet which were used by the Republic as an army in the war that followed.[12] Sony VAIO VGN-SR91S Battery
Filming
Principal photography occurred between June 26, 2000 and September 20, 2000 at 20th Century Fox Studios in Australia. Location shooting took place in theTunisian desert, at the Plaza de España in Seville, Sony VAIO VGN-SR91US Battery
Spain, in Italy at the Villa del Balbianello on Lake Como, and in the former royal Palace of Caserta. At his own personal request, Samuel L. Jackson's character Mace Windu received a lightsaber that emitted an amethyst glow, as opposed to traditional blue and green for "good guys" and red for "bad guys."[13] Reshoots were performed in March 2001. Sony VAIO VGN-SR92NS Battery
During this time, a new action sequence was developed featuring the droid factory after Lucas had decided that the film lacked a quick enough pace in the corresponding time-frame. The sequence's previsualization was rushed, and the live-action footage was shot within four and a half hours.[14] Sony VAIO VGN-SR92PS Battery
Because of Lucas' method of creating shots through various departments and sources that are sometimes miles and years apart from each other, Attack of the Clones became the first film ever to be produced through what Rick McCallum called "virtual filmmaking."[14]
Like The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones furthered technological development, Sony VAIO VGN-SR92S Battery
effectively moving Hollywood into the "digital age" with the use of the HDW-F900, developed by Sony and Panavision, a digital camera using an HD digital 24-frame system. This spawned controversy over the benefits and disadvantages ofdigital cinematography that continues as more filmmakers "convert" to digital filmmaking while many filmmakers oppose it. Sony VAIO VGN-SR92US Battery
In contrast to previous installments, for which scenes were shot in the Tunisian desert in temperatures up to 125 °F (51 °C), the camera would still run without complications. Lucas had stated that he wished to film The Phantom Menace on this format but Sony was unable to build the cameras quickly enough.[15] Sony VAIO VGN-SR93DS Battery
In 2002, Attack of the Clones became the third film to be released that was shot entirely on a 24p digital camera (preceded by 2001's Jackpot and Vidocq).[16] Despite Lucas' efforts to persuade movie theaters to switch to digital projectors for viewing of Episode II, few theaters did.[17] Sony VAIO VGN-SR93JS Battery
Effects
The film relied almost solely on digital animatics as opposed to storyboards in order to previsualize sequences for editing early on in the film's production. While Lucas had used other ways of producing motion-based storyboards in the past, after The Phantom Menace the decision was made to take advantage of the growing digital technology.[14] Sony VAIO VGN-SR93PS Battery
The process began with Ben Burtt's creation of what the department dubbed as "videomatics", so called because they were shot on a household videocamera. In these videomatics, production assistants and relatives of the department workers acted out scenes in front of greenscreen. Usingcomputer-generated imagery (CGI), Sony VAIO VGN-SR93YS Battery
the previsualization department later filled in the green screen with rough background footage. Burtt then cut together this footage and sent it off to Lucas for changes and approval. The result was a rough example of what the final product was intended to be. The previsualization department then created a finer version of the videomatic by creating an animatic, Sony VAIO VGN-SR94FS Battery
in which the videomatic actors, props, and sets were replaced by digital counterparts to give a more precise, but still rough, look at what would eventually be seen. The animatic was later brought on set and shown to the actors so that they could understand the concept of the scene they were filming in the midst of large amount of bluescreen used. Sony VAIO VGN-SR94GS Battery
Unlike most of the action sequences, the Battle of Geonosis was not storyboarded or created through videomatics but was sent straight to animatics after the department received a small vague page on the sequence. The intent was to create a number of small events that would be edited together for pacing inside the finished film. Sony VAIO VGN-SR94HS Battery
The animatics department was given a free hand regarding events to be created within the animatic; Lucas only asked for good action shots that he could choose from and approve later.
In addition to introducing the digital camera, Attack of the Clones emphasized "digital doubles" as computer-generated models that doubled for actors, in the same way that traditional stunt doubles did. Sony VAIO VGN-SR94VS Battery
It also furthered the authenticity of computer-generated characters by introducing a new, completely CGI-created version of the character Yoda. Rob Coleman and John Knollprepared two tests featuring a CGI-animated Yoda using audio from The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda's appearance in Episode Valso served as the reference point for the creation of the CGI Yoda; Sony VAIO VPC CW2MFX/PU Battery
Lucas repeatedly stated to the animation department that "the trick" to the animation of the CGI Yoda was to make him like the puppet from which he was based, in order to maintain a flow of continuity. Frank Oz (voice and puppeteer for Yoda in the original trilogy and The Phantom Menace) was consulted; Sony VAIO VPC S11V9E/B Battery
his main piece of advice was that Yoda should look extremely old, sore, and frigid.[18] Coleman later explained the process of making the digital Yoda like the puppet version, by saying, "When Frank [Oz] would move the head, the ears would jiggle. If we hadn't put that in, it wouldn't look like Yoda." Sony VAIO VPCB119GJ/B Battery
Because of the acrobatics of the lightsaber fight between Count Dooku and Yoda, the 78-year-old Christopher Lee relied on a stunt double to perform the most demanding scenes instead. Lee's face was superimposed onto the double's body in all shots other than closeups, which he performed himself. Sony VAIO VPCB11AGJ Battery
Lucas often called the duel crucial to the animation department, as it had such potential to be humorous rather than dramatic.[18]
Music
The soundtrack to the film was released on April 23, 2002 by Sony Classical Records.[20] The music was composed and conducted by John Williams, and performed by the London Voices and London Symphony Orchestra. Sony VAIO VPCB11AVJ Battery
The soundtrack recreates "The Imperial March" from the film The Empire Strikes Back for its first chronological appearance in Attack of the Clones, even though a hint of it appeared in the previous movie in one of the final scenes. A music video for the main theme "Across the Stars" was produced specifically for the DVD.[22] Sony VAIO VPCB11V9E Battery
Themes
Lucas has noted that Palpatine's rise to power is very similar to that of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany; as Chancellor of Germany, the latter was granted "emergency powers", as is Palpatine.[23] Comparisons have been made to Octavian — who became Augustus, Sony VAIO VPCB11X9E Battery
the first emperor of Rome — and to Napoleon Bonaparte, who rose to power in France from 1796 to 1799. Octavian was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of political opponents well before he was granted tribunician powers; Bonaparte was appointed First Consul for life (and later Emperor) by the French Consulate after a failed attempt on his life and the subsequent coup of18 Brumaire in 1799.[24] Sony VAIO VPCCW18FJ/P Battery
Some have drawn parallels to the American Civil War, likening the Separatists to the Confederate States of America; the official name of the Separatist group is the "Confederacy of Independent Systems". The name of the government Army, the "Grand Army of the Republic", is the same in both Star Wars and the American Civil War, Sony VAIO VPCCW18FJ/R Battery
and both Palpatine and President Abraham Lincoln took extensive war powers and suspended many civil rights.
War journalism, combat films, and footage of World War II combat influenced the documentary-style camera work of the Battle of Geonosis, Sony VAIO VPCCW18FJ/W Battery
even to the point that hand-held shakes were digitally added to computer-generated sequences.[24]
The prequel trilogy films often refer to the original trilogy in order to help connect the films together. Lucas has often referred to the films as a long poem that rhymes.[25] Such examples include the now-famous line of "I have a bad feeling about this," Sony VAIO VPCCW19FJ/W Battery
a phrase used in each film, and battles, namely lightsaber duels, that almost always occur over a pit. As with Attack of the Clones, The Empire Strikes Back was the middle film in a trilogy; therefore, of the original trilogy films, The Empire Strikes Back is the object of the most references in Attack of the Clones. Sony VAIO VPCCW1AFJ Battery
In both films, an asteroid field is the backdrop of a major star battle in the middle of the film. Obi-Wan escapes Jango Fett by attaching his spacecraft to an asteroid in order to disappear from the enemy sensors; Han Solo uses a similar tactic by attaching the Millennium Falcon to a Star Destroyer in The Empire Strikes Back. Sony VAIO VPCCW1AHJ Battery
As a retcon, John Knoll confirms on the film's DVD commentary that Boba Fett, who would later catch Solo in the act in The Empire Strikes Back, "learned his lesson" from the events of Attack of the Clones.[23] In another scene, Obi-Wan asks Anakin, "Why do I get the feeling you're going to be the death of me?" Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E Battery
This is an allusion to A New Hope where Anakin, as Darth Vader, kills Obi-Wan aboard the Death Star. Also, Count Dooku cuts off Anakin's arm, similar to when Darth Vader cut off Luke Skywalker's hand in The Empire Strikes Back. Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/B Battery
Release
After a teaser trailer premiered with the film Monsters, Inc., a new trailer for the film aired on the Fox Network on March 10, 2002 between Malcolm in the Middle and The X-Files,[26] and was made available on the official Star Wars web site the same day. Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/L Battery
The outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas fromChicago predicted before the film's release that U.S. companies could lose more than $319 million in productivity due to employees calling in sick and then heading to theaters to see the film.[27]
Attack of the Clones was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/P Battery
before getting a worldwide theatrical release on May 16, 2002. The film was also later released in IMAX theaters; the film had not been filmed for IMAX but was "up converted" with the digital remastering process. Because of the technical limitations of the IMAX projector, an edited, 120-minute version of the film was presented.[29] Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/R Battery
Before the film's release, there was a string of controversies regarding piracy. In 2000, an underground organization calling itself the Atlas Group, based inPerth, Western Australia offered a copy of the screenplay, with an asking price of US$100,000, to various fan sites and media organizations, includingTheForce.Net. Sony VAIO VPCCW1S1E/W Battery
The scheme was subsequently reported to Lucasfilm Ltd. by the fan site.
A pirate copy was allegedly made at a private showing, using a digital recorder that was pointed at the screen. This copy spread over the internet, and analysts predicted up to a million fans would have seen the film before the day of its release.[30] Sony VAIO VPCCW21FX/B Battery
In addition, authorities seized thousands of bootlegs throughout Kuala Lumpur before the film opened.[31]
Reception
Attack of the Clones received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics.[32] On the Rotten Tomatoes review site, the film received a 67% favorable rating based on 218 reviews, Sony VAIO VPCCW21FX/L Battery
the general consensus being "Containing more of what made the Star Wars series fun, Attack of the Clones is an improvement over The Phantom Menace."[33] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 53 based on 39 reviews, which indicates "Mixed or average reviews".
Critics called the dialogue "stiff" and "flat".[34] Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JTJ Battery
The acting (particularly by Christensen and Portman) was also disparaged by some critics.[35] Conversely, other critics felt fans would be pleased to see that Jar Jar Binks has only a minor role.[36] He in fact plays a pivotal part in the story by making a motion in the Galactic Senate to grant Palpatine emergency powers — unknowingly assisting Palpatine's rise to power. Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JTQ Battery
Additionally, Jar Jar's attempts at comic relief seen in The Phantom Menace were toned down; instead, C-3PO reprised some of his bumbling traditions in that role. McGregor referred to the swordplay in the film as "unsatisfactory" when comparing it to the climactic duel in Revenge of the Sith as it neared release.[37] Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JVB/C Battery
Roger Ebert, who had praised all of the other Star Wars films, awarded this edition only two out of four stars, noting, "[As] someone who admired the freshness and energy of the earlier films, I was amazed, at the end of Episode II, to realize that I had not heard one line of quotable, memorable dialogue." Sony VAIO VGN-SR290JVH/C Battery
About Anakin and Padme's relationship, Ebert stated, "There is not a romantic word they exchange that has not long since been reduced to cliche."[35] Leonard Maltin, who also liked all of the previous installments, only awarded two stars out of four to this endeavor as well, as seen in his Movie and Video Guide from the 2002 edition onward. Sony VAIO VGN-SR290NTB Battery
Maltin cited an "overlong story" as reason for his dissatifaction and added, "Wooden characterizations and dialogue don't help."[38]
In following suit with the previous installments in the series, the Academy Awards presented Attack of the Clones with a nomination for Rob Coleman, Pablo Helman, Sony VAIO VGN-SR29VN/S Battery
John Knoll, and Ben Snow for Best Visual Effects at the 2003 Academy Awards, but lost to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.[39] Natalie Portman was also honored at the Teen Choice Awards,[40] and the film received an award for Best Fight at the MTV Movie Awards.[41] Sony VAIO VGN-SR29XN/S Battery
In contrast, the film also received seven nominations from the Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Director (George Lucas), Worst Screenplay (George Lucas), Worst Supporting Actor (Hayden Christensen), Worst Supporting Actress (Natalie Portman), Worst Screen Couple (Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman) and Worst Remake or Sequel.[42] Sony VAIO VGN-SR2RVN/S Battery
It took home two awards for Worst Screenplay (George Lucas) and Worst Supporting Actor (Hayden Christensen).[43]
Box office
The film grossed $310,676,740 in North America and $338,721,588 overseas for a worldwide total of $649,398,328. Though a huge financial success, it was nevertheless overshadowed by the even greater box-office success of The Phantom Menace three years earlier.[1] Sony VAIO VGN-SR390NAB Battery
It was not the top grossing film of the year, either in North America (where it finished in third place) or worldwide (where it was fourth), the first time that a Star Wars film did not have this distinction. In North America it was outgrossed by Spider-Man and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, both of which enjoyed a more favorable critical reception as well. Sony VAIO VGN-SR390NAH Battery
Worldwide, it was also outgrossed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, though Attack of the Clones performed better than The Chamber of Secrets in North America. Adjusted for inflation, Attack of the Clones is the lowest-performing live-action Star Wars film at the North American box office, though is still in the Top 100 highest grossing films of all time when adjusted for inflation.[44] Sony VAIO VGN-SR41M/P Battery
Home media
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones was released on DVD and VHS on November 12, 2002. George Lucas edited or added certain elements that make the DVD slightly different from its theatrical release. Sony VAIO VGN-SR41M/S Battery
The DVD features an audio commentary from director George Lucas, producer Rick McCallum, editor and sound designer Ben Burtt, ILM animation director Rob Coleman, and ILM visual effects supervisors Pablo Helman, John Knoll, and Ben Snow. Eight deleted scenes are included along with multiple documentaries, Sony VAIO VGN-SR49VN/H Battery
which include a full-length documentary about the creation of digital characters and two others that focus on sound design and the animatics team. Three featurettes examine the storyline, action scenes, and love story, and a set of 12 short web documentaries cover the overall production of the film.[45] Sony VAIO VGN-SR51B/P Battery
The Attack of the Clones DVD also features a trailer for a mockumentary-style short film known as R2-D2: Beneath the Dome. Some stores offered the full mockumentary as an exclusive bonus disc for a small extra charge. The film gives an alternate look at the "life" of the droid R2-D2. The story, which Lucas approved, was meant to be humorous.[46] Sony VAIO VGN-SR51B/S Battery
The DVD was re-released in a prequel trilogy box set on November 4, 2008.[47]
The Star Wars films were released on Blu-ray Disc on September 16, 2011 in three different editions. Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF Battery,Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/P Battery,Sony VAIO VGN-SR51MF/S Battery
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