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George Lucas’ brainchildStar Warsis one of the most important media franchises in pop culture, having influenced different generations ever since the release of its first movie,Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Initially called justStar Wars, the 1977 epic space opera film registered historic numbers at the box office, grossing $221 million domestically. However, that was just the start. The tale of a galaxy far, far away continued to expand with additions of new chapters and characters.
This has naturally led to countless folklore, theories, and questions surrounding theStar Warsuniverse. And the most intriguing question of all remains what was the thought process behind starting the storied tale withEpisode IV.
Read more:George Lucas’ Original Decision in Star Wars Never Saw Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker as the Chosen One
Why George Lucas Started Star Wars Franchise With Episode 4
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hopefocuses on Luke Skywalker’s mission to save Princess Leia after she gets abducted by the insidious Darth Vader. After the success of the first movie,The Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedihit the theaters in quick succession and completedStar Wars original trilogy.
In 1999,George LucasstartedStar Wars prequel trilogywith StarWars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.Since it is chronologically the first film in theStar Warssaga, many fans thought this was always Lucas’ vision, thus explaining the numbering of the 1977 hit.
However, according to Michael Kaminski’s 2008 bookThe Secret History of Star Wars(viaLooper), the unique numbering was done due to“technical and storytelling reasons.”The author further explained:
“Lucas had a massive, expensive epic on his hands, and divided the story into three separate films. He had also developed a backstory for his elaborate tale, which together totaled six chapters, and sought to make Episode IV first, due to technical and storytelling reasons. When the film by some miracle went into production, it was beset by problems of all kinds, and Lucas was sure it would be a failure—and was shocked when it became the biggest sensation of the year.”
Lucas was convinced his firstStar Warsmovie would flop. However, he still managed to make a movie that had the potential to make sense as a stand-alone story. At the same time, he filled it with terms like Clone Wars and Jedi Council to leave scope for different installments to fill the narrative holes ofEpisode IV.
Read more:“Who cares about this guy?” George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s Talent Intimidated Martin Scorsese Despite Setting Himself Apart From Them
How George Lucas’ Star Wars Episode 4 Influenced Harrison Ford’s First Indiana Jones Movie
TheStar Warssaga mostly revolves around Mark Hamill’s Skywalker. However, the film also launchedHarrison Ford‘s career to new heights, as fans absolutely adored his enigmatic anti-hero, Han Solo.
Interestingly,Episode IValso influenced the fate of Ford’s other iconic franchise,Indiana Jones.
It’s understood (viaIMDb) that Lucas was so sure his movie would flop that instead of attending the premiere, he went on vacation to Hawaii with his friend, Steven Spielberg. During this vacation, they came up with the idea ofRaiders of the Lost Ark.
The 1981 action adventure proved to be a massive hit, paving the way for moreIndiana Jonesinstallments.
Vishal Singh
Articles Published :513
Vishal Singh is a Content Writer at FandomWire. Having spent more than half a decade in the digital media space, Vishal specializes in crafting engaging entertainment- and sports-focused stories. He graduated from university with an honors degree in English Literature.
