The main sequence of Star Wars motion pictures, starting with George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope in 1977, is known as the Star Wars saga, or the Skywalker saga. Though a broader collection of stories and characters has grown around it, the saga films primarily follow the Skywalker family's story across three trilogies. The original trilogy was released from 1977 to 1983, succeeded by the prequel trilogy spanning from 1999 to 2005, and then the sequel trilogy which ran from 2015 to 2019.
The narrative unfolds over a span of 67 years, beginning with Anakin Skywalker, identified as the Chosen One in Jedi prophecy. The prequel trilogy details his progression as a Jedi Knight, his descent to the dark side of the Force, and his transformation into Darth Vader. The adventures of Anakin's offspring, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, are chronicled in the original trilogy, as they spearhead the fight against the Galactic Empire, culminating in Luke's rescue of Anakin from the dark side and his own path to becoming a Jedi. The sequel trilogy centers on Rey, a Force-sensitive prodigy, who gets entangled in a new galactic conflict and confronts Anakin's grandson, Ben Solo, who has become Kylo Ren, while simultaneously establishing herself as the first of a new Jedi order.
George Lucas is the creator of the series. He has the distinction of having written and directed more Skywalker saga films than anyone else, as both the writer and director of A New Hope and the entirety of the prequel trilogy. Other directors who have worked on saga films include Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand, J.J. Abrams, and Rian Johnson. The writing credits for the films include Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt, Abrams, Johnson, and Chris Terrio. The original trilogy was produced by Gary Kurtz and Howard G. Kazanjian, the prequel trilogy by Rick McCallum, and the sequel trilogy by Kathleen Kennedy.
Arranged by narrative sequence:
- Prequel trilogy Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
- Original trilogy Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- Sequel trilogy Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker
The released films, nine in total, of the Skywalker saga are all designated with "Episode" followed by a Roman numeral that indicates their chronological placement in the story. Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope was initially released under the simple title Star Wars, as there was no certainty of a sequel. It was not until its re-release on April 10, 1981 that it received its current name.
Each Skywalker saga film begins with an opening crawl that adheres to a consistent format. The crawl commences with the phrase "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." rendered in blue text, immediately followed by the Star Wars logo and the slanted, yellow-text-on-starfield summaries that describe the events that preceded the film's opening. While there are minor variations in the typefaces used, the overall format remains the same. These crawls draw inspiration from the Flash Gordon serials that George Lucas enjoyed as a child.
The Skywalker family's journey is central to all nine films of the Star Wars saga:
The original trilogy (out-of-universe: 1977–1983; in-universe: 0 BBY–4 ABY) is centered around Luke Skywalker, the protagonist, along with his sister Princess Leia, who is unknown to him, the smuggler Han Solo, and the eventual redemption of Darth Vader.
The prequel trilogy (out-of-universe: 1999–2005; in-universe 32 BBY–19 BBY) is focused on Anakin Skywalker as he grows from a 9-year-old Tatooine slave to a Jedi Knight. Skywalker's future wife, Padmé Amidala, and his mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, are also central to the prequel trilogy, which establishes the foundation for the original trilogy's narrative.
The sequel trilogy (out-of-universe: 2015–2019; in-universe: 34 ABY—35 ABY) revolves around the scavenger Rey as she hones her abilities with the Force, the former stormtrooper Finn, the skilled ace pilot Poe Dameron, and the antagonist Kylo Ren, the offspring of Leia Organa and Han Solo.
Over the years, George Lucas's statements regarding the "planned" number of saga films varied from interview to interview (with potential plans for as many as twelve as early as 1978).