Editing Star Wars (film) (section)

== Sequels, prequels, and adaptations ==
{{Main|The Empire Strikes Back|Return of the Jedi|Star Wars prequel trilogy|Star Wars sequel trilogy|}}

''Star Wars'' was followed by the sequels ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), which conclude the original film trilogy.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<br><ref name="CNNLowry">{{cite web |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=May 21, 2020 |title='The Empire Strikes Back' At 40: How The Sequel Launched 'Star Wars' Into The Future |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/21/entertainment/the-empire-strikes-back-turns-40/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527040123/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/21/entertainment/the-empire-strikes-back-turns-40/index.html |archive-date=May 27, 2020 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |website=[[CNN]]}}</ref><ref name="DOGROTJ">{{cite web |last=Coombes |first=Lloyd |date=December 12, 2019 |title=Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – The Culmination of George Lucas' Original Vision |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-return-of-the-jedi-story-spoilers-recap-legacy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605204914/https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/star-wars-return-of-the-jedi-story-spoilers-recap-legacy/ |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |website=[[Den of Geek]]}}</ref><ref name="WaPoTESB">{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Judith |date=May 23, 1980 |title=The Empire Strikes Back |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/empirestrikesbackmartin.htm |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716072250/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/empirestrikesbackmartin.htm |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |access-date=June 5, 2007 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>}} Both were financially successful and fared well with critics. The original trilogy is considered one of the best film trilogies in history.{{efn|Attributed to multiple references:<br><ref name="DOGROTJ" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Koning |first=Hans |date=January 18, 1981 |title=Why Hollywood Breeds Self-indulgence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/18/movies/why-hollywood-breeds-self-indulgence.html |url-access=limited |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524084132/https://www.nytimes.com/1981/01/18/movies/why-hollywood-breeds-self-indulgence.html |archive-date=May 24, 2015 |access-date=March 18, 2021 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The 33 Greatest Movie Trilogies &#124; 2. The Original ''Star Wars'' Trilogy |url=https://www.empireonline.com/features/trilogy/default.asp?film=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141222052758/http://www.empireonline.com/features/trilogy/default.asp?film=2 |archive-date=December 22, 2014 |access-date=May 20, 2014 |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |ref=none}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gibron |first=Bill |date=September 21, 2011 |title=The 10 Greatest Motion Picture Trilogies of All Time |url=https://popmatters.com/post/148823-the-10-greatest-motion-picture-trilogies-of-all-time/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223014531/http://www.popmatters.com/post/148823-the-10-greatest-motion-picture-trilogies-of-all-time/ |archive-date=December 23, 2015 |access-date=May 20, 2014 |work=[[PopMatters]] |ref=none}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Griffin |first=Michael |date=September 11, 2013 |title=Good Things Come In Threes: Great Movie Trilogies |url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/55027259/best-five-movie-trilogies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521031228/http://www.hollywood.com/news/movies/55027259/best-five-movie-trilogies |archive-date=May 21, 2014 |access-date=May 20, 2014 |work=[[Hollywood.com]] |ref=none}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Ellwood, Gregory |author2=Eggersten, Chris |author3=Fienberg, Dan |author4=McWeeny, Drew |author5=Lewis, Dave |date=April 25, 2013 |title=10 of the best movie trilogies of all-time &#124; 1. ''Star Wars'' Episodes IV – VI |url=http://www.hitfix.com/galleries/10-of-the-best-movie-trilogies-of-all-time/11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140521031520/http://www.hitfix.com/galleries/10-of-the-best-movie-trilogies-of-all-time/11 |archive-date=May 21, 2014 |access-date=May 20, 2014 |work=[[HitFix]] |ref=none}}</ref>}}

A [[Star Wars (radio)|radio drama adaptation]] of ''Star Wars'' was broadcast on the American [[NPR|National Public Radio]] network in 1981. It was written by [[Brian Daley]] and directed by [[John Madden (director)|John Madden]], and was produced with cooperation from George Lucas, who donated the rights to NPR. Williams's music and Burtt's sound design were retained for the show, and Hamill and Daniels reprised their roles.<ref name="allthings">{{cite news|last1=John|first1=Derek|title=That Time NPR Turned 'Star Wars' Into A Radio Drama – And It Actually Worked|url=https://www.npr.org/2015/12/18/460269884/that-time-npr-turned-star-wars-into-a-radio-drama-and-it-actually-worked|work=[[All Things Considered]]|publisher=National Public Radio |access-date=July 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620103128/http://www.npr.org/2015/12/18/460269884/that-time-npr-turned-star-wars-into-a-radio-drama-and-it-actually-worked |archive-date=June 20, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The narrative began with a backstory to the film, recounting Leia's acquisition of the Death Star plans. It also featured scenes not seen in the final cut of the film, such as Luke's observation of the space battle above Tatooine, a skyhopper race, and Vader's interrogation of Leia. The radio version was originally part of the official [[Star Wars canon|''Star Wars'' canon]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canonwars.com/SWCanon2.html|title=The Star Wars Canon: Overview |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330175428/http://www.canonwars.com/SWCanon2.html |archive-date=March 30, 2007|website=Canon Wars |access-date=February 22, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Eberl|first1=Jason T.|last2=Decker|first2=Kevin S.|title=The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy: You Must Unlearn What You Have Learned|date=2015|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-119-03806-1|page=298|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=egwlCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA298|access-date=January 14, 2017|archive-date=March 6, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306085458/https://books.google.com/books?id=egwlCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA298#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> but has since been supplanted by revised canonical narratives.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McMillan|first1=Graeme|title='Rogue One' and the Death Star Plans: Revisiting the 1981 Origin Story|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/rogue-one-teaser-1981-origins-881733 |access-date=January 13, 2017|date=April 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116171831/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/rogue-one-teaser-1981-origins-881733|archive-date=January 16, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

More than twenty years after the release of ''Star Wars'', Lucas created a prequel trilogy, consisting of the films ''[[The Phantom Menace]]'' (1999), ''[[Attack of the Clones]]'' (2002), and ''[[Revenge of the Sith]]'' (2005). The trilogy chronicles the history between Obi-Wan, [[Qui-Gon Jinn|Qui-Jon Jinn]]'s apprentice, and Anakin Skywalker, a slave boy who became a Jedi, portrayed by [[Ewan McGregor]] and [[Hayden Christensen]], and the latter's fall to the dark side and transformation into Darth Vader. The prequel trilogy was financially successful, but some of the plot threads and new characters polarized critics and fans.<ref name="IndependentPrequels">{{cite web|first=Clarisse|last=Loughrey|title=Phantom menaces: Why the Star Wars prequels finally deserve some respect|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/star-wars-revenge-sith-anniversary-prequels-defence-anakin-padme-a9519701.html|website=[[The Independent]]|date=May 19, 2020 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605145321/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/star-wars-revenge-sith-anniversary-prequels-defence-anakin-padme-a9519701.html |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ScreenRantPrequels">{{cite web|first=Thomas|last=Bacon|title=Sequels vs. Prequels: Which Star Wars Trilogy Is Better|url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-sequel-prequel-trilogies-comparison-better/|website=[[Screen Rant]]|date=December 7, 2020 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217033234/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-sequel-prequel-trilogies-comparison-better/ |archive-date=December 17, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="GuardianPrequels">{{cite web|first=Lucy|last=Campbell|title=Star Wars prequels 'not very much liked', admits Ewan McGregor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/apr/28/star-wars-prequels-not-very-much-liked-says-ewan-mcgregor|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=April 28, 2021 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605145336/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/apr/28/star-wars-prequels-not-very-much-liked-says-ewan-mcgregor |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="PrequelTrilogyBFI">Multiple sources, in chronological order:
* {{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b809116f3|title=Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405231604/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b809116f3|archive-date=April 5, 2021}}
* {{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8318ab4d|title=Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405231648/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8318ab4d|archive-date=April 5, 2021}}
* {{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b88f414fd|title=Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405231831/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b88f414fd|archive-date=April 5, 2021}}</ref><ref name="CNetPrequels">{{cite web|first=David|last=Priest|title=The New Star Wars trilogy is worse than the prequels|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/why-new-star-wars-trilogy-is-worse-than-the-prequels/|website=[[CNET]]|date=December 13, 2019 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605145521/https://www.cnet.com/news/why-new-star-wars-trilogy-is-worse-than-the-prequels/ |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> After Lucas sold the ''Star Wars'' franchise to [[the Walt Disney Company]] in 2012, Disney developed a sequel trilogy, consisting of ''[[The Force Awakens]]'' (2015), ''[[The Last Jedi]]'' (2017), and ''[[The Rise of Skywalker]]'' (2019).<ref name="TheGuardianSequelTril">{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Child|title=Would George Lucas's Star Wars sequels have been better than Disney's?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/12/george-lucas-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-disney|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=November 12, 2020 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117211259/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/nov/12/george-lucas-star-wars-sequel-trilogy-disney |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="SequelTrilogy">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-07/how-disney-bought-lucasfilm-and-its-plans-for-star-wars|title=How Disney Bought Lucasfilm—and Its Plans for 'Star Wars'|last=Leonard|first=Devin|date=March 7, 2013|website=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]] |access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930150541/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-03-07/how-disney-bought-lucasfilm-and-its-plans-for-star-wars|archive-date=September 30, 2017|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="EpisodeVII">{{cite web|url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-force-awakens-worldwide-846428|title='Star Wars: The Force Awakens': When the Film Opens Around the World|last=McClintock|first=Pamela|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=December 7, 2015 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-date=December 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209224531/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/star-wars-force-awakens-worldwide-846428 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="EpisodeVIIITitle">{{Cite web|first=Aaron|last=Couch|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-8-title-929351|title='Star Wars: Episode VIII' Title Revealed|date=January 23, 2017|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331104747/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-episode-8-title-929351|archive-date=March 31, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="EpisodeIXTitle">{{Cite magazine|first=Anthony|last=Breznican|author-link=Anthony Breznican|date=April 12, 2019|url=https://ew.com/movies/2019/04/12/star-wars-episode-ix-title/|title=Star Wars: Episode IX has a title — The Rise of Skywalker|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100218/https://ew.com/movies/2019/04/12/star-wars-episode-ix-title/|archive-date=March 31, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Original trilogy cast members including Ford, Hamill, and Fisher reprised their roles, alongside new characters such as [[Rey (Star Wars)|Rey]], [[Finn (Star Wars)|Finn]], [[Kylo Ren]] and [[Poe Dameron]], portrayed respectively by [[Daisy Ridley]], [[John Boyega]], [[Adam Driver]], and [[Oscar Isaac]].<ref name="EpisodeVIIBFI">{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/568f1ba214607|title=Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=June 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021190327/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/568f1ba214607|archive-date=October 21, 2020}}</ref> In 2016, Disney released the standalone film ''Rogue One'', which depicts the successful rebel attempt to steal the Death Star plans. It serves as a direct prequel to ''Star Wars,'' ending where ''Star Wars'' begins. Other [[Star Wars#Films|standalone films]] and [[Star Wars#Television|television series]] have also been released.<ref name="ObserveSequelTrilogy">{{cite web|first=Brandon|last=Katz|title=No, Disney Isn't Erasing the 'Star Wars' Sequel Trilogy|url=https://observer.com/2020/07/disney-isnt-ignoring-erasing-star-wars-lucasfilm-box-office/|website=[[The New York Observer]]|date=July 15, 2020 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605145632/https://observer.com/2020/07/disney-isnt-ignoring-erasing-star-wars-lucasfilm-box-office/ |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="VarietySolo">{{cite web|first=Kristopher|last=Tapley|title=Inside 'Solo': A 'Star Wars' Story's Bumpy Ride to the Big Screen|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/features/solo-a-star-wars-story-directors-reshoots-ron-howard-1202817841/|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 22, 2018 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605145624/https://variety.com/2018/film/features/solo-a-star-wars-story-directors-reshoots-ron-howard-1202817841/ |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TimeRogueOne">{{cite magazine|first=Eliana|last=Dockterman|title=How Rogue One Fits Into the Star Wars Timeline|url=https://time.com/4594017/rogue-one-star-wars-timeline/|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=December 13, 2016 |access-date=June 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605145617/https://time.com/4594017/rogue-one-star-wars-timeline/ |archive-date=June 5, 2021 |url-status=live |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="GRadarOthers">{{cite web|first=Richard|last=Edwards|title=Star Wars timeline: Every major event in chronological order|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/star-wars-timeline/|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|date=August 12, 2021|access-date=September 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425000131/https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/star-wars-timeline/|archive-date=April 25, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Johanson |first=MaryAnn |date=December 16, 2016 |title=Rogue One: A Star Wars Story movie review: the high price of hope |url=https://www.flickfilosopher.com/2016/12/rogue-one-star-wars-story-movie-review-high-price-hope.html |access-date=February 27, 2024 |website=FlickFilosopher.com |language=en |archive-date=February 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227083725/https://www.flickfilosopher.com/2016/12/rogue-one-star-wars-story-movie-review-high-price-hope.html |url-status=live }}</ref>