A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....
That is where George lucas, the director/writer
of star wars set his epic story called Star wars. Some say it was an allegory on the Nazi
regime. A shout out against anarchy, tyranny, racism and oppression. A story of righteousness
and honor told and received with the utmost passion.
This is a crash course on Star Wars. A video to take you through basics of star wars, terminologies,
faces and places.
So, what is ‘Star Wars’? It is a timeless tale of Good vs Evil, Light vs Dark.
The tale is set in an immensely vast and varied universe, spread over a long timeline.
The upcoming movie, ‘Star Wars – The Force Awakens’, is a continuation of the story
of the Star Wars movie saga, spanning 6 episodic films. The release of these 6 episodes is
a bit weird. Episodes 4, 5 & 6 were released initially between 1977 and 1983. Then followed
by the prequel episodes namely 1, 2 & 3, released between 1999 and 2005. The release of these
movies is kind of similar to the Lord of the Rings movies, which was first released as
a trilogy and then its prequel trilogy, the Hobbit, getting released subsequently.
Here are some of the basics: The Force - The Force is a mystical energy
field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.
The Force stays in permanent balance between the Light side and Dark side of the force.
The Jedi – It is an ancient order of beings that can manipulate the Light side of the Force.
They function as scholars and peace keepers in the Galaxy. They channel inner
peace and focus to manipulate the Force.
The Sith – They manipulate the Dark side of the Force. It is an ancient interstellar
kratocratic government led by those who seize power through force or cunning. They channel
inner rage and hate & emotion
Luke Skywalker – He is the central protagonist of the original Star Wars trilogy. He fights
for the Rebel Alliance and became a power Jedi Knight.
Princess Leia – A senator at the Galactic Senate, she is one of the Rebel Alliance's
greatest leaders, fearless on the battlefield and dedicated to ending the tyranny of the Empire.
Han Solo - Smuggler. Scoundrel. Hero. Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon
(A Space ship), became one of the great leaders of the Rebel Alliance.
Chewbacca - Han Solo’s co-pilot aboard the Millennium Falcon. A legendary Wookiee warrior.
Yoda- Jedi Master, legendary he is. Over 800 years, he trained the Jedi. Stronger than
most in his connection with the Force.
Darth Vader - A Sith Lord, who led the Empire’s eradication of the Jedi order.
Darth Sidious (The Emperor) - Scheming, powerful, and evil to the core, Darth Sidious restored
the Sith and destroyed the Jedi Order.
Without giving too much of the movies’ story away, the Star Wars saga is about the rise
and fall of the anarchist Galactic Empire.
It also follows the story of a father (darth vader) and son (luke sky walker), thrown right
in the middle of this political upheaval. The saga is filled with stories of courage,
heroism, adventure, drama, romance, humour, revenge, hate, redemption, rebellion and revolution.
It also has numerous duels, space battles, laser guns, robot armies, planet destroying
weapons and large scale wars. It has everything expected of a sci-fi adventure.
Now there is only so much that words can describe about the magic of Star Wars. There is something
in it for every type of audience, if only you can overcome the unfair pre-conceived
notion of ‘this is meant for kids and geeks’. We are at a critical moment in the Star Wars
franchise where a new generation of characters take over.
Disney and J J Abrams (the Director) are trying to take the Star Wars fans back to the feel
of the original trilogy and far away from the bitter taste of the prequels (widely hated
by the star wars community and film critics). Expectations have never been higher for any movie.
All pre-sale records have been broken by 8 to 15 times.
May the Force be with you.
PS. If you haven’t seen a Star Wars film and want to catch up in time for Episode 7,
I advise seeing Episodes 4 through 6. Skip the prequels until after you have seen Episode 7 in a theatre.