Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The saga, which began in 1977, continues with the seventh film in the series. 

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Rated: PG-13

Release date: December 18, 2015

Directed by: J.J. Abrams

Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega

It has been 10 years since the release of a new Star Wars movie. But the saga, which began in 1977, now continues with the seventh film in the series. Set “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away,” the new movie picks up the story about 30 years after 1983’s Return of the Jedi. It reveals that while the Rebel Alliance defeated the evil Galactic Empire, and the villainous Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader are gone, the struggle between good and evil is not over. New heroes and villains are carrying on the fight, while some old favorites return. The key players include Rey (Daisy Ridley), who lives as a scavenger on a desert planet, and Finn (John Boyega), a young soldier in the First Order, an organization inspired by the Empire.

Longtime Star Wars fans were thrilled to learn that characters from the original film, such as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia, will appear. The actors who played those roles were happy to return, too. “I was proud and grateful to once again be involved,” Harrison Ford, who plays Han, told a crowd of more than 6,000 at San Diego Comic-Con in July. “It was great to be back.”

Did you know?

Return of the Jedi ended the story of Luke Skywalker and his friends. Around the time of its release in 1983, Mark Hamill, who plays Luke, told a television interviewer that Star Wars creator George Lucas had spoken to him about possibly playing a much older version of Luke in a future movie.

According to Hamill, Lucas expected the film to be released in 2011. Talk about planning ahead! As it turned out, Lucas was only a few years off. 

Which of the other Star Wars movies have you seen? Did you like them?