A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
So starts one of the best movie serieses of all time. This movie has it all-characters, plot, adventure, special effects... it defined sci-fi forever. Gone were the days of straight-laced Federations and smooth-lined battleships. Suddenly heroes could be grungy rogues with asymmetrical buckets of bolts for space ships. Aliens weren't enemies with weird ears intent on our defeat, but quirky guys who sat in cantinas and crowded around Jabba's throne and looked like they actually belonged in the world.
Of course the best-known contribution of Star Wars was the mystical power that has a light side and a dark side and holds the galaxy together. While we have to make due with duct tape, our heroes had something even better: the Force. "Use the Force" has become one of the most-quoted lines of all time, and with good reason. Lucas had combined high-tech spaceships, blasters, and aliens with mysticism, swords and magic. It made for a unique combination that defines Star Wars and influences everything currently in sci fi.