Star Wars (film)

"It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire. During the battle, Rebel spies managed to steal secret plans to the Empire's ultimate weapon, the DEATH STAR, an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet. Pursued by the Empire's sinister agents, Princess Leia races home aboard her starship, custodian of the stolen plans that can save her people and restore freedom to the galaxy...."

"Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together."

"Mos Eisley spaceport: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."

"[after the Death Star has destroyed Alderaan] I felt a great disturbance in the Force... as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

"Who's the more foolish? The fool, or the fool who follows him?"

"Use the Force, Luke."

"It's your father's lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster, but an elegant weapon for a more... civilized age. For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire."

"A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father. Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force."

"[Seeing the Death Star] That's no moon. It's a space station."

"I have a very bad feeling about this."

"We seem to be made to suffer. It's our lot in life."

"We’re doomed!"

"You are part of the Rebel Alliance and a traitor! Take her away!"

"And now, Your Highness, we will discuss the location of your hidden Rebel base."

"This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Kenobi. It will soon see the end of the Rebellion."

"The Force is strong with this one."

"[to Luke, in disguise] Aren’t you a little short for a stormtrooper?"

"[to Han Solo] You needn't worry about your reward. If money is all that you love, then that's what you'll receive. [to Luke Skywalker] Your friend is quite a mercenary. I wonder if he really cares about anything... or anybody."

"Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money."

"[to Chewbacca, after the group is trapped in a garbage disposal center] That garbage chute was a really wonderful idea! What an incredible smell you’ve discovered!"

"May the Force be with you."

"A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..."

"Well, I liked Star Wars. I thought Battlestar Galactica was such a close imitation of Star Wars, emphasizing the less attractive portions, that I was a little impatient with it."

"They don't exactly give you a course in acting in a science fiction movie. At one point I'm supposed to react to seeing my planet blow up. You know, there go my parents, my record collection, everything. What do I see? A hand waving to tell me where to look."

"Hidden Fortress was an influence on Star Wars right from the beginning. I was searching around for a story. I had some scenes—the cantina scene and the space battle scene—but I couldn’t think of a basic plot. Originally, the film was a good concept in search of a story. And then I thought of Hidden Fortress, which I’d seen again in 1972 or ’73, and so the first plots were very much like it."

"I had the Star Wars project in mind even before I started my last picture, American Graffiti, and as soon as I finished I began writing Star Wars in January 1973... In fact, I wrote four entirely different screenplays for Star Wars, searching for just the right ingredients, characters and storyline. It's always been what you might call a good idea in search of a story."

"My main reason for making it was to give young people an honest, wholesome fantasy life, the kind my generation had. We had westerns, pirate movies, all kinds of great things. Now they have The Six Million Dollar Man and Kojak. Where are the romance, the adventure, and the fun that used to be in practically every movie made?"

"Before Star Wars, the films that were box-office hits were The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Bonnie and Clyde and The French Connection - gritty, amoral art movies. Then suddenly the onus switched over to spectacle and everything changed... I don't know if that is a good thing."

"Hollywood industrialized mythology, and then weaponized it. It is widely believed that the Soviet Union folded because they couldn’t compete with America’s missile shield program, nicknamed Star Wars. I’d argue that the Soviets folded because they couldn’t compete with the movie Star Wars."

"Before Star Wars I hadn’t experienced audience participation in a film since I was a kid. I used to sit there with a bag of popcorn and sing with the rest of the kids. And everybody used to shout “Look out behind you!? And all that. Then I saw Star Wars and it was amazing! I was knocked out. I thought, “God, this guy Lucas really knows what he’s doing!” Star Wars change my whole attitude about certain types of cinema that I‘m interested in."

"The most important line in “Star Wars,” to me, is the moment Luke looks at the Millennium Falcon, the most beautiful ship I’ve ever seen, and says, “What a piece of junk!”"

"Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker"

"Harrison Ford as Han Solo"

"Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa"

"Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi"

"Anthony Daniels as C-3PO"

"Kenny Baker as R2-D2"

"Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca"

"Peter Cushing as Grand Moff Tarkin"

"David Prowse as Darth Vader"

"James Earl Jones as the voice of Darth Vader"