After nearly 30 years since the release of the first "Star Wars" film, it should come as no surprise that the "Star Wars" franchise has garnered a large fan base. The character development of the characters in the original trilogy, as well as the impressive special effects at the time, allowed for the films to maintain popularity even as generations passed — teens and young adults, who loved the films when they were first released, grew to play them for their children, who grew to love them just as much as their parents had.
Then, in the early 2000s, there was a resurgence in the franchise's popularity with the release of a prequel trilogy. While this trilogy left some original fans underwhelmed, it nonetheless inducted an entirely new generation to the "Star Wars" phenomena. More and more people began to gain interest in the original trilogy, and the fandom grew even larger. Quotes from both trilogies are pervasive in society today.
"The Force Awakens," the seventh "Star Wars" film, was released on Dec. 18 and broke a number of box office records. It picks up the story of the "Star Wars" galaxy 30 years after the end of the original trilogy, "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi." Much has changed, but there is still a battle between the light and dark sides of the Force. We are introduced to new characters, including the best pilot in the galaxy Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), skilled scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley) and former storm trooper Finn (John Boyega). The wielder of the Force on the dark side is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), a Knight of Ren with an interesting past. There is also a return of our favorite original characters. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) are still an amazing duo, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) continues to be a strong Jedi and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is now General Organa with the Resistance.
After the release of the final film in the prequel trilogy ("Episode III: Revenge of the Sith"), many fans did not believe they would receive any more history from the far-off galaxy. It came as shocking news to many when it was announced that George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, had sold the rights to the franchise to Disney. Then, when Disney announced its plans to expand the film portion of the franchise, many had their reservations. These reservations were based on the fact that any expansion of plot would not be from the creator of the original trilogy and might not fall in line with what the franchise had already established.
However, many were interested in what Disney would do with the franchise and excitement over the change began to build. For a large number of fans, it was their first opportunity to see a piece of the story they love in theaters. This interest and devotion brought fans to the box office and the film is now a success. Many are pleased with what Disney was able to do with the franchise.
"I thought they introduced a lot of new, strong characters," first-year journalism student Jacob Sprankle said. "And I'm really excited to see what they do with them in the future. I think that they've laid a really good groundwork for the upcoming trilogy."
After much skepticism, "The Force Awakens" delivered what fans wanted, leaving audiences feeling altogether optimistic about the rest of the series.