George Lucas’ brainchild Star Wars is one of the most important media franchises in pop culture, having influenced different generations ever since the release of its first movie, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
Initially called just Star Wars, the 1977 epic space opera film registered historic numbers at the box office, grossing $221 million domestically. However, that was just the start. The tale of a galaxy far, far away continued to expand with additions of new chapters and characters.
This has naturally led to countless folklore, theories, and questions surrounding the Star Wars universe. And the most intriguing question of all remains what was the thought process behind starting the storied tale with Episode IV.
Why George Lucas Started Star Wars Franchise With Episode 4
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope focuses on Luke Skywalker’s mission to save Princess Leia after she gets abducted by the insidious Darth Vader. After the success of the first movie, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi hit the theaters in quick succession and completed Star Wars original trilogy.
In 1999, George Lucas started Star Wars prequel trilogy with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Since it is chronologically the first film in the Star Wars saga, many fans thought this was always Lucas’ vision, thus explaining the numbering of the 1977 hit.
However, according to Michael Kaminski’s 2008 book The Secret History of Star Wars (via Looper), the unique numbering was done due to “technical and storytelling reasons.” The author further explained:
“Lucas had a massive, expensive epic on his hands, and divided the story into three separate films. He had also developed a backstory for his elaborate tale, which together totaled six chapters, and sought to make Episode IV first, due to technical and storytelling reasons. When the film by some miracle went into production, it was beset by problems of all kinds, and Lucas was sure it would be a failure—and was shocked when it became the biggest sensation of the year.”
Lucas was convinced his first Star Wars movie would flop. However, he still managed to make a movie that had the potential to make sense as a stand-alone story. At the same time, he filled it with terms like Clone Wars and Jedi Council to leave scope for different installments to fill the narrative holes of Episode IV.
How George Lucas’ Star Wars Episode 4 Influenced Harrison Ford’s First Indiana Jones Movie
The Star Wars saga mostly revolves around Mark Hamill’s Skywalker. However, the film also launched Harrison Ford‘s career to new heights, as fans absolutely adored his enigmatic anti-hero, Han Solo.
Interestingly, Episode IV also influenced the fate of Ford’s other iconic franchise, Indiana Jones.
It’s understood (via IMDb) that Lucas was so sure his movie would flop that instead of attending the premiere, he went on vacation to Hawaii with his friend, Steven Spielberg. During this vacation, they came up with the idea of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The 1981 action adventure proved to be a massive hit, paving the way for more Indiana Jones installments.
