More than 40 years after it arrived on the big screen and galvanised a generation of viewers, Star Wars remains a touchstone of popular culture, gathering countless new followers. Directed by George Lucas and released in 1977, the original film launched the career of Harrison Ford, popularised the Princess Leia “cinnamon bun” hairstyle and gave rise to the much-repeated refrain “May the Force be with you”. Driven by a classic narrative of good versus evil, the gripping galactic saga of the Jedi and the Sith generated two sequels and three prequels before Lucas relinquished his light sabre to Disney in 2012. Since then, Disney has taken the “Skywalker Saga” to stellar heights with a sequel trilogy: The Force Awakens (2015), The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Available date: 12 May 2022