Star Wars celebrates 40th anniversary on May 25
Star Wars 40th Anniversary Logo Credit: MilnersBlog.com
May 25 marks the official 40th anniversary of Star Wars and the franchise is still going strong after all these years.
40 years ago in a galaxy far, far away a franchise was born from an unlikely source: a science fiction movie called Star Wars. In 1977 Star Wars was just a movie that came out and no one knew how it would be received, but once it debuted it became an instant classic. Now, four decades and several sequels, prequels, cartoons, spoofs, spinoffs, and boatloads of merchandising later we see that Star Wars shows no signs of stopping.
It’s quite possible that fans who saw the movie in theaters in 1977 knew how big Star Wars would become. We’ll credit their high midichlorians for their ability to see that the Force was strong with Star Wars, and it would continue to grow stronger over the years.
Four decades after Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Darth Vader became household names, we’re now getting to know the new faces in the Star Wars universe after the 2015 premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and 2017’s upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
2016 was a tough year for fans after the death of two beloved members of the original Star Wars cast: Carrie Fisher and Kenny Baker. While they are no longer with us, their presence will continue to be felt in perpetuity thanks to the marks they left in our lives.
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On this anniversary let us give thanks to everyone who has helped to create this wonderfully rich universe filled with so many characters that resonate with so many people. Whether you’re rooting for the Dark Side or the Rebel Alliance, fans are brought together as a family through our shared love of all things Star Wars.