FEEL THE 40

The chronology of a phenomenon. Forever will it dominate your destiny!

1977 8 March

First issue of Marvel’s Star Wars adaptation released (see p60)

1 May

First public screening of Star Wars in San Francisco

25 May

Star Wars opens in 32 cinemas in New York, Los

Angeles and San Francisco 28 November

George Lucas completes story treatment for The Empire Strikes Back

27 December

Star Wars premieres in the UK

1978 1 Feb

Star Wars Weekly launches in the UK

1 March

Splinter Of The Mind’s

Eye released, the first novel in the Expanded Universe

March

First wave of 3 3/4” Kenner action figures go on sale, priced at 99p in the UK

3 april

Star Wars

bags seven Oscars. It’s also nominated for Best Picture and Director

21 July

Star Wars gets its first rerelease, and its first tweak: C-3PO has an extra line in this print

17 November

The Star Wars Holiday Special airs. It’s as if a million voices suddenly cried out in terror...

1979 5 March

Principal photography on The Empire Strikes Back begins in Finse, Norway

11 March

A syndicated Star

Wars comic strip launches in 214 newspapers

15 august

A second rerelease for

Star Wars, complete with the first trailer for Empire 1980

16 March

Mark Hamill guests on The Muppet Show, wearing his Empire outfit

12 april

Empire novelisation released. The line, “I am your father” is out there

a month before the movie opens...

21 May

The Empire Strikes Back released

1981 20 Feb

George Lucas completes the first draft of Revenge Of The Jedi

9 March

National Public Radio adapts Star Wars for the airwaves

10 april

Star Wars gets a third release, now with Episode IV – A New Hope subtitle

1982 11 January

Revenge Of The Jedi commences principal photography at Elstree Studios

May

The Empire Strikes Back released for Atari and Mattel Intellivision systems – the first Star

Wars console game

27 May Star Wars

arrives for rental on VHS and Betamax

24 october

Star Wars gets its UK television premiere