USA TODAY International Edition
A ‘ Star Wars’ primer for cave dwellers
The whole galaxy knows this stuff
So you’ve heard that it’s Star Wars Day ( aka # MayThe4th) but somehow managed to go your whole life without watching any Star Wars movies? Well, the good news is that you’ve got seven months to get caught up on your viewing before The Last Jedi arrives in December. Meanwhile, these basic Star Wars details will help you fake your way through the fan holiday:
1 THERE ARE THREE ORIGINAL MOVIES THAT CAME OUT BEFORE THE THREE PREQUELS. PEOPLE TEND TO THINK THE FORMER ARE BETTER. (‘ ROGUE ONE’ TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THEM.) Star Wars made its debut in 1977. Two sequels followed: The Empire Strikes Back ( 1980) and Return of the Jedi ( 1983). Those three movies revolve around Leia Organa ( the late Carrie Fisher), Luke Skywalker ( Mark Hamill) and Han Solo ( Harrison Ford).
Three prequels followed: The Phantom Menace ( 1999), Attack of the Clones ( 2002) and Revenge of the Sith ( 2005). They focus on the characters Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amadala, Obi- Wan Kenobi and Qui- Gon Jinn.
Chronologically, 2015’ s The Force Awakens is set about 30 years after Return of the Jedi. That movie centers on Rey, Finn, Han and Leia. Rogue One precedes the story of the first Star Wars and focuses on Jyn Erso.
2 LUKE AND LEIA ARE THE CHILDREN OF PADME AND ANAKIN. THIS MAKES FOR AWKWARDNESS. Leia is related to Luke. The characters don’t find out until Return of the Jedi that they are long- lost twins adopted by different families. This is a surprising revelation, considering Leia kissed Luke in The Empire Strikes Back. Their parents abandoned them when Anakin turned to the Dark Side.
3 ANAKIN BECOMES DARTH VADER. Darth Vader is the bad guy in the black mask who breathes loudly. He used to be a Jedi, a good knight who uses the metaphysical power of the Force to guard justice in the galaxy.
Vader eventually tells Luke he is his father. ( If you know one thing, you probably know this.)
4 DROIDS R2- D2 AND C- 3PO ARE BFFS. R2- D2 is a spunky little robot who decodes and makes adorable sounds. His counterpart C- 3PO is a humanlike protocol droid fluent in many languages. 5CHEWBACCA AND HAN SOLO ARE BFFS. Han, a smuggler- turned- goodguy, flies the Millennium Falcon with co- pilot Chewbacca. Chewie is a 7- foot- tall Wookiee, a hairy bipedal mammal who speaks in growls. The two join Luke, Obi- Wan and Leia in Rebel attacks against the Empire.
6 LEIA LOVES HAN. HE KNOWS. Leia eventually tells Han she loves him, before he gets frozen in carbonite. His response? “I know.”
7 HAN AND LEIA HAD A CHILD. HE IS NOT A NICE GUY. Han and Leia had a son, Kylo Ren, who has embraced the Dark Side and winds up killing his father. ( Children watching their parents die is a theme in Star Wars.)
8‘ MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU.’ A Star Wars phrase used to say “goodbye and good luck.” On Star Wars Day ( May 4), Jedi faithful say “May the 4th be with you.” Get it?