wpostServer: http://css.washingtonpost.com/wpost
May the Force be with you Since 1977, the Star Wars universe has been embraced by millions of loyal fans and has become a mainstay of American pop culture.
Escape from the Death Star
Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), aboard the Death Star.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
The Droids
R2-D2 and C-3PO before their ship is boarded by an Imperial Star Destroyer.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Vader being Vader
Darth Vader distributes his brutal justice on a rebel soldier who is trying to protect the stolen plans to the Death Star.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
The aged Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) as he prepares to battle Darth Vader, his former friend and pupil.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Light saber duel
Darth Vader battles with Obi-Wan Kenobi aboard the Death Star.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
And I thought they smelled bad on the outside
Han Solo rides a tauntaun on the icy world of Hoth.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
The Imperial attack on Hoth
The Empire's AT-AT walkers make a ground assault on the rebels' base on Hoth.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Learning to use the Force
Jedi Master Yoda instructs Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force on the planet Dagobah.
Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved
He's a nice man — and a scoundrel
The romance between Han Solo and Princess Leia begins to bloom aboard the Millenium Falcon as they are fleeing from the Imperial fleet.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
A deal that keeps getting worse all the time
Darth Vader informs bounty hunter Boba Fett that he can take Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt to claim the bounty on Solo. Meanwhile Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) is helpless to do anything about it. Or is he?
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Frozen solid
Han Solo is encased in carbonite while a prisoner in Cloud City on the planet Bespin.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
You are not a Jedi yet
Luke Skywalker faces off against Darth Vader in Cloud City. The Force is with Luke, but Vader shows him that he still has a lot to learn.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
I am your father
Darth Vader reveals some shocking news to Luke Skywalker as they finish their duel in Cloud City.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
In Jabba's palace
The vile gangster Jabba the Hutt holds Luke's friends captive and has made Princess Leia his slave.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
I wouldn't want to face that every day
The Rancor is Jabba the Hutt's pet, but he's also a handy means of executing Jabba's enemies. Here he looks to make a meal out of Luke Skywalker.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Luke Skywalker: Jedi Knight
Luke rescues his captive friends from Jabba the Hutt's sail barge on Tatooine.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Escape from the sail barge
Luke and Princess Leia escape from Jabba the Hutt's sail barge right before it explodes.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Boba Fett before he's eaten
Boba Fett takes aim at Luke Skywalker before he gets knocked off of a floating skiff and becomes a meal for the hungry Sarlacc.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Wicket the Ewok
Wicket encounters Princess Leia on the forest moon of Endor and leads her back to the Ewoks' village.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
His overconfidence is his weakness
Emperor Palpatine lectures Luke while aboard the second Death Star.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
The power of the Force
In a rage, Luke overthrows Darth Vader, much to the Emperor's delight. But Luke will not be turned to the dark side of the Force.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
The Chosen One
As a boy, Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) has no idea how much his exploits will change the galaxy.
Keith Hamshere
/
AP
Knights of the Republic
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) prepare to fight battle droids.
Keith Hamshere
/
AP
Yoda on the Jedi Council
Jedi Master Yoda poses a question to Anakin Skywalker as the Jedi Council tests Anakin to see whether he will be trained as a Jedi.
Keith Hamshere
/
AP
A young queen, a planet under attack
Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) appears on a viewscreen aboard a Trade Federation battleship to demand that officials end their blockade of her planet, Naboo.
/
Reuters
He just can't stay out of trouble
Jar Jar Binks eyes some food while walking though an open-air market in Mos Espa on the planet Tatooine.
/
Reuters
Now, this is podracing!
Anakin Skywalker jumps into the lead ahead of his nemesis, Sebulba, in a ferociously fast race on the planet Tatooine.
/
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Forward, march!
Thousands of battle droids get ready to march out to attack the Gungan army on the plains of Naboo.
/
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Jedi vs. Sith
Obi-Wan Kenobi attacks the Sith Lord Darth Maul after Maul killed Kenobi's master, Qui-Gon Jinn.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Obi-Wan doesn't like flying
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) chase an assassin through the crowded airways of Coruscant, the central system in the Republic.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Meet the Mandalorian
Bounty hunter Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) fires his jetpack and shoots his blasters at a pursuing Obi-Wan Kenobi as he tries to leave the planet Kamino.
/
AP
The Chancellor and his advisers
Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), right, discusses the situation with one of his advisers.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
You don't want to cross him
Jedi Master Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) is about to make quick work of bounty hunter Jango Fett during a battle on the planet Geonosis.
/
AP
Count Dooku (or Darth Tyranus if you prefer)
Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) was once a Jedi Master, but he fell under the sway of the dark side of the Force and became a Dark Lord of the Sith.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
He's not ready for this yet
Anakin Skywalker holds off Count Dooku's light saber with two of his own. But Dooku is just too powerful and cuts off Anakin's right arm in the course of their duel.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Yoda to the rescue
Jedi Master Yoda shows Count Dooku that, despite his increased power from the dark side, he still has much to learn.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Forbidden love
Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) share a kiss. Despite Anakin's vows to the Jedi Order, he yields to his feelings for Padme, whom he's loved in secret for years.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Heroes of the Jedi
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, by now heroes in the Clone Wars, attempt to rescue the chancellor, who has been kidnapped by the Separatists.
/
AP
Payback time
Anakin duels again with Count Dooku as Chancellor Palpatine watches. This time, Anakin will win the day.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
He can't let go of all he fears to lose
C-3PO and R2-D2 watch as Anakin tells his wife, Padme, that he's gotten a very special assignment and that he's going to bring an end to the war.
ILM/Lucasfilm
Mace Windu almost had him
Jedi Master Mace Windu has Chancellor Palpatine, also known as Darth Sidious, defeated. But then Anakin shows up.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
A hero falls into darkness
Anakin Skywalker makes his pact with Darth Sidious/Chancellor Palpatine, and becomes the very thing he swore to destroy: a Dark Lord of the Sith named Darth Vader.
/
Reuters
That's not exactly fair
Separatist leader General Grievous presses his attack against Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Utapau. But Obi-Wan will have the last laugh, even if it was uncivilized.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Master of light
Jedi Master Yoda duels Darth Sidious, who has now claimed the title of Emperor of the First Galactic Empire.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Master of darkness
The Emperor battles with Yoda in a duel that will decide the fate of the galaxy for decades.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Brothers at war
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader fight each other on the planet Mustafar. Once brothers, they are now mortal enemies.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy
Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine survey the galaxy they now rule, and the beginnings of an ultimate weapon with enough power to destroy an entire planet — the Death Star.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES
Photos of the day
Buddhist Wesak festival, prisoners-of-war reunion, bridge collapse, world’s largest Lego model and more.
Flexing their muscles
Dozens of bodybuilders came out to Silver Spring to compete in the 2013 Musclemania Capital Tournament of Champions.
Animal views
Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.
???initialComments:true! pubdate:05/03/2012 22:14 EDT! commentPeriod:14! commentEndDate:5/17/12 10:14 EDT! currentDate:5/24/13 8:0 EDT! allowComments:false! displayComments:true!
Section:/national/on-innovations
Loading...
Comments