In case you've been living on another planet for the last decades and want to understand the whole "Star Wars" phenomenon before watching the new film, read this now - and be sure to learn those classic quotes by heart.
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10 cult 'Star Wars' quotes
Star Wars characters have said the most meaningful things on the Force, fatherhood and size: Get ready for the next film with these classic quotes.
Image: Disney/Lucasfilm
'What a piece of junk!'
Smuggler and contractor Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford - who returns in "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" - is one of the leading players in the Rebel Alliance in the fight against the Galactic Empire. He won the space vehicle Millennium Falcon in a game and fixed it up, but Luke Skywalker wasn't impressed when he first saw it.
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'When I left you, I was the learner; now I am the master.'
Darth Vader said this to Obi-Wan in "A New Hope," the first in the original trilogy of Star Wars films. Originally trained as a Jedi, Darth Vader turned to the dark side, though we later find out that he was also the father of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Complicated family relations, a spooky mask, and an unforgettable raspy voice are the perfect ingredients for a blockbuster.
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'No, I'm your father'
This is probably the most famous Star Wars quote, but the way it is always repeated is not quite correct. Most people say: "Luke, I am your father" - but the original lines are slightly different. Luke Skywalker is fighting Darth Vader in Cloud City and discovers the identity of his progenitor by declaring: "You killed my father!" "No Luke. I am your father."
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'May the force be with you'
If "No Luke. I am your father" isn't the most famous quote from the Star Wars universe, this one is. The phrase is even connected to the official Star Wars day, May 4th, as in "May the fourth be with you." It's a greeting that Star Wars characters use all the time. Star Wars without the force wouldn't be Star Wars, after all.
Princess Leia often gets the short end of the stick in the trilogy, since she spends a significant amount of time in captivity. But she also gets to do something we all dream of: Be a hologram. She request Obi-Wan's help in the name of her father, who was a rebel fighter. It's cute little R2-D2 who presents her desperate message.
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'That's no moon, it's a space station.'
Foreshadowing doom is a recurring theme in the futuristic films. After all, Luke, Han, Leia and the gang are in constant danger of being blown up, sliced by lightsabers, frozen forever, and dying other horrific deaths. It's Luke's Jedi mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi who sets the facts straight and teaches the young warrior a bit about astronomy. That 'moon' is actually the Imperial Death Star.
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'These are not the droids you are looking for'
Trained Jedis, such as Obi-Wan, had the power to influence people's minds, rather than utilizing physical aggression, and Obi-Wan Kenobi was a master. When imperial stormtroopers are looking for C-3PO and R2-D2, Obi-Wan calls on the Force and simply tells the stormtrooper to keep looking. Now, if only that would work in real life, too…
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'Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?'
Princess Leia clearly wasn't afraid when Luke Skywalker showed up to rescue her from the Death Star - dressed in that uncomfortable uniform. Mark Hamill, who played Skywalker, is approximately 5' 9" or 175 cm tall, while stormtroopers average 183 cm according to starwars.com. Leia was familiar with the soldiers of the Galactic Empire and quickly recognized that Luke's suit didn't sit quite right.
Image: Reuters/D. McNew
'Judge me by size, do you?'
Luke had already been picked on by Leia for his size (back on the Death Star, in a stormtrooper costume) and apparently still hadn't recovered his self-confidence. The young Jedi still had much to learn and Yoda was quick to remind him that even a 66-centimeter alien can do anything - with the help of the Force.
'The force is strong in my family. My father has it, I have it, my sister has it.'
Luke Skywalker said this iconic phrase in "Return of the Jedi" (1983) to his sister Leia, and now it was repeated in the second teaser of Star Wars VII. The producers even used the same recording from 1983. Those two scenes are more than 30 years apart: True fans got goosebumps from the flashback quote. Get ready for more when you see the actual film.
Image: Disney/Lucasfilm
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For more than three and a half decades, the Star Wars franchise has continued to mesmerize old and new fans. "Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens" is the newest installment of the Star Wars series. The movie premiere will take place on December 14 and 15 in the U.S. and Europe, respectively.
Long time ago in a galaxy far, far away
The story of "Star Wars" first started at the end of the 1970s with the debut of "Episode IV: A New Hope," the first film of the series. The film introduced the story about the Rebel Alliance's struggle against the Galactic Empire, a classic David versus Goliath, good versus evil drama with heroes of the likes of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Han Solo and villains like Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.
The science fiction film was well ahead of its time, not only due to its plot line but also by its extensive use of high-end special effects and extremely detailed life-sized sets, becoming an instant hit among children and adults.
During its opening weekend the film earned more than 1.5 million dollars (more than 6 million in today's dollars), paving the way for the rest of the films from the series. "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) and "Episode VI: Return of the Jedi" (1983) were highly anticipated by fans and were huge hits as well.
After a hiatus of almost two decades, a prequel trilogy was released with "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" in 1999 and followed by "Episode II: Attack of the Clones in 2002" and "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" in 2005, bringing the story to a full circle. Although the prequels were strongly criticized by die-hard fans for selling their essence to Hollywood, the prequels familiarized newer generations with the "Star Wars" universe.
All around business
The franchise came along with immense merchandising in the form of television series, video games, comic books and toys with the latter being a multimillion dollar industry by itself.
The license for Star Wars toys is currently owned by the American manufacturer Hasbro Inc. and also by Lego, which has its own Star Wars-themed toy line since 1999. The Danish toy maker has extended its license in multiple occasions as it is one of its most popular and best sold lines.
The "Star Wars" phenomenon has also led fans to create their own theories and fan fiction of the series. Some of this fan material outside of the original works has been added to the saga. The fan fiction was officially known as the Star Wars expanded universe until 2012 when Disney purchased Lucasfilm, renaming it Star Wars Legends and ensuring that from now on all new media are non-contradictory to each other and past references of the Star Wars realm.
New times, new story
After acquiring Lucasfilm, Disney announced a revival of the series creating a new trilogy starting with "Episode VII: The Force Awakens," which takes place 30 years after the events of "Return of the Jedi." According to tradition and similar fashion as with the last trilogy, not much information has been shared to fans about the movie's plot, increasing the hype to a max before its release next week.
So far what we do know is that veterans Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher will reprise their roles as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia along with new heroes Rey, a mysterious scavenger and Finn, a runaway stormtrooper played by newcomers Daisy Ridley and John Boyega. The dark side will also have a new face through Kylo Ren, a warrior who is strong with the Force played by Adam Driver.