The latest film tells the story of a young Han Solo. Actor Alen Ehrenreich plays the renegade space pilot with humor and respect for the original character, portrayed by Harrison Ford. Taking place before Episode IV, the film explains how Solo got to know his Wookie pal Chewbacca.

In 1977, the smuggler Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker appeared for the first time on the silver screen. The trio was central to episodes IV-VI, (Star Wars, 1977; The Empire Strikes Back, 1980; Return of the Jedi, 1983), and met again decades later in Episode VII - The Force Awakens, from 2015.

Since 1977, Star Wars enthusiasts have been regularly celebrating the release of a new episode. They don't mind the jumps in the timeline. A real Star Wars fan knows exactly "when" each episode is set. The events in Rogue One take place between Episode III - Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV - A New Hope, the new title for the original Star Wars movie.

In the Star Wars universe, members of the Jedi Order use their power to do good. The Force gives them superhuman abilities. For example, they can move objects using their mind. Their strongest weapon is the lightsaber. The most famous Jedi Knights are Luke and Anakin Skywalker (the latter is shown right in the picture), Obi-Wan Kenobi (left) and Master Yoda.

Yoda is the most powerful Jedi Knight of all time; he knows how to use the Force like no other. For over 800 years, he has been training young disciples, known as Padawan learners, to become Jedi Knights. His language is strange; his words are wise. He is only 66 cm (26 inches) tall, but even his largest opponents know the Jedi Master should not be judged by his size.

In Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda trains the young Luke Skywalker. Luke is very insecure and does not believe in his powers. Yoda teaches him the Jedi philosophy and new mental skills. He also warns him not to let negative feelings take over: "Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

The Sith are an Order on the dark side of the Force. Sith are mostly former Jedi Knights who have left the light side hoping to obtain more power. Famous Siths include Darth Vader, Darth Maul and Darth Sidious. Pictured here is Darth Tyranus, who was known as Count Dooku when he was a Jedi.

Darth Vader used to be Jedi Anakin Skywalker. Wanting to save the life of his wife and unborn children, he was pulled into the dark force by the Galactic Emperor himself. Anakin then became Darth Vader, while his children Luke and Leia were rescued and hidden. Twenty years later, Luke and Vader met again in a climatic confrontation, where the son discovered that the grim figure was his father.

He is actually a charismatic member of the Senate governing a large planetary republic. But secretly, Sheev Palpatine is a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. He calls for an uprising against the Republic. He rises to the position of Supreme Chancellor and then Emperor, aiming to rule on the entire universe. He is responsible for the worst of all weapons...

The Death Star is the Imperial super-weapon. It's the size of the moon and is devastatingly destructive. Princess Leia witnessed a cruel demonstration of its power, as a blast from its superlaser destroyed her home planet, Alderaan. The Death Star had a weak point, allowing the rebels to strike back and destroy it — but the next Death Star was already under construction.

Controlled by the dark side of the Force, hundreds of thousands of soldiers — the stormtroopers — are the main ground force of the Galactic Empire. They have always been loyal to the supreme commander, the Galactic Emperor, and follow their superiors — such as here, Kylo Ren — without questioning them. In Episode VII, stormtrooper Finn breaks with this tradition and joins the good guys.

Along with humanoids, the Star Wars universe features a few inhuman creatures, such as the powerful criminal Jabba the Hutt, a disgusting monster who has unfinished business with the ex-smuggler Han Solo. In order to reinforce his demands, he enslaves Princess Leia. The bikini worn by actress Carrie Fischer in that scene has become legendary.

The Imperial weapons' massive size alone is already meant to frighten opponents. The four-legged AT-AT walkers are combat vehicles that can move quickly on any terrain while transporting troops. Their heads contain tons of the destructive projectiles. A similarly evil combat device is the two-legged All Terrain Scout Transport, or AT-ST.

While the Death Star was still being built, the ships of the Imperial fleet were holding the fort. Pictured here is a gigantic Star Destroyer, flanked by small and maneuverable starfighters that combat the Rebels in their own rapid ships, leading to fast-paced duels. In 1977, Star Wars creator George Lucas established new standards in special effects with these spectacular scenes.

Composer John Williams wrote the soundtrack to all Star Wars films. The main theme and the dark march accompanying Darth Vader are world famous. The song "Cantina Song" from Episode IV also became instantly cult. It is played by the alien band Figrin D'an and the Modal Nodes in the original 1977 film.

Smuggling belongs to Han Solo's past by Episode VII, and his relation with Princess Leia is also over — even though they are married. After many years, they meet again, and once again, their goal is to fight against the Empire. They're all older — except Han Solo's loyal friend, the Wookie Chewbacca, who accompanies Han until the end. His growl is legendary.

Already present in the first films, the golden know-it-all droid C3PO and his small beeping counterpart, R2D2, make up one of the most iconic twosome of film history. In Episode VII, another cute robot joined them: BB-8 (left). These three droids are loyal to the main characters and have already saved them from perilous situations.

Introduced in Episode VII, Rey is a new heroine whose origin still hasn't been explained. Is she the daughter of Leia and Han Solo? Or Luke Skywalker's? No one knows what happened in the 30 years after Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Rogue One invited audiences to go back in time to find out.

This stand-alone spin-off movie is set in the period between Episode III and IV. The Empire is building its first Death Star and wants to test its destructive power. As Star Wars fans know, it can destroy a whole planet with a single blast. The Rebels want to steal the design plans for the weapon. The whole story runs parallel to the original Star Wars narrative.

Just before Christmas 2017, the eighth part of the Star Wars saga was released. In Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Rey tries to win over Jedi recluse Luke Skywalker and bring him back into the Resistance. Meanwhile, the "First Order" wants to completely annihilate the rebel army led by Leia Organa. Poe and Finn do their best to prevent this.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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…

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.

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.

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.