So maybe you’re being dragged along to see “The Force Awakens” by your fanboy boyfriend or fangirl girlfriend, or maybe it’s been years since you watched the original trilogy, or maybe you just want to check out what all this “Star Wars” stuff is about (finally, geez). Here’s a quick recap of the previous six films in the franchise, each in 100 words or less. We’ve also bolded other terms or people who might need further explanation, and defined them afterward. May the Force be with you, my young padawan.
” The Force: A power, sort of like magic, that exists within the “Star Wars” universe. It can be manipulated and controlled by certain individuals who can use it to move things without touching them, affect the thoughts of others and enhance their reflexes and strength in combat.
” Padawan: A Jedi in training.
WARNING: SPOILERS, there are.
Episode I—The Phantom Menace
Two Jedi, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), rescue Queen Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), whose planet is being invaded. Along the way they discover Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a boy in whom the Force is super strong, and the Jedi bring him along to train him. Turns out the planet invasion is part of a bigger plan by the Sith to rule the galaxy.
Extras
“ Jedi: Guardians of peace and justice who are trained to use the Force for good. Their weapon of choice is the lightsaber. (Lightsaber: Laser sword, basically.)
” Queen Padmé Amidala: Queens are elected (not hereditary titles) on the planet Naboo. Padmé was elected at 14 years old.
” Anakin Skywalker: His mother was a slave on the planet Tatooine. He had no father and is believed to have been conceived through the Force (like the Immaculate Conception in Christian religions).
” Sith: Those who use the Force for bad. They belong to the dark side.
Episode II—Attack of the Clones
Ten years later, Anakin (now Hayden Christensen) is a padawan being trained by Obi-Wan. After someone tries to assassinate Padmé, now a senator in the Galactic Republic, Anakin is assigned to protect her and of course falls in love with her. They marry in secret, because Jedi are supposed to live solitary lifestyles. Republic leader Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is granted emergency powers as the Jedi and the Republic fight to keep the Separatist Alliance from breaking away, but it turns into all-out civil war.
Extras
” Galactic Republic: Governing body of the galaxy, kind of like the European Union, except for planets and star systems.
” Separatist Alliance: A group of planets that wants to break away from the Galactic Republic. The group is secretly being led and influenced by the Sith.
Episode III—Revenge of the Sith
A few years later, the Republic falls. Palpatine turns out to be a Sith and becomes Emperor of the new Galactic Empire. Preying on Anakin’s fear that the pregnant Padmé will die in childbirth, he convinces Anakin to join the dark side. Padmé gives birth to twins and ends up dying anyway. Anakin nearly dies in a fight with Obi-Wan and is put in a protective suit to save his life, transforming him into Darth Vader. His children, whom he thinks also died, are adopted by two different families to protect them from their father and the dark side.
Extras
” Darth Vader: Formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, the right-hand man of the Emperor. The armor he wears is not just for show, but rather a mobile life support suit that keeps him alive (except the cape, that seems to be for dramatic effect).
Episode IV—A New Hope
Nineteen years after the rise of the Galactic Empire, farm boy Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) runs into an older Obi-Wan, who starts training him as a Jedi. With the help of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca aboard the Millennium Falcon, they rescue Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), a Rebel leader who was captured by Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers for information about the rebellion’s plans against the Empire. Obi-Wan is killed by Vader in the process. Luke and Han join the Rebel fight and blow up the Death Star.
Extras
” Luke Skywalker: Son of Padmé and Anakin/Darth Vader. He was adopted by Anakin’s stepbrother and his wife.
” Han Solo: A smuggler and owner of the Millennium Falcon.
” Chewbacca: A Wookiee (tall, hairy creature), co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon and Han Solo’s BFF.
” Millennium Falcon: The fastest starship in the galaxy.
” Princess Leia Organa: Daughter of Padmé and Anakin/Darth Vader. She was adopted by Senator Bail Organa and his wife, Queen Breha of the planet Alderaan, so she grew up a princess.
” Stormtroopers: Solders of the Imperial Army. (Imperial: Refers to anything Empire-related.)
” Death Star: A huge Imperial space station that has the power to blast whole planets into smithereens. It was destroyed by Luke Skywalker in Episode IV, with an assist from Han Solo.
Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
The Rebels suffer a string of losses against the Empire. Luke leaves to finish his training with Yoda, an old Jedi master. Darth Vader captures Han and Leia (whose relationship is in the “it’s complicated” stage), laying a trap for Luke, who falls for it and leaves Yoda before his training is complete. He gets his ass kicked (and arm chopped off) by Darth Vader, who has a Maury moment and reveals he’s Luke’s father. Han is shipped off to Jabba the Hutt, who has a bounty out on him, and Luke is rescued by Leia and Chewbacca.
Extras
” Yoda: Formerly a leader of the Jedi during the days of the Republic. After the fall of the Republic, he went into hiding on Dagobah, a swamplike planet.
” Jabba the Hutt: An alien gangster whom Han Solo worked for when he was a smuggler. He put a bounty out on Han after Han failed to deliver a shipment of goods. He’s killed by Princess Leia when she and Luke rescue Han.
Episode VI—Return of the Jedi
Luke and Leia save Han from Jabba, then Luke returns to finish his training, but Yoda is on his deathbed. Before Yoda dies, he confirms that Vader is Luke’s father and that Luke has a sister (Leia). The Rebels launch an attack against the Empire from the Ewok planet Endor to destroy the Death Star II as Luke confronts the Emperor and Vader. As the Emperor goes in for the kill, Vader has a change of heart and saves Luke by killing the Emperor, but Vader himself dies shortly after. The dark side is defeated, the Rebels party, huzzah.
Extras
” Ewok: Cute but ferocious teddy bear-looking creatures who help the Rebels defeat the Imperial forces on their planet, Endor.
” Death Star II: If at first you don’t succeed, try and die again.
Bonus Terms: Droids!
Droids = robots
BB-8: A new droid that will first appear in Episode VII. Its head is similar to R2-D2’s, but its roly-poly spinning body makes it more mobile and quick. Set to rival R2-D2 in adorableness.
C-3PO: A translator droid (robot) that appears in every film and is besties with R2-D2. He usually supplies an endless stream of annoying commentary and panics when things go wrong. Anakin built C-3PO when he was a boy. Nickname: Threepio.
R2-D2: A mechanic droid that appears in every film. It’s extremely useful in tight situations by repairing things and helping open and lock down doors during escapes. It was a repair robot on Queen Amidala’s spaceship in Episode I and hid the Rebel plans for Princess Leia in Episode IV. Nickname: Artoo.
Sources: StarWars.com, LA Times, the ‘Star Wars’ films and a childhood spent watching them
