Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise and shared universe originally created by George Lucas. Following the release of the eponymous film in 1977, the franchise became a worldwide phenomenon that has expanded into various films, television series, video games, novels, c franchise spans multiple fictional eras "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away". Events are shaped by the interactions between human, alien, and droid characters, many of whom are considered among the most iconic characters of all time.