Visions of the Future- Top 5 Things that Wouldn't Have Happened Without Star Wars

As we approach the release of a new Star Wars movie, it’s hard to miss all the ways  George Lucas’ space fantasy has saturated our culture. Here are five of the many iconic movies, television shows, and franchises that owe their success, popularity, and sometimes their entire existence to Star Wars.

5. Battlestar Galactica (1978)-

For many young Star Wars fans in the 1970s, Battlestar Galactica was Star Wars on tv- the thing that tided them over until the next movie came out. It’s easy to see why. Do a Google search on Battlestar Galactica, and compare it aesthetically to A New Hope. The resemblance is uncanny. The legends even tell that Gene Coon of Star Trek fame recommended to Glen Larson that he put the word “star” in the title, in order to cash in on the popularity of Star Wars, (and Star Trek, to some degree).

4. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)-

This feel-good sci-fi came out while the original Star Wars trilogy was still being released. Spaceships and aliens were all the rage. As an interesting side note, there is a theory that E.T. comes from the Star Wars galaxy, as Star Wars figures and a Yoda cameo appear in E.T., and E.T.’s race appears in the senate chamber  in The Phantom Menace.

3. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)-

This movie breaks the mold, as it is not sci-fi or pure fantasy. However, this iconic adventure flick, and its sequels, may never have sold were it not for the popularity George Lucas and Harrison Ford had attained after the first two Star Wars movies.

2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)-

When the actors who played the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise saw that Imperial Star Destroyer cruise through space in the first few moments of Star Wars, they started looking forward to the phone call from the studio. This is one of the reasons I believe the perceived feud between Star Trek and Star Wars is silly. George Lucas admits to being heavily inspired by Star Trek in creating Star Wars; and, without Star Wars, the cultural phenomena that is Star Trek would have ended at the cancellation of The Animated Series.

1. Pixar (All of it)-

Before the legendary animation company was making everyone cry with their incredible stories and beautiful CG, they were the Graphics Group, which was part of Lucasfilm back in 1979.

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora