Watch ‘Star Wars’ Trailers In Order Of Release [Videos]
Watch Star Wars trailers, for episodes I through VI in the order in which the films were released, to see how much the saga has really changed since 1977.
If you remember seeing the first of the Star Wars trailers in a movie theater, you may remember it was nothing like what we saw when director J.J. Abrams introduced The Force Awakens trailer in Anaheim last month. You can really appreciate how much time has passed since audiences were first introduced to the concept of Star Wars and how cinematography has evolved.
STAR WARS: EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE
“The story of a boy, a girl, and their universe.”
In 1977 nobody had a clue that Star Wars would literally change what we knew about movies at the time. Nothing would ever be the same for audiences who watched and enjoyed the idea of that galaxy far, far way. This trailer really shows the age of the film we now know as A New Hope, a title that was added later to keep consistency with the rest of the saga’s titles.
STAR WARS: EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
“Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) rescued Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), destroyed the Death Star, but their story didn’t end there,” the Star Wars trailer narrator announces dramatically. The trio of friends must now face the consequences of their actions and come face to face with Darth Vader.
Following the incredible success of Star Wars, fans expectations were high when they flocked to theaters in 1980 to watch the continuation of the story.
STAR WARS: EPISODE VI: REVENGE (RETURN) OF THE JEDI
As many fans already know, George Lucas was planning on naming this chapter, Star Wars: Revenge of the Jedi, but changed it to Return of the Jedi at the last minute, creating some confusion prior to the film’s release.
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” the 1982 Star Wars trailer begins.
STAR WARS: EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE
After 17-years, the anticipation for a first glimpse at The Phantom Menace was much like what we see now with Star Wars: The Force Awakens and George Lucas chose to only show it ahead of three movies in 1998. Fans came out in throes and left the movie theater as soon as the new Star Wars trailer was done. Audiences were eager to see what Lucas had up his sleeve with the new trilogy.
STAR WARS: EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES
The Star Wars trailer for Attack of the Clones was marked by Darth Vader chilling breathing, which makes it one of the darkest and shortest clips in the entire saga at barely one minute long. Episode II explores how Anakin Skywalker starts to turn to the Dark Side.
STAR WARS: EPISODE III: REVENGE OF THE SITH
The climax of this Star Wars trailer is the encounter between Anakin and Obi Wan in that final epic battle. Fans thought this was the last chapter of the saga at the time, but thankfully they were wrong and that leaves us with the latest trailer released only last month, which has more than 88 million views on YouTube.
STAR WARS: EPISODE VII: THE FORCE AWAKENS
It’s amazing to see how much things have changed since the first Star Wars trailer came to the big screen 38-years-ago. With the imminent release of The Force Awakens we are excited to see more official footage and character posters from Lucasfilm.
[Image via Disney]
