worldwide in its initial release. Fans were well aware
thatStar Warswas the first film in a projected trilogy
and that the trilogy itself was part of a larger saga that
could encompass multiple trilogies. They awaited
the next film eagerly.
TheStar Warsfilms, conceived by filmmaker
George Lucas, told of a repressive galactic empire
and a group of rebels fighting to free the galaxy from
tyranny and restore a democratic republic. They were
shot in a style that intentionally alluded to the movie
serials of the 1930’s. Each episode of this “serial,”
however, was feature-length, and they were released
years apart, rather than weekly. Lucas admitted to be-
ing influenced by Universal’sFlash Gordonserials,
even including a floating city inThe Empire Strikes Back
like the one depicted in one of those cliffhangers.The
Empire Strikes Backwas another blockbuster, although
it did not have the remarkable longevity of the first
film. In addition to being a box-office success, the
film won the 1981 Academy Award for Best Sound and
the People’s Choice Award for favorite movie. John
Williams’s score won the BAFTA Film, Golden Globe,
and Grammy awards. The script won a Hugo Award at
the annual World Science Fiction Convention for
best dramatic presentation. As had been the case with
the firstStar Warsfilm as well, a radio drama featuring
an expanded story line was heard for weeks on public
radio in 1983. The screenplay was written by Leigh
Brackett, who died of cancer while working on it, and
modified and completed by Lawrence Kasdan. Brack-
ett had been publishing science-fiction stories and
novels since 1940, many of them being “space operas”
in the mold of Lucas’s movie series.
Impact Many critics foundThe Empire Strikes Backto
be the strongest of all theStar Warsmovies. Its prede-
cessor in the series had set a new standard for movie
special effects, andThe Empire Strikes Back, released
just three years later, represented another palpable
advance. When the trilogy’s final film,The Return of
the Jedi, was released in 1983, it too featured effects
that dwarfed the achievement of the original. The
three films together, then, not only transformed spe-
cial effects but also gave the impression that the field
was entering a phase of constant technical improve-
ment, creating an audience expectation and de-
mand for ever-more-impressive effects in each new
major fantasy or science-fiction motion picture.
BeforeStar Wars, science-fiction films had not
generally required large budgets, nor had they been
driven by the sort of hyper-realism such budgets
could achieve. One notable exception had been
Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film2001: A Space Odyssey, but
theStar Warsfilms incorporated effects that were
more dazzling (if less pointedly realist) than those
of Kubrick’s work. Later science-fiction films could
not achieve major success unless they too spent the
money required to create top-quality special effects.
TheStar Warsfilms helped rejuvenate another
science-fiction franchise. After enjoying an unex-
pected level of popularity in syndication, theStar
Trektelevision series (1966-1969) had remained in
limbo. The success of theStar Warsmovies increased
the television franchise’s popularity as well, creating
the impetus for both feature films and new television
series set in theStar Trekuniverse. Thus, even though
the remainingStar Warsmovies generated less en-
thusiasm than the first two, the success ofThe Empire
Strikes Backas a sequel helped make science fiction a
highly marketable genre, both in film and in popu-
lar culture generally.
Further Reading
Arnold, Alan.Once Upon a Galaxy: A Journal of the
Making of “The Empire Strikes Back.”London:
Sphere Books, 1980.
Bouzereau, Laurent, ed.Star Wars—The Annotated
Screenplays: “Star Wars, a New Hope,” “The Empire
Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi.” New York:
Ballantine Books, 1997.
Clute, John, and Peter Nicholls, eds.The Encyclopedia
of Science Fiction. London: Little, Brown, 1993.
Paul DellingerSee also Action films;Blade Runner;E.T.: The Extra-
Terrestrial; Film in the United States; Ford, Harrison;
Science-fiction films; Sequels; Special effects.Environmental movement
Definition Activism on the part of various groups
and individuals dedicated to protecting the
environment
During the 1980’s, environmentalists continued to argue
that Americans needed to adopt more responsible, sustain-
able lifestyles. However, the economic optimism and growth
of the decade combined with the perception at the time that
environmentalism was antibusiness and antiprosperity to
weaken the mass appeal of the movement.The Eighties in America Environmental movement 335