The very concept of science fiction dates back to the 1800s, with early pioneers like Mary Shelley and Jules Verne paving the way for modern sci-fi stories and cinema ranging from Metropolis to Flash Gordon to Star Wars. In May 1977, director George Lucas ushered in a new era of science fiction, and he set a rather high standard in the process.
Today, the massive Star Wars franchise has plenty of competition in the realm of science fiction, but in many ways, Star Wars is still the apex of sci-fi and a lot of modern science fiction owes a lot to this franchise. From the 1970s to now, the Star Wars universe has done many things better than any sci-fi story before or after it, allowing it to stand the test of time.
10 Star Wars Has The Best Aliens
Many science fiction stories involve extraterrestrial life, from the Vulcans of Star Trek to Dune's massive sandworms and Halo's Elites, among many others. Meanwhile, Star Wars has always had the best alien design for humanoid characters and for wildlife alike.
Star Wars boasts some of sci-fi's most iconic, memorable, and lovable aliens, from the short bat-eared Yoda to the nightmarish Sarlacc to the furry Wookiee race. In Legends, Star Wars has even more exotic aliens such as vampires who patronize the arts or beings who can calculate hyperspace jumps in their heads.
9 Star Wars Has Timeless, Catchy Music
There is no single "correct" way to compose or play science fiction music, though sci-fi is often associated with synths such as Blade Runner's melancholic soundtrack, composed by Vangelis. The Star Wars franchise, for its part, has a legendary soundrack that still sets a high standard for sci-fi today.
This beloved OST is packed with iconic songs such as the Imperial March and the opening crawl music, and most other sci-fi movies and shows have yet to clear that high bar. Many fans agree that it was John Williams' music that truly made Star Wars the instant hit it really was.
8 Star Wars Blends Genres Seamlessly
Science fiction may be its own genre rooted in the possibilities of advanced technology and alien life, but the genre can become stale if it focuses entirely on that. More than any other sci-fi franchise, Star Wars smartly taps into other genres and inspirations to feel fresh and distinct.
Several major ingredients made Star Wars what it is, with Westerns playing a role in desert towns and drifting gunslingers. Akira Kurosawa and Japanese culture played a part too, as did Flash Gordon and even the Holy Bible, all of which makes Star Wars far more than shiny spaceships and aliens.
7 Star Wars Has Excellent Costume Design
Costume design is important for any genre, but it's doubly so far works of fantasy and science fiction, which open the doors to some truly creative and memorable costume design. The characters of Star Wars wear all kinds of cool outfits, many of which pay homage to the franchise's diverse inspirations.
This saga features everything from Japanese-style robes and fancy outfits for the Naboo queen to shiny stormtrooper armor, stylish Rebel X-wing pilot flight suits, and more. Star Wars feels more grounded and familiar with these costumes, which can tell viewers a lot about the characters who wear them at a glance.
6 Star Wars Has The Best Villains
Some sci-fi villains are pop culture icons, from HAL-9000 and its single red eye to Khan Noonien Singh in The Wrath of Khan, but not even they can compare to Star Wars' best antagonists. The imposing Darth Vader, for example, was a breakout star in A New Hope and terrified moviegoers everywhere.
Vader's black outfit, heavy breathing, booming voice, and Force powers made him a top-tier villain, and Star Wars kept it up with the sinister, brilliant Emperor Palpatine. Now Star Wars also has more diverse and creative villains like the four-armed General Grievous, the smug Moff Gideon, and the emotionally distraught Kylo Ren.
5 Star Wars Has The Best Ship Designs
The NCC-1701 Enterprise became an iconic sci-fi ship first in the 1960s, but when Star Wars launched in the late '70s and early '80s, it succeeded Star Trek as a true pioneer of creative ship designs. Even A New Hope, on its own, has more iconic ships than any other sci-fi movie franchise.
X-Wings, the Millennium Falcon, TIE interceptors, and Imperial Star Destroyers are exciting and visually stunning ships to watch in the Star Wars movies, and sci-fi fans will never forget them. Other, even more off-beat ship designs appeared soon after that, such as Boba Fett's Slave I and the circular Droid Control Ship.
4 Star Wars Has Themes Of Redemption
Some science fiction movies and TV shows may depict a character deeply regretting an experiment gone wrong or blaming themselves for a space battle that was lost, but Star Wars handles guilt and redemption in better ways. This movie franchise adds a more personal touch, especially with the tragic Skywalker family.
Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side, and he wrote himself off as a lost cause. Then, in 1983's Return of the Jedi, Vader was inspired when Luke tried to see the good in him, and Vader was redeemed as he turned on the Emperor to save Luke's life.
3 Star Wars Has A Lived-In Feel
Some science fiction movies or shows opt for a clean, sterile setting of steel and glass, and that may serve a purpose in the story. Then again, such settings don't feel alive or familiar, so Star Wars went in the opposite direction with a "lived-in" feel.
In many small, charming ways, the Star Wars universe made itself feel alive and slightly worn out, from rusty droids falling apart to chipped paint on the walls to cobbled-together, mismatched furniture in people's homes. Settings such as Tatooine and Jakku have this lived-in feel more than CGI landscapes like Coruscant.
2 Star Wars Has Great Historical Parallels
Star Wars drew upon not just cowboy movies and Flash Gordon for inspiration, but also real-world history, it would seem. The original trilogy was clearly meant to be like World War II, with a tyrannical, hateful regime fighting a band of sympathetic freedom fighters.
Then, the prequel trilogy went even further back into history, drawing some fascinating parallels with the Romans. Clearly, Palpatine was meant to be like Julius Caesar, obtaining emergency powers to rule and then refusing to relinquish those powers. In so doing, two different republics became empires—one fictional and one quite real.
1 Star Wars Has Cool Alien Languages
Most sci-fi movies with aliens in them will include one or more alien languages, some of which are fleshed out in great detail or have creative sources of inspiration. The Star Wars movies do this best, featuring a variety of alien languages that sound distinct from one another and are instantly recognizable.
Some languages, like Huttese, simply involve made-up words while others are more guttural sounds from truly alien mouths. Most of all, a few Star Wars alien languages are actually real-life indigenous languages that have very few speakers. This is how the characters sound "alien" to moviegoers while subtly celebrating and highlighting these overlooked languages and their cultures of origin.