The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars, but later had the subtitle Episode IV A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels. Star Wars was released on by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, initially spawning two sequels. The events depicted in Star Wars media take place in a fictional galaxy. Many species of alien creatures (often humanoid) are depicted. Robotic droids are also commonplace and are generally built to serve their owners. Space travel is common, and many planets in the galaxy are members of a Galactic Republic, later reorganized as the Galactic Empire.
