Star Wars' Original Title

Before the galaxy far, far away captured imaginations worldwide, George Lucas's initial vision for his space epic carried a considerably more elaborate name. Early concepts for the film were known by the lengthy "The Adventures of Luke Starkiller, as taken from the Journal of the Whills, Saga I: The Star Wars". This mouthful of a title hints at a deeper, more mythological framework Lucas originally envisioned, drawing inspiration from classic serials and fantasy epics.

The "Journal of the Whills" was conceived as an in-universe narrative device, a collection of Bible-like texts chronicling the events of the Star Wars universe, suggesting that the films we see are merely stories "taken from" these ancient records. Lucas initially imagined unseen chroniclers, the Whills, recording the saga, giving it a preexisting mythological quality similar to J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. While the direct framing device was eventually dropped, the concept of the Whills evolved, with Lucas later stating that the stories were "actually taken from the Journal of the Whills," and even at one point considering that R2-D2 would relay the saga to a "Keeper of the Whills" a century after the events of Return of the Jedi.

Another notable change was the protagonist's surname. Luke "Starkiller" was the original choice, a name that conveyed a more aggressive, perhaps even ominous, tone. However, concerns arose, with Lucas reportedly changing it to "Skywalker" because "Starkiller" sounded too aggressive and reminded him of figures like Charles Manson. Mark Hamill, who played Luke, even filmed scenes with the "Starkiller" name before the change was made during production, requiring reshoots for the dialogue. The unwieldy full title was ultimately streamlined to the iconic "Star Wars" for its theatrical release in 1977, with "Episode IV: A New Hope" added later during re-releases to align with the episodic structure Lucas envisioned for the saga.