Don't worry if you haven't seen any of the films, and even if you don't like "Star Wars." I think this is one way of explaining the hype of it all without having any spoilers in case you'd like to see them at some point. Yeah, "Star Wars" is one of the many faces of geek culture, but it is so much more than that.
For many, "Star Wars" is a childhood classic that brought the family together and allowed kids to build on their imagination and awe for space and the unknown. I was introduced to the films through a video game ("Star Wars: Republic Commando" which was lit af) that was passed down to me, and it sparked my interest on the clones and the rest of the characters and settings of the film.
You have been exposed to "Star Wars" whether you want to or not, with famous lines such as "Luke, I am your father," "It's a trap," or "Do. Or do not. There is no try." You might even know the main characters like Chewbacca, R2D2, Yoda, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader and a few others you might have subconsciously been introduced to as references in TV shows like "The Big Bang Theory," "Supernatural," "Family Guy" and many others. Even some of the harshest film critics would agree with me when I say that the original trilogy is a masterpiece of its time. Even if the following prequel trilogy ranked low, it still holds a great story and each film has its own individuality, while still being a part of the whole saga.
"Star Wars" does a great job building up the expectations of the recently released movies with their trailers, reminding people of the classic soundtrack that is identifiable to many, highlighting the sound of a lightsaber and keeping the same family friendly humor for everyone to enjoy. The recent movies successfully give lead roles to a very diverse cast. Like in the first six movies, little girls are also given phenomenal role models, just as Leia Organa (whom I personally looked up to) inspired strong, stunning women not only in their looks but in their fighting spirit. "Star Wars" offers great wisdom and inspiring characters which every viewer can admire.
Although "Star Wars" is not the first science fiction film, it did collect ideas of settings and technology from many other previous sci-fi hits, almost like a tribute to the past (like "Flash Gordon"). The first three trilogies did, however, inspire countless imitations (like "Battlestar Galactica") and started a new film era for many movies that came after it. A lot of sci-fi films are more dystopian, offering more of an "end of the world" setting, and "Star Wars" offered something different: "A New Hope" (see what I did there). The creativity of making aliens, technology and sounds believable is what has inspired a lot of successful futuristic effects in films today.
The connections many people relate to the real world are that of Rome, the Odyssey, the dark side of being Nazi, Weimar Republic's fall, racism in America, Richard Nixon, the Cold War and so many others to which many fans have dedicated time and effort to explain the parallels between this fiction and the real world. Ultimately it amazes me to read other fans and critics' take on their connections to the film. There is so much out there that I don't know how anyone cannot truly appreciate at least one thing from this universe.
The universe that "Star Wars" offers allows its fans to dive deeper in their own interest within the planets, weapons and aliens, and to develop their own thoughts and connections with spin-off series, novels, comic books, video games and so much more. This universe can be built upon and expanded, so there is always something new to appreciate.
Overall my love for the film is so much more than this tip of the iceberg explanation, and all I can really say is that the more I rewatch the films, the more my appreciation and awe for it grows. I can understand how it might be hard to remember all the characters and the diversity of the dialects, aliens, planets, etc. can get confusing and even boring to some people, but it is worth the watch.
Now each film is a story of its own, having the introductory crawl explaining everything that happened in the previous film as a recap to the "story" you will start to watch. Personally, the order which I suggest watching the films is starting with the new movie "Rogue One" (IV), "The Empire Strikes Back" (V), "Return of the Jedi" (VI), "The Phantom Menace" (I), "Attack of the Clones" (II), "Revenge of the Sith" (III) and ending it with the recent film "The Force Awakens" (VII). The two most popular orders of watching the film include the release order, or chronologically (keeping in mind that "Rogue One" is an anthology and not part of the original saga).
