(born 1944) Film-maker George Lucas envisioned his film series as both a return to the Saturday morning movie serials he had loved as a youth and as a retelling of myths which had taken root long before he was born. As movies, Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and The Return of the Jedi (1983) set new standards in special-effects production. They were especially popular with an audience segment which in the trilogy’s wake would become the film studios’ primary target: the youth market. In 1999 The Phantom Menace became the first installment of three prequels for the original Star Wars, with even more extensive merchandizing and licensing.