Production note The hosts insist the movie should be called 'Star Wars,' not 'A New Hope.'
Production note Early merch was sold as IOU-style early bird boxes before the figures existed.
Production note Lucas kept ownership of merchandising and sequel rights in exchange for a lower upfront fee.
Production note Industrial Light & Magic was created to build the movie's effects pipeline.
Production note The movie won five Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.
Production note The Holiday Special is treated as a notorious follow-up oddity.
Production note There is a recurring fan dispute over whether Han shot first.
Production note Peter Mayhew and David Prowse were both tall enough that producers assigned them Chewbacca and Vader.
Jaws Used as a benchmark for the blockbuster and repeat-viewing model.
The Godfather Cited as part of the elite 70s cinema run Star Wars is grouped with.
The Exorcist Another 70s hit used to frame the era's creative peak.
Rocky Mentioned as part of the 70s blockbuster/culture-turning cohort.
The Hidden Fortress Used as the clearest Kurosawa source for Star Wars imagery and structure.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind Referenced as Spielberg's contemporaneous big film and a peer to Star Wars.
The Empire Strikes Back Used to argue Star Wars grows up and becomes a darker, more complex trilogy.
Jedi Referenced when discussing the trilogy arc and Luke's later growth.
Rogue One Used as an example of the franchise exploiting the lore right up to Star Wars' opening moments.
The Matrix Compared to Star Wars as a rare movie that felt completely thought through on first watch.
John Wick Offered as a modern analog to Star Wars-style world-building and franchise launch.
The Wizard of Oz Named as one of the mythic templates Star Wars synthesizes.
Dune Referenced as a source and as a film influenced by Star Wars.
Flash Gordon Cited as Lucas's intended inspiration for the original concept.
The Force Awakens Used to mark the film's later revival in the mid-2010s.
