I Can’t Sleep - Star Wars | Calm Bedtime Reading for Sleep

Episode Date: May 11, 2019

Drift off with calm bedtime reading about Star Wars to ease insomnia and restless nights. This soothing episode explores the origins and legacy of the epic space saga, from George Lucas’s creation of the original film to the beloved characters, themes, and galaxy far, far away that continue to inspire generations. Benjamin’s gentle cadence turns this cultural phenomenon into a peaceful journey of learning. With no whispering or hypnosis—just calm, fact-filled storytelling—you’ll find your mind unwinding, stress fading, and rest arriving naturally. Press play, relax, and drift into sleep. Want More? Request a Topic: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/request-a-topic Ad-Free Episodes: https://icantsleep.supportingcast.fm/ Shop Sleep-Friendly Products: https://www.icantsleeppodcast.com/sponsors Join the Discussion on Discord: https://discord.gg/myhGhVUhn7 This content is derived from the Wikipedia article on Star Wars, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. Read the full article: Wikipedia – Star Wars. Happy sleeping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to a Glassbox media podcast. What if I told you that most of the modern day self-help advice you've been hearing could actually make you worse? The key to a better life isn't about feel-good gimmicks that sound catchy. The Mentally Stronger Podcast gives you access to a licensed therapist who shares science-backed tools that will actually change your life. Hi, I'm Amy Morin, psychotherapist, mental strength trainer, and international best-selling author. In each episode, we cover research-back strategies, like how to stop relying on willpower and start creating habits for lasting change. And the five mental strength-building exercises you can do from your couch.

I also speak to world-class experts like Dr. Nicole Kane, who shares how to permanently heal anxiety by addressing the root cause. With over 200 episodes in our catalog, this podcast is for you if you're ready to crush self-doubt, conquer challenges, and become stronger than ever with therapist-approved strategies that can change your life. Listen to Mentally Stronger with therapist Amy Morin, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast, where I read random articles to pour you to sleep with my soothing voice. I'm your host, Benjamin Boster. Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas.

The franchise began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. The first film, later subtitled Episode 4, A New Hope, was followed by the sequels, Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back, 1980. And episode 6, Return of the Jedi, 1983, forming what is collectively referred to as the original trilogy. A prequel trilogy was later released, consisting of episode 1, The Phantom Metaths, 1999, Episode 2, Attack of the Clones, 2002, and Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith, 2005. Finally, a sequel trilogy began with episode 7, The Force Awakens, 2015, continued with episode 8, The Last Jedi, 2017, and will conclude with episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker, 2019. The first eight films were nominated for Academy Awards, with wins going to the first two released,

and were commercially successful. Together with the theatrical anthology films Rogue One, A Star Wars Story, 2016, and Solo, a Star Wars story, 2018, the film's combined box office revenue equates to over US $9 billion, and is currently the second highest-growing film franchise. The film series expanded into other media, including television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed areas, resulting in an all-encompassing fictional universe. Star Wars holds a Guinness World Records title for the most successful film merchandising franchise. In 2018, the total value of the Star Wars franchise was estimated at US $65 billion, and it is currently the fifth highest-grossing media franchise of all time.

Premise The Star Wars franchise depicts the adventures of characters a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, in which humans and many species of aliens, often humanoid, coexist with robots or droids, who may assist them in their daily routines, and space travel between planets as common due to hyperspace technology. The rises and falls of different governments are chronicled. throughout the saga. The Democratic Republic is corrupted and overthrown by Sheev Palpatine, who establishes the Galactic Empire. The Empire is fought by the Rebel Alliance in a galactic civil war that spans several years. The surviving rebellion gives rise to the new Republic,

while the remnants of the empire reform as the First Order and threaten to destroy the Republic. Heroes of the former rebellion lead the resistance against the oppressive. dictatorship. A mystical power known as the Force is described in the original film as an energy field created by all living things that binds the galaxy together. Through training and meditation, those whom the force is strong with are able to perform various superpowers, such as telekinesis, precognition, telepathy, and manipulation of physical energy. The forces we are by two major knighthood orders at conflict with each other, the Jedi who act on the light side of the force through non-attachment and arbitration,

and the Sith, who use the dark side by manipulating fear and aggression. The latter's members are intended to be limited to two, a master and their apprentice. Film Main Article List of Star Wars Films and Television Series The Star Wars film series centers around three sets of trilogies, which is collectively referred to as the Skywalker Saga. They were produced non-chronologically with episodes 4 through 6, the original trilogy, being released between 1977 and 1983, episodes 1 through 3, the prequel trilogy, being released between 1999 and 2005, and episode 7 through 9, 9,000, the 6th, the 6th,000,

sequel trilogy being released between 2015 and 2019. Each trilogy focuses on a generation of the force-sensitive Skywalker family. The original trilogy depict the heroic development of Luke's Skywalker, the prequels tell of the downfall of his father Anakin, while the sequels introduce Luke's nephew, Kylo Ren. An anthology series set between the main episodes entered development in parallel to the production of the sequel trilogy, described by Disney's CFO J. Rosullo as origin stories. The first entry, Rogue One, 2016, tells the story of the rebels who steal the Death Star plans directly before episode 4.

Solo, a Star Wars story, focuses on Han Solo's backstory, also featuring Chubaka and Lando Calrissian. Lucasfilm has a number of Star Wars. Star Wars movies in development, including two trilogies, one written by The Last Jedi Writer, Director Ryan Johnson, and the other by Game of Thrones creators, showrunners David Benyoff, and D.B. Wise. Three new films are scheduled to be released in December 2022, 2024, and 26. Original trilogy. Main article, Star Wars trilogy. The main cast of the trilogy was played by Mark Hamill, Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford, On Solo, and

Carrie Fisher, Princess Leia, respectively. In 1971, George Lucas wanted to film an adaptation of the Flash Gordon serial, but couldn't obtain the rights, so he began developing his own space opera. After directing American Graffiti, 1973, he wrote a two-page synopsis titled Journal of the Wills, which 20th century Fox decided to invest in. By 1974, he had expanded the story into the first draft of a screenplay. The subsequent movies' success led Lucas to make it the basis of an elaborate film serial. With the backstory he created for the sequel, Lucas decided that the series would be a trilogy of trilogies. Most of the main cast would return for two additional installments of the original trilogy,

which were self-financed by Lucasfilm. Star Wars was released on May 25, 1977, and first called Episode 4, A New Hope, in the 1975 book The Art of Star Wars. Episode 5, The Empire Strikes Back, was released on May 21st, 1980, also achieving wide financial and critical success. The final film in the trilogy, Episode 6, Return of the Jedi, was released on May 25, 1983. The story of the original trilogy focuses on Luke Skywalker's quest to become a Jedi, his struggle with the evil imperial agent, Darth Vader, and the struggle of the rebel of the rebel. Alliance to free the galaxy from the clutches of the Empire. Prequel Trilogy Main article Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

The main cast of the trilogy was played by Ewan McGregor, Obi-One Canobi, Natalie Portman, Padmea Amadala, and Hayden Christensen, Anakin Skywalker, respectively. According to producer Gary Kurtz, loose plans for a prequel trilogy were developed during the outlining of the original two films. In 1980, Lucas confirmed that he had the nine-film series plotted, but due to the stress of producing the original trilogy,

he had decided to cancel further sequels by 1981. In 1983, Lucas explained that there was never a script completed that had the entire story as it exists now. As the story unfolded, I would take certain ideas and save them. I kept taking out all the good parts, and I just kept telling myself I would make other movies someday. Technical advances in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the ability to create computer-generated imagery, inspired Lucas to consider that it might be possible to revisit his saga. In 1989, Lucas stated that the prequels would be unbelievably expensive.

In 1992, he acknowledged that he had plans to be. create the prequel trilogy. A theatrical re-release of the original trilogy in 1997 updated the 20-year-old films with the style of CGI and vision for the new trilogy. Episode 1, The Phantom Menace, was released on May 19, 1999, and Episode 2, Attack of the Clones on May 16, 2002. Episode 3, Revenge of the Sith, the first PG-13 film in the franchise. was released on May 19th, 2005. The first two movies were met with mixed reviews, with the third being received somewhat more positively.

The trilogy begins 32 years before episode 4 and follows the Jedi training of Anakin Skywalker, Luke's father, and creation of the Sith Lord Darth Vader, as well as the corruption of the Galactic Republic and rise of the Empire of Darth Sidious. Together with the original trilogy, Lucas has collectively referred to the first six episodic films of the franchise as The Tragedy of Darth Vader. Sequel Trilogy Main Article Star Wars sequel trilogy

The main cast of the trilogy is played by Adam Driver, Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley, Ray, John Boyega, Finn, and Oscar Isaac, Poe Damran, respectively. Prior to releasing the original film and made possible by its success, Lucas planned three trilogies of nine films. He announced this to Time in 1978 and confirmed that he had outlined them in 1981. At various stages of the development, the sequel trilogy was to focus on the rebuilding of the Republic, the return of Luke in a role similar to that of Obi-1 in the original trilogy, not yet determined to be Leia, Han, Leia, R2D2, and C3PO. However, after beginning work on the prequel trilogy, Lucas insisted that Star Wars was meant to be a six-part series and that there would be no sequel trilogy. Lucas decided to leave the franchise in the hands of other

filmmakers, announcing in January 2012 that he would step away from making blockbuster films. In October 2012, the Walt Disney Company agreed to buy Lucasfilm and announced that episode 7 would be released in 2015. The co-chairman of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, became president of the company and served as executive producer of New Star Wars feature films. Lucas provided Kennedy his story treatments for the sequels during the 2012 sale, but in 2015, it was revealed Lucas's sequel outline had been discarded. The sequel trilogy also meant the end of the existing Star Wars expanded universe, which was discarded to give maximum creative freedom to the filmmakers, and also preserve an element of surprise and discovery for the

audience. Episode 7, The Force Awakens, was released on December 18, 2015. Episode 8, The Last Jedi, on December 15th, 2017. And episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker, is due to be released on December 20th, 2019. Episode 7 was met with both critical and box office success, and episode 8, while still having critical and financial success, received a wide negative acclaim by the audience. The sequel trilogy starts 30 years after episode 6, and focuses on the journey of the force-sensitive orphan, Ray, guided by Luke Skywalker. Along with X Stormtrooper Finn and Ace X-wing pilot Po Damran, Ray helps the resistance led

by Leahy, fight the First Order commanded by Han and Leah's son, Luke's nephew, Kylo Ren. Anthology Films Further Information List of Star Wars films and television series and anthology films. Felicity Jones, who portrays Jin Erso in Rogue One, and Alden Aaron Reich, who plays the titular character in solo. Before selling Lucas film to Disney in 2012, and parallel to his development of a sequel trilogy, George Lucas and original trilogy co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasden started development on a standalone film about a young Han Solo. On February 5, 2013, Disney's CEO,

Bob Iger, made public the development of the Kazden film. Disney CFO J. Rosullo has described the standalone films as origin stories. Lucasfilm and Kennedy have stated that the standalone films would be referred to as the Star Wars Anthology series, albeit the word anthology has not been used in any of the titles, instead carrying the promotional A Star Wars Story subtitle. Focused on how the rebels obtained the Death Star plans introduced in the 1977 film, The first anthology film, Rogue One, was released on December 16, 2016, to favorable reviews and box office success. The second, Solo, A Star Wars Story, centered on a young Han Solo with Chubaca and Lando as supporting characters,

was released on May 25, 2018, to mixed reviews and underperformance at the box office. Despite this, more anthology films are expected to be released, following a hiatus after 2019's The Rise of Skywalker. Television Features A two-hour holiday special focusing on Chubacus family was produced for CBS in 1978. Along with the stars of the original film, celebrity guest stars appear in plot-related skits and musical numbers. Lucas loathed the special.

and forbade it to be re-aired or released on home video. An 11-minute animated sequence features the first appearance of Bounty Hunter Boba-Fat. The Ewoks from Return of the Jedi were featured in two spin-off television films, the E-Walk Adventure and EWox, the Battle for Endor. Both aired on ABC on the Thanksgiving weekends of 1984 and 1985, respectively, and had international theatrical releases. Warwick Davis reprised his debut role as the main Ewok, Wicked, in a story by Lucas and a screenplay by Bob Caro. Wicott helps two children rescue their parents from a giant creature.

In the sequel, the Ewarks protect their village from invaders, while one of the children from the first film tries to escape. Although based on story ideas from Lucas, they do not bear Star Wars in their titles, though originally considered semi-canonical to the franchise, the movies were excluded from the new canon announced in 2014 after Lucasfilm was purchased by the Walt Disney Company. Additionally, following the conclusion of the first two trilogies in 2005, Lucas continued developing spinoffs in the form of various television series. The only project to be developed and released under his leadership

was an animated TV series in late 2008. A theatrical feature Star Wars, the Clone Wars, which was a compilation of episodes, was released almost as an afterthought, and was poorly received both critically and financially. The plot introduces the idea that Anakin trained an apprentice between Attack at the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and additionally explains Padawan Assocatano's absence from the latter film. While the character was initially criticized, she had become a fan favorite by the end of the series. Animated Series Nelvana, the animation studio that had animated the animated segment of the holiday special, was hired to create two animated series, Droids, 1985 to 1986, which aired for one season on ABC, follows the adventures of C3PO and R2D2 before the events of A3N8,

a new hope. Its sister series, Ewox, 1985 to 1987, features the Ewarks before Return of the Jedi and the Ewak movies. Dave Filoni, supervising director on two Star Wars animated series, was later promoted to oversee the development of future Lucasfilm animation projects. After the release of Attack of the Clones, Cartoon Network produced and aired the Micro Series Clone Wars from 2003 to weeks before this 2005 release of Revenge of the Sith

as a series featured events set between those films. It won the Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program in 2004 and 2005. Lucas decided to invest in creating his own animation company, Lucasfilm Animation, and used it to create his first in-house Star Wars CGI animated series. The Clone Wars, 2008 to 2014, was introduced through a 2008 animated film of the same name. Both were accepted to the highest-level canon in 2014. All series released afterwards would also be canon. In 2014, Disney XD began airing Star Wars Rebels, the first CGI animated series produced in the new era.

Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, it follows a band of rebels as they fight the Galactic Empire and helped close some of the arcs in the cloned wars. The animated micro-series Star Wars Forces of Destiny debuted in 2017, focusing on the female characters of the franchise. The animated series Star Wars Resistance debuted in late 2018 is anime-inspired and focuses on a young resistance. pilot shortly before the Force Awakens. An animated comedy series titled Star Wars Detours was in production with 39 episodes completed as of late 2013, but its release was postponed following Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm. Live Action Series

Further information, list of Star Wars films and television series, Live Action Series, and The Mandalorian. When Lucasfilm was sold to Disney, this reportedly included 50 written scripts for a proposed live-action television series with the working title Star Wars Underworld. The series was to be set between the prequel and the original trilogies and focus on the criminal and political power struggles as the Empire took over the galaxy. As of late 2018, no news has come of that project,

but Disney has announced multiple live-action Star Wars series for their upcoming direct-tube. consumer streaming service Disney Plus. Visual Effects Studio, Industrial Light and Magic, a subsidiary of Lucasfilm, opened a new division in November 2018, targeted for streaming and episodic television called ILM TV. Based in London with support from the company's locations in San Francisco, Vancouver, and Singapore, it is expected that the new division will work extensively on any crucial. and future live-action Star Wars television series, starting with The Mandalorian. The Mandalorian. It was announced in March 2018 that John Favreau, who previously voiced

characters in the Clone Wars and Solo, will serve as creator, writer, showrunner, and chief executive producer on one of the multiple television shows in development for Disney Plus.