<P> In 1989, the Library of Congress selected the original Star Wars film for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant ." Its sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, was selected in 2010 . Despite these callings for archival, it is unclear whether copies of the 1977 and 1980 theatrical sequences of Star Wars and Empire--or copies of the 1997 Special Edition versions--have been archived by the NFR, or indeed if any copy has been provided by Lucasfilm and accepted by the Registry . </P> <P> The original Star Wars film was a huge success for 20th Century Fox, and was credited for reinvigorating the company . Within three weeks of the film's release, the studio's stock price doubled to a record high . Prior to 1977, 20th Century Fox's greatest annual profits were $37 million, while in 1977, the company broke that record by posting a profit of $79 million . The franchise helped Fox to change from an almost bankrupt production company to a thriving media conglomerate . </P> <P> Star Wars fundamentally changed the aesthetics and narratives of Hollywood films, switching the focus of Hollywood - made films from deep, meaningful stories based on dramatic conflict, themes and irony to sprawling special - effects - laden blockbusters, as well as changing the Hollywood film industry in fundamental ways . Before Star Wars, special effects in films had not appreciably advanced since the 1950s . The commercial success of Star Wars created a boom in state - of - the - art special effects in the late 1970s . Along with Jaws, Star Wars started the tradition of the summer blockbuster film in the entertainment industry, where films open on many screens at the same time and profitable franchises are important . It created the model for the major film trilogy and showed that merchandising rights on a film could generate more money than the film itself did . </P> <P> The Star Wars saga has inspired many fans to create their own non-canon material set in the Star Wars galaxy . In recent years, this has ranged from writing fan fiction to creating fan films . In 2002, Lucasfilm sponsored the first annual Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards, officially recognizing filmmakers and the genre . Because of concerns over potential copyright and trademark issues, however, the contest was initially open only to parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries . Fan fiction films set in the Star Wars universe were originally ineligible, but in 2007, Lucasfilm changed the submission standards to allow in - universe fiction entries . Lucasfilm, for the most part, has allowed but not endorsed the creation of these derivative fan fiction works, so long as no such work attempts to make a profit from or tarnish the Star Wars franchise in any way . While many fan films have used elements from the licensed Expanded Universe to tell their story, they are not considered an official part of the Star Wars canon . </P>

When was the last time you did something for the forst time