Source:
https://scmp.com/article/575728/film-focus

Film Focus

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (also known as the late 1970s), George Lucas set in motion what would become the biggest money-spinning movie franchise of all time. Star Wars (later known somewhat less catchily as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) and its original sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, broke box-office records around the world, marked the birth of movie-tie-in merchandising on a grand scale and ensured a generation of children would grow up longing to own a lightsabre.

Then, for a long time, nothing happened. Despite persistent rumours that Lucas had a trio of prequels up his sleeve, it seemed the Star Wars saga had run its course - until 1997, when Lucas released special editions of his landmark trilogy and announced he was starting work on a new Star Wars opus. Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Episode III - Revenge of the Sith followed and, although only the latter of these came close to matching the original trilogy, there was a certain satisfaction in the knowledge that the saga, 28 years after it began, was at last complete.