3-D re-release marks one more step in evolution of 'Star Wars' saga

Few, if any, films have had so long-lasting or far-reaching an influence on popular culture as the “Star Wars” saga.

Remarkably, the phenomenon that began 35 years ago with George Lucas’ eclectic sci-fi throwback has yet to die out, as evidenced by this weekend’s 3-D rerelease of “Episode I — The Phantom Menace.”

The 3-D conversion process being applied to each of the six films, however, is just the most recent — and almost certainly not the final — step in the long, controversial evolution of Lucas’ seminal film franchise.

Here is a brief overview of “Star Wars” releases and some of the key ways the films have changed over the years.

1977 — 'Star Wars'

Released May 25 in an effort by 20th Century Fox to avoid direct competition with the summer’s “big” movies like “Smoky and the Bandit,” “Star Wars” defied all expectations — most of which had been set low to begin with. Playing in some theaters continuously for more than a year after initially opening, “Star Wars” eventually became the first movie to earn more than $300 million at the box office.

1980 — 'Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back'

The Irvin Kershner-directed follow-up introduced for the first time the episodic numbering system. (A subtitle reading “Episode IV — A New Hope” was added to the first film’s Flash Gordon-inspired text crawl on all prints from 1981 onward in order to keep it consistent with the sequels.)

During its initial theatrical run, there were actually two distinct versions of “The Empire Strikes Back” — a 70mm edit and a more common 35mm one. A list of small but noticeable discrepancies between the two prints was published in a 1997 issue of “Film Score Monthly.”

1983 — 'Episode VI — Return of the Jedi'

Notable as the first film in the series to not be produced by Gary Kurtz, “Return of the Jedi” concluded the original trilogy of films.

1984-93 — Home video

Multiple home video editions were released after the trilogy ended, beginning with basic pan-and-scan versions on VHS and laserdisc between 1984 and 1986 and culminating with a widescreen box set in 1993 called (somewhat prematurely) “The Definitive Collection.”