It’s Star Wars Day. On May 4, Star Wars is one franchise that transcends generations, and fans pass on their love for these stories to their children and grandchildren.

The world celebrates one of the biggest and most iconic entertainment franchises in the world. Originating from the pun “May the Fourth be with you” (on the in-franchise greeting “May the force be with you”), the day sees events and celebrations related to the galaxy far, far away. Beginning from 1977’s Star Wars (retroactively titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope), which was considered a huge gamble and was even called a failure prematurely, the franchise went on to see meteoric growth with future entries and is now an extremely profitable franchise.

Moving beyond the main movies (now called the Skywalker Saga), the Star Wars franchise consists of spinoffs, live-action TV series, animated shows, comics, books, video games, and so much more.

Star Wars has also continued to evolve with time, as any franchise should, and yet it has stayed true to its core values. The newer movies and shows explore new themes and there have been experiments with new genres and formats. Despite these evolutions, the franchise has remained steadfast in its commitment to telling stories that inspire hope and promote the triumph of good over evil.