Filmmaking / Directing : May the 4th Be With You! by Ashley Renée Smith

"I am your father."

I'd say The Empire Strikes Back, for its compelling plot twists and Revenge of the Sith for its emotional depth and wonderful acting.

Obviously, I liked the original trilogy (Episodes 4, 5, and 6). I watched them on TV every Christmas holiday. But growing up, I grew to appreciate Anakin's downward spiral arc, even though the actor's performance wasn't exceptional. I'm not a purist, so I liked the new trilogy too, and the spin-offs—especially Rogue One (the best-written one). There are other sagas I love more, but there is no doubt it's one of the most influential franchises in cinema history.

This is a hard question to answer. I love ll of the movies! The character that stuck with me the most is Luke. He succeeded to live out his dream. He was no longer stuck on the planet he thought he might never leave.

I grew up watching the original trilogy. My dad thought George Lucas was a massive talent (he wasn't wrong) and we viewed the original films often. When the prequels started releasing, he was so excited. Jar Jar Binks made him laugh.

Good times.

It's not that I'd say I love STAR WARS...

But I'm about to engage in my fourth rewatch of THE MANDALORIAN and BOOK OF BOBA FETT in preparation for THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU...

I have literally made comedy sketches with my comedy group centered around STAR WARS (for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDKIXm5DXVY&list=PLsX5oTKDMjONMxdr2oCczr...)...

I still have all my old Star Wars toys. And new ones. And all sorts of other Star Wars merch.

I seem to reference Star Wars in almost everything I write.

I have permanently inked Star Wars onto my arm.

And so much more!

I saw the THIRD SCREENING at the Uptown Theater in Washington DC, and then stayed for the next two screenings! Maybe that shows it's Influence on me. Later it got levered down for me (casting and writing wise).

Ashley Renée Smith For me, it has to be Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. It just hits differently the tone, the character arcs, and the way it embraces uncertainty instead of a clean resolution.

I didn’t grow up with the original trilogy, but discovering Star Wars later made me appreciate it more from a storytelling perspective especially the world-building and character journeys.

Characters like Darth Vader stayed with me not just as a villain, but as something more complex.

It’s one of those stories that reminds you how powerful mythology and emotion can be when they come together.

I grew up with Star Wars, but Revenge of the Sith hit me the hardest. It’s not just a sci-fi film — it’s a tragedy about choices, fear, and loss. the emotional weight of Anakin’s story still stays with me.

The one that hooked me was Empire. And I remember waiting in line to see RoTJ Ashley Renée Smith. I even remember walking into a theater class and seeing a poster for "Revenge of the Jedi" before the name was changed.

Ashley Renée Smith Star Wars V. Empire Strikes Back, but Rogue One is by far the best newer addition. The way they tie it directly back to IV, New Hope, perfection.

RETURN OF THE JEDI - Han Solo and Princess Leia reaffirm their love - "I love you" / "I know"

Ashley Renée Smith Love them all but Star Wars V. Empire Strikes Back is my fav

Best TV Star Wars Shows:

1 Andor

2 Rebels

3 The Clone Wars

4 Maul: Shadow Warrior

5 Ahsoka

Best Films:

The Original Trilogy, the George Lucas prequels, Rogue One. All the rest is Disney trash.

Always the Ewoks!

Empire Strikes Back! And well, because it's the Empire Strikes Back!

George Lucas wrote great characters. It went downhill after Disney took over.

A New Hope, every time. There's something about the rawness of it that the later films, for all their polish, never quite recaptured. You can feel the scrappiness of a crew making it up as they go, and that energy bleeds into the storytelling in a way that makes the universe feel genuinely lived-in rather than designed. It's also a masterclass in economy. Within minutes you understand the stakes, the world, and exactly who Luke, Leia, and Han are, all without a single line of clunky exposition.

I watched the very first Star Wars in the front row of the Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd. Not sure if it was opening weekend but it was packed and those were only seats available. We had to read the opening words by turning our heads back and forth. I was 14 I think. It was very memorable. That's how I remember movies, not the content but the feeling of the experience.

Happy May the Fourth (and happy birthday) Ashley Renée Smith!

I am old enough to have seen Episode 4 in the theater, and fell in love with Star Wars. All these years later, I find bright spots in nearly every new release of the material, be it OT, prequels, sequels, or books.

I remember waiting in line for Return of the Jedi with my family. I can still hear the music when Anakin looks across the horizon as Padme looks back in Revenge of the Sith. The calm tired wisdom of Yoda in Empire Strikes Back, and when Ahsoka walked away from the Jedi temple in Clone Wars. I felt like I was with Corran Horn when he sees the cache of the Emperor's lightsabers in I, Jedi, and flies with Rogue Squadron against Ysanne Isard. I remember Finn and Poe introducing themselves while escaping in the TIE fighter in The Force Awakens.

But the most important moment for me, the one that defines the entire Star Wars experience, the one that anchors every film, show, and book, is when young Luke looks across his farm's desolation at the twin setting suns with longing as John Williams's masterful score trumpets its way into our souls. No other single moment in movie history encapsulates the spirit of the story as well as that one does, and is one of many reasons why this film (Episode 4) created a franchise that endures to this day. Because at one point or another in all of our lives, we are standing in our own desolation, staring longingly at the horizon and relying on the hope of adventure to change our fortunes.

I grew up with the Trilogy on VHS, having been born just late enough to have missed them in theaters. But I was a card-carrying member of the Lucasfilm Fan Club, read the books, played the games, got hung up on all the background weirdos from Willrow Hood to B'Omarr Monk.

But my favorite was always Wedge Antilles. Here's this guy, one hell of a pilot but young and somewhat terrified, who by luck and by skill survives all the major battles of the war. There's a split-second decision from Vader to not fire on Wedge as he gets clear of the Death Star, and that ultimately dooms the Empire. The six-year journey of Red Two into Red Leader, from Yavin 4 to Hoth to Endor, is a great war story that justifies the entire expanded universe.

I don't care much about heroes and villains, but I do care about people who survive and triumph when swept up in history. That all started with the brave pilots of Red, Gold, & Rogue.

May The Fourth be with you!

Happy 4th to you, Ashley Renée Smith I don’t have a favorite Star Wars film yet because I still need to watch the older ones, and I’ve only seen short clips from some of the originals. The newer films are the ones I’ve seen fully, and I really like them. I actually got into Star Wars through the video game Battlefront, and that’s what pulled me into the franchise. Chewbacca and Yoda are my favorite characters.

Dwayne Williams 2, believe me the newer ones are nothing compared to the originals and prequels! It must be exciting watching them for the first time.

I still have to give Star Wars a proper watch... lol

As a kid, I really liked Chewbacca… by the time JarJar Binks happened / I had lost interest completely.

My favorite part is when they are trying to destroy the Death Star. The resistance pilots are getting killed right and left. Just when it seems hopeless, Han Solo who has been selfish the entire movie looking out for number one returns and tells Luke, "I got your back,, kid." Oh yeah! I get a lump in my throat every single time I watch that particular segment. It was just a brilliant scene.

watching A NEW HOPE (Which was just STAR WARS back then) on the first day it opened in our local cinema on Riverdale Rd. The first shot of that little starship trying to escape and then the giant battle cruiser that just kept going and going and going! The audience I was in started screaming and we did not stop. We staying in the theatre and watched it three more times that day. (For youngsters, you sneak into the washroom during the end credits, wait until they empty the theatre and clean it and then just stroll back out.)

I saw ANH in 1977 and literally grew up with Star Wars. I've been lucky enough to watch with amazement, gratitude and sometimes frustration as Star Wars continued to grow up with me. I think one of the reasons it continues to resonate as a story is due to the central idea that one person CAN make a difference. No matter the odds, regardless of the opposition arrayed against them, one person can find their own path, do what is right (of course) and make a difference in the world. In that sense, the idea of Luke's journey towards self discovery (or in Anakin's case...losing oneself and then finding themselves again) with the help of his friends and loved ones is universal and one of the reasons these stories continue to resonate with us for almost 50 years. We learn from them, we draw from them and they give us comfort during the course of our own lives.

revenge of the sith,, i grew up during the sequel era but the prequels will forever have a hold on me,, my birthday is may 5th aka revenge of the fifth so its like i was born to be a star wars fan,, i was too young for ep 1-6 but ive seen almost all the movies in theaters and i secured my tickets on drop day for mando and grogu on may 21st in 4dx 3d

Over time, I've settled on Revenge of the Sith as my favorite film, although I love all of the original six. I mentioned before George Lucas is my favorite director in large part to how imaginative his Star Wars saga is and how much he was able to achieve even in the very first film with relatively little compared to what he had access to later on. I think he sort of tricked people into thinking it was easy to make a children's fairy tale space opera film like Star Wars when I think the Disney era of Star Wars shows us it's really not as easy as he made it look.

In a lot of ways, Revenge of the Sith is a culmination of not only Lucas' six films, but also themes and visual motifs he'd developed though other films he made or helped to make outside of Star Wars. It brings his recurring archetype of a young man trapped in a place in life where he's unsatisfied and yearns for more to its most tragic end (compared with THX from "THX 1138", Curt from "American Graffiti", Luke from the Original Trilogy, and arguably Willow from "Willow"). Revenge is also arguably the most mythic in terms of its story, making clear the thematic backbone of the Prequels, which goes something like "The Catholic Church in space finds the Messiah and fails to rise him properly which allows him to be tempted by the Devil to join the Dark Side". Revenge completes the contrast in the parallel journeys of father and son as well since Lucas intentionally mirrored certain moments and emotional beats between Anakin and Luke's respective arcs, emphasizing the choices both of them made which led them to drastically different endings.

I could go on, but the depth of character and theme underneath the vast imagination displayed in the setting is what makes me continue returning to Episodes I-VI. I grew up with the pyre of my imagination set ablaze by these films and they continue to inspire me to this day. I'm glad all six of them, as well as Lucas as an artist, seem to get a lot more respect these days. There was a time it was practically blasphemy online to praise any artistic decision of Lucas' or imply that maybe Star Wars was more than a happy accident. As I said above, I think Disney's efforts have made a lot of people realize they took Lucas' vision and talent for granted.

Darth Bane. Novels: Path of Destruction, Rule of Two (my fave), and Dynasty of Evil. This is the expanded Star Wars universe that focuses on the ancient wars, sith lords and jedi. Bane is ruthless, highly intelligent, and kinda make Darth Vader look like a choir boy. He's the founder of the rule of two sith law. One master, one apprentice. The apprentice eventually supersede the master in power and takes his or her place. If Disney wanted a wild script for this one, I'd go in mad scientist mode to provide it.

I was a lost, disillusioned 17-year-old kid living in rural Upstate New York when the first Star Wars film opened, so I’ve always felt a deep connection with the Skywalker Saga. Cicero wasn’t Tatooine, but it sure felt like it sometimes.

The first photo is me as Luke, when a bunch of friends and I dressed up to see Return of the Jedi, back when our love for Star Wars was homemade and heartfelt.

The second photo is me years later, still playing Luke, just a little more grizzled, and a little more weathered.

The Force has been with me since 1977.

Happy May the 4th to all. My personal favorite of the saga remains Star Wars (or Episode IV - A New Hope). Not simply because its a great film, but its sheer impact in the industry and in our culture. I love the introduction of the central characters. How one leads in to another ... then another. The iconic moments throughout the film. The Mos Eisley Cantina. Obi-Wan versus Darth Vader lightsaber duel. The Death Star escape. And of course, the final Death Star battle. Luke's trench run remains thrilling no matter how many times I've seen the film (and it's many). Star Wars remains an inspiration in my life to this day. And I'm grateful that George Lucas made it possible.

I was born shortly after the first film came out and just old enough to see return of the Jedi in the theaters and remember it. I have read most of the books and seen (and rewatched over and over) most of the tv content. I remember buying tickets for a midnight screening of phantom menace for my whole band in 1999. I have 2 kids and both have Star Wars related first names.

Star Wars taught me a lot about fiction writing/screenwriting, which led me to write a blue collar coming of age road trip inspired by Star Wars: A New Hope.

Ashley Renée Smith May the 4th be with you, too! I was 8 when I first saw Star Wars: A New Hope. I was instantly obsessed with Sci-fi. My favorite character is Han Solo (played by Harrison Ford). In my screenplay, I have a character named Harrison, as a tribute to Mr. Ford.

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!!! I saw SW: A NEW HOPE in a Baton Rouge theater in 1977 and it change my life.

To me, the only Star Wars film worth seeing is the first one ever made (somewhat whimsically titled 'Episode 4: 'A New Hope'}. It is so fresh and original, while derivative of all of the Saturday matinee series that preceded it. It introduced us to a whole new part of the galaxy, with wonderful, imaginative characters and situations, and dazzled us with special effects rarely matched up to that time. Only my opinion, but every other film in the Star Wars library is simply A New Hope all over again, with bigger budgets and glitzier special effects, redundant, even boring new characters, with diminishing interest and less and less success.

Have you read The Hero's Journey?

I really enjoy the original classics in which I'm watching one of them right now. I'm in the second film (The Empire Strikes Back).

I discovered the prequels when I was little when "The Phantom Menace" was released. It was good. Then, I saw "Attack of the Clones" and it was a little bit tedious. However, the "Revenge of the Sith" disgusted me. I couldn't enjoy the rest of the movie because it was depressing seeing Anakin turned evil and then gets his body parts sliced off and burned through hot lava, getting left behind and the empire creates a new lord, also wiping Jedi knights through random planets, the ridiculous zapping of turning Palpotine who looks smirk while charismatic turned evil and senile with grotesque eyes and Anakin saved Palpotine in one fight sequence against Samuel L. Jackson's character. The third film kind of ruined the prequels toe me.

Then, saw the sequel movies like "The Force Awakens", "The Last Jedi", and "The Rise of Skywalker". All movies are astounding. Rey is great, Kylo Ren is a great villain. The others are great that I forgot to remember anyone of brilliant characters in the sequels. But the heroes from the classic trilogy gets killed off like Han Solo stabbed by Kylo Ren in "The Force Awakens", Luke Skywalker passed away late in "The Last Jedi", and the one that struck my heart both emotionally and sympathetic was General Leia's passing in the middle of "The Rise of Skywalker" and it was Carrie Fisher's final performance. The sequence when everybody mourns her death and it contributes to both her as a character and a great actress. I'm glad the ending of "The Rise of Skywalker" is rewarding where Rey becomes a Tatooine resident and she named herself "Rey Skywalker".

All of the movies and TV shows before, during, and after 9 movies within the timeline is great. I really enjoyed "The Mandalorian" and "The Book of Boba Fett". As well as a whole lot to be honest.

I'm just basically a Star Wars fan. Not nerd or geek, just a fan.

May the 4th be with you and this is the way.

May the 4th be with you as well!!

I have to come clean - the more I thought about it - the more I have to admit I'm a Trekkie! https://open.substack.com/pub/jaymzbee825853/p/may-the-fourth-be-with-wh...

Chase Carmichael This is a troll, right?

The Empire Strikes Back. And I'm not saying that just because it was the first Star Wars film I saw, and I live in the neighbourhood where they filmed the Hoth-scenes (the snow planet). Even have several friends who were extras, which I got to know later in life. Groundbreaking when it came.Great movie, and fun to watch!

Rogue One is my favorite!

Jeffrey Pemberton. No, it's not. I didn't mean to make a trolling comment. I was expressing my love of Star Wars (IV-IX) and my personal hatred for "Revenge of the Sith". So I got kind of carried away about some words that I've caused. I hope I didn't mean to upset you or anybody.

Return of the Jedi for its half-baked planned that paid off and returned a father to a son and a teacher to his pupil. Pew pew.

For me, The Empire Strikes Back stands out the most.

Not just for the scale, but for how it deepens the emotional stakes — especially the idea that growth often comes through failure rather than victory.

That balance between spectacle and internal conflict is something I always find inspiring as a writer.

Chase Carmichael I asked because it was basically the opposite of what I wrote above, praising Revenge of the Sith and mentioning how the Disney Era made it apparent how relatively easy Lucas made it look to make Star Wars films.

By the way, I don't think I've ever seen someone who loves all three of the Sequels. Usually it's either Force Awakens and Last Jedi, or else one of those two individually.

That’s interesting — I’ve noticed the same split.

For me, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith works because the emotional arc is clearly driving the scale. Even when the execution isn’t perfect, the intent feels consistent.

With the sequels, it sometimes feels like each film is reacting to the previous one instead of building a unified progression — which might be why people connect with individual parts rather than the trilogy as a whole.

From a writing standpoint, that continuity of vision makes a huge difference.

Jeffrey Pemberton. I see your point and that's fine. No harm about it.

Thank God for AI or else some would not have anything to post — I've noticed.

I get where you’re coming from — there’s definitely a lot of noise right now.

But I also think tools like AI are just that… tools. What really matters is the voice behind them. Strong storytelling, perspective, and originality can’t be replaced.

If anything, it just makes it more important for writers to bring something real and personal to the page.

And to their posts.

My passion for film didn’t begin with studying directors or learning about camera lenses. It didn’t come from film school or theory. It began when I was ten years old, holding my nan’s hand as we climbed onto an old bus into town. The cinema felt enormous to me. It was one of those grand old picture houses with a sweeping staircase that curved up like something from another era. There were red velvet seats, gold details catching the light, and that quiet murmur of people settling in before the lights went down. Before the main film, they showed a nature documentary, which was something they did back then. I remember sitting beside her, not realising that the afternoon would shape the rest of my life.

Then the film started. She leaned over to me throughout, quietly explaining parts of the story, whispering little bits so I could follow everything. I can still see it clearly. The snow on Hoth, the darkness of Darth Vader, the ships flying across the screen. It felt huge and alive. After the film, she bought me the comic book adaptation. On the bus ride home she told me something that stayed with me forever. She said each panel in the comic was like a storyboard. That this is how films begin. As pictures on a page. As ideas. That thought completely opened my mind. I had never considered that something so big could start so simply. A drawing. A sequence of images. An idea written down. It was the first time I understood that films are built, piece by piece, from imagination. Two weeks later, my nan passed away. That day became more than just a trip to the cinema. It became a memory I carry with me in everything I do. Film stopped being just entertainment. It became connection. It became something personal. It was the last big adventure we shared. Years later, life surprised me. I worked with a few of the actors from that very film. Jeremy Bulloch, who played Boba Fett, became a close friend, as did his wife. After many years I told him just once that he had been my nan’s favourite. It felt important to say it quietly, without making a big thing of it. People often say they were inspired by a director or a particular film technique. For me, it was never really about that. It was about who sat next to me in the dark. Who explained the story. Who showed me that films begin as simple ideas on a page. Sometimes it isn’t just a film that inspires you. Sometimes it’s a person. And that journey with my nan changed me forever.

That’s a beautiful story, Andrew.

What really stayed with me is how the experience wasn’t just about the film itself, but about who you shared it with. That idea — that storytelling begins as something simple and personal, and then grows into something much larger — is incredibly powerful.

The image of your nan explaining the story to you, and then connecting that to how films are built from ideas on a page, really captures the essence of why many of us write.

It’s a reminder that behind every story, there’s often a human connection that gives it meaning.

Thank you for sharing that — it genuinely resonates.

Ashley Renée Smith, Happy May the 4th birthday, girl. My favorite has always been The Empire Strikes Back. I was a kid when I saw it (9 years), and it absolutely blew my mind. The moment Darth Vader freezes Han Solo in carbonite, the steel plaque lowering, the smoke, and the tension, I remember being genuinely shocked. It felt huge and terrifying in a way I’d never seen before.

And then you have the other side of the film: Yoda lifting the X‑wing out of the swamp. That scene stayed with me for years. The quiet, the music, and the way it made the Force feel mystical and emotional rather than just “powers.” Even the lightsabers felt magical in that one: the colors, the weight, the sound.

It was the first Star Wars film I ever watched, so it imprinted on me. And honestly, Star Wars became my favorite franchise of all time because of that experience; it opened up a whole universe that felt bigger than anything I’d seen before.

That’s such a great way to describe it.

“The Empire Strikes Back” really does balance scale and emotion in a unique way — the intensity of moments like the carbonite scene alongside the quiet, almost spiritual depth of Yoda’s training.

It’s interesting how those early viewing experiences shape how we connect with storytelling later on.

Hey Everyone,

I came back from my birthday, and it honestly made my day to see how much this conversation has taken off. Reading all of your thoughts about the characters, stories, and what Star Wars means to you has been so much fun!!

That said, I do want to step in for a quick moment. I’m starting to see some comments that are a bit rude or passive-aggressive toward other members, and that’s not something we’re going to foster here.

I understand that there can be strong opinions around things like AI, but it’s important to remember that for some people, it’s a tool that helps them participate in conversations they might otherwise feel excluded from, whether that’s due to language barriers or communication confidence. Not everyone is using it for the same reasons, and it’s easy to make assumptions that aren’t always accurate.

At the end of the day, this community is about access, opportunity, and connection.

If something rubs you the wrong way, responding with snide or dismissive comments might feel good in the moment, but in a public space, it doesn’t reflect well on you as a potential collaborator for others. People are always observing how others communicate and engage here in the lounges, especially executives.

You always have control over how you show up here. If you don’t connect with someone or their style of communication, you can simply choose not to engage. There are thousands of other conversations happening across Stage 32.

Let’s use this space to lift each other up, share what we love, and be the kind of people others want to collaborate with. Those are the only comments I want to see on this post moving forward. Anything off topic will be subject to removal.

Now let's get back to celebrating the galaxy far, far away.

Completely agree — a strong creative community works best when people feel respected and open to share.

At the end of the day, storytelling is about connection, and that starts with how we communicate with each other here.

Appreciate you stepping in and setting the tone.

Happy birthday Ashley Renée Smith!

Happy birthday, Ashley!

Happy birthday, Ashley. Have a super duper great awesome day.

Happy birthday Ashley Renée Smith

I actually have two favorites. One is A new hope and the other one is The Phenome Menace.

Both because I find Tatooine interesting. Somehow I find deserts relaxing.

Interesting take — Tatooine does have that strange calm despite everything happening there.

There’s something about those wide desert visuals that makes the world feel both isolated and expansive at the same time.

That’s a beautiful story. A really interesting point of view.

Star Wars was fine. I wrote my own series of 8 film scripts and 16 one-hour scripts for Tv or online. Animated and ready to produce. Adventures of Yarthgo. Alien planet and world building scenarios written between 1978 and 2023.

Trained to write film material by Emmy Award Winner Lee Levinson in the year 2000.

Pro ghostwriter 26 years.

ANIMATED ACTION SCI-FI SERIES::

1. ADVENTURES OF YARTHGO: WGA 13187-00 (Alien planet) sci-fi

Logline: A human hero searches for his family after his wife and son are abducted by galactic slave traders.

2. FIRE PLANET: Txu-894-486 (Earth and Alien planet)

3. SANCTUARY: Txu-894-486 (alien planet)

4. TERRON: Txu-894-486 sci-fi action adventure

5. MARS 4 WGA# 13471-00 Sci-fi Action Adventure

6. VIR’ TUE: PAu2 - 781 - 029

7. FLYTE: PAu2 - 781 - 029 Action SCI-FI Thriller

8. FUMAR: PAu2 - 781 - 029 EARTH BASED Action SCI-FI Thriller

AOY TV ONE HOUR EPISODE NAMES:

1. Flyte

2 Fumar

3. Hegira

4. Outer Thelo

5. Queen of the Islands

6. Fire Planet

7. Karnak

8. Quade

9. Terron 3

10. Weather

11. Mars 4

12. Rone

13. Vir’ Tue 1

14. Strike Force

15. Agazzi

16. Vapor .

Star Wars V - The Empire Strikes Backs raises the stakes but keeps the humor. It also fleshes out the characters. The double album soundtrack is also one of the best!

Great pick, Deb — The Empire Strikes Back really does that balance well.

What stands out to me is how the stakes escalate without losing character intimacy. Even with everything expanding, the emotional conflicts feel more personal, not less.

And I agree on the soundtrack — it plays a huge role in shaping that tone, especially in the quieter, more reflective moments.”

Thomas, that’s an impressive body of work — especially the long-term worldbuilding across multiple scripts.

I’m currently developing a sci-fi psychological series (ZODIAC: Frequency of Destruction) where the focus is more on internal conflict and decision-driven escalation within a large-scale system.

Curious in your experience — when working across multiple stories in the same universe, what helps keep each narrative feeling distinct rather than repeating the same structural beats?