Star Wars was a science fiction movie with effects so far beyond what had been done before on film that it changed the way movies were made completely.
Oh – and one of the greatest movie villains of all time, Darth Vader, also makes his dramatic entrance, no biggie.
It’s easy to look at the opening scene today and just appreciate how it sets up the whole story, but what is sometimes lost on modern viewers is just what a HUGE deal the special effects were in the film when it was released in 1977.