This is a list of different Star Wars species, containing the names of fictional sentient species from the Star Wars franchise beginning with the letters U through Z. Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series, Star Wars, was released on May 25, 1977 (Star Wars: A New Hope) and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by five sequels and three prequels. The series featured a variety of species of alien-like, fictional creatures (often humanoid).