Star Wars creator George Lucas entered the pantheon of US cultural icons on December 6 as he received a prestigious Kennedy Center Lifetime Artistic Achievement award.
Star Wars became one of the greatest successes in the history of Hollywood, even though many people - including Mr Lucas himself - were convinced that the movie would be a flop.
Mr Lucas, along with director Steven Spielberg, is also a co-creator of the Indiana Jones series of the adventure-seeking archaeologist. Mr Lucas' films, especially the first Star Wars movie that came out in 1977, "changed movies absolutely forever," said Mr Spielberg, who was at the event.
Movies by Mr Lucas and Mr Spielberg, who often worked together, marked the birth of a new genre of popular science fiction movies with high-tech special effects. He received the award just ahead of the release in movie theaters of the latest installment in the saga - Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film is the seventh episode in the series.
