After almost 40 years, the Star Wars canon has officially been changed, and everyone is waiting to see what happens next.

Disney officially announced that they obtained Lucasfilm, the film company that owned the rights of the Star Wars movies, on Oct. 30, 2012 for $4.05 billion.

Star Wars is one of the most popular worldwide phenomenons in film. The fan base has stayed with the series, even multiplied, since the change.

I believe that the change was a very smart move on Disney’s part.

Liberty is filled with Star Wars fans that have opinions on the topic.

“Disney taking over is one of the best things that happened to the Star Wars franchise in my opinion,” senior Justin Yore said, “It gave them larger opportunities to expand the universe with more funds to go towards the movies.”

The first Star Wars film was released on May 25, 1977. Since then, there has been dozens of movies, games, books and television series’ made.

After acquiring the company, Disney announced that there were changes that were going to be made.

As of April 25, 2014, the only materials that are being accepted as canon are the six films and the series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as well as Star Wars Rebels. The popular Expanded Universe series is no longer viewed as part of the legacy.

Disney claims that they made the changes to give their filmmakers maximum creativity with the new films. I think that this a good decision. They now have a lot more freedom with what they do with future releases.

Even with these changes, most fans are very positive about the future of Star Wars.

“I think it’s quite interesting that Disney made the decision to wipe a lot of the stories from the universe,” senior Jake DeNunzio said, “I think it can be for the better to allow only select individuals to expand upon the Star Wars universe now, ensuring that all the stories written fit together and make the world these tales exist in seem much more unique and fitting.”

The 2015 Star Wars movie produced by Disney, The Force Awakens, broke many records. It was the fastest film to gross $1 billion in 12 days. It was the highest grossing Star Wars film, gaining $529 million on opening weekend.

I particularly enjoyed the new movie. Fans who have followed all of the movies agree that the film was especially good because it was much more like the first few movies. I, like many others, prefer the older movies.

The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams, began a new plot including main characters Rey, played by Daisy Ridley and Finn played by John Boyega. This opened a new chapter in Star Wars which has fans on the edge of their seats.

As for the future, I am anxious to see what happens next. There have been many theories about where the plot is going next in Episode VIII, which will be directed by Rian Johnson. The film’s expected release date is Dec. 15, 2017. Episode IX is scheduled to be released May 24, 2019.

“I personally believe that the next episode of the third trilogy will be dark, possibly the darkest movie in the series,” Yore said. “I feel that there is a connection between Snoke and Finn. I believe the plot will revolve around this connection.”

No matter what is released in the future, Star Wars will remain a sensational franchise that will never be forgotten.