Before Star Wars became a global juggernaut, it was just another oddball space film hoping people would take a chance on it. And this poster — painted by Tom Jung — had a job to do. It had to make Star Wars look like an unmissable cinematic event. And to be fair, it didn’t hold back. In this article we’ll take a detailed look in our Star Wars 1977 poster review.
At first glance, this is classic pulp energy. A glowing lightsaber held high, spaceships screaming across the sky, heroic stances, ominous villains, and an explosion or two just to make sure you know there’s action. It feels more like a sci-fi fantasy novel cover than a film poster, and that’s kind of the point.
Tom Jung’s Vision: Epic First, Accurate Later
Tom Jung was working from concept art and stills before most people had even seen a frame of the film. So this isn’t exactly a faithful portrait of the characters. Mark Hamill’s Luke looks older, more muscular, and significantly more heroic than he ever does in the movie. Carrie Fisher’s Leia is strikingly glamorous here — more pin-up than rebel leader. It’s not dishonest, exactly, just… idealised.
The real film is quirkier, scrappier, and more character-driven than this poster suggests. But you can see how the art helped sell the myth. Jung turned a relatively modest space adventure into something that felt timeless and mythological.
Leia, the Leg, and a Bit of 1970s Marketing
One thing that stands out — and dates the poster — is Leia’s pose. She’s half-hiding behind Luke, leg forward, gown flowing, blaster ready but clearly not the focus. It’s a visual echo of fantasy and pulp artwork from earlier decades. She doesn’t look like the Leia we meet in the movie, who’s all sharp edges and biting dialogue. Instead, she’s the “princess” half of “space princess,” before the film revealed that she was the one with the real authority.
It’s a good example of how sci-fi marketing in the ‘70s often fell back on old visual clichés. The actual content of Star Wars would challenge a lot of that — but you’d never know it from this image.
Darth Vader as Space Boogeyman
And then there’s Vader. Towering in the background, dark and faceless, like a demon in a helmet. He doesn’t need a pose or a tagline — just that black mask and a bit of blue backlighting. It’s simple but highly effective. Even if you knew nothing about the film, you’d know that guy was trouble.
The Background Mayhem: Battle as Spectacle
Around the central figures, the poster is packed with dogfights, lasers, X-wings, TIE fighters, and the looming Death Star. It’s chaotic in a way that almost overwhelms the eye — but it’s also what made this poster feel bigger than the film it represented. There’s a war going on here, and you’re being invited to witness it.
There’s also a very specific energy to this composition: everyone is posed. No one is doing anything. They’re just there to sell the idea of the story — the stakes, the setting, the style — not the reality. In that sense, it’s pure marketing, but it’s good marketing.
Floating Heads and the Side Characters
Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 are crammed in at the bottom right like they’ve been dragged into a group photo at the last minute. Meanwhile, Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing get floating-head status — a nod to their prestige as actors more than their screen time. Again, the poster isn’t trying to be accurate. It’s trying to look important.
Final Thoughts: Part Truth, Part Fantasy, All Impact
The 1977 Star Wars poster is a fascinating time capsule. It tells you what the studio wanted you to believe about the film — that it was grand, romantic, dramatic, and serious. And yet the movie itself was weirder, funnier, and far more original than the poster could ever capture.
Still, this image helped launch the legend. It might not reflect the film as we know it today, but it played a huge role in getting people into the cinema. For that alone, it deserves its place in the hall of fame.
