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I’m sure somewhere on the Internet, someone must have mentioned that an episode number that wasn’t there before was added in 1981, leading to this thread. The episode number in question was Episode IV, with the new title A New Hope, added the the film previously known only as Star Wars. Empire was always Episode V from day one.
Yeah, this is not the first time someone made this suggestion. It makes sense that younger generations might think that it was changed when the prequels came out. In reality, having them titled this way since 80/81 is part of what really amped up the hype and expectations for the prequels. Creating a place for them in the saga a decade and a half earlier gave them this official “planned” status that led to greater disappointment for many people, but unquestioning acceptance from others.
