Forty years ago, the movie landscape changed forever with the release of Star Wars: A New Hope -- back then, simply known as "Star Wars." Since then, the movie's effects on popular culture continue to reverberate the world over, and with new Star Wars films scheduled through 2020, there’s no sign this series is going away anytime soon.

Star Wars: 40 Pieces of Obscure Trivia 40 IMAGES

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the seminal 1977 blockbuster that changed everything, we’ve compiled 40 facts about the film series you might not know. With eight films (not counting the Ewok made-for-tv movies), there are tons of details about the series that remain obscure tidbits of trivia. Then again, Star Wars is so beloved, researched, and obsessed over that maybe you do know all these things. If that’s the case, hopefully you'll enjoy reading them again.For more on Star Wars, check out this amazing LEGO recreation of the Death Star trench run . Plus, read our theory on why Luke Skywalker's failings might have prompted him to shut down the Jedi Order in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Phil Hornshaw is a freelance writer and the co-author of So You Created a Wormhole: The Time Traveler’s Guide to Time Travel and The Space Hero’s Guide to Glory . He was hoping the latter would help him get Han Solo hair, but so far he’s been unsuccessful. He lives with his wife and annoying cats in Los Angeles. Follow him on Twitter at @PhilHornshaw