A Long Time Ago: Code Snippets Inspired by Star Wars

Perhaps no movie franchise has more fans than Star Wars. For over 40 years, each new episode has generated great anticipation – not to mention monster profits.

Both the movies and their long list of unforgettable characters have also served as a great inspiration to popular culture. Web design is no exception, as it seemed like the minute people started building websites, online tributes to the franchise began popping up.

Naturally, CodePen is teeming with Star Wars-related creations. Everything from character representations to quotes to games have been added over the years. Here are a few of our favorites.

The Star Wars Crawl by Tim Pietrusky

It all started in 1977, when the original Star Wars debuted with this otherworldly text crawl. It set the scene for what was to become a cultural phenomenon. Here is a pretty faithful recreation, complete with audio.

See the Pen Star Wars opening crawl from 1977 by Tim Pietrusky

The 80’s in One Snippet by Yusuf Bakır

Here’s an example of taking one the most indelible images from the 1980s, a Stormtrooper, and combining it with another – the Moonwalk. Yes, it really is a Stormtrooper doing the Moonwalk. Not only that, but you get the pixelated goodness of the era’s video games as well. The only thing missing may be an old school television.

See the Pen StarWars Pixel Stormtrooper Moonwalk by Yusuf Bakır

Choose Your Side by Kasper De Bruyne

Toggle switches are a common element these days. But we don’t usually see them with this much attention to detail. When the switch is to the left, a Death Star is displayed – complete with an unnerving red color scheme. Thankfully, toggling over to the right shows a much more loveable Millennium Falcon. The animation effects are stellar.

See the Pen Star Wars Toggle by Kasper De Bruyne

Lord Vader’s Helmet by Kiarash Zarinmehr

Not only is Darth Vader one of the most recognizable villains in this or any other galaxy, he has also been used (unofficially) to represent the NFL’s Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders. You’ll often see fans dressed up as Darth (a.k.a. Luke’s dad).

This snippet actually combines the Raider-like font with Lord Vader’s iconic helmet. Be sure to rotate the helmet and check out those incredible light and shading effects.

See the Pen 3D Darth Vader Mouse Move Animation Star Wars by Kiarash Zarinmehr

Reach Hyperspace on Your Screen by Jhey

Have you ever driven a car and wished you could put that thing into Hyperspace? Maybe that’s not going to happen in our lifetimes. But, thanks to this nifty use of HTML5 canvas and JavaScript, you can get there by simply holding your mouse down. Nice!

See the Pen Jump to Hyperspace 🤓⭐️#CodePenChallenge (Hold click/touch) by Jhey

X-Wing on the Water by Felipe Alfonso

The fictional equipment and landscapes are also a key part of the Star Wars story. We get a bit of both here with this X-Wing fighter racing over water at low altitude.

See the Pen X_WING by Felipe Alfonso

The Galaxy Is Aglow by Chase

This scene depicting Star Wars:The Last Jedi offers special effects worthy of the film. It uses SVG masks to create transparency, while particle animation creates an otherworldly starry background. The glow of Kylo Ren’s lightsaber and the afterburner on the Millennium Falcon are icing on the cake.

See the Pen Star Wars The Last Jedi by Chase

Memorable Words of Wisdom by Thomas Vaeth

It seems like there is a Star Wars quote for just about every occasion. If you’re looking for one to drop into your next conversation, try this random quote generator. You’re sure to find either wisdom or a wisecrack worth remembering.

See the Pen Random Quote Machine by Thomas Vaeth

Tributes Worthy of a Jedi

Browsing the vast number of Star Wars tributes on CodePen, these developers’ talent and passion become apparent. This fictional world has inspired multiple generations and, with the steady stream of new additions to the franchise, that should continue long into the future.