There’s a lengthy and fascinating history behind the Star Wars logo, dating back to those early days when George Lucas was still working on the film that would become known as A New Hope. Over a half dozen movies later, the franchise has taken a completely different turn from those years with just Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia.

Red in the franchise is often associated with the color of the Sith (the villains) and their lightsabers. The official colors of the Star Wars logo colors, according to the franchise, however, are yellow and black. The most definitive Star Wars logo color is definitely the bright banana yellow, often associated with the shimmering stars of space.

The early Star Wars logo was radically different As Gizmodo points out , the original Star Wars logo was a triangular decal. According to artist Ralph McQuarrie, this version depicted an early male character design (McQuarrie points to Han Solo or Luke Skywalker) with a prototype lightsaber.

A surprising origin for an iconic logo. There are many iconic elements of the Star Wars franchise – from lightsabers to the wide variety of helmets – but not to be overlooked is the simple power of the logo.