George Lucas’s favourite comic-strip adaptation, the 1954 Flash Gordon television serial, is becoming available to stream free on JustWatch TV. The 39-episode series is significant because its adventurous characters, opening crawl and space-opera style helped inspire Lucas when developing Star Wars.

Flash Gordon originated as a 1934 comic strip, followed by Universal film serials in 1936 and 1940 before the television version aired from 1954 to 1955. JustWatch TV is expected to launch fully in October, while Star Wars is preparing to return to cinemas with Starfighter, scheduled for 2027.