Star Wars was really the first of its kind
Sorry to be an even bigger nerd, but that's bullshit! What about 2001?? That was the film that really showed people what could be done. Don't get me wrong, Lucas Arts introduced many new techniques, but really the only thing Star Wars started was the merchandising movement (toys, lunch boxes etc....). Also as for how Lucas came up with the ideas for Star Wars, you should watch some of Akira Kurosawa's back catalogue, especially "Kakushi-toride no san-akunin" (1958)(aka The Hidden Fortress). He pretty much stole the characters and alot of the story lines from it.