Highlights for the week ahead

A quarter-century after the release of "Star Wars," who remembers a time before?

But a documentary about this cinema phenomenon observes, "The 'Star Wars' trilogy didn't just change the way we look at movies. It changed the way movies are made." Not to mention modern mythology.

"Star Wars: Empire of Dreams" is an unusually well-done and thorough look at how the young George Lucas had an idea for a film (an updated Flash Gordon, 1930-ish space opera) that few understood or supported, then, in a fight to the finish, how he got it made.

The documentary, which airs at 7 p.m. CST today on A&E, puts "Star Wars" in historical context (you could thank Richard Nixon and Watergate, in part, for its grateful reception by a public seeking something to believe in). And it tracks the many choices and innovations that went into the film, which are now accepted as holy writ.

Among the delicious tidbits: black-and-white audition tapes with Kurt Russell and William Katt, as well as Mark Hamill; Cindy Williams along with Carrie Fisher (who won her role by promising to drop a few pounds).

Best of all, "Empire of Dreams" consults nearly everyone you'd want to hear from, including Lucas' pal Steven Spielberg, the film's performers, and key off-screen participants.

Months late, after nonstop production problems, battles with the studio, a complete re-editing, and a bout of hypertension waged by Lucas, "Star Wars" premiered on May 25, 1977. The crazy little film was an instant archetype.

With characteristic humor, Fisher sums up how she experienced the "Star Wars" whirlwind: "You're not really famous until you're a PEZ dispenser. But I'm not really famous. Princess Leia is. And I look like her."

Other shows to look out for:

-- Wedding planner Lauren Crandall feels romantically challenged. Recently separated from her husband, she is resolved henceforth to keep matrimony a professional matter. Then she meets Nick, a sexy firefighter who lights her fire. But fate seems poised to dash water on Lauren's dreams: She discovers that her fireman fellow is about to tie the knot with her exasperating new client. This wasn't in Lauren's wedding plans. Can her marriage be saved? "I Do (But I Don't)" is a romantic comedy that stars Denise Richards and Dean Cain. It airs Monday at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.

-- Patricia Heaton is one. So is Drew Carey. Pat Sajak. They're all Republicans in Hollywood, bucking the notion that everyone is Lalaland is a liberal. Despite high-profile liberal celebrities like Barbra Streisand and Martin Sheen, could Hollywood be more conservative than most people think? Has Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger's election as governor of California, along with Mel Gibson's Christian hit "The Passion of the Christ," helped fuel a right-wing resurgence in the entertainment industry? "Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood" is a new documentary that explores these issues. Directed by Jesse Moss, a filmmaker and former Democratic speechwriter, it explores the professional and personal ramifications of being a conservative in what is widely viewed as a liberal community. The film hears from Heaton, Carey, Sajak and others, and hits the gubernatorial campaign trail with Schwarzenegger. It airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. on AMC.

-- Oil doesn't just fuel the nation's cars. It fuels the nation's future. And continuing instability in the Middle East means a shaky future for the steady flow of oil the United States depends on. A three-part PBS documentary series, "Extreme Oil," examines the extremes to which the oil industry must now go in its mission to find new sources. In "Pipeline" (airing Monday at 9 p.m.; check local listings), the film traces the route of the 1,100-mile "BTC Pipeline," a string of pipes transporting energy reserves from the Caspian to the Mediterranean and on to the global market -- through some of the most geographically challenging and politically unsafe places on earth. Sept. 20, "The Oil Curse" travels down jungle rivers to the coastline of Ecuador, where the presence of oil has proven to be more a bane than a blessing for its natives. And Sept. 27, "The Wilderness" heads to the far reaches of Alaska, whose Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could soon be the site of extensive oil development. But at what cost?

-- Is technology helping make the term "disabled" obsolete? Floyd Stewart, paralyzed in mid-life by a car accident, uses assistive technologies to run Middle Tennessee's Center for Independent Living. Susanna Sweeney-Martini is completing her college education in Seattle with the aid of a power wheelchair and voice-input software. Telling their stories -- and others' -- "Freedom Machines" is a film about people typically labeled (and dismissed) as "disabled" -- but whose access to inventive new technologies is transforming their lives. A film that reassesses what "disabled" means, "Freedom Machines" also explores the concept of "universal design," which employs technology to make environments adaptable to the needs and abilities of a wide range of individuals. It airs on PBS at 10 p.m. Tuesday as part of the "P.O.V." series (check local listings).