May 22, 1983

IN 1977, ''Star Wars'' came to the nation's screens, and the Force was with it. The Force was with ''The Empire Strikes Back,'' too, in 1980. And when ''Return of the Jedi'' opens this Wednesday at 800 movie theaters across the country, completing the trilogy that has accounted for nearly $1 billion in ticket sales so far, it will almost inevitably be the movie of the summer of '83. ''We expect it to be the biggest of the three,'' said Alan Hirschfield, the chairman and chief executive since mid-1981 of the 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation, ''Jedi's'' distributor. And it had better be, for the Force has not been with Fox for years. Since 1979, when Mr. Hirschfield joined Fox from a consulting job at Warner Communications, the company has been engulfed in an almost unending wave of contention and change, from infighting in the executive suite and rapid turnover to the $700 million purchase of Fox itself in 1981 by the Denver oilman Marvin Davis. Last November, Fox was cut out of a cable consortium when Columbia Pictures Industries spurned it in favor of a stronger partnership with Home Box Office and CBS. When Paramount, Warner Brothers and MCA, which owns Universal, formed their own alliance in January, Fox became one of two studios - the other is MGM/UA - that does not own a means of distributing movies by cable.

President Reagan plans to replace four of the six members of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, commission members and their aides reported today. If the President makes the nominations and they are confirmed by the Senate, all members of the civil rights monitoring agency would be Reagan appointees. The nominees under consideration include several who are opposed to affirmative action and busing, which the commission has strongly supported over the last decade. In the last two years the commission has reaffirmed its support for those techniques against discrimination in employment and school segregation, even though President Reagan has opposed them.

New York State students would be required to learn a foreign language and take more math, science and computer courses under a major change in the curriculum being considered by the state's Board of Regents. The new requirements are under review as part of the Regents' plan to emphasize stricter academic standards. ''My sense is that students in our secondary schools are ready for increased requirements,'' the state's Education Commissioner, Gordon M. Ambach, said today. ''If we have good, consistent signals from parents, employers and schools as to what is expected, students will rise to them '' The Regents, who set education policy in the state, are not likely to make a final decision on the requirements before the end of the year. They would consult local school boards and educators before adopting such a plan. Mr. Ambach said, however, that the Regents had ''indicated a strong desire to increase requirements.''

ALTHOUGH summer is nearly upon us, and the formal concert season is ending, there will be no lack of musical activity in the coming months. Hardly a day will pass, it seems, without a performance, indoors or out, of opera, symphonic or chamber music, bluegrass, jazz or pop. State, county and municipal parks will ring with the sound of music, and most performances in them will be free. The major music festivals - at Waterloo Village near Stanhope and the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel - draw the big-name performers, but there are many smaller events. Some specialize in chamber music and others offer a variety of nonmusical attractions, from ethnic food and dances to boat races and craft shows. Many of these smaller presentations are off the beaten track and provide bonuses of scenic or historic sites. At summer workshops, schools and camps for the performing arts, participants - whether beginners or advanced students - can work with prominent artists in a relaxed and informal setting. Public recitals are generally part of these programs, giving audiences a chance to hear young performers who may someday become top stars.

GAME chaos pervaded the locker room of pro basketball's world c hampions, the Los Angeles Lakers, one recent evening. With this b ackdrop, the ageless one, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, sat quietly between t he gold, metal walls of his dressing stall. He was leaning back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest, with his legs stretched out. Like ancient roots of an ancient tree, the legs seemed to reach halfway across that room. With each new day - each graceful sky hook and each new level of success - it is becoming clear that when measured by any standard, the 7-foot-2-inch Abdul-Jabbar is the best center ever to play the game.