The Force is strong
It’s an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan.
Everywhere you look there’s some form of Star Wars memorabilia, whether it’s in nostalgic commercials or endless toys.
Have you seen the Walmart commercials? Particularly the one with two generations of Star Wars fans and their treasured Ewok celebration dance? It’s good stuff.
I bought a plastic drinking cup the other day, just because it had “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” characters on it. Star Wars is everywhere.
The last time we were immersed in George Lucas’ creation, it was 2005. Ten years ago.
Ten years ago, I remember being in the seventh grade and doing a writing prompt on why May 19 should be Star Wars Day, because it was the day that “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” came out.
I also remember writing a letter to George Lucas that year about why Star Wars was so important to me. Though I don’t quite remember what I wrote, I sure remember the response I got.
It was a generic fan correspondence response about how they appreciate feedback and whatnot. It included a pack of those temporary tattoos with all kinds of Star Wars characters and symbols.
But it came addressed from Lucasfilm LTD in an off-white envelope. It was pretty magical for my 13-year-old self, and I still have that letter in my safe to this day.
Some of my earliest memories are of watching Star Wars episodes IV, V and VI on VHS with my family. Not just any old VHS tapes, but recorded-from-the-TV VHS tapes.
That shot in Episode IV when Luke is on Tatooine, looking off into the distant suns as the music (John Williams’ “Binary Sunset” to be exact) swells — I still get goosebumps.
We grew up with all kinds of Star Wars toys, games, clothes, etc. To a bit of my mom’s dismay, I even wore a blue Imperial Army t-shirt for my (I think) eighth grade yearbook photo.
I’ve always been a diehard fan of the saga, including the controversial prequels. The way I’ve reasoned it to others is that I enjoyed them when I was too young to know any better. Episodes I, II and III are staples in my childhood movie vault that I’ll continue to love regardless, even though their quality, added characters (ahem, Jar Jar), and CGI are highly contested.
Although, I’ll provide a brief disclaimer that I’m strongly against Lucas’ special editions for the original trilogy that added unnecessary CGI characters, including the awful, cartoonish “pop” scene in Jabba’s palace, and amended Han Solo’s shootout with Gredo. Han shot first.
My appreciation for Lucas’ Star Wars universe deepened while in college, thanks to an Art of Film class and a devotional that essentially explored the spiritual themes of Star Wars.
“Rediscover awe. Revel in the wonder of every moment. And pursue all you were meant to be. It is your destiny.”
That was one of the book’s taglines that really stuck with me, not only to describe my appreciation for Star Wars, but as a mantra in general.
And now that we’re heading into a new generation of Star Wars — new fans, new characters, a new director — I’m more than ready to rediscover the awe that is Star Wars and revel in every moment.