Okay, so it wasn't all that long ago, and it was only in suburban Long Island. But I'm still hooked. Much to the delight of die-hard fans like myself, the original "Star Wars" trilogy was recently released on DVD. It's given us a moment to relive those fond Jedi memories.
I'll never forget when I saw "Star Wars" (1977) for the first time - New Year's Day, 1978. I was seven years old. It absolutely thrilled me. I was fascinated by the characters, creatures, ships and weapons. My close cousins - both boys - loved it as much as I did, and we spent countless hours running around the backyard, flying imaginary X-Wings and using sticks as lightsabers. When we played, I always wanted to be Han Solo. Never mind the fact that I was a girl, I recognized coolness when I saw it, even then. No Princess Leia for me! My parents indulged my love of all things "Star Wars," and I collected toys, books, cards, t-shirts, you name it. I wish I had some of those things back! Now, as an adult, I can't tell you how many times I've seen the movie, but I can tell you that I can recite all the dialogue to the movie from start to finish. Insert your "what a geek" remarks here, it's okay. "Star Wars" is a part of me, and I'm proud of it.
I waited impatiently for the day when "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) was released. Watching it now, I can appreciate the movie much more, but at the time, I was really disappointed with a lot of it. Too much Luke, not enough Han! And what's with all the mushy stuff? Leaving Han's fate undetermined at the end of the movie was just torture for my young mind and heart - I was so worried about him, how could I possibly wait three more years to find out what happened to him?
But wait I did, just like everyone else, until "Return of the Jedi" (1983) was released. I purposely avoided watching any previews or reading any reviews because I didn't want to know anything until I could see it with my own eyes. Imagine my horror, then, when in homeroom one morning, Eddie Zinsser blurted out the whole story! I was one of the few people I knew who liked the Ewoks and thought the movie wrapped up the trilogy very well. I have friends and relations - no need to name names, they know who they are - who haven't even seen "Jedi." I keep threatening to strap them down to watch it, but so far, no dice.
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