I’ve objected before to the now common celebration of Star Wars Day on the fourth day of May. It’s a silly pun based on a mispronounciation. We should be celebrating it three weeks later, on the 25th day of May, which is the anniversary of the first theatrical release of Star Wars (1977), but language and society is based on majority behavior, so, here we are. I surrender. May the Fourth be with you all.
And, yes, that first movie that came out will always and forever be “Star Wars” in my mind. I know that at some point after the sequel came out in 1980, the first movie got retconned into Episode IV, A New Hope, but I was there when the deep lore was written, child. It lives on, unnumbered, in my head.
I might have copies of the Original Trilogy that have been painstakingly restored by fans to their original theatrical versions on a hard drive somewhere, so that I can watch them as I remember them from my childhood. I won’t get into whether or not George Lucas is right or wrong to updating and revising them over the years. My understanding is that that started in earnest as a way to cheat his ex-wife Marcia out of royalties during a nasty divorce, which does sound very petty. But, as mentioned above, the revisionism started very very early on by tweaking the name of the original film. Mr. Lucas always had that urge in him, from the start.
So for this Star Wars Day, I wanted to go back through past posts and find the time I talked about the first time I ever saw Star Wars. I was certain I had written it all out at some point. If so, however, I can’t find it except in passing.
Here is a roundup of selected past posts from me about Star Wars and the impact it’s had on my life.
Lost in Space
A tale that mentions the summer of 1977 in passing, on its way to a scene from the summer of 1981, and the crush I had that was squashed in a movie theater one night.
Old Jedis never die, they just fade away
Reminiscence that links Memorial Day, military service, war, and movies.
Adrift in time
Junior High friendships and Star Wars.
A long time ago, and might as well be in a galaxy far, far away
The very first time I met Boba Fett — or at least a guy cosplaying as him — the summer of 1980.
…They Just Fade Away
Preparing to cosplay as my hero for the last Skywalker Saga movie premiere.