Star Wars Day!

Early Movie Memories

May the Fourth be with you, everyone! It’s Star Wars Day. As a kid growing up, the very first movie I remember going to see was the original Star Wars in the late 1970s (yes, I can remember most of the 70s). Not expected to be much of anything at all, George Lucas’ pet project became an international cultural phenomenon.

80s Star Wars

Of course, the 1980s were then Star Wars mania really started to take off (just another reason why the 80s were great, IMHO) with The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I collected all the toys and saw all three films multiple times each at my local cinema. Great, great stuff.

The Later Films

While I thought the prequel trilogies were all right and had some very cool things in them, they just weren’t the same as the original three films. Unless you were a fan living at the time that Star Wars began and really started ramping up, it’s difficult to explain. My head canon starts with “Episode IV” and stops with “Episode VI”, although I consider the prequels my “expanded universe”. Let’s not even talk about the “sequels”, please.

The Magic of the Original Star Wars

While this property has lost a lot of magic for me, I still watch the original films from time to time and I still really enjoy them. Yes, they seem a bit hokey now, but that’s part of their charm. The names, places, and themes are still very special to me. So, as this day unfolds, may you have a great time with family and friends making new Star Wars memories! Happy May the 4th and remember, Han shot first and, if you party too hard, beware the Revenge of the 5th!