Star Wars: Then and Now

Before I'd even started school, I saw the original Star Wars movie in the theater. That's Episode IV: A New Hope, the one in which Han shot first, just to be clear. I loved it.

En route to becoming an avid collector of stuffed animals, Chewbacca was, naturally, my favorite character. For a long time, I thought the Storm Troopers were robots. I wasn't quite sure how Han and Luke were able to rip out the machinery and wiring so quickly to disguise themselves when they were in the Death Star, but I let it go.

Light sabers seemed like the coolest things ever and my brother and I had toy versions, basically a flashlight that lit up a long tube of plastic. We had action figures (I still have Chewie, Obi-Wan, and a Jawa) and trading cards. My brother had the cool Star Wars sheets.

Three years passed and we saw The Empire Strikes Back together. Though it's probably my favorite now, I found it upsetting back then because it was unresolved at the end. Also, it has snakes and Jabba the Hut - ew!

Another three years passed and my brother was too cool to go to the movies with me. I was disappointed; I'd felt like seeing Star Wars movies together was our thing. Since he was seeing it before me, I made him promise not to talk to me about it until I'd seen it. I still loved it. I enjoyed the Ewoks despite the flak they were getting even then. Still liked Chewie better though.

"May The Force Be With You" became a phrase to sniff out like-minded science fiction/action-adventure lovers. Weren't too many where I grew up. But when I went to college, I found several new friends because of our mutual love of Star Wars.