My kids are loving FoD. I’m OK. I was alarmed at how passive Leia was in her own episode. She’s just been in the one with the Ewoks, right? OTOH, the Ewoks came off as pretty cool.

Is it bad that I was more excited to hear Matt Lanter and Catherine Taber than I ever would have been to hear Hayden and Natalie?

oojason said:

RayRogers said:

This is beautiful. Was for Sky One or a UK channel.

It was for the Sky Movie channels mate - a long time ago… when they were almost decent film channels and Sky actually put some effort into them… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkYlU3kc1sM

I keep hearing Matt Smith narrating it in my head.

1. Thanks for the explanations from the prequel gang. I don’t always understand it but I appreciate it. And it’s awesome.

2. I still like The Phantom Menace. The Gungan city, the saber fights, the Jedi in general, Obi-Wan. All wonderful Flash Gordon fun.

I cannot watch II and III. My kids like Clone Wars so I keep thinking I’ll show them the prequels. Can’t. Do. It.

3. There’s plenty of stuff I was super into as a kid that I can’t watch now. Filmation’s Captain Marvel, Knight Rider, Superfriends. But I still love Star Wars.

So don’t be quite so fast to dismiss prequel love as just nostalgia. IMHO.

I am totally annoyed that we have hundreds of episodes of a show featuring prequel main characters, but OT characters can only be “very special guest stars” on Rebels. PT fans have no idea how good they have it. 😉

I had that poster. (Have?) I also have the 10th anniversary silver mylar. I should finally get that framed. (There are some items I haven’t looked at in a couple of moves across country. I admit I fear for them.)

YES! Those ARE the droids I’m looking for! It’s funny that there is video of the droids and Vader, but no video of the presentation afterwards with all three Star Wars directors, Gene Roddenberry, and then a Q&A with Lucas. Tsk.

I’m a little distressed that I can’t find my photos. I’ve schlepped those damn things around for 30 years. I’m trying to stay calm and know that they’ll turn up. Why I never scanned them I have NO idea. sigh

OTOH my mother just told me that she still has the convention program! (My poor kids, I don’t save anything like Grandma did.)

Further notice if and when…

I just read A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy. An interesting (and decidedly pre-Rogue One) take on Star Wars.

I was delighted how much of Brian Daley’s radio drama she included.

Good news: Han totally shot only. Bad news: The Death Star explosion has rings.

The structure was interesting because putting Luke’s POV last meant there was a lot of the beginning of the movie she doubled back to tell.

Best line never on screen: Ben uses a Force distraction to get Our Heroes from the Falcon to the control room. Han says “How did you do that?” Ben replies, drier than the Dune Sea, “Simple tricks and nonsense.”

I’ve started the Empire book that comes next. I’m not liking it as much.

I began Rebel Rising and it’s just too depressing.

DuracellEnergizer said:

Density said:

bkev said:

I like to think if I ABSOLUTELY had to give an in-universe reason, it’s down to the fact that Leia is Force-sensitive and can remember the strong emotions her mother experienced during childbirth etc.

That’s the BS excuse I’ve always heard.

For a split-second there, I thought you’d typed “B5” instead of “BS”. I was asking myself, “What does any of this have to do with Babylon 5?”

Well, there is a connection, but it was written out when they thought they were canceled in the 4th season.

Thanks so much for that.

First off that scene always bugged me from the very beginning. “Do you remember you mother? Your REAL mother?”

Wait, Leia is adopted? And she knows it? And LUKE knows it? When the #$%# did the AUDIENCE know it?

So why do we think she’s talking about the Mother to Eventually Be Padme? They lied to her about who her father was. Even if they never told her that he was Darth Vader they didn’t tell her that he was a Jedi Knight either. I can’t imagine the name Anakin Skywalker ever came up.

So why aren’t we assuming that she’s talking about her first adopted mother (presumably Bail’s wife at the time) who she never knew wasn’t her “REAL” mother?

Honestly, these two kids have been lied to about their parents from day one. But we somehow expect Leia to have the totally real and accurate information about her mother? From a single line of dialog that comes totally out of nowhere?

There’s a ton of stuff that the prequels messed up. But part of that is because Darth Vader being Luke’s father makes little sense and being Luke AND Leia’s father makes NO sense.

JMarso said:

Tallguy said:

Star Wars Marvel Comics #17.

Crucible!

(Or was it the untold Tale of Obi-Wan? Either way, it was right before The Wheel arc with Senator Greyshade…)

It was indeed Crucible and right before the Wheel (and right after Water World). T-16s! Biggs! I wanted a T-16 SO bad. They wouldn’t make a toy for what, another 20 years?

Oh my Force! Chris Claremont co-wrote that?

Senator Greyshade. VERY subtle.

Anyone ever hear the Keith Urban song ‘John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16’? I’ll have to translate that into Star Wars.

R2 in the canyon with the jawas with only sound FX and no music.

Luke turning on his Dad’s light saber.

Running around my house listening to “Mouse Robot and Blasting Off” shouting “Chewie get us out of here!”

Watching Star Wars clips that were part of the '78 People’s Choice Awards on a Quasar video tape recorder (screw your betamax AND vhs!). R2 and 3P0 arguing in the desert, escaping Tatooine, and the TIE Fighter Attack.

Pronouncing the ship “Mil-e-NEE-um Falcon”.

The Early Bird Kenner Set!!!

X! WINGS!

Star Wars Marvel Comics #17.

The Empire Strikes Back novel.

The Phoenix, Arizona Cine Capri at 24th street and Camelback.

The Story of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back: The Adventures Of Luke Skywalker LPs.

John Freaking Williams on a double LP set goddamn it!

Luke and Leia from the Jedi soundtrack.

YUB NUB!

THAT, Sir, is MY Star Wars.

Ryan McAvoy said:

oojason said:

Mocata said:

😃

Takes me back to those terrible 90’s UK VHS anti-piracy adverts 😃

Oh god, I’m having flashbacks to that terrible guitar sound! I swear, then and now, that piracy warnings are designed to punish you for buying the genuine article 😉

Designed or not, it’s what they do.

Tantive3+1 said:

I’m surprised that Marcia Lucas was in attendance

Is it dumb that I got a little teary eyed when I read that she was there?

Darth Id said:

I’d like to commemorate this occasion by imparting to all of you the following intergalactic greeting:

May the Twenty-Fifth Be with You!

Always.

SilverWook said:

Great idea for a topic!

I was there, but only for a few hours sadly. (I did sign the card.) Was that hotel laid out like a labyrinth or what? 😉

Instead of one huge dealer’s room, it was a lot of small dealer’s rooms. I’m still not sure I found them all. One memory I have is examining a beautiful light saber replica as someone else was looking over my shoulder at it as well. (This dealer had some impressive Trek prop replicas too, back before Paramount got ugly about such things.) I pressed the power button on the saber, and they jumped out of the way. Silly guy thought it was going to work. 😛

Not sure where my photos are. They’re on the long dead Kodak 126 film format, which might be problematic to get scanned today. I mostly took pics of the prop room display. There were Raiders props on display too. It’s amazing to me you could just walk up and touch the Ark of The Covenant. (And an Artoo Detoo.) And of course, every wise guy was opening the lid. AFAIK, nobody had their face melted off.

The only items I still have for sure are the 10th anniversary poster, and the official T-shirt, which amazingly still fits this old Wookiee. I mostly kept that shirt stashed away. I’ve worn it to my first screening of TFA and again when I saw the 70mm IMAX version.

I’d forgotten about the dealer’s room(s). I scored an inordinate amount of Star Trek blueprints at that con.

When I find (and scan) my photos, yes I have pics with the Ark and R2 and whatever Obi-Wan lightsaber they had there. (I had always thought it was Guiness’ saber but I now learn that that is unlikely.)

It never occurred to me to open the ark. I was amazed enough just to be able to touch it!

Hi All. Happy Star Wars week!

30 years ago I (and a whole bunch of other Star Wars nerds) were in Los Angeles for the 10th Anniversary Star Wars convention.

Guests included (going from memory):
Anthony Daniels
Peter Mayhew
Billy Dee Williams
Gene Roddenberry
Irvin Kershner
Richard Marquand
and George Lucas

I’m sure there were more. If I remember correctly this was the first licensed Star Wars con ever. Certainly the first that Lucas ever attended.

I look back on it with tremendous regret that I was more interested in seeing Billy Dee Williams (for example) than any of the ILM guys! Arrrrgh. Otherwise it was a blast! I also rode Star Tours for the first time that week.

Anyone have the Star Wars Vault? There is a fold out of the birthday card that everyone at the convention signed. I was there early so my signature is quite prominent in the upper right corner. Embarrassingly I wrote how excited I would be for Episode I!

This week I’ll see if I can dig up any photos I have.

Was anyone else from here there?

Mod Edit: the 10th Anniversary Edition in 1987? Was anything released or done? thread also has some info on the 10th Anniversary.

SilverWook said:

rodneyfaile said:

Parents said “No, it’s a scam, end of discussion.”

Did other kids getting their figures in the mail shoot some holes in that argument a tad? 😉

Nice.

IsanRido said:

It’s funny how they put love last, like it was some sort of startling revelation and the tagline was supposed to be clever.

I can’t defend much about AotC. (The day Star Wars broke my heart.) But the tag line is ominous because we know where this is headed. This is the movie where Luke and Leia’s parents fall in love. The fact that it’s even going against the Jedi Order makes it even more star crossed.

It’s the kind of expectation that the movie (and the prequels in general) totally failed to deliver on.

I’ve written about this before but the Early Bird set was AMAZING.

Seriously. Do any of you know / remember what was available for Star Wars by Christmas 1977? The novel (with some photos). The board game. The soundtrack. Maybe some t-shirts / pajamas? Oh, and the Marvel comics.

If the early bird box was ALL you got for Christmas, um, yeah it wasn’t much. But it was a lovely piece of artwork. It was a promise. It was fun. (It taught me how to draw Artoo Detoo.) AND when the figures shipped (way earlier than potentially promised) you got you figures weeks before anyone else did.

The only downside to the box was that when you got the figures in their little white plastic box you wouldn’t have the figure cards that your friends had (and like you did for Han which was OBVIOUSLY the first figure you bought).

I might be a special kind of nerd, I guess. I loved getting new Star Wars toys for the little Kenner catalog that came with them.

Nope. Not a one is still standing.

The two theaters where I saw Star Wars in Connecticut, USA are both gone (although the mall where I saw it first is apparently still there and reportedly quite a place).

The sainted Cine Capri here in Phoenix, AZ, USA where I saw Empire has been gone since 1998. I later saw Star Wars and all three Special Editions there.

The General Cinemas where I saw Jedi is gone, but I think you can see it in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. It’s upstairs from the skating rink. And it’s right next to where the new(er) Harkins’ Cinema is where I saw The Phantom Menace.

The theaters where I saw Attack of the Clones is (I think still there). I have no idea where I saw Sith.

Where I saw The Force Awakens and Rogue One are both fine.

Well, good news and bad news. I’m pretty sure I found out where I saw it. All four times. Once at one cinema, three times at another. Neither is still standing.

Farmington, CT — The Movies at Westfarms Triplex
Newington, CT — Newington Triplex

This is the bad or at least weird news:

According to this: http://thedigitalbits.com/columns/history-legacy--showmanship/force-to-be-reckoned-with/Page-3 Star Wars did not open where I saw SW until JULY 13TH! My memory datapoint is that we saw SW the second time for my brother’s birthday which in July 15th. I also know that I conned my parents into buying “him” the soundtrack LP for a present (screwing up both my brother and my lives for decades!).

So this means that 1) we saw it pretty close to opening day and 2) saw it AGAIN in fairly short order! The reason this has me scratching my head was that we just didn’t see movies that often, let alone TWICE. Let alone twice in a week or two! (We saw it four times in '77/'78.) We must have been REALLY excited about Star Wars.

But then, of course we were.

digitalfreaknyc said:

I’ve been trying to find this out for myself. I wasn’t even born when it originally came out so my first time seeing it in theaters was in the early 90’s. The Nintendo game came out and they had select screenings of it in theaters around the country. There was an ad in Nintendo Power and that’s the only way I knew about it. I’m dying to know the date. 😦

Hmmm. That sounds harder. If my newspaper dive works out I’ll let you know. I know I have no chance of getting the date.

NeverarGreat said:

Tallguy said:
What I may do is start looking at newspapers from the area and time. May the Force be with me!

“That’s not how the Force works!”

Nicely done!

SilverWook said:

Those were the days!

Some of us have had success using these sites:
http://cinematreasures.org/
http://americanclassicimages.com/
I was able to find photos of where I saw Star Wars, among other cinematic memories. It helps to know what state you were living in at the time. 😉

I know city and state. (Rocky Hill, CT.) Reading about the rollout (http://www.in70mm.com/news/2003/star_wars/) I may even have it narrowed down to a handful of weeks. I know we saw it the second time around July 15th. And it didn’t start playing in most of the country until the beginning of June.

What I may do is start looking at newspapers from the area and time. May the Force be with me!

As we come up on the big 40 I want to know the two cinemas where I saw Star Wars in 1977.

Has anyone compiled a list of what cinemas originally ran Star Wars?

(See, if I lived where I do now, it would be easy: Only one cinema in the entire state showed Star Wars! For the entire year!)

Possessed said:

I don’t necessarily see that as a problem. Builds suspense, and an understanding of the force isn’t necessary to enjoy star wars anyway. The prequels are loaded with problems, I don’t think this is one of them.

By that argument the scene with Ben in Star Wars explaining it and then the OTHER scene with Yoda repeating it are unneeded. But they aren’t. They were considered necessary when a audience was being introduced to Star Wars. They weren’t considered necessary in the PT because the PT wasn’t introducing anyone to Star Wars.

Honestly this is just about my biggest argument against a 1-6 order. That and 5 and 6 rely on a certain amount of suspense that just isn’t there if 1-3 are told first. Oh, and Ben looks like a damn fool when he “tells” Luke about Vader and Luke’s father.