I was 4 years old in 1977, so I don’t really remember a time before Star Wars. I feel fortunate that my earliest memories are from that time and to have grown up during that initial craze.

I was 7 when The Empire Strikes Back was released and the AT-AT battle on Hoth just blew me away. There was just something special about seeing those walkers in the snow. It fueled my imagination so much. I was 10 by the time of Return of the Jedi but still not old enough to go see Star Wars as many times as I wanted or buy all the Star Wars figures I wanted. My parents had no appreciation for Star Wars or movies at all really.

Then came The Phantom Menace. I was 26 in 1999, living on my own, and had considerable disposable income. The hype for this movie was incredible. I went to Toys R Us at midnight and bought a ton of stuff. I stood in line all day to buy tickets and saw it so many times. I was a little mixed on the movie itself, but to be able to participate in all the things I wasn’t old enough to do when I was a kid was special to me. One of my fondest Star Wars memories.

Fast forward to now and I’m cosplaying as a Jedi for The Force Awakens, seeing all the movies in a marathon at a theater in Disney, and going to Celebration. Wish I could single out one precise moment when I discovered Star Wars, like the original post asks, but my experience has been different. For me, Star Wars has always been there, I just wasn’t always able to participate in it the way I wanted. Those times are gone. I’m fully immersed now! MTFBWY!