1. What was being an 80s Star Wars fan like?
The weird for me was I didn’t realise I was ‘a Star Wars fan’ as such - it was just something everyone seemed to be into; whether talking about it, reading articles on it, collecting those toys (which were everywhere in stores - many parents doing their weekly shop were more than happy to leave their kids in the Star Wars aisles to go do the shopping and come back to pick up their kids), going around to friends’ houses who had a copy on VHS player or laserdisc, it seeemd t obe a staple of growing up in the early-mid 80’s.
Playing in the streets or over the park, or round each other’s houses playing Star Wars - whether just imagination… or with figures and toys. As us kids got older we all got into different things on TV and film, sport, girls, etc…
2. Were you tech-savvy? If so, were you an audiophile, a videophile, a computing enthusiast/programmer, …?
I was into gaming (badly) - the trusty Commodore 64 was my thing - well into the early 90’s, and there were a few Star Wars games (as well as a number of Star Wars-type games for it - and friend’s Spectrums or BBC B’s etc).
3. Which technological developments excited you? Which didn’t excite you? What did you think was coming soon, but was actually far off?
Flying hoverboards! Lightsabers!
Nah, CDs - and wondering why they didn’t make CD-sized laserdiscs etc. Or cheaper CDs. Or cheaper Walkman’s with TV screens (it was likely they just looked cool and Trek-ish).
4. Did you participate in the early home video revolution? If so, how did you, for instance, obtain all of the episodes of Star Trek (TOS)?
I think I saved up for the 6 Star Trek films in a fancy boxset, and home-taped nearly every episode of TNG on VHS; I think it was on the BBC every night around 6pm? Some Red Dwarf VHS too - though mainly tried to save up and buy the RD t-shirts.
Most people had a TV recording of Star Wars, Empire, or ROTJ on a blank video tape (or dodgy copy from some bloke someone’s elder brother or dad knew in the pub).
I suspect most of us who recall the 80’s are halfway to the graveyard.
Well yeah, given the average life span of a human. Anyone who can remember the 80s in any meaningful way is at least 40 by now. Now get off my lawn.
51 and proud (mentally… still a kid)!