I saw Star Wars in 1977, when I was 5 years old. I think my dad took me to see it about 12 times. I must have seen it in a monaural theater (without stereo sound), because there's something very familiar about the mono mix to me. Because of my age, I really don't have a lot of direct memories of seeing Star Wars in the theater (like waiting in line, seeing crowds, etc). I vaguely remember seeing the Holiday Special - I was too young to realize how horrible it was. But I remember the toys vividly. God how I played with those toys. The toys WERE Star Wars for me.

Certain songs from the late 70s take me back. Suddenly I'm no longer an adult but a little boy thinking about Star Wars in the huge back seat of my dad's Lincoln Mark V.

Star Wars' effect on the late 70s cannot easily be described. It was the movie that everyone HAD to see. The fact that my dad took me to see it 12 times means he must have enjoyed it immensely himself. My grandfather even saw it. I recall seeing a couple of those 70s vans painted with a Star Wars theme.

When ESB came out, I was 8, and my pump was primed. I remember my dad had bought the story book early, and he actually spilled the beans about Vader being Luke's father BEFORE I saw the movie. I vividly remember the day my mom took me to see it. ESB was hard for me to handle, it was sad and scary. Looking back, ESB is a very adult tale, with great acting from the major players. It's the thinking man's Star Wars.

Shortly after I saw ESB, Vader made a guest appearance at a local mall. The coolness of this cannot be overestimated. Here's the pic:

http://www.erikstormtrooper.com/mevader.jpg

When I saw ROTJ, I thought it was the best of the movies. I continued with the toys for a year more, but as the OT faded, so did my interest. As I matured, I realized ROTJ was inferior in many ways. But as an ending to the OT, it still serves its purpose, and I can accept it on that level.

If I had to summarize the OT in one word, I would say ADVENTURE.
The PT in one word: CHARACTER.

The prequels have been a let down for me. They progressively got better, but what they set out to do was never achieved. The big question for the PT is, how does Anakin Skywalker become Darth Vader. Unfortunately, Lucas could never decide on the exact reason, aside from some vague sense of loss. One of the coolest and most mysterious villains was made into a whiney airhead.

In the PT, all the spectacle of what we see is pointless, and except for small parts of Episode I, there is no fun.

The PT is ultimately a wasted opportunity. And that makes me sad more than anything else. But I stick around here, hoping that some day someone will have the vision to transform the PT into something I can enjoy.