I was 7 when it came out. I saw it in a drive in although I fell asleep during the Death Star attack. :(

I collected the books and comics and watched the holiday special when it premiered.

ESB I saw in a theater on my birthday. One of if not the best cinematic experiences I ever had. I feel lucky to have seen it when the surprises were surprises. ROTJ didnt have such an impact on me--I liked it at the time but after a while I could see how it doesnt really follow ESB in tone, and both sequels are rather different from the original 77 movie which stands on its own as a separate complete movie experience and story. It felt like an infinite universe of adventure and possibilities.

I didnt favor SW media over anything else though--I liked Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Spider-man etc...

I would say SW has aged well for me--I used to dislike Hamill's performance in SW but now see it as appropriate, and I can appreciate things that I hadnt thought of before(like its connection to spaghetti westerns).

The big change was that for years I saw Lucas as a secretive Tolkien like creator who had planned out everything years ago-and I had anticipated the prequels for many years--but now I know he made it up as he went along and benefited greatly from collaborators. I now feel that MacQuarrie was probably the single most important contributor to the SW experience with his designs(especially Vader and the stormtroopers).

I think the artwork surrounding SW is a separate media phenomenon all its own--the light saber, the ships, Darth Vader etc..

I dont revisit SW films often-and dont bother checking out expanded universe, comics or anything associated with the prequels so it doesnt feel all that tarnished.

If one image sticks in my mind from SW above all others its the shot of the Millennium Falcon blasting off from Mos Eisley with the aliens and storm troopers watching in the foreground.