Star Wars Reminiscing

[Jae Onasi]

I was 10 when I first saw it in the theater in 1977, and I've been a sci-fi fan ever since. We had to wait about a month to see it because the theaters were that packed with people wanting to see it. I think we waited an hour or so in line to get our tickets, and the theater was packed. It was THE topic of discussion that entire summer, and in the news there were stories of the lines of people wrapped around the block just to get in to see the movie.

 

A lot of you probably take the special effects for granted with CGI and advanced special effects done so often now. In 1977, though, the special effects in Star Wars were groundbreaking and utterly breathtaking. It was part of what made the movie the absolute phenomenon that it is. No one had come close to doing what Lucas did in that regard.

 

I remember being awed by the music, the field of stars, the jump to hyperspace. I thought being a Jedi must have been terribly cool (well, still do. ). I laughed at the little machine that Chewie roared at and the sassy comments that Han made. Princess Leia's comment 'Would someone get this walking carpet out of my way?' made me howl laughing. She was a cool princess, not some whimpering token beauty crying 'save me!' She was strong in her own right, something that wasn't seen nearly as often in the 70's as it is now. I loved it when Luke decided to become a Jedi. The lightsaber battle between Vader and Kenobi was amazing, not so much because of the fighting but because it was lightsabers they were using. I hated it when Alderaan got blown up and Ben died, and I thought Tarkin and Vader were the epitome of evil. I clapped and cheered with the rest of the theater when Luke hit the exhaust port with the torpedoes and the Death Star blew up. The throne room scene was awesome and had some of the best movie music I'd ever heard.

 

Star Wars was so different from all the brooding, dark movies (especially the Vietnam war movies) showing at that time. It was a picture that showed that no matter how bad things got, there was still hope. It was a classic good vs. evil with the good guys triumphing over great trials and impossible odds. I loved every moment of it.

[Pho3nix]

My dad has always been a Star Wars fan so he introduced me to the OT. I can't remember when exactly I saw A New Hope for the first time because I was so young.

 

I have the best memories with Episode 3 though. The anticipation, the music, waiting in line for the tickets with my friends for 12h and then seeing it with them on the premiere. Those were happy days.

[mimartin]

it was a small town theatre, no massive complexes in those days).

This is the way I saw “A New Hope” back when it was only known as Star Wars. Only the town the town I lived in at the time only changed movies once a month. Star Wars did not make it there until about 6 months after it was released. It took me two months to talk my stepfather into to driving me 45 minutes to another town to see the movie. After his utter hatred of “Logan’s Run,” it took me that long to convince him to give Star Wars a chance (he hated Star Wars too). Luckily, by the time “The Empire Strikes Back” came out we were living in a larger town with a two-screened theater within walking distance.

[Q]

I saw TESB in a theater in 1980 when I was 7. I've been hooked ever since, although the bitter disappointment of the prequels and the general sillyness of the EU have tempered my addiction to Star Wars over the years.

[Astrotoy7]

Although Im not a rabid Ep1 hater I do feel a bit sorry for those who saw Ep1 first.... ah well, at least you get to see it chronologically

 

I saw SW on small 34cm TV in 1980. We were refugees and going to the theatre simply wasnt something we did. As I got older and we settled into our own hom etc, I eventually got to see ESB and ROTJ, on VHS... The first time I saw SW in an actual theatre was when they did the special editions...which I loved. Wish they got rid of those freakin ewoks and replaced them with wooks, like GL originally planned

 

I saw Ep1-3 about 40 times in total... Ep3 the most I can't wait for the CW and live action series to come out. There are many things Im into but SW has been a constant for nearly 30 years now. I need to get back into EU damnit!...there used to be a time when my EU skills were second to none

 

mtfbwya

[Jeff]

I saw Episode I 5 times in theaters, can anybody beat that? Most times I've ever seen a movie in theaters. At 10 years old I loved it.

[mimartin]

I saw Episode I 5 times in theaters, can anybody beat that? Most times I've ever seen a movie in theaters. At 10 years old I loved it.

Once “A New Hope” got to my local theater I saw it 4 to 5 times a week for as long as it was in town. My neighbor was the local manager of the theater and we got free admission in exchange for picking up the trash after each showing. Still don’t know which film I’ve seen more times “Star Wars” or “The Exorcist. I’d say “Star Wars”, since most of “The Exorcist” was viewed from between my fingers as my hands covered my face.

[Astrotoy7]

I saw Episode I 5 times in theaters, can anybody beat that? Most times I've ever seen a movie in theaters. At 10 years old I loved it.

 

I saw Ep1 about 15 times. Most of it was due to the buzz of a new SW movie rather than the enduring re-watchability of it

 

mtfbwya