Star Wars 30th Anniversary

[Apollo Leader]

One of the biggest movies of our time, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was released nationwide today on May 25, 1977 here in the US.

Since I was only 3 years and 9 months old that May, I don't have any memories of seeing the first Star Wars movie during its original theatrical run. Empire Strikes Back I do have some memories of seeing. Return of the Jedi I very vividly remember seeing at the Indian Hills theater here in Omaha a few days after it came out.

For those with thoughts and reflections of the original Star Wars movie, post here. Anyone plan on watching the movie sometime today?

Edited May 25, 2007 by Apollo Leader

[Graham]

I saw Star Wars on it's original theatrical release together with my mum back in 1977. I was 7 years old at the time.

Watched it in the small cinema (I forget the name), in the high street in my home town of Bletchley. That cinema closed down many years ago, but I have many fond memories of watching movies there as a kid.

I remember it was a beatiful hot summer's day the day we saw Star Wars.

And none of this 'A New Hope' nonsense please. To those of us that were old enough to see it on it's theatrical release, it will forever be just 'Star Wars'.

Graham

[the white drew carey]

I was about 2 q/1 when TStar Wars came out. My dad had been transferred to Chicago, and had been living there for about 6 months trying to find a house while my mom, sisters and I stayed in New Jersey to sell our old place.

Once we all moved out, my dad was like "There's this movie that WE HAVE to take the kids to see!"

I don't remember it, but apparently I read the opening crawl, which shocked my parents because they didn't know I could read.

[Black Valkyrie]

The only thing I remember, that I was less than four years old, playing in a ski resort in Switzerland with my family.

[Mr March]

I was actually old enough to catch Return of the Jedi in theatres (I was and I can still remember parts of the experience. What I remember most was my hometown had this massive drawing contest as part of the film's release. The interior of the big theatre was filled with fan art and they gave out a bunch of prizes. I submitted a picture of the Death Star II, but never won anything

[sketchley]

And none of this 'A New Hope' nonsense please. To those of us that were old enough to see it on it's theatrical release, it will forever be just 'Star Wars'.

Graham

Shouldn't that be THE Star Wars

[Warmaker]

I was born in 1975.

In 1977, we couldn't see ANH from my hometown in the Philippines.

In 1980, the same held true for ESB.

In 1983, my family had moved to the San Francisco Bay Area (USA) by this time. At 8 years old, Return of the Jedi was the only (original) Original Trilogy movie that I would see in the theaters. I had seen the other movies on TV. Yes, US television used to show the movies every few months Anyways, I was loving RotJ. Luke finishes his training, we see Jabba the Hutt, the Imperial Biker Scouts / Scout Troopers, the space battle, and of course, the bada** Speederbike chase. Even the Prequels couldn't match the Speederbike chase and the speed and impending dangerous feel it brought. Of course, the Ewoks and some stupid actions very nearly destroyed the movie to my young eyes. Really, even as a kid I despised the Ewoks. The takedown of Boba Fett was lame also.

My regret was not seeing the original versions of ANH or ESB in theaters. It was only slightly satisfied with seeing the Spec.Ed. in the late 90's. I caught Spec.Ed. ANH and ESB in the then big, brand new Edward's Theater in the southern end of Orange County. I still recall the scene where Obi-Wan asks Luke to join him and Luke's hesitant. Everything's quiet and then this fellow Marine stood up and yelled to the screen, "Come on Luke! DO IT!" For the Spec.Ed.ESB, seeing the AT-AT's onscreen was a blast, and renewed my belief that ESB was (and still is) the best Star Wars movie. I caught Spec.Ed.RotJ when I was stationed in Okinawa. It was a depressing time for me there, and the movie was a very great form of escape for me. The space battle was big still and the Speederbike chase was still top notch.

[Apollo Leader]

And none of this 'A New Hope' nonsense please. To those of us that were old enough to see it on it's theatrical release, it will forever be just 'Star Wars'.

Graham

Most of the time I refer to the movie as just Star Wars.

[Chewie]

Wish I were in Los Angeles right now. =\

[Apollo Leader]

Video at Fox News about how some of the gadgets and technologies from Star Wars have become a reality.

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/player06.htm...p;&&new

AP video about the 30th anniversary.

http://omaha.cox.net/cci/apvideo/0523star_wars_700.wmv

Memorial Day last year me and a bunch of friends did all 6 movies in one sitting. With breaks and everything it took about 15 hours to do it.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Apollo Leader

[Ladic]

Why would you voluntarily watch Phantom Menace again?

[Sumdumgai]

Wasn't olld enough to watch any of the original trilogy in the theaters. Always made me sad I couldn't see them on the big screen. Then the Special Editions came out and I was young enough that I didn't care about the changes and thought they were cool (didn't remember Han shooting first, or that would have bugged me).

Watched Phantom Menace at midnight with something like half my school at the theater.

Watched AOTC with my best friend. The projector crapped out in the middle of the Battle of Geonosis and we got free movie tickets and got to see the rest of the movie after they fixed it.

Went to see ROTS at midnight a day or two before everyone in the US, since it was released early in France. I'm not sure, but Anthony Daniels might have been at the theater. Everyone looked up to the second floor where the movie was to be shown, and there was a guy that looked like Anthony Daniels and everyone started screaming incoherently. Dunno if it was him or not, but man my ears were hurting before we got seated.

Oh yeah, maybe I'll run into some of you at CIV tomorrow.

Edited May 25, 2007 by Sumdumgai

[Apollo Leader]

Why would you voluntarily watch Phantom Menace again?

Hey, I'm a completionist.

[Arkham]

I was born in 1978... and I suspect many of you too....

so no Star Wars and no Empire for me... but I _DO_ have memories of Return... I watched it in the same theater were I watched ---> Ishtar <---- God, I was just a kid and until today it still remains as the worst movie ever......

Anyway, me my brother and my cousin became big fans... you know, when you can "dub" the movie with your own voice (including sound efects)

Fast forward to 1999... the teaser of Phantom Menace; two words:: Darth Maul

long story short... both my cousin and my brother went to the premiere here in Chile "customized" as Jedis..... Me? I went as the New Sith: custom wardrobe, shaved head, 11 horns... you get the picture

I'm at work right now... but I'll send you a few picks when I get home =)

Good times...

?

[yellowlightman]

Has anyone picked up the Making of Star Wars book that was recently released? I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but I do love all the preproduction stuff from the first movie so I ordered it from Amazon.

Anyways, I don't remember my first Star Wars experience but it was probably watching it on VHS in my friend's living room. I was born a year after Return of the Jedi came out, so I never got to see it's theatrical run.

[gerwalk25]

I was born in 1976 and I was only 1 when my parents took my sisters and myself to the Union City Drive-In to see ANH. I don't remember anything from that experience but I just wanted to share. My mom and dad loves the original trilogy but loathes the prequels.

BTW I do remember watching ANH in 1st grade on HBO when it first aired.

Edited May 26, 2007 by gerwalk25

[Ishimaru]

If any of you heard there was a bomb scare at the Star Wars Convention.

I wonder what gave that assumption.

[Dobber]

I was born in April of '77, don't remember seeing Star Wars in the Theater, but I do remember getting and a bunch of the toys....probably because they didn't come out till the following year. I do remember seeing Empire in the theater with my dad, I got scared because of the whole Carbonite....turning to stone thing!I also remember seeing Jedi because my mom let us skip school that day so we could go to some event that was in the morning and once that was over she took us to see Jedi. I remember thinking at the time that that was the best day ever!!

Chris

[Warmaker]

I read / listened to one of those Tape + Storybook releases for Empire Strikes Back before seeing the actual movie while I was at school. Yeah, my family couldn't afford the luxury of seeing movies much at that time. Man, we lived in a rathole back then.

[GRAND CANNON]

Like Graham, I was also 7 and saw Star Wars with my family. Remember looking up through the rear window in my dad's Caddy looking at the stars and imaging the Falcon up there somewhere. Then getting into

deep' discussions with classmates on how C-3P0 was real and not just a guy in a suit.

Oh, and don't foget the crush on Princess Leia.

One of the next times I saw it was at a drive-in double feature with another Mark Hamill film, Corvette Summer, a year or so later.

Also remember the packed theaters on the opening days of ESB and ROTJ........ahhh the innocence of the planet back then.....

[Sumdumgai]

I just got back from CIV, and I had lotsa fun.

Got to meet and get autographs from Temuera Morrison, Ray Park, and Amy Allen, plus got to get pictures with them. Also saw Kenny Baker, David Prowse, Orli Shoshan, Daniel Logan, Jeremy Bulloch, Julian Glover, the guy that played Admrial Piet, Bruce Spence, and almost got stepped on by Peter Mayhew (holy crap that guy is tall).

Man, that was so fun.

[Uxi]

Damn... forgot CIV was this weekend. I was out of town anyway, but would have loved to go. Wonder if there's anything worth seeing tomorrow or if it's all wrap up?

[Ignacio Ocamica]

I was born 25th June '76. Watched ROTJ in Germany since my father was stationed there (Thyssen Nordsee Werke was building two submarines for Argentina back then)!!

[Penguin]

I remember that my mom and dad went to see "Star Wars" before the school holidays began, after which my dad picked up the novelization. I spent all summer looking through the few pages of pictures in the middle of that novel, wondering just what I was seeing. He then took me to see the film itself on my 7th birthday the following October, in the same theatre he and my mom had months before.

Man... how many films these days survive over 5 months in first run theatres?

[Duke Togo]

He then took me to see the film itself on my 7th birthday the following October, in the same theatre he and my mom had months before.

Man... how many films these days survive over 5 months in first run theatres?

Star Wars was also re-released a few times before TESB was released in '80. That's how I saw it (1979).

[Twoducks]

Don't think this deserves a new thread so I'll post it here (maybe SW geeks will get a kick out of these ):

Steampunk Star Wars Desktops

http://ericpoulton.blogspot.com/2007/03/st...s-desktops.html