The universal and personal impact of Star Wars
You couldn't shot-put a boulder this last week without hitting a mention that Star Wars was turning 30. I was completely out of the loop (media-wise, anyway) and I still managed to hear it several times. And having nothing but time to sit on the beach and collect my thoughts (which would lead one to think that I could come up with a better post than this, so apologies in advance), I started to dwell not only on how pervasive Star Wars certainly is in American culture, but also on my specific memories of Star Wars.
First of all, I caught part of the replay of the History Channel documentary (Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed) when I got back into the world, and even in the 20 minutes (or so) that I saw, the roster of people they showed talking about aspects of Star Wars transcended just about every facet of modern society. To have, for example, Joss Whedon and Newt Gingrich talking about the same phenomenon is precisely why the word "phenomenon" applies to Star Wars. So many things can simply be mentioned with no context at all ("use the force," lightsabers, "that's no moon," "it's a trap," the gold bikini, I could go on all day), and a good percentage of the population will instantly know what you're talking about. Very few things have achieved that level of ubiquity, to the point where even the sucky parts are almost universally known. (You want to see someone cringe? Just mention Jar Jar.) And the fact that so much of today's modern visual effects industry owes something, either directly or indirectly, to Star Wars also shows the technological and creative influence the series has had in addition to the cultural significance.
Yeah, so Episodes I-III weren't up to par. The dialogue was atrocious; the acting wooden. So what? Folks went anyway, and in droves. Sure, you hear people bitching (mostly all over the Web on spaces a lot like this one) about Lucas ruining childhood memories, but for me, the second trilogy only helped revive my own memories about the first trilogy. Here's what I think of when I think Star Wars:
Seeing what is now known as Episode IV, for the first time, when I was 5 (in 1978). Yes, I know the original opened in 1977, but those were the days before home video, so big movies got multiple theatrical runs. My dad took me (over my mother's objections, as I remember) during one of the subsequent runs, and there was no looking back.
Getting my first action figure and vehicle shortly after the initial viewing. My dad comes home on my 6th birthday in October 1978 with not only a Luke Skywalker action figure, but also an X-Wing for Luke to pilot. I admit I was a tad disappointed that the Luke figure I got was the Tatooine garb Luke and not pilot Luke (you know, to complete the set), but that didn't exactly stop me. Weebles became Jawas, milk cartons became Sand Crawlers, I had an army of Lego droids, and I spent many an afternoon building and subsequently destroying a Lincoln Log Death Star. And believe you me, it's damn hard to make a sphere with Lincoln Logs. I think I settled for just creating the trench most times.
Discussing the films with other kids. Two things stand out here: one, in the months before Empire was released, I remember riding bikes out in the neighborhood with some friends. We were shooting the breeze, and as it often did in those days, the subject of Empire came up. We were all very excited to see it, of course, and one kid tried to feed us all a line of BS by claiming that Vader had actually said "I will strike back" right after he stopped his TIE Fighter from spinning around and flew off towards Coruscant (or wherever) at the end of Episode IV. "That's how the movie got its name," the kid swore, and in those days before VCRs it became a heated argument rather than an instant talking out of his ass moment, because we were all too young and stupid to remember exactly what had happened at the end of Star Wars. The second nugget was during yet another bike-riding session, only this time it was the summer after Empire had already come out. Everyone had their own theories as to why Vader's head was all gnarly, when one kid said, somewhat casually, that Vader had gotten all messed up during a lightsaber duel on some lava planet many years before the events in Empire. I don't remember it causing a big stir at the time, and I have no idea how that kid got the information, but it always stuck with me. If you had told me then that 1) not only was the kid right but 2) I would actually live to see that moment on film as a 32-year-old man with a kid of my own, I think my head would have fallen off my neck and exploded in the gutter.
Showing up late to The Empire Strikes Back. I was devastated that we missed the start time for Empire, but we went in anyway. It was the middle of the battle of Hoth scene. The theater owner (this was a small venue in Ocean City, MD) said we could stay to see the beginning of the next showing, so that's what we did. Seeing it all out of order made it like Pulp Fiction or Memento, and it actually kind of worked (or, at least, that's the way I remember it). I ended up seeing it 7 times in the theater that summer, which is still far and away the most I've ever seen any movie in the theater.
Having to wait 3 years for Jedi. Lucas, you cruel bastard. How could you leave things unfinished? Seriously, do you have any idea how long 3 years is to an 7-year-old? That's almost 43% of your entire life to that point. I can do 3 years pretty much standing on my head at my now-advanced age, but damn, 1980-1983 was a long-ass time to a kid.
Star Wars on VHS. My dad was (and still is) a doctor, and as a consequence of needing to record surgical procedures and review them later at home, we had one of the first VCRs on the block. This was a 2-piece Panasonic job—one half was the tuner, the other was the tape mechanism, which you could detach, place into a sling, and add a gigantic camera to it. My dad actually took home movies this way for many years, which probably explains why his back was so messed up at the time. Anyway, I remember my father bringing home Star Wars on VHS (a rental, of course; VHS tapes with Hollywood movies on them were priced at over $100 at the time), which I not only watched over and over, but also took great amazement in watching backwards as I manually rewound it. The wonders of technology.
Heartbreak as my brother got the toy I wanted. As the oldest of four boys, I can't really blame my parents when they inevitably mixed us up, but in this one instance, I blamed them plenty. My next youngest brother and I both have birthdays in October, and for my eighth birthday (October 1980) I begged, pleaded, and made deals with various demons and/or spirits in the hopes of getting Boba Fett's ship, Slave 1, for my birthday. About a week before the big day, I happened along a loosely covered box in my father's workshop, and the words Boba Fett were clearly visible. Score! However, my joy cruelly turned to heartbreak the very next day, as my brother was the one who ended up getting Slave 1 for his birthday (which was a scant six days before mine). I was devastated. My parents covered themselves by lamely claiming that my brother had said something about wanting the same thing, but I know they just got us mixed up. I can't even remember what I ended up getting that year, but it wasn't Boba Fett's ship, that's for damn sure.
Seeing the novelization for "Revenge of the Jedi" in a Crown Books in 1983. Before tha IntarWebs, word got around a tad slower than today. In fact, in the spring of 1983 I distinctly recall seeing the novelization for what eventually became Return of the Jedi, though it was titled Revenge of the Jedi. I'm sure it's common knowledge now that the original title of the movie was Revenge, though I found it weird at the time that when I started seeing commercials for the film that the name had been changed. As a side note, deciding to not buy that book (before the movie opened) actually began my habit of consciously avoiding spoilers when at all possible, which is a rule I fiercely adhere to even to this day. I kind of wish I had picked up the book now, though—that sucker would have eBay written all over it.
The college years. I entered the University of Virginia in 1990, and it didn't take long to realize that regardless of race, background, religion, social status, or gender, kids from all walks of life absolutely loved getting their Star Wars on. The on-campus (or "Grounds," as they are known) theater at Newcomb Hall showed the trilogy every year, and it was never hard scraping people up to sit on their collective asses for 6+ hours. Hell, I remember NBC showing the broadcast premiere of Jedi during that year, and the entire dorm packed into the TV room just to watch a movie they had all seen dozens of times already. I also had all three films on VHS by then, and it was never a bad idea to pop one of those on after a long night of partying while you cozied up with some Chanelo's cheese sticks and a 2-liter of Dew before calling it a night (or morning, more often than not). At the time, many theories were bandied about as to when we'd see a second trilogy, though no one was quite sure which way it would go (prequel or sequel?). 1997 seemed to be the consensus, though that seemed like a long way off. I mean, I'd be twenty five then!
And when 1997 finally came... By then, we knew that the first of the prequels would be unleashed in 1999, but in the meantime, the Special Edition versions of the original films came to theaters that spring. I went with my then-girlfriend/now-wife and another couple on opening night, and it was obvious that the theater people had no idea that it would be so popular. The line stretched around the building, and they opened at least one additional theater at the multiplex to keep up. Subsequent weeks saw the re-release of Empire and Jedi, which I also faithfully attended in the theater. I know "purists" moan and scream about how Han shot first and how the new effects ruined everything, but it didn't bother me too much. For my money, the new effects worked best in the Cloud City scenes in Empire, as creative compositing added a definite sense of scale and dimension to the indoor sets.
Up close and personal with actual movie props at the Smithsonian exhibit in 1997. The National Air and Space Museum on the Mall in Washington, D.C. played host to an exhibit featuring all kinds of cool Star Wars stuff: sketches, original scripts, puppets, costumes, models, you name it. It was surprising how flimsy some of the props looked, but so very cool nonetheless. I still have my Vader tie I bought that day, which I wore frequently back when I had to wear those damn things on a regular basis.
The trailer for Episode I. Yeah, the movie itself was kind of disappointing, and who among us didn't cringe when we found out the name of the film (Phantom Menace? What the hell?), but tell me you weren't pumped when you first saw the trailer in the early months of 1999. If I remember correctly, the Episode I trailer was the first I watched online.
Seeing a new Star Wars film after 16 years. Big screen. Extended 20th Century Fox music. "A long time ago... " rolls. And all was right with the world, at least until Jar Jar showed up.
And lastly... the video games. To say that there have been a lot of Star Wars-based games over the years is something of an understatement. I've played my fair share during that time, and my favorites are:
Well, that turned out a little longer than I planned, but it made for some pleasant reminiscing to pour that out after so many years. In any event, as of right now I'm 34 years old, and Star Wars has been around for 30 of those years—in effect, that's pretty much my whole life. I'm looking forward to introducing my daughter to the series—she's got a couple years yet before I'd feel fully comfortable with her seeing all the films, but it's amazing how much she is already aware of the movies, characters and music, and is already asking about when she gets to watch the films for herself. Soon enough.
Posted at 08:28AM Jun 01, 2007 by Kevin Schmitt in Pop Culture | Comments[0]
