I have always loved Star Wars. I had to. It runs in the family. I’m still in my teens, but I remember being about four, watching a marathon of Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars in the run up before Revenge of the Sith came out. I watched A New Hope at least weekly until I was probably twelve. I still play the old Battlefront 2 when I’m looking for nostalgia. Empire at War is what led me to other strategy games like Civilization, Europa Universalis, and Total War. I loved all that stuff. Between all the books, the movies, the tv shows, and the video games, I was the biggest Star Wars nerd of anyone I knew. But as amazing as all those things were, it wasn’t until I saw The Force Awakens at the theatre that it became something else.
Episode 7 had been hyped more than any other movie I’ve been around for. It was a movie that some people had been waiting 30 years to see. That was double my age when I saw it. From the opening crawl to the end credits, I was enthralled. I was rocking back in forth in my seat like a hyperactive toddler. My family bought the iTunes digital version within the first week it was available. My siblings and I watched that movie probably a dozen times that month. My brother still hasn’t gotten over Han Solo’s death. But then again, I’m not sure I have either.
I got the EA Battlefront the next summer, when we got an Xbox One (the classic ones are still better, but I still thought it was awesome!). And as the promos for Rogue One started to come, my friends and I got pumped up for what they were calling the first Star Wars to be a “war movie” (Pretty impressive for a movie to live up to its title. There was a war. And there were stars too). I saw it twice. The nearest city playing it was Yorkton, thirty minutes away (the nearest theatre playing TFA was an hour and a half away. Also in the deepest part of winter.). We decided to brave the Saskatchewan winter, a force not to be trifled with, and go see it. First, I went with a couple of my friends. The movie blew my mind. I think it is my favourite of all the series. It was good enough to see it a second time that same week. It brought together everything so well. So much action. And somehow, they still managed to add enough character development, even thought the plot didn’t seem to slow down for a second. And now there is a whole slate of movies coming up. As of writing, we’re a couple months from The Last Jedi, a year away from Solo, and two years from the untitled ninth film. And in non movie stuff, we are a month away from the new Battlefront (which looks like a massive improvement on its predecessor), as always we have a whole slew of LEGO sets (my personal favourite of all merchandise), and massive Star Wars themes expansions at the Disney theme parks. It is really a great time to love Star Wars.
Being able to see these movies come out has been amazing. Until a few years ago, it was thought we would never see what happened to Han, Luke, and Leia, or if the Rebels ever restored the Republic. But now, our only worry is that they are cranking out these movies too fast!
As much as I like all the other Star Wars movies, the new ones have a special claim on me. I think that whenever you grew up, you’re going to relate to that time period the most. That would explain why anybody a decade older than me loves those prequels. And there is really no other explanation for that.
I really should watch an entire Star Wars movie sometime 😏 We went to see the first prequel at the theatre but, we got there late and that’s never good. I need a Star Wars guide to talk me through the movie. People like when you ask lots of questions during a movie, right?
Loved your article! Now you need to tell details of your dad’s and Uncle Jai’s (almost unhealthy) obsession…the costumes, lightsabers, interactions with Disney Star Wars characters, lots of gems. They are the old generation that you learned from. The force is strong with this one.