I first saw Star Wars when I was five years old. Episode V was re-released in the theaters in anticipation for the next movie in the saga. I remember being mesmerized by the spaceships, the aliens and most importantly the lightsabers. At that moment Star Wars became an important part of my life, but it also started a family tradition.
Seeing Star Wars not only was a big deal for me, but the entire family went together to see it. I remember when Empire Strikes Back came out, my dad insisted we see it at a theater twenty minutes away from where we lived, because they just installed the new Dolby stereo system there. We had to see it with this new sound technology.
When the movie was over, I could not wait to see it again and I did see it a few more times with my dad and my cousins. The wait for the next chapter felt like forever, but when the news started showing the first clip of C-3PO and R2-D2 at the gate of Jabba's Palace I started counting down the days.
I remember we saw this at the Lincoln Village theater on their huge screen and again I was blown away by the action sequences in the movie. Who could forget the escape from the Sarlacc Pit and the speeder bike chase, I mean those scenes are epic. After the movie was over, I felt a little sad because it was over and there were going to be no more movies like this again.
Fast Forward to the re-releases/Special Editions. This time I attended the midnight screenings of these releases with my friends. We would arrive a few hours before the film and just line up until it was time to watch the movie. It was a lot of fun to experience these with my friends, but I also got to experience these with my parents.
A few weeks after the re-releases were released, I would go to a matinee screening of the movies with my parents. It was great going to the movies with them. It was just the three of us and this time I would pay for our tickets and snacks. We would find some good seats and sit down and enjoy the films.
Sitting there in the dark with my parents brought back so many memories. It just felt great reliving this moment with them and knowing we were going to do it again when they released the rest of the trilogy.
When the prequels came out, the process repeated. I would see the films with my friends and wait a week later and watch them with my parents.
This past May they released the trailer to the latest Star Wars movie and as soon as my parents came over I showed it to my dad. After the trailer ended and I wiped a tear from my eye, my dad looked at me and said "We're going to see this, right?" It seems like our tradition is going to continue, but maybe this time I'll bring my daughter with me, so she can become a part of it.
Until next time my friends, May the Force be with you.
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