The Force is still strong with this one

[annathepiper]

Yeah, it may be after midnight, but did you think I'd really let the 30th anniversary of Star Wars go by without a post? Much to learn have you, young Jedi. Aheh.

I remember seeing Star Wars in the theater--just barely. I would have been a scant eight years old or so at the time, and all I can bring up out of memory is this vague sense of having seen that enormous Star Destroyer at the very beginning of the movie, looming ever so impressively on the screen. I didn't really kick into adoring the films until Empire, though--when I was getting old enough for my sympathies to be shifting off of Luke. Because I'd noticed Han, and I was starting to think that the Scoundrel was awfully, awfully hot.

Really, though, my true Star Wars fandom didn't kick in till I grew up and started playing the MUSHes. My partiality to Mr. Ford had lasted straight on into my adulthood, and several of my MUSH compatriots (yes, mamishka, kieri, and kisanthe, I am looking in your directions) took gleeful advantage of this by throwing my characters love interests who were very thinly disguised Han or Indy clones. Nine kinds of fun.

But none of it matched the chance to indulge my Star Wars fandom by playing Solo himself on Star Wars MUSH for two and a half years running. I still have the logs and still periodically go back and re-read them, I loved playing Han so much. I have over a dozen Star Wars novels. I never much collected the figures, but I do have a couple of Hans given me by the loverly mamiska. I have a stuffed Chewbacca toy, and a Chewie keyring. I adore A.C. Crispin's Solo trilogy as well as Brian Daley's older Solo novels. And A New Hope was the movie that started it all.

I am an ardent devotee of the Church of Han Shot First. I love each and every one of his lines, including bragging about making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs (and it makes me giggle and giggle that Crispin actually tried to come up with an in-plot way for that to make sense, in her novels). I love that Solo, the original King of Cocky, snarks on Luke for it. I love that the gentlemen doth protest too much about how all he really wants is money. I love him charging after stormtroopers yelling his damnfool head off. Great Maker, I loves me some Solo.

And say what you will about how ol' George has gotten grabby with the quarters in the last many years... but he's still the man that gave me my Solo, and for that, tonight, I raise a glass in the honor of the movie that started it all. Thanks, George. You really did get it right the first time.

Comments

[boxer-ferret.livejournal.com]

They showed some old news clips on the local news tonight from back when people were lining up for the first movie at a theater here that no longer exists. I remember the teaser trailer shown about 6 months before the movie's release, so I know I was there when it came out, but don't remember if we went back for many repeat viewings. I'm sure we did because it was a lot cheaper to go to a matinee back then.

I was more of a Darth Vader fan because I liked the mysterious character with the deep voice and I was into things like Dracula movies with Christopher Lee. So as his story arc unfolded, I was totally hooked.

[annathepiper]

I don't remember seeing the trailers at all, which I suppose is why we all giggled and giggled and giggled when we got the trilogy on laser and saw the trailers on there. Because OMG, the badness of the trailers. "A boy... a girl... a universe!" ^_^

I'm totally with you on the nifty spookiness of the Voice of Vader. James Earl Jones is imprinted on my brain as the Voice of Vader, no matter what else I see him in.

[wildshadowstar.livejournal.com]

I may not be the die hard fan of Wars that you are, mainly because I'm a Trekkie first, but I do agree with you on the Han Solo fandom. Mr. Ford has aged rather well, like a fine wine.

[annathepiper]

Hee, I'm only a Trekkie for the original series, 'cause I also loves me some Kirk. But hey, there's room enough in fandom for them both! And yeah, ol' Harry has aged quite, quite well. :D

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Great Maker, I loves me some Solo.

*snort* Yes, but you're choice of epithetic deity... is just too ironic.

Thanks, George. You really did get it right the first time.

Ouch. Now there's damning with faint praise. Deservedly,, IMNASHO....

Although I think Solo had his best snarky film-noir moments somewhere between "laugh it up, fuzzball," "I know," (just as the Carbonite dropped), and the whole sequence at the beginning of Jedi where he's blind...

But if you ever want to see it the way God intended it, I have a copy of the Original And Best around here some damn place....

(You know, it's funny... if you go back to the original, with the scenes left out and such, the film has a very british feel about it...)

[annathepiper]

Oh, we have the non-Special-Edition version ourselves, on laser. :) They did a big ol' boxed set of all three movies, way back when, and that was one of our most-loved purchases for our then-shiny laserdisc player.

And clearly, you're not remembering that Threepio thanked "the Maker" in A New Hope. ;)

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

You're right. I thought I had that movie memorized better than that...

It's "Red October" that jenkitty and I have memorized to a fare-thee-well... which isn't a Ford movie but led to a buttload of ones that are. "Patriot Games" being among my faves....

[annathepiper]

I never did see Red October, but indeed, Patriot Games is solid. I've got it included amongst the Ford flicks on my shelves.

The original Star Wars trilogy, together with Raiders of the Lost Ark and Superman: The Movie, are the great shining movie lights of my childhood. ^_^

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

"Red October" was the very first DVD I ever bought. It has this fabulous Russian soundtrack.... one of these days one of us should hie off to the other's house and watch this gem.

"Next time, Ryan, send a goddamn memo!"

[lethendy.livejournal.com]

Star Wars was my first 'Trilogy Tuesday'! Being less than 4 months old when it came out, I was a little behind on getting on the bandwagon, but when I was about 10, my parents took us to see all three original movies back-to-back-to-back at the old movie thatre in town. We were mesmerised, and it wasn't long before our house filled with actions figures, space craft and everything else we could find. George Lucas ended up with a lot of my brother's pocket money! Of course, I was only allowed to either be Princess Leia or an Ewok because I'm a girl!

I really didn't enjoy the newer movies, but the originals....I think they have a special place in the hearts of many people.

[annathepiper]

Yay for Trilogy Tuesday, then! And yay for action figures! I remember some making it into my house when I was a kid--I remember rearranging the plastic capes on Princess Leia and Ben Kenobi. But I'm pretty sure they were purchased for my brothers.

And yeah, not too many obvious roles for girls when you're playing Star Wars. That's one of the beauties of playing in an online game, nobody can tell what your real gender is. Unless you tell them. And then watch with glee while people's heads explode at the thought of a girl playing Solo. Mwah. ;)

The original movies are indeed, I think, a special thing in the hearts of fans all over the world. For me, together with Raiders of the Lost Ark and Superman: The Movie, they're the brightest movie memories of my childhood.

[lickingtoad.livejournal.com]

In re: 'Superman: The Movie,' and 'Star Wars' both? I have this ... thing.

I was fully with 'Superman' in all its glory until "I just fly back through time so that didn't happen." Sorry, next please. In honor of my personal sense of continuity, thus, I own 'Superman II' and 'Superman Returns' and naught else.

Like-and-wise, I own Episode III because it contains all the juicy bits you 'need' leading up to the Original Trilogy. Episodes I and II are superfluous, wooden and whiny. (I even bought Episode I to re-watch it at my brother's suggestion as a Qui-Gon, not an Anakin, story. Didn't help. Re-gifted it.)

Because we weren't Laserdisc-aware, I still have my original non-remastered over-fifteen-years-old VHS tapes of the One True Trilogy. (I gave my Special Edition tapes to the homeless shelter, and my brother's comment was 'Man, are they gonna be pissed when Greedo shoots first ...)

With that, I don't even really mind which way it "happens." I grew up with the superior way, I feel, because the 'replacement way' was so choppy and poorly-edited that it stands out as one of the worse changes to the Special Editions. (Jabba's scene, while technically proficient, is just repeating all the dialogue in Greedo's scene. Wholly unnecessary, except in the ego-strokery. 'Look what my toys can do!' Don't even get me started on Episode I's Jabba ... eck.)

[annathepiper]

*snicker* Yeah, I do grant you that the tail end of the first Supes flick does require one to employ industrial-strength cables in order to suspend the disbelief. That said, it's also got the best Lex Luthor lines out of Gene Hackman, the ones the Murk keeps quoting over and over. ^_^

Re: Episode III... having seen it in the theaters, I can grant that there are some good bits in there. The bit where Padme finally realizes that Anakin's gone around the bend to Lala Land and takes that step back in horror--that part was actually effective. Sadly, not enough to make me actually buy the movie. But eh well!

I agree that the Jabba scene in the SE version of ANH is superfluous. And heh, I prefer to block out just about all of Episode I, except occasional happy flashes of Ewan MacGregor. ;)

[lethendy.livejournal.com]

I did occasionally get to be a stormtrooper when a big battle was in the works!

I forgot to mention my other Star Wars tidbit : I once worked with Kenny Baker! I was working stage crew at a theatre and he was appearing in the show. He's a really nice guy - I loved working with him. It was between the filming of the first and second of the new movies.

[gilroycullen.livejournal.com]

Let's see... Thirty years ago... That makes me 2 going on 3 when the original was released to theaters. I saw it on Beta (*GASP!*) when I was 8. Ended up seeing the first three released on the small screen. Never on the big screen. (Such a loss, I know.)

Not ever been a big Wars fan. I've been a Trekkie since TNG. NOT a Troi fan either. I'm a Dr Crusher/Geordi Fan. :P

Though I will say Mr Ford is still a fine actor. Indiana Jones 4 is in the works!!!

[annathepiper]

*snicker* You're one of the few I know then who've seen things on Beta!

I don't dislike Trek at all, though I'm really more of a TOS girl at heart. ^_^

And Indy 4 simultaneously makes me hopeful and very, very scared. I have, I admit, lapsed quite a bit in my Ford fandom--I never did see Firewall--but as much as I likes me some Harry, he ain't getting any younger. And I no longer quite trust Lucas to cough up a coherent storyline after the mess he made of Episodes I, II, and III. Once Indy 4 actually comes out (and given how long they've been claiming it's in the works, I'll kind of believe it only when I actually see the trailers), I expect that unless I see some stellar reviews, I'll be hiding behind my copy of Raiders of the Lost Ark going LALALALALALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU.

'Cause they better not screw up Indy. They just better not!

[kieri.livejournal.com]

Lyre! I remember him. He was fun to play. :)

And I actually remember RPing with your Solo on Star Wars MUSH - fun times! :) I think we played poker for secrets once.

[annathepiper]

Mmm, Lyre. ^_^ I still periodically go back and re-read those logs.

And indeed, the sabacc game for secrets was a high point for Solo. I still have that log too!