**Note: I will NOT spoiler yet!**
I was 9 when Star Wars ("A New Hope" had not yet been added to the title) came to theaters. I'd like to say it was a life-changing event, but truth be told, it really wasn't, not yet. I was in a "Girl Scout Troop" -- which I put in quotes because it was only 4 of us, and I don't think we even OWNED uniforms, and we primarily got together to hang out, watch movies, play Adventure on Atari, sometimes go camping, and occasionally realize that we'd accidentally earned a badge with something we did. :) However, the leader and her daughter were active in fandom, and that's where I was first introduced to science fiction and fantasy.
So we all went to see Star Wars when it came out, and I *think* it might have been the first movie I saw without a parent present. (Though in retrospect, that can't possibly be true, because our leader would have wanted to see it too. :) ) And we were definitely immediately fans: I remember sitting with one of the girls while she was drawing silly cartoons mostly of X-wings and Tie fighters "talking" to each other (it was funnier than it sounds, really). And of course the endless debates on who was better looking, Luke or Han Solo. (Given who I'm married to, I think you can guess where I fell in that debate!) Pretty confident I went as Leia on Halloween that year too -- I had hair down to my waist, so buns were easy -- though pretty sure Mom cheated and just coiled my braids instead of making actual "cinnamon buns".
I can't remember any specifics about seeing Empire, though obviously I did, probably with the same people. By then I was in junior high, though, so no lunchboxes or Halloween costumes from that. And while I didn't see it opening night, I did see Return of the Jedi opening week -- it was my second date with my first boyfriend. :) So I saw all the original trilogy in theaters, and considered myself a consistent fan, if not necessarily an avid one.
By the time the prequels came out, I had kids, and didn't get to theaters much when they weren't involved, so I think I only saw one of the three -- and given what I was hearing about them at the time, I didn't think I was missing much. (I've seen them since, so now I know I wasn't!) Besides which, there was no Han, Leia, or Luke, so why bother? And there were Harry Potter films, and LOTR, to get excited about instead, and Star Wars seemed an afterthought.
But now.
Now my kids are adults, and I'm active in fandom, and my husband is known in some circles as Han Solo Cup... so of course, we got Thursday night tickets the night they released. (Don't hate me because Fandango's mobile site was still working when I got to it!) And of course, we dressed for it -- he's had a Han Solo costume since he bought it for our wedding (yes, it was that geeky!), and I'd put together a "Leia-Inspired" white outfit (because the standard costume is almost a turtleneck, and that is not flattering on anyone who doesn't look like Carrie Fisher in the 70s, so I found flowy white things and called it good). And while my hair is no longer waist-length, it is mid-back-length, so I could use bun donuts and get it rolled up pretty easily.
And we stood in line for about 90 minutes to get decent seats, and chatted with people in line, and did NOT get spoilered by the people leaving the 7 PM showing (thank you, random fans!), and got close enough to the middle to enjoy IMAX 3D, and got our popcorn and Vanilla Diet Coke, and watched about a half hour of previews...
And then the magic began. And it was magic again, of a kind I've seen few times in theaters over the last couple decades. Because it was opening night, it was all fans. So when a beloved character showed up on screen, there was cheering. And when a line of dialogue was witty and clever (and UNLIKE the prequels, there were many!), there was laughter and applause. And when scenes were thrilling or tense, there was dead silence.
And at the end I just sat staring into the credits, because I'd been transported, again, to that world where "it's true... all of it... the Dark Side, the Jedi... they're real." (Hey! That's not a spoiler -- it was in all the trailers!).
So thank you, J. J. Abrams, for taking us back there. (And I think more credit probably goes to Lawrence Kasdan, who was also the writer for Empire and Jedi, though I will give Abrams credit for being smart enough to bring a writer back who really understands the characters and can write dialogue!) And thank you for not only respecting the original characters by giving them appropriate voices here, but also giving us new characters to meet and love.
It was a long journey since the last time we left the Falcon. I went from being a child, to having children, to watching those children leave the nest, since last we flew with Han and Chewie. It was good to fly again.
Yep -- Chewie, we're home.
