Star Wars: Your First Experience

[Drew Espinosa]

For myself, I was eight or nine. I remember Revenge of the Sith wasn't out yet.

My sister's then boyfriend introduced me to the series. I must admit, I wasn't hooked at first. He showed me A New Hope and I could tell it was an old movie. At the time, old films didn't hold my interest, but this movie had me fascinated. Well, I eventually got used to the obviously made-in-the-seventies film. Of course, I was confused why he showed me Episode IV first, and I asked why he hadn't showed me Episode I. One explanation of the Prequels later, and we watched Phantom Menace. While I did like it, not as much as Episode IV.

My sister's boyfriend went on to show me the other three Episodes, and my love for Star Wars was born

Between you and me... Star Wars trumps Star Trek any day of the week


So, what was your first experience with the Series?

Edited December 20, 2015 by Drew Espinosa

[W_L]

When I was 8, it was early summer 1995 right before summer break, our 2nd grade teacher came in with the VHS version of Star Wars Episode IV. She was huge fan of the series and we started the marathon watching of Star Wars Episode IV-VI.

 

Then, I became a fan of Star Trek afterwards as I was looking for similar things on TV at night and came upon Star Trek TNG Syndicated episodes and early DS9. A little later that year, I became a Babylon 5 fan around Season 2, when it started getting good.

 

Star Wars started my interest in science fiction. I started reading Science fiction books a little later as well (It's how I became well versed in Sci-Fi genre plotting).

 

I've seen all 6 Star Wars films, all 12 Star Trek films, and 5 of Babylon 5 movies, plus all the TV series at least once if I don't own it outright on DVD or Blue-Ray. (Plus BSG and The 4400 among my collection)

Edited December 20, 2015 by W_L

[J.HunterDunn]

I am one of those rare creatures that still has to have the experience.

 

It's not without some ground that my hubby calls me "dinosaur" on a regular basis.

Edited December 20, 2015 by J.HunterDunn

[Valkyrie]

I loved Star Wars when it first came out, but my first vivid memory of the movies is standing in line with my brother, dad, and a couple of friends, waiting to buy tickets for The Empire Strikes Back after it was first released.  A guy with a megaphone went down the line telling everyone that the movie was sold out.  I was very disappointed, but we ended up going out for pancakes and then seeing it the next day.  My brother and I were both huge fans and had a ton of Star Wars toys that would probably be worth a bundle if we hadn't played with them so much. lol

[JamesSavik]

 

I originally saw it back in early summer 1977. That summer my best friends older brother took us and we had a blast. If we were in that crowd, we would have fit right in. 501 jeans, concert t-shirts- Rush, Led Zep and the Eagles.

 

School was out for the summer. Led Zeppelin had a new album out.

 

Hotel California by the Eagles was all over the radio.

 

We all knew a convenience store run by non English speakers who would sell beer to anybody and, nobody cared.

 

We laughed at dumb kids sniffing glue while we smoked weed.

 

Only the stupid kids did acid on a week day.

 

Nobody called the cops. That was just rude. 

 

It was a very different world. 

[Carlos Hazday]

It was the summer between freshman and sophomore years. I spent a lot of time with high school friends. We went out for happy hour one Friday and then to see Star Wars--all of us very relaxed and in a good mood after getting liquored up. You should have heard the six or eight of us screaming our brains out.

 

The theatre (no multiplex back then) was demolished and is now an office condo or something like that.

Edited December 20, 2015 by Carlos Hazday

[TetRefine]

My dad took me to the theater re-releases in (I think?) 1997 or '98 when I was 5 or 6 years old. I remember thinking I was so cool because my brother was too young to go and my Dad and I used to sneak out the back door so he wouldn't notice. My dad worked a lot back then and wasn't home much so it was cool getting to spend that time with just him and I. 

 

On a side note, my dad and I recently went to see Creed over Thanksgiving break at that same movie theater where we saw Star Wars and it was the first time in 17 years we had been to the movies with just him and myself. It was fun reminiscing about him bringing me to see them way back in the day. 

[blake_logan]

On May 25, 1977 I attended the first showing in my home town of the original Star Wars movie (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope).  I found it to be amazing and captivating.  I saw it at least 6 times that first year and I convinced my friends who weren't into Sci-Fi to come along with me to see it again.  It's still one of my all time favorite films.

 

I was really excited when The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980 and I looked forward to another amazing experience, but I ended up paying to see it 3 times before I was able to get through the entire film.  The first time I ended up falling asleep in the movie theater . On reflection, it probably wasn't a good idea to sneek two bottles of beer into a movie after working all day on 2 hours sleep and a hangover.  The second time I fell asleep in the movie theater again, but this time without the influences of alcohol or sleep deprivation .  When I finally saw the entire film in one showing, I was disappointed .  It didn't live up to the promise of the original film.

 

By 1983 I'd bought a VCR and saw Return of the Jedi on VHS.  I wasn't expecting as much from that one and so I ended up deciding that it was OK and better than The Empire Strikes Back.

 

I think I saw The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones on VSH and by the time Revenge of the Sith came out in 2005 I'd switched to DVDs.  They were OK films, but none of them were as good as the first.

 

I've got all six movies on DVD now and I pull them out every couple of years and have a Star Wars marathon.  I think they're more entertaining than the Star Trek movies but less entertaining than selected episodes from any of the Star Trek TV series.

 

I'll wait to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens when it gets to Netflix or HBO or Showtime.  From the trailers, the special effects look like they'll be better than in the previous movies, but it's the story line that will determine whether it's a good film or just more over-hyped rubbish.

[Former Member]

I saw the first movie on Sunday afternoon of the release weekend. It was after the annual church picnic and I was just about to graduate from high school. (I am an agnostic who was forced to attend my father's church into my late teens when I started working on Sundays.)

 

I guess i'd heard a little about Star Wars, but had absolutely no clue just how popular it already was. A group of us from church decided to see the movie together. When we got to the theater, we were shocked to find the line wrapping around the theater (just to buy tickets!). My younger brother and his friends ran off to have fun in the adjacent shopping center while three or four of us got stuck waiting in line. We were teasing the slightly older couple (who looked like they were on a date) and telling them we were going to buy children's tickets and claim they were our parents!

 

I still remember the opening scene where Princess Leia's ship glides across the screen — I thought it was huge. And then I felt the enormous Imperial ship soaring overhead onto the screen! I was hooked. This was so much more understandable and relatable than 2001: A Space Odyssey from the same era. Much grittier than the pristine Pan Am ship in 2001.

 

I had very little spending money back then, but I did manage to see it again later that same summer.

 

 

I waited in very long lines for the rest of the two trilogies, but like most people, felt like George Lucas had run out of steam with Episodes I-III.

 

I'm eager to see what Disney and JJ Abrams have done with the franchise — other than hype it beyond imagination. But I will wait until January to see it. After my next Social Security Disability check arrives in my CU account…

Edited December 21, 2015 by Former Member

[MrM]

 

A long time ago in a San Diego far far away....

I saw Star Wars for the first time in this theatre, circa 1977-78. I saw the 70mm version of it on a screen the length of a football field. The minute the Star Destroyer, Devestator (Darth Vader's flag ship before Executor) cruised ENDLESSLY 'over' my head in full chest vibrating thunder I was forever enslaved to this franchise. 

Star Wars became my childhood and has greatly entertained me at all points in my life since. Though I liked most of what was in the Prequels, I am throughly HYPED that I'll be able to see all my heroes back together in action! It is a dream nearly 40 years old for me!

Alas, the Valley Circle Amphitheater no longer exists. It died about the same time as Luke's father. Betrayed and murdered by the Commercial Development side of the Force.

[Former Member]

 

A long time ago in a San Diego far far away....

 

I saw Star Wars for the first time in this theatre, circa 1977-78. I saw the 70mm version of it on a screen the length of a football field. The minute the Star Destroyer, Devestator (Darth Vader's flag ship before Executor) cruised ENDLESSLY 'over' my head in full chest vibrating thunder I was forever enslaved to this franchise. 

 

Star Wars became my childhood and has greatly entertained me at all points in my life since. Though I liked most of what was in the Prequels, I am throughly HYPED that I'll be able to see all my heroes back together in action! It is a dream nearly 40 years old for me!

 

Alas, the Valley Circle Amphitheater no longer exists. It died about the same time as Luke's father. Betrayed and murdered by the Commercial Development side of the Force.

That was the very same theater where I saw Star Wars! My brother and his friends were running around Mission Valley Center West.

 

We moved away the next year (1978). San Diego has changed tremendously! My old high school, Crawford, even has a GSA! I was still in the closet back then and I remember a classmate who wore a button with double-male and double-female symbols on it. It was incredibly shocking that he would explain to us all what the symbols meant. Pete Wilson was mayor, SD was still very much a Navy town (the Marines only had the Recruit Depot and Camp Pendleton back then) and it was even more conservative than it is now.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Former Member

[MrM]

That was the very same theater where I saw Star Wars! My brother and his friends were running around Mission Valley Center West.

 

We moved away the next year (1978). San Diego has changed tremendously! My old high school, Crawford, even has a GSA! I was still in the closet back then and I remember a classmate who wore a button with double-male and double-female symbols on it. It was incredibly shocking that he would explain to us all what the symbols meant. Pete Wilson was mayor, SD was still very much a Navy town (the Marines only had the Recruit Depot and Camp Pendleton back then) and it was even more conservative than it is now.

 

Our only openly gay venue back then was. The Brass Rail. There was also the Hole in the wall, but no one ever talked about that place. Both are still going strong!

Edited December 22, 2015 by MrM

[Former Member]

The first and only Star Wars movie I've ever seen was in 1980. My little cousin begged to go, and so off we went to see "The Empire Strikes Back."