#112: May the 4th be with you.
As of the writing of these words, it's Star Wars' highest holiday: May the 4th. Each year on this day, Star Wars fans, of all eras, celebrate and bask in their love of the saga. No matter if you're a lover of the Original Trilogy or a Prequel purist, the day brings something for everyone. For me, each year, I'm always reminded of where it all started and why my love is so deep.
The genesis of my Star Wars fandom is the same as many others: I was shown the Original Trilogy as a kid, and the story captured my heart and imagination. It started in the cold basement of my childhood home. My dad and I, for some reason, were down there watching TV, and by happenstance, clicking through the channels where the original Star Wars aired. We passed by TBS (does that still exist?) right as Han Solo blasted the prison communicator and said under his breath, "Boring conversation anyway." Having seen all the movies during their original release, my dad left the channel on, and he watched me watching the scene play out.
Red blasters were flicking through my irises as I watched Han and Luke Skywalker rescue Princess Leia. The trio were cornered in a hallway with no escape, and I was on the edge of my seat. I asked myself, "How are they going to get out?" Only seconds later my question was answered with Leia shooting a hole in a trash grate and jumping in, followed by the others. It was here where the movie paused for a commercial break.
My dad asked, "Do you like this?" After immediately signaling yes, he continued, "We should stop watching it. It's coming out in the theaters next week, and we can go see it."
Reader, we did just that. My father, brother, and I went to see A New Hope on the big screen in January of 1997. We loved it, and we went back with the rest of the family for showings of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi respectively. By the time all three were seen, I was hooked. The universe felt alive, and the unanswered questions about what came before and what came after were left to my imagination.
Our imaginations are a powerful part of who we are. Our ability to use it and fill in what's between the lines is part of what separates us from the beasts. The decision to drop us into an ongoing story where major events already happened is what made me and many others all fall so deeply in love with the original Star Wars trilogy in the first place. Specific omissions in exposition allowed us, whether intended or not, to use our imaginations and participate in the story. Throw-away lines like Obi-Wan Kenobi talking about the Clone Wars prompted a generation to envision what that looked like. When I found out that Darth Vader was Luke's father, my growing mind wondered and pictured how and why the fight between him and Kenobi went down, among others.
In the years after experiencing the trilogy for the first time, my love for the franchise has remained a constant in my life. However, many of those unanswered questions found canonical answers in other Star Wars stories, and in painstaking detail in some cases. What were the Clone Wars? Here's a movie and seven seasons of a TV show that covers it. What was the fight between Anakin and Obi-Wan like? Here's a 45-minute fight scene and 25-issue comic book tie-in that shows it. How did the rebellion obtain the Death Star plans? Here's a movie on just that! What happened after the fall of the Empire? Stream it here! And so on.
Reader, please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying the story should have ended back in 1983, but I do feel less of an investment in some of these newer entries into the franchise. And, that's okay. Not everything is going to blow me away. (I'm looking at you, Rise of Skywalker.) Nevertheless, I desperately miss the way Star Wars engaged with my imagination. I want it to continue making new stories that leave me asking questions and then have the restraint not to answer them. Or at the very least, give it time to breathe.
Because of this, there are and always will be two very different versions of Star Wars for me. One of them is the continuation of the story by its current owners. Sometimes those stories seem like cash grabs, but other times they are emotional and story-driven. (I'm looking at you, Mandalorian and Andor!) The other, however, is a fusion between the original story and my imagination. Now that version of Star Wars is truly amazing.
It is this engagement, between story and audience, that has made Star Wars what it is today. And on days like May the 4th, I'm reminded that the galaxy far, far away that matters most is still the one I first glimpsed in that cold basement with my dad.
Thanks for reading.