At the beginning of the summer, the world went into Star Wars overdrive as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the release of the first Star Wars movie, which was originally entitled Star Wars, but now is designated as Star Wars: Episode Four, A New Hope (for those of you too young to remember the order the movies were realeased). Star Wars Celebration IV went on for days in Los Angeles. I jumped into the anniversary with both feet, putting together a roundup of some of my favorite writers and their memories of The First Time I Saw Star Wars. I don’t know why I didn’t do a Star Wars post during that time; surely I had enough links... because I’ve got a ton of them now!



5-25-77 (via Bits and Pieces)

The Secret of Star Wars Fandom.

Boogie Nights: Star Wars Edition.

Incident at Toshi station. (via Transbuddha)

Bonniegrrl took this photo of the Princess Leias at Star Wars Celebration IV. See more photos at her Flickr photostream.

Star Wars Helmet Archive. (via Look at This)

Cheney vs. Vader. Who ya got?

Ten videos featuring Star Wars in the silent movie era.

Your wedding: Star Trek or Star Wars?

Star Wars Tango -Dancing with the Stars

Was the Death Star attack an inside job? (via All Night Surfing)

Dude Studios presents the dude version of star wars, called Star Dudes. (via Transbuddha)

Older tales that influenced Star Wars. (via Neatorama)

Top Pick-Up Lines Used by Star Wars Fans

12. "Hey, Beautiful. What's a nice girl like you doing waiting in line without bathing for 10 days?"

11. "Your place or my Mom's?"

10. "I, uh, ummm, I, uh (slaps own forehead) Stupid! STOO-pid!"

9. "You're even prettier than my fantasy girlfriend."

8. "I may look like an Ewok, but I'm all Wookie where it counts, baby."

7. "Date, or date not - there is no 'let's just friends be'."

6. "If you only knew the power of the Dork Side."

5. "How's about a long time of Joe, in a bedroom not far away?"

4. "Nice buns, Princess! On your head, that is."

3. "Honey, you've been looking for love in Alderaan places!"

2. "If I said you had a mint first-edition, still-in-box action figure, would you hold it against me?"

1. "I'm gonna be an evil warlord when I grow up. Want a Milk Dud?"

Triumph of the Empire (via Tube Watchers)

The Inbox Of Nardo Pace, The Empire's Worst Engineer.

They found the Death Star. It’s in the United Arab Emirates, or will be eventually. They’re calling it the RAK Convention and Exhibition Center.

Han shot first. Even Lucas agrees.

A comparison of the difference between DVD and High-Definition, using images from Star Wars.

The TRUE ending to "the Empire Strikes Back"

A furious lightsaber duel is underway. Darth Vader is backing Luke Skywalker towards the end of the gantry. A quick move by Vader chops off Luke's hand! It goes spinning off into the ventilation shaft. Luke backs away. He looks around, but realizes there's nowhere to go but straight down.

Vader: Obi Wan never told you what happened to your father.

Luke: He told me enough! He told me you killed him!

Vader: No... I am your father!

Luke: No, it's not true! It's impossible.

Vader: Search your feelings... you know it to be true...

Luke: NO!

Vader: Yes, it is true.. and you know what else? You know that brass droid of yours?

Luke: Threepio?

Vader: Yes... Threepio... I built him... when I was 7 years old. And what have you done? Look at yourself, no hand, no job, and couldn't even levitate your own ship out of the swamp...

Luke: I destroyed your precious Death Star!

Vader: When you were 20! When I was 10, I single-handedly destroyed a Trade Federation Droid Control ship!

Luke: Well, it's not my fault...

Vader: Oh, here we go... "Poor me... my father never gave me what I wanted for my birthday... boo hoo, my daddy's the Dark
Lord of the Sith... waahhh wahhh!"

Luke: Shut up...

Vader: You're a slacker! By the time I was you're age, I had exterminated the Jedi knights!

Luke: I used to race my T-16 through Beggar's Canyon!

Vader: Oh, for the love of the Emperor... 10 years old, winner of the Boonta Eve Open... Only human to ever fly a Pod Racer... right here baby!

(Luke looks down the shaft. Takes a step towards it.)

Darth Vader: I was wrong... You're not my kid... I don't know whose you are, but you sure ain't mine...

(Luke takes a step off the platform, hesitates, then plunges down the shaft. Darth Vader looks after him.)

Darth Vader: Get a haircut!

Stars Wars, Wallace and Grommitt style.

Previously at Miss Cellania: more Star Wars

Thought for today: To be a Star Wars fan, one must possess the ability to see a million different failures and downfalls, and then somehow assemble them into a greater picture of perfection. Every true Star Wars fan is a Luke Skywalker, looking at his twisted, evil father, and somehow seeing good. -Andrey Summers

Stumble It! • Save to del.icio.us • Digg This! • Share on Facebook • Subscribe to this feed