I saw Star Wars in the movie theaters when it first came out when it wasn’t called Episode IV A New Hope. I saw it four times. My friends at the time saw it dozens of times. By the time The Empire Strikes Back came out it was Ep. 4. And as far as I’m concerned the second film, aka Episode V is the best one of the six. After the first movie came out I recall reading that Lucas was planning on making nine films Then Return of the Jedi came out and nothing until The Phantom Menace came out sixteen years later.
I should back up a bit and say that I watched Star Trek first. It was and always shall be the first scifi show that I loved. TV introduced me to science fiction. Not only did I watch Star Trek, I saw Batman, Lost in Space, I Dream of Jeanie, Gilligan’s Island, Bewitched, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Land of the Giants, and Land of the Lost. It wasn’t until much later that I got to see Time Tunnel and Space 1999, so they weren’t formative.
As for movies, I saw Silent Running, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rollerball, and Logan’s Run. I also watched many a Godzilla movie and the Planet of the Apes movies. This was all before Star Wars. 1977 was a turning point as SciFi went mainstream and became Hollywood blockbusters. Star Wars wasn’t science fiction and to compare it to Star Trek is like comparing apples and oranges.
Thanks to Star Trek and DC superhero comic books I became interested in literary science fiction. I was introduced to the big four, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Ray Bradbury. I stuck with science fiction until I met my friend Mike in college. He introduce me to fantasy, authors such as Fritz Leiber, Michael Moorcock, Glen Cook, and Roger Zelazny. I could list many other writers I discovered in the late 70’s and early 80’s, but I’m not here to reminisce about them.
Over the years I’d encountered the fandom that Star Wars generated. I should note I did see the Star Wars Holiday Special when it was broadcast. Lucas tried his best to bury it, but bootlegs of it can be found all over the place. It was notable for introducing us to Boba Fett.
Parodies
Here are the best Star Wars parodies I have seen over the years.
Hardware Wars was the first and it paved the way for all parodies and pastiches that followed.
The absolute best one I’ve seen so far is TROOPS. It is very clever and tracks the plot of A New Hope.
The second best parody film which is almost tied with TROOPS Star Wars Talk to Your Kids PSA. Although I do not have kids, I know fellow fans that have encountered this dilemma.
Analyses
There have been critical looks at the films. One of the best is when Joseph Campbell talks to Bill Moyers about the first three films in the landmark mini-series, The Power of Myth. However, there are some other analyses and that put new interpretations on them. Now the thing is they could simply be people with too much time on their hands, overthinking what is in the movies and then cherry pick the elements that fit their hypothesis. I do find them compelling and they may change the way you view the films.
6 Reasons The Jedi Would Be The Villain In Any Sane Movie
http://www.cracked.com/article_22320_6-weird-ways-star-wars-had-us-rooting-psychopaths.html
Star Wars: A Long Time Ago, in a Hive Far Far Away?
http://www.maxgladstone.com/2013/10/star-wars-a-long-time-ago-in-a-hive-far-far-away/
Most Citizens of the Star Wars Galaxy are Probably Totally Illiterate
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2012/10/most-citizens-of-the-star-wars-galaxy-are-probably-totally-illiterate
Watching
There is much more I could say. I could even expand this post, but I’m done for now. So lastly if you still want to watch or re-watch the films consider watching them in the Machete Order.
The Star Wars Saga: Introducing Machete Order
http://www.nomachetejuggling.com/2011/11/11/the-star-wars-saga-suggested-viewing-order/
[Inspired by it, I’m trying to come up with an order to re-watch the Babylon 5 series. The idea is to list determine the few key episodes from Season 1 and Season 5 and then watch most of seasons 2,3, and 4.]
