No one could have envisioned how big the movie would become, or what an influence it would have on the zeitgeist, not even George or Kenner. That Christmas after the premiere, Kenner had to issue a cardboard certificate to appease the thousands of disappointed kids who wanted action figures of their favorite Star Wars heroes. Kenner would only start shipping the first four figures of Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, R2D2 and Chewbacca the following year. These early bird figures are highly sought after these days and fetch a princely sum of money. In fact any of the action figures from the original three movies can net you a small fortune, especially if they are mint on card (MOC) and unpunched. The same kids who grew up with the Star Wars are now parents and sharing this experience with their children. This passing of the torch only further cements George Lucas's legacy in pop culture.
Ironically though this was not my favorite entry into the trilogy. As stated in my last post, that would be Return of the Jedi. The movie did leave a lasting impression on me and this would continue to influence my choices well into adulthood. To say that the effects are ahead of its time is a gross understatement. The VFX still hold up to scrutiny, even when compared with the movies of today. George's idea of a used and lived in universe definitely helped. The story itself is pretty straight forward. We get the evil empire chasing and capturing Princess Leia , but not before she manages to hide the schematics of a battle station called the Death Star in the astromech Droid R2D2. The opening sequence to the movie fully immerses the audience in the most indescribable way. From the memorable Star Wars theme by the immortal John Williams, to the scrawl, and finally the thunderous Star Destroyer soaring over the viewers on the silver screen in pursuit of the rebel Blockade Runner, George cast his spell on the audience. If that wasn't enough, we are introduced to the most recognizable villain in cinematic history, Darth Vader. He was made all the more terrifying by his booming voice, courtesy of James Earl Jones, and the mystery surrounding the character, and his mastery over a equally mystical power known as the force!.
The scene switches to the sand planet of Tatooine where the droids R2D2 and C3PO are picked up by Jawas and sold Luke Skywalker and his uncle, Owen Lars. Luke accidentally activates the message from Leia while cleaning R2D2. This leads to R2 rolling away in the dead of the night in search of his former owner, and Luke having to go after him. This leads to Luke being ambushed by Tusken Raiders and Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi saving him. Ben brings Luke and the droids back to his home and reviews Leia's message. He reveals to Luke that his father was a great Jedi warrior and ask Luke to join him in his quest. He also gives Luke his father's lighsabre. Luke is hesitant as he is worried about his uncle and aunt.
Later that day, they find a ruined Sandcrawler and dead Jawas. When Luke discovers that his uncle and aunt have been murdered by stormtroopers, Luke takes up Ben's offer to learn the ways of the force, and save Princess Leia. We are introduced to the concept of the mystical force, and to a weapon called the lighsabre, another drawcard for impressionable youngsters like myself. Ben travels to the Mos Eisley Cantina where they enlist the help of smuggler Han Solo and his partner Chewbacca, for a small fee. Ben starts training Luke in the ways of the force using Luke's father's lighsabre and a training remote aboard the Millennium Falcon. They travel to Princess Leia's home world of Alderaan, only to discover that the planet has been destroyed. Moff Tarkin has used the Death Star against Leia's home as a demonstration of its power, and to coax Leia to reveal the location of the rebel base. Han and company encounter tie fighters and give chase, only to be caught in a tractor beam and are brought aboard the Death Star. They hide in the Falcons smuggling compartments and evade capture. Han and Luke disguises themselves as stormtroopers and set off to save Princess Leia while Ben attempts to shut down the tractor beam. He is successful, and Han and Luke find the princess , but they are forced to jump into a trash compactor.
Ben encounters Vader while making his way back to the Falcon. They engage in a lightsaber duel. Luke manages to contact C3PO and R2D2 disables the trash compactor in the nick of time. Our heroes make their way back to the Falcon. Ben buys them time to board the Falcon and sacrifices himself. Luke witnesses this and is saddened. This however further solidifies his resolve to help defeat Vader and the empire. Using the schematics obtained by Leia, they find a weakness in the Death Star, an exhaust port on the surface of the powerful weapon. The rebels launch their assault with a squadron of X Wings and Y Wing bombers. Darth Vader personally leads a squadron of tie fighters as they systematically take out the rebels. It is is now up to Luke to take out the Death Star. Han unexpectedly drops in on Vader just as he is about to take Luke out. Using the force, Luke let's his proton torpedoes fly and the Death Star is finally destroyed. The rebels have won and Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca are rebellion heroes!
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