Star Wars!

[ithildin]

Nin and my brother went to see G.I. Joe last night, a fate from which I escaped [weg] So while they were gone, I watched Star Wars. After my rantage about the prequels, I felt the need to relive the joy of the originals. How a man that gave me one of the ultimate fandom experiences of my young adulthood could do such a complete 180.... But never mind that, the joy! All these decades later, I still get ridiculously happy at the end of the movie, and I'm smiling like a loon by the end of the awards ceremony. Waaaaaay back when, I used to be obsessed with Star Wars. I never wrote fic, but mentally wrote stories for myself, read the novelization till till it fell apart. Was beyond ecstatic when it was released in theaters, and in the end, saw it 14 times in the cinema; the theater staff knew me and my brother by name. So devoted was I, that when it was aired on the new fangled pay movie channel, which we didn't have, I recorded the audio onto cassette. See, way back then, movie channels broadcast the stereo soundtrack on a radio station so you could view the movie and listen in stereo. Between me and my brother, I think we had every action figure, in both sizes, and the ships. The one thing I ever sewed was a Princess Leia costume for Halloween (my hair was down to my hips, so I even had the cinnamon rolls!), and I made my brother a Tie Fighter cake for his birthday. I belonged to the Star Wars fanclub for years. They had the best membership packets which you got for virtually nothing. My old Bantha Tracks newsletters packed away somewhere. My one regret is I never did have the money to buy the Rebel Fatigue Jacket [pout] There was only one novel tie in back then, but hands down, it's still my favourite Star Wars novel: Splinter of the Mind's Eye. Even though Empire made it AU, I still love it. Then there was the music! First two LPs I bought when I was given my very own plastic Radio Shack stereo were Crystal Gayle's 'Brown Eyes Blue' and the soundtrack to Star Wars. I went on to collect all the odd ball LPs that came out like the Mecco version of the theme, and Empire Jazz, which has the most awesome cover art.

So, I watched Star Wars, and when Nin got home, I'd just put on Empire (Do you know that the idea of being able to own your own copies of movies still is one that I find amazing and wonderful?) which is probably my favourite of the three. Today, we'll watch Jedi, even though the changes made in the new version probably bug me the most. One of these days, I need to dig out my laserdisc copies and see if I can copy them to DVD. Problem is, I'm not sure the player works anymore. I don't mind the visual refurbishments, but I hate when whole scenes and dialogue are changed. I loved the original end of Jedi and am not fond at all of the new version.

I'm even feeling the urge to read Star Wars fic. Believe it or not, I think I've read maybe four SW stories ever. But from looking around, it seems most of the fic is of those movies of which I will not speak [g] I'll dig around crack van and see what I can find.

Funnily enough, at the time, I was just as obsessed with the Lord of the Rings as I was Star Wars. They both came into my life at around the same time. I always though Alec Guinness would have made a great Gandalf.

Comments

[darya01.livejournal.com]

*lol* Why do quite a few of the things you wrote sound so familiar? *gg* Please tell me you have seen "Fanboys"?!?!?! The ultimate StarWars fan movie *lol*

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

It's on a list of things to see one day :)

[darya01.livejournal.com]

You just HAVE to watch it *lol* I've seen it three times by now and "Nobody calls Han Solo a bitch!" is definitely my favourite quote *g*

[grachonok.livejournal.com]

Oh, Star Wars... I met them rather late, at high school, still remember seeing it at a local channel, one movie a day, during winter holidays... I saw Jedi with a friend, having a sleepover at hers, rushed home at the morning to be able to record it from day re-run... The copy they showed was awful, for whatever reason they bought french one for translation... Fortunately, now I have an English one without any Russian voices over it:). And without modern changes, too:).

Tried to read a new version of novelization recently... Well, what can I say, of course it's awfully translated, but I really doubt it was much better written in the first place:(.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

The original novelization was actually very good. Ghost written by Alan Dean Foster and full of wonderful bits I wish had made it into the movie.

[diamond9697.livejournal.com]

Oh how I long for the days when George Lucas hadn't totally sold out. *sigh*

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away! LOL Seeing Star Wars slot machines just about did me in.

[juniperphoenix]

The original versions are available on DVD. They came as special features on one of the updated editions that came out a few years ago. See, for example, here. I suspect most people who bought these did so specifically to get the "special features"! :)

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

I remember when they came out -- after Lucas insisted up and down he'd never ever release those versions again [snort] I didn't have the money really at the time and since I had the laserdiscs, still had hopes of copying them over [g]

[juniperphoenix]

Also! Here are a couple of fanfic links for the original trilogy.

Estimated Time of Departure - This is my favorite of the SW fics I've read. It takes place right after "A New Hope."

Corellian Embassy (fic archive)

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Thank you! You are always a treasure trove of fandomy goodness :)

[shadadukal]

ANH is one of my least favourite of the SW movies. :P I find it boring, except for the middle part. But ESB is my 2nd favourite.

The original versions were released on DVD a while back. They were supposed to be limited editions but I think they are still available.

Splinter of the Mind's Eye is actually considered canon. ;) I really think it works, but IMO it's one of the weaker EU novels. I much prefer Shadows of the Empire from that era.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

I never bought them since I had the original versions on laserdisc and I really didn't want to give Darth Lucas anymore of my money being seriously peeved at him LOL Still am, but since my laserdisc player is now most likely busted, I may have to cave and get them. Blast!

I'd have to reread it, but I don't see how it could be canon [shrug] I remember a huge discussion on the subject with my SciFi club after Empire came out. But us old timers probably had all sorts of whacky ideas that the younger generation doesn't cotton too [g] Yes, I belonged to a science fiction club and we had weekly meetings and everything. What we did before the internet! Either way, I still love it.

[shadadukal]

I haven't read Splinter of the Mind's Eye in years. So I'm not entirely sure, but it's listed in the list of canon books at the beginning of each SW adult novel, so my guess is yes. Of course, it may be only the compatible parts that are considered canon.

[strangevisitor7.livejournal.com]

I loved the original but you got me beat I only saw it 11 times in the theater. It was a great moment when they rereleased them in the theaters and I was able to take Seth - I think he was five.

I remember reading "splinter of the mind's eye" I beleive it was the only novel i ever read. I have never read SW fanfic (but I have enjoyed the occasional AU or crossover)

Still I've always been a Star Trek girl first but I enjoy both. I actually have Fanboys rented for this weekend and planned to watch it tonight.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love Star Trek too, watched it from the time I was wee and it was fairly new LOL. I loved Star Wars for different reasons I think. It was more, I don't know, mine? I was 14 and this was something new and wonderful, and it had characters I could relate to and admire in the case of Leia. Star Trek, while I love the characters, aren't people that that I had that sort of emotional bond with. And I'd always loved old pirate movies, and swashbucklers, and Star Wars tapped that love.

[lara-everlong.livejournal.com]

sigh. star wars... empire strikes back was always my fave... didn't get into it at all until a few years before the re-releases, so it was kind of perfectly timed for me - first I discovered the movies, then I discovered my parents had them all on VHS (taped off the TV) so I could watch each one as much as I wanted (which was like the whole trilogy once a week for a while, lol) and then they were in the theatres and my town had a dollar theatre for second reels, so it was once a week at the theatre for a while... and THEN I discovered this thing called THE INTERNET which was like a scifi zine that just went on forever...

yep. it's one of my great loves, star wars :P

GI Joe not so much ;P

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

THE INTERNET which was like a scifi zine that just went on forever...

That's absolutely perfect!

[endaewen.livejournal.com]

Never seen any of the movies in the theater. Kind of wish I had, but by the time I got into the movies they were out of the theater.

Still have only the VHS too.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

It was quite the experience!

[dejla.livejournal.com]

I think the first movie is my favorite because it punched all the right buttons for me. It still makes me jump when the Tusken Raider pops up in the viewfinder.

I did write Star Wars. I wrote I don't know how many thousands of words of Star Wars. All in hard copy, probably will never make it to the net. And I was flat broke during those years but they were probably my happiest writing years in many ways. There was such a give and take of ideas in fandom. So many different ways of viewing the universe.

It's Monday. I don't need to feel nostalgic on Monday...

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Hee! I still yell at Han and Leia not to go to the dining room with Lando [g]

[quicksilverjen.livejournal.com]

I still own the Star Wars Christmas album. "What do you get a Wookie for Christmas when he already has a comb?"

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Yes!! Love it [g]