Where were you in 1977?

Many of you probably weren’t born. But I know where I was. I was of working age, living on my own in a small town in Southern Ontario, Canada, when the first Star Wars movie was released.

The only people I knew in the town were my work colleagues and none of them wanted to go and see this ‘kids’ movie. I went by myself, sat in the back row and from the very first moment was transfixed in my seat. “In a galaxy far, far away…”

Just the opening credits were mind-blowing. A New Hope. This is what I had been waiting for all my life and hadn’t known it until that moment.

The only film since then that’s come close to this feeling is the first of the Harry Potter movies. (I would include Blade Runner – but that is just in a class of its own!)

I can’t remember now how many times I’ve seen A New Hope but in the years of waiting for the The Empire Strikes Back to be released, I saw it whenever it was shown in different cinemas, wherever I was, including a drive-in. And the drive-in wasn’t an excuse for a romantic encounter, just a group of like-minded ‘Star Wars’ nerds who wanted to watch it again.

And I was as excited as any other Star Wars fan when I heard they were going to make the three prequels. But, when they appeared I was disappointed. The magic of those early films wasn’t there. Part of the appeal of the first ones was the interaction between Luke and Princess Leia and Han Solo…plus the droids and Chewbacca, of course.

So for those of us who were there in 1977, hanging onto our seats, The Force Awakens has a lot to live up to.

Looking forward to another leap into hyperspace on the Millennium Falcon…you bet!

(Note: this photo isn’t related in any way to Star Wars. It was taken in Los Christianos, Tenerife last year. I like the imagery as I’m also an archer.)