Thirty years ago, when I was nine, my parents took me and my sisters to see “Star Wars.” My baby sister cried. My middle sister got bored. Mom said I sat in one place the entire time, never moved, never ate my popcorn or drank my Coke and didn’t, for one minute, take my eyes off the screen. A 30-year obsession with anything related to the first three movies was born.

I view today with a bit of sadness. The movie that changed the genre got lost, somehow. The franchise has become a joke, a parody of itself and everything it changed when I was a child. When Lucas’ little film became the empire, it lost it’s soul and everything good we fell in love with three decades ago. If I watch the movies now, I watch the original videotapes I bought years ago, before Hayden Christensen’s face was superimposed at the end of “Return of the Jedi”.

But, today, I try to remember sitting in a movie theater, when that scroll was so brand new, and my eyes widening as that seemingly-infinite ship first entered the screen. Remember how scared I was of Darth Vader. Remember how I wanted to be Princess Leia ’cause she was so bad-ass and wanted Chewie as my best friend.

… when a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away was the best place in the world to be.

*bimbles off*

*throws hand over mouth*

I’m sorry. Did I say that out LOUD about the death of one of our country’s most beloved JEEEE-Sus-fearing nutjobs?

I shall try to be nice.

*looks around innocently*

Think he’ll like the toasted marshmellows?

*BWAHAHAHAHAHAH*

*bimbles off*