Feels like the first time: on seeing Star Wars for the first time in three decades*

One of the most interesting things about Star Wars is the completeness of its place in the culture. If you proclaim yourself a movie buff but admit you haven't seen Goodfellas, people will be shocked. But Star Wars is different: you don't have to be a movie lover. People will be shocked to learn you haven't seen it if you are within three or four generations of age, grew up in a first-world country, and don't have some significant disability. It is referenced in songs, tv shows, other movies... I haven't been keeping track, but I'd be surprised to learn that a month of my life has gone by without hearing one of the following: "I am your father," "these are not the droids you are looking for," "use the force," "the force is strong in this one," "I find your lack of faith disturbing," and a few choice others.

I recognize popular costumes, debates, and almost all the characters. What I could not have done, before re-watching it, was tell you the plot. Honestly, I had no idea what the thing was about. And it was a revelation! There were many things I was pleased and surprised to discover.

First, and perhaps best of all the surprises, was Princess Leia. I assumed she was some damsel in distress they managed to run into and she tagged along. Quite the contrary! She was working for the rebel alliance while Luke was still a whiny teenager stuck at home with his uncle. She takes the lead several times, dismissing the macho rogue Han Solo as useless, and she actually endures some form of torture when pressed to give up the location of the rebel base. She's a badass, not a damsel in distress at all.

Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ben Kenobi are the same person. I did not know that.

Darth Vader is not the big boss man in that film. It's Grand Moff Tarking. (I enjoyed irritating my husband by pretending to think his name was Grandma Pftarkington.) Of course, by the end, Grandma is dead, so things will change for the next film.

Alec Guiness as Obi-wan is not the scene-chewer the Star Wars nerds would have you believe. I can't tell you how many times someone has quoted the Jedi Mind Trick scene ("these are not the droids you are looking for") and done a deep stare, a hypnotist-at-the-fair voice, and a big hand gesture. In the actual scene, it's very subtle. He looks relaxed and calm -- is even smiling a bit -- and says it very casually. It's much more effective, actually, as a scene, than people who over-act it when quoting.

[Side rant: now that I think about it, that's frequently true. Think of how people quote Bogart in Casablanca. They have to do this over-the-top Bogey impression, when most of those famous lines ("Here's looking at you, kid") are actually relatively understated.

Luke is a whiny kid when the movie starts. It makes sense, because the story is a total hero's journey (I'm actually been teaching that this week, so it's fresh in my mind), and it fits the profile of the reluctant hero, but you never see that bit in pop culture. You always see him flying some spaceship or having a light saber fight. In the beginning, though, he's all, "aw, man, I don't wanna do my chores! Gee whiz, uncle."

Darth Vader does stuff. Again, the few things you see of him in pop culture are usually him standing, breathing, and giving orders. But at one point in this film, he's jumped into his own fighter jet thing and is chasing down the rebels, shooting at them. And when he's done with everybody else, he's chasing down Luke, which adds a good deal of dramatic irony and tension, as everyone now knows he's Luke's father.

[Note: this kid didn't know, and I love this video.]

Anyway, since all I remember of Return of the Jedi is Ewoks and some sort of really fast bicycle-things they fly through the trees, and all I remember of The Empire Strikes Back is stormtroopers marching, and all I can think of pop-culture-wise are Leia in the gold bikini from the cantina scene, the actual light saber fight, and Yoda, I'm quite looking forward to watching the next two movies! I will probably never re-watch episodes 1, 2, and 3 (I think I may have only seen 1 and 2 anyway), because that damned racist kangaroo got on my nerves.


*Three decades and change, actually. I spoke to my mom tonight, and she says we went to the theater to see The Empire Strikes Back when I was four, and we all enjoyed it so much we found a showing of A New Hope (back then, we just called it Star Wars) shortly thereafter. That was 1980, and that was the last time I saw those two movies. I saw Return of the Jedi when it came out in 1983.