Entry 27: January 27, 2007. This is the next phase in the story of my growing up with Star Wars. Yesterday was the story of the first time I watched Star Wars. What happened between Episodes IV and V and what Empire brought to our small group of friends.


After my dramatic viewing of Star Wars there were very few items to grab off the shelves. So, as in any small town, we picked up fallen branches that could be used as lightsabers. Other crooked branches could be viewed as Han's pistol or a Stormtrooper blaster. Sometimes, we'd just use our cap-guns as the weapon of choice but make laser sounds instead. Beeewwwwww. Beeeewwwwww.
After a short while, toys began to hit the shelves. Suddenly friends were showing up with the Han Solo and Stormtrooper blasters...you know the ones....they sounded like dentist drills but were still super cool. We had to live out the further adventures of Luke, Han and Leia...well, it was hard to play out Leia since we were a group of boys, but maybe we had Leon instead. It was just like playing any other game.
"I got you! You're dead!"
"No you didn't! You missed me by a long shot!"
or
"You can't kill me, I've got armor on!"
"Well, it didn't protect the Stormtroopers in the movie very well, did it!"
Whatever the case, we were stuck in our own little fantasy world to figure out what was going to happen since the Empire was obviously gone, except for Vader flying off into space. We would also take guesses that Obi-Wan was actually Luke's dad and that was why Luke could still hear him speaking. That was why Uncle Owen got so mad when Luke would mention his name.

One day, as our group of Rebels and Troopers were gathering to start war once more, one of our Botham spies ran out of the house saying that he just heard that a new Star Wars was going to be released. he had seen the commercial! "There wasn't any action, just a lot of photos, but it looked really cool!" The countdown had begun. The name of the movie was
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

WOW! The Empire hadn't been destroyed on the Death Star? Vader had made it back to wherever the Empire was! We just knew that it was going to be one heck of a battle because the Emperor HAD to be mad at the Rebels for destroying his weapon. After this point, we would still wage our battles but we were also spending lots of time sitting around and drawing pictures of where we thought the next movie would be.
Little by little we found out more and more about the new film. Certain locations, new characters and some really cool new weapons of the Empire. I had the inside advantage because (if you read my first entries) my father was a would-be moviemaker creating some great super8 home movies. To keep in touch with everything going on in the world of amateur filming, the magazine entitled Super8 Filmmaking ran an article about the upcoming sequel. We read it and re-read it and re-re-re-read. This was going to be big! And it was.

When the movie finally came out, we were in line the first chance we got. Though my mom was still not convinced this was a good movie, she accepted that it wasn't a bad movie. I had converted her. We had to wait until Saturday because of school, but our friend, Mark, had a super groovy mom who took us to the first matinee showing on that Saturday. We were glued to the screen. Back in the Rivoli theater in downtown Muncie.

As we entered the theater, the anxiousness was still there. The first movie was still fresh in our minds since we all had the giant Marvel comic books that we read on almost a daily basis as well as the novelization.
We ran in to get our seats and then appointed one poor soul to go for the refreshments. Rock Paper Sciossors.....I won, I don't care who has to go get it as long as it wasn't me.
The lights dimmed and a few boring previews played through. Then. Right then when it was needed the most. The familiar 20th Century Fox fanfare begins. The the familiar "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away" Bracing ourselves for the sudden rush of brass that signaled the beginning of Star Wars and we knew would herald this film in as well, we were still caught off guard. We jumped! Luckily this time we weren't on the edge of the balcony, we were now too old for that kind of thing. Fourteen you know.
We sat in awe as the familiar titles once again told us the story of what had happened and set the scene for this one. The camera tilts in it's all too familiar opening scene and this time we see the large Star Destroyer with little pods blasting out from beneath. These didn't seem to be too threatening.....until we see it land and the Probot drifts away.
Then we get to see the Tauntauns trotting into the screen. Luke! Luke's back! He can take 'em. AND he's talkin to Han! WhooHoo! As Luke decided to go check out the meteor we were all thinking, "No, you dummy. We just saw what came out of that thing. You're going to get caught or killed." Then WHAM! A fuzzy smack to the face and a horrific looking monster face. We did NOT see that coming.
We laughed as C-3PO and R2-D2 came up the corridors talking about R2 turning the heat on in Leia's room and it melting. Han and Chewie working on the Falcon. Then seeing the reactions to the fact that Luke isn't back yet. Han had been upset because Leia didn't want to give him a good-bye kiss and shut off his communicator....what a dummy, you never shut off anything that could let you talk to a princess.
I sat in disbelief as I saw Luke hung up in the Wampa cave but I guess I'm glad that it was just saving him for later. Luke! The wampa is starting to stir. Get your saber!!! Oh crap! It's on the ground in a snow bank. Can't you reach it??! AAUUGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!! wait, relax, he's concentrating....it's moving...YES! he has it and not a moment too soon. Swish! Whoosh! Sizzle! He's down! Swish! Whoosh! Swash! AAAARRRR! Off comes the arm and Luke scrambles for "safety" out in the frozen world of Hoth.
I was thrilled when Han decided to go look for him despite what anyone told him. I was excited to actually see Ben as a spirit telling him to hang on and go see another Jedi (what?! there's more than just Obi-Wan?). As Luke lost conciousness it ws the end. Another fallen hero, but there's Han just in time!!!! If Han "thought they smelled bad on the outside" i wondered what Luke would smell like after being shoved into the Taun Taun. I sort of figured that the smell might bring him around.
Then there was the fateful kiss. A kiss that, today, is sort of gross. That's one heck of a kiss to be getting from your sister (but of course we didn't know that yet and neither did he).
When Han and Chewie run out to look at the Probe, that is the moment where Chewie is his least frightening and most dog-like. The snow on his face was simply adorable. I still like that view of him
Vader striking down the general who let pulled out of lightspeed too quickly. It all flowed so fast.
Then came the big guys! Land your walkers outside the shield and attack. I guess that was our predefinition that the droids in EP 1 could get through the shield of the Gungans but not the laser fire. I was expecting some impressive things from seeing some of the photos, by i never expected anything THAT big! Go speeders go! Shoot them. Shoot them!! WHat?! The blasts are just bouncing off? MAN! What can't the Empire figure out. They won't lose this time.
What's that? Use tow cables? OOOooooo. That might work! Wedge and Jansen! That's the team. First to bring one of the mighty giants down! I always found it humorous though, that the rebels are running out to attack teh fallen AT-AT and then the snowspeeders come through and shoot at it and blow it up! Do you think they exchanged words after that?? "Hey! What are you guys doing? That was our caller! We had dibs on capturing some Empire baddies!" "Well, you run through the snow...you move too slow...Fly through the air.....you have no cares!"
I sat in awe of the fight taking place before my eyes. So much had already happened in this film that I figured nothing else could top this Hoth battle... Was I ever wrong.

I sat in the dark theater, eyes glued to the screen much the same as 3 years previous. After the narrow escape of Han and the gang, and the rather easy escape of Luke, I braced myself for a dull bit of film. I mean, nothing could be as exciting as the Battle of Hoth, could it?

Of course it could! Straight from Hoth into awaiting Star Destroyers. Of course the little twist and spin was incredible! I was on the very edge of my seat....They almost hit one another!!! AND Han is trying to fix the Falcon while their being chased!! HOLY CRAP!

The asteroid field, the asteroid cave, the mynoks and the Emperor (what an ugly guy). This movie was delivering the goods. 3-PO was there to give a little bit of comic relief....just the right amount.

As Luke landed on Dagobah I think we all held our breath. What was he flying in to? He was going with no scopes or readouts.....a blind landing on an unknown world. Oh, this couldn't really be it. He landed on the wrong planet! Absolutely nothing adventerous going to happen here.

Cutting back to the Super Star Destroyer and Vader. Vader in his meditation chamber withou his helmet. Not being a movie goer nor a horror fan, this shot of the back of his head about made me puke. What in the world could have happened to this guy??! I was hoping we'd find out.

I'd seen pictures of Yoda and had watched the commercials any time they happened to hit the airwaves and I was nearby. I knew he was coming but had no clue that HE was a JEDI!?!?
We sat in wander at the training Luke was given. And WOW! Mark could stand on one hand!!?? What an actor! (hey, we were kids, we didn't know).
Then the touching moment of Han and Leia. Not really what the bunch wanted to see, but any scene with "the princess" in it was ok with us.
3-PO's interruption was great!

The Emperor......ahhhhh, the Emperor. Now we got to see the one who held the Dark Lord's leash. Hmmmm, more ugly than threatening, really. I couldn't wait to see more of him later in the film....who knew?

Yoda's house. After putting up such an argument with Ben in the hut, why does he suddenly decide to train Luke? I guess it would have been a boring story if he hadn't, huh? It was still awesome to hear Ben again. Surely we would find out that Ben was really Luke's dad. Right? Ben would be, "Ok, I'm your dad. Sorry I couldn't tell you. C'mere and give the old spirit a hug."

Back at the asteroid field and the new ships....Bombers???!!! Man, this was too cool! The Mynoks were pretty freaky and the space worm totally freaked me out!

We sat through the training of Luke.
The dark side tree. How did it get so "full of the Dark SIde" if this was Yoda's planet? Yoda told him not to take his weapons but he did anyway..... This was tense. What a creepy place. I was stiff as a board...then, VADER! The slow motion was killing me. What if Luke hadn't taken his lightsaber in with him??!!! Was it really Vader? Did Luke just kill him!?!?!? What in the world was up with Luke's face being there and Yoda looking sad??

The Bounty Hunters intorduction. Who WAS the guy that back-talked Vader? Boba Fett. Kinda cool looking for a bounty hunter....not all that thrilled with the rest...except for Boskk. (I had carefully cut out my 4 proofs- of purchase to get both him and Boba Fett as mail aways.) I hadn't seen the ill-fated Holiday Special so I was out of the loop except for my action figure...Truly he would be one tough person to get rid of. I hoped to see more of him. The Falcon charges at the Star Destroyer and disappears??

More training and the sinking X-Wing. I was with Luke. There was NO WAY that was going to ever get recovered. He was stuck on this planet.
"Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." Words to live by. Then to see Yoda lift it without (much) effort. That was so cool! We sat and jabbed each other as the little green guy was making it happen. SWEET!

You know, I think I would make sure I never did anything extraordinary under Vader's command. So many people that get force-choked. NOR would I be anywhere near anyone appologizing, as it seems that is when you get promoted.

The cool move by Han and the garbage floating trick. As much as I like
3-PO, I was glad to see them shut him down...it was a bit much at the time.
What was that?? A probe in the trash that follows them? NO! It's Boba Fett. Ohhhhh, he's good!! He's real good.

Again, keeping in mind that this is just the recllections of a 39 year old recalling the past as he remembers it. Writing as that 14 year old he once was.

The theater held us a bit longer. There was still so much that we simply had to see. What was going to happen next?? Luke sees the vision of his friends in trouble but Yoda tells him to be mindful!!? What is that about? C'mon, you have to go save them, they're your friends and they'll be in trouble.

Cloud City....Bespin....what an amazing new world we were shown. If this new guy, Lando could pull off a joke like threatening Han and make him believe it, he had to be alright. But we all knew there awas something wrong when C-3PO was blasted. Something wasn't right....but what could it be? There wasn't any way that Fett could have beaten them, or the Star Destroyers.....or could they, last we knew the Falcon was without Hyperdrive capabilities......CRAP!!!! How could they have gottenthere and Lando not know about it. he must have someone that is a spy in his city. At least Luke is going to help. That'll make things all better.

Who is the other hope!!!???? Did Yoda hide something from Ben?

When Lando sets them up I was furious. How could an old friend do something like that!? Exactly how strong IS Vader? He deflects laser bolts and makes a pistol fly through the air??? Oh, he IS the badest of the bad. Unbelievable!!! We were all gasping and cheering. Ahhh, then there's Fett.

The torturing that goes on but not really doing anything or seeking any kind of information. Rebuilding 3PO, funny but sad. How bad was this going to get for our heroes?? It was hard to keep watching.

Lando isn't all bad as he stands up to Vader. A foolish but noble thing to do. Somehow he'll make things right. He simply has to. Then he tells them it was all a trap for Luke. That's just crazy. How could Vader know he'd come?? How could Yoda and Ben not know it was a trap??

The carbon freezing chamber was one of the most awesomely wicked sets in the movie. It was the right reflection of industry and horror. All the orange lights uplighting the cast. Ominous shadows everywhere. Man! What Han dies? What's going to happen to Chewie and the others? I think I almost cried. This was horrible. This was just as bad as seeing Ben "killed" in the first one.
"I love you."
"I know."
How smooth was that??! THAT is what I wanted to be like whenever I could find my Leia. I wanted to be Smooth As Han. Seeing the carbonite and Leia's reaction was so strong. My eyes started to water and I quickly wiped them away with a fake yawn and an eye-rub.

I can't imagine what's going through Luke's mind as he sees them floating Han's carbonite block through the halls. How did Fett know Luke was there? Oooooo he's good.
"Luke. Luke don't! It's a trap! It's a trap!"

Wow, he was being led right to Vader. That's just crazy cool! Vader is indeed the most powerful character there. The lightsaber fight is perfect. The sillouhettes with the glowing blades. i was beginning to take an interest in the way it looked as much as I was aware of the story and the action. It was beautiful.
Lando's men rescuing them. Chewie choking him. We can rescue Han...
Of course you can! GO! GO!!!!!!! C'mon R2....go with them!!! Get Han and get rid of Fett!!!! Oh my gosh. Fett got away. Han is gone. How can that be???? surely they'll rescue him. They have to. They simply must. And to see the hurt on Leai's face. Time to yawn and eye-rub again.

Back to the fight and seeing that Luke really has learned some stuff. What a jump!! The temptaions of the Darl Side have begun. "Release your anger" Vader taunts. I guess Luke gives in a little because he's able to force Vader back and make him fall. As Luke is led to another hall and Vader's breath can be heard and we see the over-the-shoulder shot of him approaching Luke is simply amazing. Chills run through my body. Boxes are being hurled. Even Vader can make a mistake when one of them knocks out the glass and causes a vaccuum. Pulls Luke out and Vader has to grab on to keep from being pulled out. See! You're not so tough!

R2 gets his little moment to shine as he fogs the path of the troopers. WAY TO GO R2!!!!!

As the battle continues on to the catwalk the excitement is building and building. Luke is down. Now he's up! he cuts Vader's arm. See, you CAN hurt him! He's just a man! But of course that just got Vader mad. Boy did it ever!
WHAT THE!!!???? He cut off Luke's hand??!! don't listen to Vader telling him to join the Dark side.
"He told me enough. He told me you killed him!"
"No, Luke, I am your father."

WHAT!!!?!??? NO WAY!!!!! He's Lying!!!! I shouted out that Vader was lying! Almost simultaneously with Luke.. "That's not true!"
The Emperor has forseen Vader and Luke taking over? Why did he send him to get Luke then? I just can't believe what I'm hearing!

Then Luke jumps. Now what?! Another hero gone?? I guess it's a good thing that there are exhaust vents around to suck him in. I felt so bad as he hung on the weather vane and tried to reach Ben. Obi-Wan said he would not be able to help him and he was right. OH! He contacted Leia, though! That's cool! She'll help. And just in time.

Jump to hyperspace! OH NO! It isn't working! That's right! R2 said that the hyperdrive had been disconnected back on Bespin. OH CRAP! Vader's men did it??!!! What a trap!!!!!

"Luke"
"Father?"
"Son"
"Ben. Why didn't you tell me......."
"Luke. It is your destiny....."

Ready the tractor beam?? Get out of there guys!! GO R2!! GO!!!!!

Luke's mechanical hand is groovy and to hear that Lando and Chewie are going to go rescue Han. My heart healed a bit. See you on Tatooine? He's going back home??
Off goes the Falcon. What a great closing scene!

Again. I had to sit through the credits. This started with Star Wars and has been something I have done ever since. We all ran back out into the blinding sun. We were running and jumping and WOO-HOO-ing! What a rollercoaster of a ride. "Do you really think Vader is his dad?" "No way. He's full of it!"
We ended up talking Mark's mom into driving a little further, to the mall, where we could buy the comic book. I ran in and threw down my cash. I bought the comic and the hardcover edition of the novelisation. I simply had to read more about this movie. I was already hooked, but this movie just sank those claws in deeper.
All the way home we had our noses stuck in our comic books. Wow! Look at this? There are a bunch of Wampas. Wonder why they weren't in the film?
We got home. Jumped out of the car and headed to our houses. Within about 10 minutes, we were all back outside with our figures and our weapons....ok, their weapons my lightsaber was still a stick and my blaster was still a cap gun, but that was ok. We would take turns sharing the blasters and lightsabers. It was all good. We were all friends. and we were all fighting the evil Empire..........