This is my first blog so please go easy on me, guys...

What makes us love STAR WARS?
Is it the technology?
The characters?
The concept?
Or maybe it's the music.
Or the costumes.
Or the set designs.
It may be all of these things or none of these things. Whatever the reason for loving STAR WARS, I believe that there is a certain romance in classic sci-fi movies like our favourite saga.
I'm a big fan of the Old Trilogy since that's what I grew up watching. Our favourite scruffy-looking nerf-herder, tough sarcastic princess, moisture-farm boy, walking carpet, Cloud City administrator, goldenrod robot, his little trash-can droid friend, and even that harsh-breathing helmeted Dark Lord, are among the greater legends in the STAR WARS universe. They were the first to appear on screen from George Lucas's amazing creation.
The newer characters, the very mindful Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, his troubled Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, the funny little boy podracer Anakin Skywalker, the noble queen of Naboo Queen Amidala, and the tall and clumsy Gungan Jar-Jar Binks, are our favourites from The Phantom Menace.
Attack of the Clones's reckless Padawan Learner older Anakin, the beautiful Senator Padmé Amidala, the once troubled Padawan but now troubled Jedi Master Obi-Wan, and the green-skinned alien called Yoda are the heroes of now, and in Revenge of the Sith.
Even more intriguing are the species of the STAR WARS universe. In the Prequel Trilogy, the Gungans, the Twi'leks, the Zabraks, the Kaminoans, Geonosians, Utapauns, Quarrens, Mon Calamari, among others, come across as astoundingly exotic.
And even in the Old Trilogy: Bothans, Wookiees, Jawas, Tusken Raiders, Sullustans, Ewoks (those cute little furball teddy bears), Hutts, and Rhodians.
They all bear a distinct mark that says STAR WARS.
So, what really makes us love these characters, worlds, and species so much?
Like I said, there is a certain romance to all this. Whether you believe it or not, the romance is in the composition of all the questions I asked at the beginning of this blog.
The romance, though, is not the key.
If you really think about it, the reason we love STAR WARS is because of how it is presented.
Strategically placed ads for toys, games, and the movies are just a few of the things that prepare us for the story, the saga, the legend that is STAR WARS.
If we did not have TV, colour advertisements, and those well-made collectibles, would we necessarily love STAR WARS as much?
What if STAR WARS was just the collection of books like the Chronicles of Prydain or the Redwall books?
Would we love it so much then?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
If STAR WARS hadn't first been a movie with the books written afterward, would we actually read the books?

After I saw STAR WARS and the fooferah surrounding it, I wondered why people loved it so much. Then, I read the books and I understood. I understood that if I had not seen the movies first, I probably wouldn't have read the books let alone understand them. I wouldn't have understood the concept of the Force, or understood what the Rebels were fighting against.
Similarly, if I hadn't seen the toys, games, and collectibles lying around in various stores and flea markets, I probably wouldn't be as intrigued to the reason for their existence.

Since I've been using myself as an example, I'd like to say that I haven't always been a STAR WARS fan. For a while, I was a Lord of the Rings fan, reading the books and watching the movies over and over again. I hope I can safely say that I have seen LOTR more often than I have seen the STAR WARS movies. But I hope that that's about to change.
The minute I became a STAR WARS fan, I started writing fanfiction. Hopefully, my first story, A Puddle In The Dust, will be up on my website soon.
If you have any questions or just want to talk, e-mail me at orilliadarkstar@star-wars.net or cupid14@charter.net.

With the whole of this blog in mind, I invite you to leave comments. Just don't leave rude comments that are meant to put me down, I don't tolerate those kind of comments. And remember, we're all friends here, so don't be shy and tell me: what drew you into STAR WARS?

Thank you, and may the Force be with us all,
Orillia Darkstar