So the season is upon us, the hour has arrived, the moment is locked in time for a generation of movie-goers who, not only changed the movie industry forever, but created a marketing hype so powerful, an entire pop culture was birthed. Through one man's vision of a space opera, destined for failure (deemed unworthy of a managable budget, threatened to be scrapped in the middle of filming by the Studio), a metamorphasis occured in Hollywood that enabled the magic of an imagination to blossom before millions of viewers...in his film and every one to follow. Lucas single handedly inspired the age of computer graphics and animation to unprecedented heights and created the standard by which every special effect would be measured. He fathered the modern day blockbuster.

His empire may have been the embodiment of capitalism (at it's best), but it's story was poetry in motion, captivating the hearts of a generation in need of a hero. In the midst of a society filled with the remnants of war, mistrust, and division; hope dawned in a galaxy far from our own. We were invited on a journey to a remote, desolate planet of sand, inhabited by alien creatures, war lords, and space pirates...a sesspool of "scum and villany". On the brown desert planet of Tatooine, we met the bright eyed boy who spent his days watching the horizon of the setting suns, looking to the future in search of his own destiny. As for me, I was only three upon it's release in 1977. Yet, I remember vividly watching it at the drive-in theater, laying on a blanket on the roof of the car with my sister. Perhaps I was too young to grasp the epic tale of good's struggle against evil, but the simplicity of good story telling transcends time and age. I was addicted to the fantasy world of Star Wars, as was the rest of the world. As the original trilogy was complete, it united and inspired a generation.

As the saga draws to a close with the last installment, I find myself a bit sad. Not because the movie was dark, or I didnt find closure to the story; but because an era has come to an end. The excitement of anticipation for the release of each Prequel over the last six years has brought out a little boy long gone, buried by the years. And the connection I feel with fans across with world, I fear will soon fade as the hype slowly drifts away. But, the story leaves us with hope in the human spirit, that through faith, perseverance,and the denial of self, good will defeat evil regardless of circumstance or situation. That the ingredients to the Darkside are truly the snare's of life, no matter how beautifully packaged or insidiously woven, will lead you down a path of regret. Lucas placed us on the threshold of our own spirituality, he opened the door to the basic fundamentals of mankind. A renaissance of a galaxy far, far away for future generations.