star wars lives!

one film has influenced more people in my generation than any other, even if some of us would not care to admit it. for those of us who remember the spring and summer of '77, it would forever mark us. and it still continues to leave its mark as evidenced here. one of my best friends talks about the day he went to see star wars with his parents and his little brother and describes it as a point of division in his history like bc and ad.

and in a time before multi-plex theaters and bootleg internet downloads, the opening of a blockbuster movie still meant something. waiting on line for hours with other enthusiasts was common, and the badge of honor for any kid at my school was the number of times they had seen it. every kid birthday that summer seemed to involve a trip to the movie theater as the eyes and ears continued to pick up new details.

and on the playgrounds, wooden climbing structures became death stars and parallel sets of monkey bars served as imperial star destroyers and rebel blockade runners. every girl in my class wanted to be princess leia at recess, and every guy han solo or luke skywalker. when recess ended we continued by drawing endless death star battles at our desks while the teachers worked to free us from this "distraction".

and everywhere we looked was the evidence that this wasn't just a passing fad, but a growing phenomenon. it was on on the lunchboxes we carried from home to school and back. it was on our clothing and covering the walls of our bedrooms. it was our play through countless toys and collectibles and it seemed to burrow deeper into our very sub-conscience so that it even entered our dreams at night. and still, we wanted more.
and in between drawing tie-fighters and x-wings we also collected and traded these cards. i found a box of these today in my garage and a flood of memories hit me. i can still remember that excited feeling heading up to the 7 hills market to see if they had the new shipment, and then opening the package and taking out the obligatory flat sheet of bubble-gum, popping in it in my mouth and then quickly thumbing through the stack of cards to see if i could now fill some of the gaps of missing numbers. these went on for a while through different series of colored decks, and though my collection is sadly lacking in comparison to what i remember my friends having, i would like to share a few with one of you. so, if you would like your very own pack of pre-chosen star wars trading cards, simply be the first to leave a comment, on this post and i'll get them out to you. and may the force be with you!