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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Discussion Generation gaps among the fans

Discussion in 'Archive: Disney Era Films' started by princessnikki, Nov 28, 2012.

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Are you an original era fan, a Special Edition fan or a Prequel Trilogy Fan?

  1. Original Era

    98 vote(s)
    61.3%
  2. Special Edition Era

    28 vote(s)
    17.5%
  3. Prequel Trilogy Era

    28 vote(s)
    17.5%
  4. Haven't seen any movies and the E.U stories are my Star Wars!

    4 vote(s)
    2.5%
  5. What is Star Wars? Is that the one with Captain Picard?

    2 vote(s)
    1.3%
  1. princessnikki

    princessnikki Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2012
    I wonder how many people on these boards are from the first generation of Star Wars fans during the 70's and 80's and how many are from the prequel trilogy era!

    How many of you remember the Marvel Comics and the Star Wars stories and who has grown up only with the expanded universe stories, the prequel movies and the special editions.
    How many of you remember going to the supermarkets to see not just a few shelves with toys on, but actual aisles full of Star Wars toys...both sides!

    Do people from the original era have different wants and needs from the new movies that the generation who never lived through the original hype and anticipation of Empire and Jedi coming to the cinema experienced? The questions of was Darth Vader Luke's Father or who was "the other" Yoda referred to was already mainstream knowledge for the new generation of fans and the prequel trilogy never gave them that cliff hanger.

    Do the new generation of fans who have big budget movies handed to them on a plate compared to what was around in the 70's and 80's appreciate what Star Wars really means to the original generation of fans? In a world where one big thing comes along, last for a few minutes and is then moved to the bargain bin is that what people want from the new Star Wars? A constant stream of new characters that are there one minute but gone the next meaning we never get to bond with the characters the same as we did with the originals? Maybe even the original generation of fans are now wanting all new characters...if so are they bored of the old ones or have they just lost interest?

    I guess for myself, I find myself wanting the new movies to have very strong character links to the original movies. I think the prequel trilogy introduced enough new characters...some of them more successful than others. I think maybe if things had been different George Lucas may have made episodes 7,8 & 9 a long time ago and somehow I get the feeling from watching old videos of interviews that had he made the movies the original characters would have remained the focus of the stories. To have lived a life with the possibility that the movies could have been made... or were there in print has meant that I have lived in hope of one day seeing a continuation of what was my favourite
    childhood characters back on the big screen!

    This thread isn't exactly a question....it is only my thoughts on something that has been a big part of my life and if I am being honest, there are times I read things on here by people who seem intent on hijacking my past and replacing it with something completely new!

    Maybe I am wrong, maybe you are all just a part of my imagination and you aren't really there! If so, I truly am insane and I will climb back under my bed covers and not come out again! :)
     
  2. stellarmagic01

    stellarmagic01 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    I grew up with the Original Trilogy on television and VHS... I think I might have seen some of the made for TV stuff when I was too little to remember it as well. The first time I saw the movies in theaters was the Special Edition releases, and man was that a fun day running all over town from theater to theater trying to get tickets.

    I started reading Star Wars when I found one of my parent's copies of the The Thrawn Trilogy (the only Star Wars books they ever bought for themselves) and soon moved on to the X-wing series and so forth. I followed Star Wars pretty loyally in the books up until Dark Nest, at which point I wrote them off.

    I played the original Dark Forces, X-wing, and TIE Fighter and have a number of games still (including a very battered and very loved copy of Star Wars: Rebellion).
     
  3. Krueger

    Krueger Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2004
    Well, I was born in 85. Having older siblings, though, I still grew up surrounded by Star Wars. I saw an old VHS copy of the original film when I was five. From then on I was hooked. I suppose it’s a familiar story. The first time I saw them on the big screen was the SE releases. I don't really know if that makes me an original era fan, or a special edition era fan.
     
  4. Iron_lord

    Iron_lord Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Sep 2, 2012
    I'd probably qualify as late OT/early special edition- saw the digitally remastered pre-Special Edition videos first. Loved SW:Rebellion game (or rather, SW: Supremacy as it was in the UK).
     
  5. Chrono85

    Chrono85 Jedi Padawan star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2012
    I'm only 27 years old, so all of the original trilogy hit theatres before I was born :). However, I did grow up watching them on VHS tape, so I was already very familiar with all three movies by the time the special editions hit theatres, and I can bet that you was in the front row for each one. I actually like the special editions, and do not think that the additional creatures in the background are distracting or anything, although I don't like additions to the movies that actually change the characters in any way, like having Han shoot second :). I enjoy the prequels overall, but I don't think that any of them are 'classics' in the same way that the original trilogy are, in terms of the stories and characters, although Revenge of the Sith comes close to that. I do appreciate them as being part of the overall saga, and when you view all six movies as one saga, then it really is quite epic :). I think that a lot of big action movies these days lack heart, and care in their storytelling and characters, and are just about how much stuff they can blow up, and how many big aliens and stuff they can fit into two hours. Star Wars has that spectacle, but still had dedication to actually telling a compelling story, so I hope that carries forward into he new trilogy.
     
  6. Rox

    Rox Administrator Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2000
    OT era I guess. I never saw Star Wars or Empire in the theater but I did see Jedi at the theater when I was a kid.
     
  7. Varguitas

    Varguitas Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    My mother took me to see The Phantom Menace when I was 5 in theaters and I have been a fan ever since.
     
  8. Julius Vernon

    Julius Vernon Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2012
    I saw all three films in the theater (though I have zero recollection of ANH and only partial recollection of ESB).

    I remember going into those stores and seeing hordes of SW merchandise in the toy section. Oh man, gives me a good feeling just to recall my excitement.

    I remember being so excited at the prospect of Droids and Ewoks cartoons. I was even thrilled at the made for TV Ewok movies (Wilford Brimley was part of my universe!).

    It's different now, that's for sure, but I still get some of those same feelings when I think about the ST, etc.
     
  9. krtmd

    krtmd Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2012
    I saw all of the OT in theaters, and I'm old enough to remember the empty box campaign for Christmas of '77. Unless you lived it, I'm not sure you can fully understand the cultural bomb that went off that summer in the 70's and I'm not sure anything ever will compare.

    That said, I have no desire to diminish the experience of any other Star Wars fan. If nothing else, my experience on these forums has taught me that SW is intensely personal and there are all kinds of SW fans.
     
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  10. Cantina Bassist

    Cantina Bassist Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 5, 2012
    I was four in 1977. There was no better time to be a kid who loved movies from 1977 to 1983.

    It's difficult to explain what those movies were to someone who wasn't around to experience it. Our lives revolved around those movies. The EU has nothing on the adventures we had with our Star Wars toys.
     
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  11. Julius Vernon

    Julius Vernon Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2012
    Did you see the OT after TPM then? I'm interested in this perspective. How do you compare the two trilogies? I think OT >>> PT, though I like PT very much.
     
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  12. princessnikki

    princessnikki Jedi Knight star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 8, 2012
    Thank you for responding to my thread. I think Star Wars means so much to so many people and it fascinates me that the franchise has managed to gain new fans years after the original movies came out. The gap between Return of the Jedi and the appearance of the Heir to the Empire story seemed like an eternity to me and I think it is the real defining gap of an original era fan or the new generation of fans.

    The end of the Marvel comics was almost like a death for me in that at the time I thought I may never see or read anything new in the Star Wars universe again. It was almost as though Star Wars had run its course and when it finally stopped publication and was merged with the Spiderman comic as a back story (UK Marvel version) and finally replaced by stories of Zoids... I was heartbroken! I may love Spiderman, but he just doesn't cut it as far as the Star Wars universe is concerned!
     
  13. Artoo-Dion

    Artoo-Dion Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 9, 2009
    Born in '78 and saw the re-release of ANH in '82 at the cinema. I didn't see ROTJ at the movies only because I hadn't seen ESB at that point, so I saw ESB on video in '84 and ROTJ on TV in '87. I had plenty of figures from ESB and ROTJ cardbacks (still have the figures and kept the cardbacks, too) and had some other toys, clothing and posters, as well. Obviously I didn't experience the initial impact of SW, but I grew up in its immediate wake and remember it quite clearly.

    I love SW, but I love the OT characters even more than the universe itself. I was intrigued by the prequels, but seeing Luke, Han and Leia again is my real dream-come-true. I still remember writing my own Episode VII when I was in Year 4.
     
  14. Zer0

    Zer0 Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 2012
    I grew up with the PT I was shown Episode 1 on tape when I was little and loved it, then I watched the OT while waiting for Episode 2 to come out, then Episode 3, and here we are.
     
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  15. PiettsHat

    PiettsHat Force Ghost star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 1, 2011
    I was born in '91 but I didn't see any of the Star Wars films until the mid-2000s and I watched the prequel films first. It took a while for Star Wars to pop up on my radar as I was obsessed with Harry Potter books and the Lord of the Rings films as a young teen. But now I love all the movies although I will admit I prefer the PT films. ROTS is my favorite. My greatest hope for the new trilogy is that Disney will let the films do their own thing. It's fine to use similar themes and even structure from older films -- they're part of the same series, after all, but I don't want to see anything rehashed simply to appeal to nostalgia.
     
  16. Varguitas

    Varguitas Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Well, I watched Episodes 4,5, and 6 after The Phantom Menace. I used to think at first that Darth Vader was some sort of robot, and that Anakin had died before Episode IV. I also wasn't sure at first if the Emperor was also the Chancellor and Darth Sidious, but later my mother would tell me they were the same. It was kind of difficult for me to see at first how things had changed so dramatically from the Phantom Menace to A New Hope, and I like how Episodes 2 and 3 filled in that gap. I kind of see all of the movies to be great and equally important towards how the story develops, and I think I kind of got to see the vision of George Lucas with the Tragedy of Darth Vader, as it was originally intended to be.
     
  17. Dranem

    Dranem JCF Banner Contest Winner star 1 VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2012
    Born in '78, but I remember seeing Empire and Return of the Jedi as a double feature at 88th Drive In in Colorado. I was a child of the 80's, and Star Wars was the centerpiece. I remember vividly seeing the Special Editions while in High School in 1997 (I was playing the Batman Forever pinball machine and had a high score going when the movie was about to start and had to abandon the damn thing!) and seeing Episodes I-III in my early to mid 20's. I feel luck to have never known a world without Star Wars, and have loved every movie in it's own unique way. I wish I could have been there to see the original in 1977, but I won't trade my memories for anything!
     
  18. Trebor Sabreon

    Trebor Sabreon Former Manager star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 15, 2010
    Same here. I just missed the first two films in the theatre, but my Grandpa taped Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back off of HBO and watched them with me a hundred times. I was in love. At seven years old, I could not have been more ready to see a movie than I was for Return of the Jedi. My greatest movie experience.
     
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  19. I Are The Internets

    I Are The Internets Shelf of Shame Host star 9 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Wait so Picard isn't in Star Wars? Does this mean I have to change my profile pic?! GODDAMMIT! WHAT THE HELL WAS I WATCHING THIS WHOLE TIME!?
     
  20. krtmd

    krtmd Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2012
    Those of you who experienced the PT as your first SW films, I'm curious about the wait between films and how intense that felt for you?

    I will NEVER forget waiting for the issues of TESB to be resolved. Was Darth Vader *really* Luke's father - and HOW could that be? Would they get Han Solo back? Three years...:_|
     
  21. Dranem

    Dranem JCF Banner Contest Winner star 1 VIP - Game Winner

    Registered:
    Oct 31, 2012
    My son is only 3 and has only watched bits and pieces of the movies. I'm tempted to show him one then make him wait 3 years until he sees the next. I'd have to get a cabin in the middle of nowhere to pull that off though...
     
  22. stellarmagic01

    stellarmagic01 Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    [​IMG]
     
  23. ezekiel22x

    ezekiel22x Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Aug 9, 2002
    I'm another one from the netherworld of the VHS generation. By the time I was old enough to actually understand the films and get into the toys Star Wars was probably as close to dead as it's ever been. Back then I actually thought Super Star Wars was the most significant new Star Wars release I would ever get to experience. Luckily, for the start of the PT I was still young enough to go in without any fandom baggage. For a while into the PT for me Star Wars was indeed all about that nebulous sense of "magic" that many claim was only present in the O-OT.

    By the time Episode VII hits I'll probably be lost to the Dark Side, sitting in my Sith meditation chamber and lamenting that the days of Super Star Wars are no more.
     
  24. Lando's Little Maneuver

    Lando's Little Maneuver Jedi Padawan star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 2012
    I'm exactly the same. I was born in 76, so I was too young to see ANH in the theatres. I may have seen ESB in the theatre but I have no recollection of it, my mum assures me I did, but I'm not so sure. I do remember incessently renting ANH on Betamax everytime we'd go to the video store and I would cry if I missed a showing on TV. I remember watching ESB on Beta when it came out.
    I have vivid memories of seeing RotJ in the theatre, that was pretty well much the pinnacle of my childhood.
     
  25. I Are The Internets

    I Are The Internets Shelf of Shame Host star 9 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Man I'm in real trouble now.
     
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