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Topic:
Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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Prequel_Dreamer
Registered:
Mar '04
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Date Posted:
3/12 5:54pm
Subject:
Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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Prequel dreams had floated around in the slumbering minds of Star Wars fans since that fateful day in 1983 when the final chapter of the Star Wars trilogy appeared on the silver scream. Dreams of what must have happened to lead up to the beginning of Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope.
What tragedies must have unfolded in those lost years and what triumphs! We wondered how Anakin Skywalker became a Jedi and what must have happened to sour his friendship with Obi-Wan Kenobi. And what of Luke and Leia’s mother? Who was she? How was the Emperor and how did the Empire rise? Would we see the Clone Wars? Would we see Alderaan? Would we see Boba Fett or Yoda or Young Han Solo or Artoo or… or… OR!
So many possibilities and they kept circulating and recirculating throughout our collective unconscious through that almost two-decades of waiting. Yes many of us found diversions. Work. School. Video games. Television. Other movie series. Books. Star Wars EU. But the questions still existed and the fans started discussing themselves amongst themselves again on that fateful day in 94-or was it 95?-that George Lucas announced that he was once again beginning work on his Star Wars Saga.
After another several years of anticipation the first trailer appeared during the holiday season of 98 and we fans watched and drooled over the Star Warsy goodness that came out of Skywalker Ranch. George was doing good. He was doing really good. Months passed and newer trailers appeared and most of us would have gladly taken poison just for the chance at an early peek at Episode 1.
I remember the day that the Episode I merchandise hit the stores. I was broke. A bad place to be when your favorite saga is making it’s merchandising comeback. I was bummed but I went to the store anyway. I didn’t shoplift if that’s what you’re wondering. That way lies the dark side. Instead I just looked. At everything. The toys. Oh lord the toys! The books. Even the “I am Jar Jar Binks” books for toddlers. I didn’t care it was still Star Wars. It was new! My only mistake on that fateful day was wandering over to the music section and looking the soundtrack over and seeing the words “Qui-Gon’s Noble End” followed by “The High Council Meeting & Qui-Gon’s Funeral”.
ARRRGH! A MAJOR PLOT POINT BLOWN ON AN INNONCENT LOOKING PIECE OF MERCHANDISE!
You might notice they were never that stupid on any of the albums released since then. God bless ‘em.
It was okay though. Didn’t ruin the movie for me. Annoyed me when I got spoiled like that but I got over it.
The weeks passed and eventually on May 12th they started pre-selling the movie tickets. I’d like to say I was first in line but I was naïve. It didn’t think there would be a huge turnout for movie tickets. Obviously I was living in stupid-land because there were two-dozen people lined up in front of me when I arrived and that was a good forty minutes before the box office opened.
I stood there in front of Clackamas Town Center Mall chatting with a number of people. Some in their twenties and others fathers in their forties about our memories of the OT. I think ESB came up more times than once. It was the clear favorite in that line. One guy was there to buy twelve tickets to the midnight show. Thank Christ I was standing in front of him. I’d say the only unpleasantness was the fact that we were all griping that none of the theaters in town that had stadium seating would be showing TPM. I know that sounds like a tiny gripe but stadium seating in movie theaters was still a new concept in Oregon back in the late 90’s and we all wanted to see the new Star Wars that way. Still it’s just a minor gripe that we the fans had. We were so happy to be buying those tickets that nothing could deflate us. Nothing! Before too long I had those two tickets for the midnight show in my hand and I was off to the Waldenbooks to check out the Star Wars books. I wanted badly to read the Episode I screenplay in the store but I didn’t want to spoil myself worse than I had been so I read only the page with the opening crawl and reveled as the endorphins engulfed me in sheer ecstasy. I didn’t buy anything in the book store. Didn’t want to ruin the Episode I experience even one little bit. I ran home. Quickly.
The days passed and finally the night of release had arrived. I remember UPN aired Thumb Wars: The Phantom Cuticle and I watched and laughed my butt off all the way threw it growing impatient as the time to Episode I’s big midnight premiere drew closer and closer and…
“WE HAVE TO GET TO THE THEATER”, my wife declared. She caught the 10 O’Clock news. The lines in front of the theaters showing Episode I had grown enormous in the Portland Metro area. I slapped myself in the face wondering why I continued to live in stupid-land. I assumed if I got there by 11:30 I’’d get a good seat. STUPID! THIS IS STAR WARS! As the mall was across the street my wife and I hustled and were in line by 10:30.
That night. Oh God that night was like no other I’d ever experienced. Fans. Lined up. For miles. I was towards the end but not at the very end. Thank God I wasn’t the only resident of stupid-land. My wife and I had smiles plastered on our faces at all the live-entertainment around us. The fans dressed up as Jedi Knights were all around us light sabers blazing in the early-summer night. A fan with his face made up as Darth Maul appeared with a double-bladed lightsaber.
Many Jedi Knights fell that night.
I remember them opening the doors for us Star Wars fans. Rushing to the auditorium to find a good seat before leaving my wife behind to get the candy and soft drinks. I remember right before the movie started the manager appearing with a security guard stating the guard was there in case anybody started playing with lightsabers during the movie. Nobody did. But not because of that guard. Oh that baited hush that came when "A Long Time Ago, in a galaxy far away..." appeared and then... STAR WARS! HURRAH! The cheers were deafening! Obi-Wan would certainly have felt that disturbance in the Force. As for the movie itself it's safe to say that the audience I saw it with loved it! They were transfixed by it! Heck they even liked Jar Jar! There were cries of applause when Artoo first appeared and appreciative applause when Jabba showed up. And then there was another roar of approval when the end credits started up. I remember watching the audience file out of the theater noting the smiles on the faces and feeling privileged to have been able to share that fine day with those people.
In the months that followed I purchased as much of the merchandise as I could and discussed it with as many people as possible. Everybody had seen it and everybody had an opinion but it was overwhelmingly positive from where I stood. Once I had internet access I learned about the basher phenom but they were then as they are now, a minor annoyance in the fandom but largely nothing to get worked up about. Besides I was making all these friends and reading all these fake fan scripts for Episode II. Would it surprise people to find out the only reason I cared about internet access was so that I could get Episode II spoilers? It's true. I have only three uses for my computer.
1. Writing
2. Editing home movies
3. Star Wars
In the years 1999-2005 my computer got quite a Star Wars workout.
I remember the months leading up the VHS release of TPM. Most fans were mad that it was coming out a full year after the movie's release. I mean what was this? The early 1980's? GEEZ! Then there were other fans angry about it not coming out on DVD but DVD was so new and I didn't own a player yet that I didn't really care. I remember the day I had that VHS tape in my hand and I stuck it in the VCR getting lost in the GFFA on VHS. It was my last new VHS experience with Star Wars as I had a DVD player before 2000 was out. It was a great experience and I remember my faith in Episode II being renewed as I reexperienced Episode I. What a wonderful world of imagination that movie was. Like getting lost in a child’s dream. Man did that movie take me back! It’s such a nice tone poem about innocence that it almost hurts to watch the following movies get so much darker as the innocence of Episode I’s wonderful world died.
I’d like to think of something to say about when I got the Episode I DVD but I’ve got nothing. I had the movie on VHS for a long time at that point so the only thing new about the movie were the few moments that GL included such as the third lap of the pod race and the Coruscant scenes. I loved lap three but felt Coruscant offerred nothing to the movie. I enjoyed the full produced deleted scenes and the commentary and The Beginning Doc as it took me back to what opening night felt like. Still... It was a DVD release of a movie I already had so there’s no exciting story to be told. Of course it’s full possible I haven’t told one exciting story yet but... Damn it! It was exciting to me when it was happening! Star Wars was such an important series to me in my formative years that the fact that I could revisit it in my adulthood with the PT was nothing short of miraculous. I wish I could renew myself like that every 16 years!
The wait for Episode II in many ways wasn’t as fun for me as the wait for Episode I. The universe had been broken in at that point so I felt there were fewer surprises to be had as we were moving into the era discussed in the OT. Also the merchandising wasn’t as obnoxious. There was no In-You-Face-CGI-Alien selling Pepsi and sitting next to Jake Lloyd in the movie theater. There were no Dorito-eating-Binks-Tongued-Punks pimping chips. It was such the opposite of Episode I that I felt the experience the least of the PT. The only noteworthy anecdote that I can of is the fact that after three years of hunting I turned up the Episode II script... Two weeks before I saw the movie. Geez good thing I came to like the internet for other things than Star Wars!
I moved from my home state of Oregon to my new home in Arizona. It was my first Star Wars movie in another state. I was nervous. I mean what if I didn’t like Star Wars in Arizona? Luckily I enjoyed AotC. It wasn’t my favorite and I found it a little depressing but GL had put a new twist on Star Wars by making the movie a mystery rather than a straight-on fairy tale like most of the other SWs were. I think some of the things I found noteworthy about that summer were all the commercials after the movie came out. At first they focused on the Clone Wars but as the movie’s BIG SCENE became more and more popular Yoda because the center of the marketing and I thought that was brilliant because the Yoda duel was clearly the best scene in the movie. The applause was like the sound of a Alderaan being shattered by the Death Star. Not even TPM’s applause matched the Yoda applause. Crazy! If I recall Sci-Fi Channel had a Star Wars Fanfilm Marathon hosted by Kevin Smith and I enjoyed watching what my fellow fans had created. Still I was pissed that Episode II wasn’t the orgasmic experience that Episode I was for me. And I can never forgive the audiences for letting a crap movie like Spider-Man steal AotC’s thunder. BAD AUDIENCES! BAD!
The years rolled forward. Another DVD release. Good DVD. Puppets to Pixels was an exceptional documentary. Still the true excitement was in Episode III... Or so I thought.
The Clone Wars was a neat little lightning rod for the fan excitement and I felt was a worthy interlude between the movies and kept my interest running high up to the opening day of Episode III.
At my work there was a lot of interest in Episode III. Huge geeks. My employers arranged many company paid screenings for employees the Saturday and Sunday of opening weekend in the hopes of keeping us from calling in sick on opening day. I didn’t call in sick that day. It was my day off.
I wanted to mention that my workplace had a “Who’s the biggest Star Wars Fan?” contest. We had to write essays about why we were the biggest. I won second place. I netted me an Obi-Wan lightsaber, Episode III PS2 game and controller and cardboard Darth Vader mask. GOD WINNING FEELS SO FREAKIN’ GOOD!
I... I feel my recollections growing vague as I approach Episode III’s and that’s because there’s so little to say. It was a damn good movie. One of my favorites. Fan response when I saw it was tremendous. Maybe not as excited as Episode I. Or as middling as when I saw Episode II. It was just right. I just... URGH. I hate it when good things end and remembering 2005 and knowing it was the end of the good times that started in the summer of 99 is painful. I guess you could say that as much as I enjoyed the theatrical release of III the DVD release was so much sweeter.
On the day of the DVD release I stopped by Target on the way to work and grabbed a vaunted Episode III widescreen DVD for 16.99 and paid for it. I was happy to have something to look forward to but angry that I had to wait. I showed up at work. The office building I worked at had TV’s rigged on the walls. It was a stress-relief thing. We could watch TV while handling out clients. It was great! Someone had brought in Episode III and told the guy who handled the DVD’s to play that sucked on loop! He did and I got to watch Episode III for the four hours straight. I went home early as they were overstaffed that day and watched Episode III with the sound on and cherished every last second of it. Despite the loss of the theatrical experience sharing Episode III with my friends was much better than sharing with a bunch of Star Wars loving strangers.
At that point I thought that was that. I enjoyed the adventures of Anakin, Padme and Obi-Wan but I was never going to see those characters again in that form. Next stop was OT which was were I got on in the first place. I was sad. Happy I got to see it come full-circle but still sad the experience ended. Sure the cartoon and live-action show was coming and those were a part of the prequel experience but a small part as they’re just television. Small stuff. Not like seeing Star Wars on the big screen.
Then they announced that Clone Wars would be coming to the big screen in August and...
COUNT ME IN!
I’m grateful to get to have one more Star Wars adventure on the big screen and one last adventure with my favorite prequel characters in a galaxy far, far away...
-----signature-----
May the Kool-Aid be with you!
May 19th, 2005 "Oh Yeah!"
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SHAD0W-JEDI
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
3/12 6:08pm
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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Bravo!
Find things that bring you pleasure, that bring you joy, and if they don't harm you or others, savor them.
The SW "universe" has brought me a lot of pleasure.
I still remember picking up an EP 1 T shirt, with Qui-Gonn and Obi-Wan dueling Darth Maul, a couple of weeks before the movie's release, and I wore that @#$#@$ shirt until it was held together by vapors and good will. *S* I remember walking into Burger King with my son, both of us getting TWO of the BK giveaway figures a piece, and both of us getting one of the Vaders. I remember the feeling of excitement and good will in the air as a good friend of mine and I displayed absolutely no common sense (neither of us being spring chickens anymore and both of us having to be at work early!) and went to the midnight showing of ROTS, seeing all the Jedi and Sith and even a Jar Jar or two, and realizing this was the last time there would BE a midnight "opening night" for SW fans.
And while some might decry all the merchandising, I remember grinning as I walked through (of all places) Walmart, before ROTS, and buying cereal to get my lightsaber spoon, seeing Yodas and Vaders and ObiWans and Anakins and Maces on EVERYTHING, all over the store.
Good stuff, and good times. *S*
Shadow
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SkottASkywalker
Registered:
Jan '02
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Date Posted:
3/13 4:30am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
- Date Edited:
3/13 4:31am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
SkottASkywalker
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Wow! It was definitely great times.
The standing in line to buy tickets the first day they went on sale (many days, possibly two weeks before EPISODE I was released) for the opening midnight showing and then attending with my wife and our oldest nephew (the three of us attended together the opening midnight showing for EPISODE I, EPISODE II and EPISODE III).
Having me and my wife's same nephew stand in line to get us tickets to the opening midnight showing of EPISODE II, because she and I were attending STAR WARS CELEBRATION II at the time.
Being the very first person to buy tickets for the opening midnight showing of EPISODE III in the same theater we had seen EPISODE I and EPISODE II during their opening midnight showings (stadium seating).
All the merchandise and collectibles and advertisements and collecting as much of all of it as I could for each movie.
The packed theater parking lots, lobbies and auditoriums. Talking to other STAR WARS fans while waiting to buy tickets/waiting for the movies to start. The excitement, the fun, the great experiences.
I could go on and on . . .
There's nothing like the STAR WARS movies. And there's nothing like seeing them in a theater. And the merchadising and advertising and collecting . . . many, many great memories.
Absolutely amazing and absolutely great times.  
-----signature-----
"I am a Jedi, like my father before me."
Rise. Fall. Redemption.
Prophecy fulfilled. Balance to the Force. Peace and freedom to the galaxy.
"It's so wonderful, Ani. You have brought hope to those who have none."
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emporergerner
Registered:
Jul '05
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Date Posted:
3/13 9:58am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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I only discover Star Wars a couple months before EpisodeIII but I remember everyday after school going home and watching the trailers on the Star Wars site. Some good times finally seeing when it came out, God I miss it. 
-----signature-----
Future student of Vancouver film school
"What fuels your power with the Force but your passion? The stronger, darker emotions. Anger, hatred, fear… these passions empower us."
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rechedelphar
Registered:
Mar '04
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Date Posted:
3/29 10:56am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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I remember when I first saw the AOTC trailer. I loved TPM but was a bit young to truly understand how big it was to Star Wars fans. I had forgotten about the new Star Wars coming out. I went to see Monsters Inc. (I believe) and was excited to see the movie. The 3rd preview started with the glistening of those magical words Lucasfilm, I saw the awesome drumbeat and the changing of scenes. The whole crowd was left amazed and it started my obsession with AOTC. I followed it from that point on until I first saw it in theatres. Beyond awesome
-----signature-----
Hey never have you seen in your lifetime,
A more defined Southern poster with a swag like mine.
West Bromwich Albion Baggies
2-1 loss to Everton, next: vs Bolton
Clemson starts ACC champioship season 8/30 vs Alabama
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Lord_of_all_Noldor
Registered:
Aug '05
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Date Posted:
3/31 3:37pm
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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I really with to have a new Star Wars. In a way, not so much becouse of the movie itself, but waiting for it, looking for "clues" on the internet, awaiting trailers, overal atmosphere before the new Star Wars came out. I miss that.
-----signature-----
VALHALLAAAAA!!!!
Never trust the northen wind, never turn your back on friends! - Blind Guardian
You were the Chosen One!
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sith_rising
Registered:
Jan '04
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Date Posted:
3/31 6:28pm
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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It's hard to believe that we're coming up on the one-decade anniversary of TPM next year. 1998 was probably the greatest year in the history of Star Wars. The toy line was re-issuing all the classic figures in an awesome new form, the OT had been re-released at the theaters, rumors and spoilers were all over the place about the upcoming prequels, the internet was on the rise (and with it, Star Wars fandom), the EU was interesting, Ewoks were the only things fans complained about, the bandwagon was full, and life was good.
You could say I'm definately nostalgic for those days. But a great thing about the PT is that it seperated the fans from the trendy hipsters. It trimmed off a lot of the fat.
-----signature-----
"My mentor taught me everything about the Force, even the nature of the Dark Side"
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DARTH-SMELLY-FEET
Registered:
Nov '07
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Date Posted:
4/4 8:45am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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I still get Nostalgic for those times, waiting in line to watch the movies finding out spoilers etc,then I remember how disappointed i was with the PT as a whole and the Nostalgic feelings go away. I usually put on one of the OT movies and feel a lot better.
-----signature-----
Time is a great teacher, pity it kills all of its students.
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Cryogenic
Registered:
Jul '05
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Date Posted:
4/4 8:58am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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DARTH-SMELLY-FEET posted:
I still get Nostalgic for those times, waiting in line to watch the movies finding out spoilers etc,then I remember how disappointed i was with the PT as a whole and the Nostalgic feelings go away. I usually put on one of the OT movies and feel a lot better.
One wonders what you're even doing in the PT Forum -- and why the moderators continue to allow such flagrant trolling.
-----signature-----
I have a great admiration for George. These films are very well-intentioned. All right, they make tremendous amounts of money and appeal to kids, but they say good things, and they say them in a broad way. I believe in the Star Wars films.
- Ian McDiarmid
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DARTH-SMELLY-FEET
Registered:
Nov '07
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Date Posted:
4/4 9:25am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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just telling the truth 
-----signature-----
Time is a great teacher, pity it kills all of its students.
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LemmingLord
Title: PT Manager & CLUE Host
Registered:
Apr '05
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Date Posted:
4/4 10:41am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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No, I think this is on topic.
Some of us enjoyed the PT BECAUSE we were nostalgic about the first movies AND got to share that nostalgia with like minded individuals. My nostalgia now for the PT now is based on the nostalgia I felt then for the OT.
That the PT did or did not meet fan expectations doesn't detract from the fact that we had (and many of us continue to have) a shared nostalgia that united us. Go Star Wars!
-----signature-----
LemmingLord
Take a Leap of Faith and Follow Me
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Veloz
Registered:
Aug '04
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Date Posted:
4/4 10:44am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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Prequel_Dreamer: 
That's all i can say ... thanks for making us relive our own PT experiences and i agree: bring on Clone Wars! 
-----signature-----
"Hello there!"
"Remember the Force will be with you..always" - Obi Wan Kenobi, ANH
"Who's the more foolish...the fool or the fool who follows him?"- Obi Wan Kenobi, ANH
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Arawn_Fenn
Registered:
Jul '04
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Date Posted:
4/4 7:59pm
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
- Date Edited:
4/4 7:59pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
Arawn_Fenn
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Prequel_Dreamer posted:
ARRRGH! A MAJOR PLOT POINT BLOWN ON AN INNONCENT LOOKING PIECE OF MERCHANDISE!
-----signature-----
The world will look up and shout, "Save us." And I'll whisper: "No". - Rorschach
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lovelucas
Registered:
Mar '04
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Date Posted:
4/5 7:51pm
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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and of course I find myself here...........
at the culmination of SW AotC - we are at the mid or post-mid-point of the SW marathon on Spike TV - and The Force theme is merging with the love theme of Anakin and Padmé "Across the Stars"
so............
bottom line: Dookus's sailor/sailer is sailing and'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''all we need to know is:
Star Wars is forever.
but dang if it isn't emphasize and underlined by John Williams and "Across the Stars".
-----signature-----
The world will never have lasting peace so long as men reserve for war the finest human qualities. Peace is not just the absence of violence but the manisfestation of human compassion.
Yub Yub makes the world go 'round
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BibbleStrikesBack
Registered:
Jul '03
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Date Posted:
4/7 7:43am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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What a timely essay, as I've felt rather nostalgic as of late. I was saddened to see the end of the PT in 2005, but soon thereafter I found myself engulfed with other matters in life. I was thrilled to buy the DVD of ROTS upon its release. But, as noted, life went on, and other things took away my attention. With the movies being played on SPike this weekend, I, too, started to recall those days. I remember waiting in line on that gray New England day to see TPM, and the excitment of seeing AOTC soon after leaving for the Midwest. Though I felt old, having lived through both the OT and PT, it was sweet to watch my 1-year old daughter staring at the tv as she watched most of AOTC, before finally falling asleep two hours after her bedtime. Ah, memories...
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Chiss_Insight
Registered:
Jun '06
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Date Posted:
4/7 9:41am
Subject:
RE: Prequel Dreaming: Nostalgic after only three years? An overlong essay!
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Prequel_Dreamer,
I remember the frenzy around Episode I. The Woodstock-like atmosphere was amazing. I saw all of the PT in the same theater in Brea, California, all at the midnight showings. While ROTS is my favorite of all of the films, and the expereince of that film meant the most to me, the amazing, wide-eyed wonder about a new SW film during the TPM period was unique. Prequel_Dreamer, thank you for a great essay!
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