Thirty years ago today, I was a week away from my college graduation, and a week and a half away from shipping out to Marine Corps OCS (Officer Candidate School). With all of these changes and transitions looming in my life, I was spending a good portion of the day with friends standing in line at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, waiting to see the new Star Wars movie: "The Empire Strikes Back" on its opening day. I was in line with my buddy, Jeff, who would ship out to Quantico with me as well, and Cathy, who spent almost the entire time studying for a big final the next day (she was a junior, so grades still mattered!).
What was supposed to be a fair distraction turned into a great moment.
Like most of the movie-going world at the time, I had enjoyed and loved the first Star Wars film. In the three years since its premiere in 1977, Star Wars had already become a cultural brand. But that did not mean that a sequel would capture the ingenuity and excitement of that first film. Personally, I had been a bit cynical about sequels, let alone one to a movie that had set such a strong bar right out of the gate. Sequels were not as prolific as they are today, but in the late 70's, the trend was starting. "Jaws," " The Godfather," etc. were spawning a litter of them, and here comes Star Wars with theirs. And when I saw a publicity picture in TIME magazine of a creature named "Yoda," I thought to myself -- "Really? A puppet in Star Wars?" Oy.
My cyncism started to give way to enthusiasm as I entered the theater and the audience started to buzz almost like a concert crowd right before the Rolling Stones come out on stage. I had not experienced this level of anticipation from an audience ever. And when the lights went down and there was a communal holler that deafened the 20th Century Fox logo fanfare, I realized this was no ordinary night at the movies.
And then the movie started.
By the time Han Solo dizzily steered the Millenium Falcon into the asteroid belt, spouting his gambler's idiom, "never tell me the odds," I turned to Cathy and said -- "this is the best film ever." She laughed and said, "give it time to fail."
It never did.
"The Empire Strikes Back" delivered on expectations and then some! How often can you say that of life? It was just a movie, but it was also a great ride. And as we know now, it was the second in a chain of movies that have become part of people's lifestyles. Star Wars is arguably a lifestyle, and its success in achieving this status would not have happened if Empire had sucked.
A week later, my parents flew out from Miami, FL to watch me get my diploma after four years at USC, which cost them a hearty $30,000. (This year, my son graduated from USC and the tally for that was $200,000! Oh, inflation, thou art a harsh mistress! Thank you, Financial Aid!) Three days after that, I was on a Delta Airlines jet headed for Washington DC, and the Marines.
Thirty years ago this week.
My parents have since passed away. My brief stint in the Corps is a memory. But The Empire Strikes Back is still very much a part of my geek-leaning life. And I don't regret it.
Why do you think I'm Rogue Pilot????
