So today is the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, also known as the day George Lucas attached a vacuum to my wallet. My major commemoration of the anniversary has been to dive into the excellent new Making of Star Wars hardcover, which I’ll be reviewing in a few weeks over at theLogBook. I enjoy the book (and Ken Burns’s great documentary Empire of Dreams) for showing me more of how the movie was made – my interest in how-the-heck-did-they-do-that probably stems back to the Star Wars movies. But I also appreciate the occasional glimpse of a world where lightsabers and Wookiees were not ubiquitous pop culture references, but ideas that existed in the head of one stubborn director. I can’t remember a period when I didn’t know about Star Wars – I was one-and-a-half when the movie came out, three or four when I started playing with the toys, and six by the time I finally got to see the thing. So unlike Earl, I don’t necessarily remember how my life changed because of Star Wars – it’s just been a constant source of entertainment, inspiration, and occasional exasperation.
As for the title of this post – like a lot of people, I figured that the big Star Wars Celebration in California would be a source of big news about the future of the franchise. Some newspapers and fansites had even gotten worked up about the idea that new movies might be in the works, although Lucasfilm reps have said no. Still, plenty of time left in the weekend, so who knows what might be coming down the pike.