Author Topic: Original Trilogy: Your Initial Thoughts and Discussions  (Read 3487 times)

Offline Brian

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I couldn't think of the right way to title this, but I'm sure there is a better way.  I was curious what some of your initial thoughts and discussions were like when you first saw the Original Trilogy, whether it was in the theatre - on video - on cable, etc.  What types of discussions did you have on the playground, with your friends, etc. about the characters and universe prior to the days of the internet and the majority of the EU stuff?

I can remember prior to Jedi, even as a young kid, a group of friends discussing what Vader was like under the helmet (especially after the "back of head" shot in Empire).  I can remember the speculation on what Boba Fett looked like under the helmet as well, and his backstory.  I can remember talking about how Luke made his new green lightsaber for ROTJ.  Were the Stormtroopers robots or people?  All of the speculation was part of the fun in those days it seemed.  Did any of you have similar discussions with your friends, family, etc?  What types of things were you wondering about when you first saw Star Wars, then Empire, and finally Jedi?

Offline EpicGon

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Re: Original Trilogy: Your Initial Thoughts and Discussions
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2008, 12:58 PM »
It was a time for speculation before the internet times, but it also was a time for learning. For example I wondered what were the  species of Greedo, Hammerhead, walrusman, since 1995 we get their names and races. It was a time for competition among fans, you had to prove at school that star wars is really better fiction than star trek, gallactica and so on.

It was a time for collecting, and we wondered how much our toys will evolve, I think we couldnīt fancy the degree of realism achieved in Tac, LEGACY collections.

It WAS a time for sharing games with friends, cousins, and to fancy what will happen to Luke, Han and Leia at the end of Rotj.

I Think Star WARS Ot was our Iliad and Odissey.

Offline Phrubruh

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Re: Original Trilogy: Your Initial Thoughts and Discussions
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2008, 06:00 PM »
I remember seeing Star Wars with a friend about a week after it was released to theaters. I didn't know anything about it but my friend said it was great. Back then there wasn't such a thing a multiple screens in a theater but one giant screen in a room that could hold a thousand people. It was the first PG movie I've ever seen and my parents where wondering if I would understand it and not get scared. Up until them I only got to see Disney re-releases. I was about six at the time. The movie was great fun and kind of scary at times. Darth Vader was unlike anything I've ever seen before. He was a really scary looking guy. I remember closing my eyes when Darth Vader brought in the torcher droid into Leia's prison cell.

The movie changed into a lifetime obsession when I first found a Luke and R2 figure at a Thriftys drug store when my dad took us for ice cream after buying a Christmas tree in the parking lot. Now I needed everything. Star Wars toys weren't really around during Christmas but I did get a X-wing the following Easter. Someone put my Luke inside the X-wing before I opened the box. Cool surprise!
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Offline JediJman

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Re: Original Trilogy: Your Initial Thoughts and Discussions
« Reply #3 on: October 3, 2008, 05:29 PM »
This is a pretty good look back at some of the best and worst moments of SW through the years...

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20230807,00.html?xid=email-top25-20081003-today-25+best%2Fworst+%27Star+Wars%27+moments
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Offline Brian

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Re: Original Trilogy: Your Initial Thoughts and Discussions
« Reply #4 on: October 7, 2008, 12:59 PM »
This is a pretty good look back at some of the best and worst moments of SW through the years...

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20230807,00.html?xid=email-top25-20081003-today-25+best%2Fworst+%27Star+Wars%27+moments

Thanks for passing that along, its a fun read.  The OT ones in particular bring back some nostalgic memories of the first time I witnessed those scenes.

I didn't want to start a new thread for this necessarily, but I've thought about it more the past few years with the critcisms of the prequels, the Clone Wars movie, and now the weekly series (online, not here necessarily).  The same can often be said of comic books (and their movies), or other "pop culture" things like Indy.  Do you think the Original Trilogy would be received as well in this day and age?  Obviously I'm setting aside the technological aspects (since the effects have progressed so far since then - and due to Star Wars in particular), but it seems like fans and the public in general is just more cynical these days.  The OT has often been spoken of as a "return to fun" at the movies, since at the time of the original Star Wars a lot of movies were more serious and depressing in tone.  It just seems like with movies these days (particularly these types of movies), fandom can find every single thing they don't like about them - complaining about the most minute detail.  Granted, I know that I tend to look at the OT the same way I did as a kid.  I know there are some things that aren't perfect, but I just have fun watching them.  I know its silly, for instance, that Lando pulls down his skiff guard mask in ROTJ - basically showing the audience that "hey, its me, Lando!", but it hasn't ever bothered me while watching that movie.  Anyways, long story short, how do you think these movies would have held up with today's audience?  I guess its a totally different world with so many more movie releases, so its difficult to say.  Plus, the Original Star Wars pretty much hit at a perfect time - it was the only thing like it at the time really, and it changed the movie business.  It was a time where a hit movie could stay in theatres for a year, where now you are lucky to keep it in a month (even with hit movies).  I suppose the internet has a lot to do with today's outlook, and the ability to anonymously complain about everything, but this was just something that has been on my mind - could today's audience still have "fun" with Star Wars the way we did in the 70s/80s?

Offline JediJman

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Re: Original Trilogy: Your Initial Thoughts and Discussions
« Reply #5 on: October 7, 2008, 10:40 PM »
I think if the rest of the SW stories weren't there and OTC ws released today, people would have just as much fun with it today, though the following would likely be smaller since there's no "history" to build on.  I have some friends with kids who are now of "star wars age" and really love the movies. 

What bothers me is all of the EU stuff they've put in-between the films.  SOTE was okay, but things like The Force Unleashed, I think, will have a negative impact on the films in the long run.  The TFU premise is really cool - incredibly strong force users pulling star destroyers out of the sky is pretty cool, but it makes the limited force powers in the movies seem a little dull and unexciting IMO. 
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Offline Daigo-Bah

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Re: Original Trilogy: Your Initial Thoughts and Discussions
« Reply #6 on: October 19, 2008, 11:20 AM »
Even though I see little kids occasionally in the aisles getting excited about OT characters, I'm not so sure the films if released today would have anywhere near the impact they did then.  It was the right place, the right time, and the magic of the late 70s and early 80s only enhanced it.  I agree that the prequels and EU have greatly diminished the impact and uniqueness of what we were shown as possible in the SW universe (like JediJman mentioned: force powers that ae TOO much, etc).

Anyway, I remember turning away during the reveal of Vader's face in ROTJ, thinking it would be incredibly gross or scary, and my mom said something like, "no, it's not scary at all, look, his father is smiling!"
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