It’s weird
being born in 1981. I missed the first two Star Wars films being released in
cinemas as I was not even born (inconsiderate parents) and I was only two when Return
of the Jedi was released. I’m too old to be a part of the prequel generation
but neither am I one of those millions of kids who lined up outside cinemas to
see the original trilogy on the big screen.
The first
Star Wars film I saw at the cinema was The Phantom Menace when I was nearly 18
years old. I wasn’t young enough to want a lightsaber or Jar Jar Binks doll and
I definitely didn’t queue up for hours and hours to see the film on opening
night. And what is more, I was not keen on catching Attack of the Clones in the
cinema and am bloody glad I didn’t.
When The
Force Awakens trailer was released earlier in November 2014, I was chatting to
my 16/17/18 year old media students about it. I realised that they were born in
1997 or 1998 and that most of them were too young to have even seen the prequel trilogy in the cinema. Many of
them said they loved Star Wars when they were younger but hadn’t seen the films
in a cinema. What is really crazy to me is that many of them experienced the
Star Wars saga, not in the order of their release (4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3) but in
chronological order, as George Lucas possibly wishes we all had.
So as an
early 80s baby I find myself in the strange situation of being between Star
Wars trilogies; a Star Wars Inbetweener if you will. I’m not one of the uber-dedicated,
super-geeky fanboys or one of the legions of filmmakers like Kevin Smith, Edgar
Wright and J. J. Abrams who worship the original trilogy and have been inspired
by it. I saw Star Wars first on TV, probably in 1987. I then had it taped on
VHS so I could watch it over and over again. Of course, it was just ‘Star Wars’
to me; none of this A New Hope nonsense. It took me a long time to get through
Empire and Jedi as I found Empire strangely off putting as a child. It was much
later as a teen that I was strongly advised that I had to complete the trilogy,
Ewoks and all.
I didn’t see
the 20th anniversary George Lucas re-releases in the cinema but I
did buy them on VHS. I was mildly excited to see The Phantom Menace, but not as
much as those crazy-obsessed, heading-for-middle-aged men who grew up
witnessing the majesty of the original trilogy on the big screen. It’s strange
to be between fan bases when so many people that are older than me and younger
than me claim Star Wars to be the biggest and best franchise ever. The fans
seem to own Star Wars. Anyone born in the early 70s will have grown up with
these films as the definitive blockbusters of their generation. Anyone born in
the early 90s will also likely feel slightly similar. Us early 80s babies are
just stuck somewhere in the middle, floating around aimlessly in limbo.
What is more,
I was too young to see Terminator 1 and 2, Die Hard 1 and 2, Robocop 1 and 2,
Back to the Future and A Nightmare on Elm Street at the cinema. Despite not
getting to see Back to the Future in a cinema (as I was only 3 when it was
released), I still consider myself the Back to the Future generation. Back to
the Future Part 2 was the film that blew my mind on the big screen. Had I not
seen the first film on video beforehand, I’m sure it would be a different
story. Even if I’m stuck in Star Wars limbo, thank God I’m part of the video
generation!
The reason I
write all this is that I always felt kind of alone in this Star Wars apathy. It
seemed like most people my age loved Star Wars just as much as the fans who are
a decade older than them. But then I spoke to a guy the other day who is also
33 and he said he felt the same. Star Wars just wasn’t his thing... he was too
young for the hype of the original trilogy to have affected him and too old to
have cared much about the prequels.
Do any other
early 80s babies out there feel strangely disconnected from the whole Star Wars
phenomenon or is it just me?
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