May 4th is always a special time of year for so many people as it is the official “Star Wars” day! The iconic franchise started in 1977 and changed the world and cinema forever. Since then, we have had nine films of the Skywalker Saga, Rogue One, and countless animated and live-action TV series. All of them deliver something special to the fandom in various ways.
I first saw A New Hope in 1996 at the age of 6, not knowing that I would immediately find the franchise that would soon overpower Power Rangers to become my whole personality. From there, I remember seeing the midnight release of Phantom Menace. Even to me at such a young age, seeing the number of people dressed up and excited only deepened my love for this iconic franchise. Another fond memory is being deployed during the release of The Force Awakens, where I waited for two hours to secure a ticket to the opening showing and another six hours to get a good seat in the small theater we had on the base.
To me, Star Wars symbolizes hope, love, loss, and so much more. Even now, as an adult, I spend days daydreaming of being that force wielder traveling the universe with my lightsaber and the endless adventures to be had. It has brought me to find so many amazing people who all see it the same way and in different ways than I do. Going to Galaxy’s Edge in Disney and immersing myself in the far world of Batuu, pretending, if even for a moment, that I am a Jedi in a galaxy far, far away. It’s shown my daughter that even girls can be powerful heroes, too.
Star Wars is more than just a film or a TV series; it brings families together and creates lifelong friendships. It empties my pockets every time Lego announces a new set or a new shirt is dropped on http://rsvlts.com. Flaunting my fandom and seeing so many others doing the same allows me to escape from a world that sometimes feels cold and hopeless. To me, Star Wars is my favorite thing ever created.
So, as we raise a glass of blue milk and celebrate this May 4th, tell me, what does Star Wars mean to you? And remember May the force be with you always.
This article was written by Matt of HopsGeekNews, a podcast that chats comics, movies, and TV shows! To find the links to their stuff, follow http://linktr.ee/hopsgeeknews
