... is the day a legend began. Forty years ago this day, a particular film debuted in theaters, a film that its creators and investors weren't exactly confident in, but, against all odds, it became a phenomenon and impacted movies forever, a craze that endures to this very day.
And it's been huge in my life ever since I was a small child, watching the 1995 VHS rereleases of the original trilogy; the (mostly) unedited ones, not the Special Editions. I grew up on these films and they've always been an inspiration to me. I also played the games, read some of the books and comics, and, as of recently, started watching the TV shows. It's amazing the staying power this forty-year-old franchise had, and still has, and the grip it possesses across various media. Sure, you could say Disney's ownership has a lot to do with that now, but even before then it was still going strong.
Hell, I'm still the nerd who writes on an RP site based on this setting, with several characters and their own storylines taking place in the galaxy far, far away. One of those characters and her storyline has actually found her way into a standalone universe that I'm currently adapting into my own fantasy series, so in a way, without Star Wars, I wouldn't have my current writing project.
So here's to the 40th Anniversary of one of the most powerful franchises of all time, here's to many more years that it may endure in the hearts and minds of the people. May the Force be with us.
And, for fun, the Star Wars Twitter, posted one of the original trailers for the first film.