Not to make anyone feel old, but what was it like seeing the OT in theaters for the first time?

The effect was diluted for me because I watched the VHS tapes out of order.

I saw and interview by James Earl Jones regarding that. He said when he read the script. He was like, Darth Vader can't be Luke's father, he lying.
So the actor didn't even believe it.

 

My mind rejected what I had seen. I found it too different for me to enjoy. Mind you, I was a kid at the time. I realize that many tend to claim that STAR WARS is basically for kid. But I realized that I wasn't able to appreciate Lucas' tale until I was an adult.

 

It was like stepping into a larger world.

As for myself I had a soft spot for dinosaurs when I was a kid (rather unusual in the early 1970's) and then developped an interest in the history of WW II. So when I first watched Star Wars (A New Hope) it felt strangely familiar, yet definitely exotic and out-of-this-world which tremendously helped my suspension of disbelief (though I hated the oversized helmets of Princess Leia's defenders at first, now I consider these a great and unique design).

Regarding my infatuation with Star Wars my mother's best friend told her it's gonna be over in 6 months while my best friend in high school predicted that people would still be talking about Saturday Night Fever while Star Wars would have sunk into oblivion...

 

i didn't get to see ESB at the theater in 1980... my dad tried taking me to see Superman 2 years prior on opening night and i screwed it up for him (i was only 5 at the time mind lol), so he thought better of it when Empire came out and i had to wait for it on VHS (cant find the VHS release date, but it took a long time in those days).

i queued to see ROTJ on opening night in 83.. and that was a long ol wait. no booking tickets in those days, you simply had to queue up and wait for the film to end to see if you got in next... bad eh?

i felt the same feeling that i have had at every Star Wars film premier since... the second that 'a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away' came up, i kinda panicked that i wasn't ready for it to start (if that makes sense?)

I wish i could have been in the theater for 'that' moment.
I can only speak for how i felt about seeing ROTJ in 83 on opening night... it was wonderful

 

literally life-altering?

nothing existed like it on such a scale and the phenomena of its popularity was staggering: the merchandising, the long lines, all of that.
my mother used to talk about the absolute "craze" when Gone with the Wind came out. i imagine Star Wars was to our generation what that film was to hers.

 

I saw all 3 OT movies in the theater. I was 5 in 1977, so I have very little memories of ANH except when the Death Star blew up and the crowd went crazy!

I was 8 in 1980 and ESB was like getting punched in the face as I wasn’t expecting the much darker tone. The Vader revelation was shocking as me and my older brother looked at each other in disbelief. I didn’t believe it and was adamant for 3 years in elementary school to my friends that Vader was lying. Only to have to eat crow in 1983!

Jedi was probably the greatest movie experience for me as I was 11 years old and the PERFECT age to see a SW movie (not too old to be cynical, not too young to be naive). Still remember having this exhilarating feeling walking out of the theater as we wondered what was next in a GFFA?

 

I have written about this many times in here....but since you asked....I was a wide eyed 12 yr old in 1977 when I stepped into the theater to see this movie everyone was talking about. About 2.5 hours later my friend and I were in the theater with our hair blown back, like after being in a 100 mile an hour wind. Completely blown away does not adequately describe it. I try and explain this to my 3 boys (ages 10-13-14) and just cannot - they cannot understand a world without Episodes I-IX, Rogue One, SOLO, books ,comics, games, Legos, toys etc. They wonder why, every time I see the opening crawl for A New Hope, I tear up......they wonder why, every time I hear many of John Williams' themes, I tear up.....they wonder why, every time I see the end of Rogue One and what they did to get those plans, I tear up.....

Star Wars changed my life in 1977.

 

My memories are a bit fuzzier ...

Like my friend up ^there^ @Lock_S_Foils ... he's two years older than me (we're among the oldest in the Cantina) ...
For 'Star Wars" - A New Hope to yinz young'uns ...
...what I 'member is this (A long story) ... Ya with me ? ...

I grew up in a Rural Western PA ( I say Penna.) town (Rochester, fer them that care) ... Two teen girls, neighbors, that looked after me and my younger brother
wanted to take us (and did) to see this "'Fantastic Movie".
They Did.
What I remember of it (I was 10 yrs old) ... a bit, quite a bit, now (To me) is the Rebels tryin' to hold off the Stormtroopers (as we now know it) boarding the Tantavie IV.
That stuck in my mind, to This Day.
That ... and ... the appearance of ... Darth Vader.

1980. I'm now 13. Still Very naive rural farmboy. I read the James Kahn novel.
Then went with two of my near neighbor friends and younger brother (He Din't Care Less about SW) to see this.
Just now ... The Wampa Attack o Luke and and the Walker attack on Echo base Still stick in my memory.
And Darth Vader's Revelation.
... and that's it.
And I Loved It !!

...1983 (right ?) ...ok, I'm 16 now.
I Know for a fact, I Did see this in my local theater.
I Know this Story ... Inside Out, Up-Side-Down and BackWards (Forwards,Too), Score and ALL.
But !
I really Really Do Not remember seein' it in the theater (I Know I Did, just no memory of it ... dunno why)

Hope I give ya somethin' outta all this 'Mubo-Jumbo" ....

 

This pretty much sums up a lot of people who grew up in the late 70's/early 80's!

 

Saw the films at 3, 6, and 9 years of age. Such a blessing to have seen them at such a young age in the theater

 

Worst movie going experience of my life( I was 10 years old). My mum hated Star Trek the Motion picture so much, she told me, anymore Star Warsy films you wanna see ask your father. I was like yeah mom, when hell freezes over, but sure enough when I ran into the kitchen from the living room upon seeing the Empire Strikes Back trailer for the first time, I begged my mom to see ESB. She turned to me and asked, is that a Star Warsy film and I replied yes, she said ask your father! Thats when i realized she really hated Star Trek the motion picture. It was well over a year since we saw it, and now she wanted me to ask Dad, who was as terrifying as Darth Vader himself. Oh well I really wanted to see Empire. A fellow classmate told us it was so good and Darth Vader was Luke's father. So I broke down and asked my father...

Asking dad, was like asking Darth Vader to the circus, anyway back then once you paid for admission you could sit in the theater and watch the film over and over again( there was this college kid with his text books on his lap doing his homework next to me he must have seen it a couple of times). My father took me and my sister to see Empire, we walked in when Han Solo said I know, my father turns to me and says remember this scene, thats when we are leaving, oh well, didn't know what was going on so when the credits rolled I fell asleep. When the film started again my father didn't bother to wake me and my sis up, I woke up a few minutes before the carbonate scene and my father said ok we're leaving. Worst film going experience of my life. by the time Jedi came out I had discovered girls so I saved my money to buy expensive sneakers to impress the ladies, anywho, In high school I went to the local video store and rented out the entire trilogy on video tape.

My mom took me and my friends to a drive in theater to see ANH best movie going experience of my life. My mom enjoyed Star Wars, but she hated Star Trek the motion picture, every time the Enterprise went into warp drive it blinded my mom, and she said never again, so when Empire came out she told me to ask my dad who hated movies, he loved his music. Sitting down to watch a film for my dad was like drinking medicine.

That Monday morning I didn't tell anyone I saw empire cus I really didn't see it. My father ruined ESB for me. I was in the 5th grade. Everyone knew Darth Vader was Luke's dad everyone that saw it talked about it.

I'm 48 but all the ladies think I'm 38 so I don't feel old. And my GF is 11 years younger then me My GF just said age is just a number

 

That is completely understandable, The Motion Picture was easily the worst Star Trek movie ever made.

 

Waiting three years sucked. It was wonderful though to enjoy it while it was fresh and not part of the culture as much.

 

I know allot of people hated but before Star Wars came along I used to watch Star Trek and I loved the film and I still do. My mother hated it. she moaned every time the Enterprise went into warp drive. Those warp drive lights bothered her eyes. I sat in the theater in awe! Star Trek on the big screen aliens I was in haven. Before Star Wars I loved Bones, Kirk, and Spock. OMG the Wrath of Kahn!!! Kahn!!! I remember watching Space Seed then watching Star Trek 2 the wrath of Kahn! OMG those were the years!

 

Frelling geezers.
Is this an early bird thread that closes at 6?
Do you get an AARP rating bonus for posting in here?
Spending too much time in here will make your keyboard smell like Bengay.

 

I was born many many years after Star Trek first came out, but my father was a huge Trekkie and he in turn made me into one. I had the benefit of being able to watch all of Star Trek in succession. I loved the Original Series but the first movie was just terrible, luckily Wrath of Khan was a masterpiece and I loved everything Start Trek that came out after that. Even the Final Frontier is decent enough compared to The Motion Picture. I just started to rewatch all of Start trek again (Discovery was so bad that I needed some good Star Trek to counter it) and I still hated The Motion Picture this time around. But if you like it then good for you because from what I have seen most Star trek fans still don't like it.

 

The only Star Trek film I can't watch is the one directed by Willian Shatner, I call it Star Trek 5. I fall asleep every time I try to watch it. the beginning is cool. The team is back together again but then it drags on into obscurity, I just can't... anyway before Star Wars there was Trek. I watched that 60's tv series over and over again. I remember buying the Star Trek compendium, reading about all the episodes, remember kiddies before Star Wars there was trek...

 

True but also remember that without the success of Star Wars they never would have relaunched Star trek. Thats one of the reasons I hate all the stupid fighting between Star Wars and Star trek fans. Neither could exist as we know it without the other.