What Was Your VERY First Exposure To The Star Wars Universe?

[The Whovian]

I'm going to date myself here because my first exposure to the SW universe was when the first movie (at the time) came out back in 1977. I was just seven. I remember asking my mom for $2.50 to go see it. Back then, there was just a little theater in our town but once you paid for a movie, you could stay and watch it as many times as you wanted that day.

After the movie ended, I was immediately in awe. I couldn't believe what I had just watched. It was incredible. Needless to say, I stayed and watched it two more times before I had to leave and be home before curfew.

I went back though and watched it the next day and saw the movie with my cousin and we stayed and watched it all day again. I saw it seven times that weekend.

I've been a fan ever since and always will be.

[WillieMorgan]

Good idea for a thread Whovian!

Like you, my first experience with Star Wars was seeing what's now called Episode IV in the cinemas. Thing is, it can't have been an original screening in 1977. The first time I was taken to the cinema was in very late 1978 to see 'Superman: The Movie'. I know that for a fact but definitely saw Star Wars' around the same time. I think they repeated viewings of films back then maybe? The first time I saw Empire Strikes Back (V) was part of a double feature alongside SW in the very early 80's at the same cinema.

Like millions of other people it blew me away. I'll never forget the awe I felt at seeing the Star Destroyer chasing the Tantive IV over Tatooine in the opening shot. Has these been a more jaw-dropping intro in cinematic history?

[The Whovian]

Good idea for a thread Whovian!

Like you, my first experience with Star Wars was seeing what's now called Episode IV in the cinemas. Thing is, it can't have been an original screening in 1977. The first time I was taken to the cinema was in very late 1978 to see 'Superman: The Movie'. I know that for a fact but definitely saw Star Wars' around the same time. I think they repeated viewings of films back then maybe?

I could be wrong, but I think they did release it back in the theaters in '78. Maybe someone else can confirm this?

[WillieMorgan]

I could be wrong, but I think they did release it back in the theaters in '78. Maybe someone else can confirm this?

I was curious myself and looked it up on Wikipedia. Apparently SW was re-released in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982. They've got their information from Box Office Mojo so it's probably correct.

I bet that that 1981 re-release was the double feature release alongside ESB that I mentioned above. I went to those screenings and it was the 2nd time I'd seen SW (IV) on the big screen.

I never actually saw ROTJ in the cinemas. It's release coincided with Superman III and my mother could only afford to take me to one of them. I opted for Superman, a call I'd probably still make today. I didn't get around to seeing ROTJ until a few years later when I got it for Christmas on VHS.

[The Whovian]

I was curious myself and looked it up on Wikipedia. Apparently SW was re-released in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1982. They've got their information from Box Office Mojo so it's probably correct.

I bet that that 1981 re-release was the double feature release alongside ESB that I mentioned above. I went to those screenings and it was the 2nd time I'd seen SW (IV) on the big screen.

I never actually saw ROTJ in the cinemas. It's release coincided with Superman III and my mother could only afford to take me to one of them. I opted for Superman, a call I'd probably still make today. I didn't get around to seeing ROTJ until a few years later when I got it for Christmas on VHS.

Wow, I don't remember them re-releasing it that many times. Then again though, I can see why they did. "Huge box office hit? Yes, let's re-release it again". Ha!

[Zero Hunter]

First exposure was the original movie in the theaters in 1977 when I was 6 years old when my Aunt Toni took me to see it. The very first comic book I ever got was Star Wars issue 17.

[Buried Alien]

Right here:



Not long afterwards, I began getting the toys and knicknacks for birthdays and Christmas, but my first STAR WARS movie was THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. I didn't see A NEW HOPE properly until it appeared on home video a few years later.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[The Whovian]

First exposure was the original movie in the theaters in 1977 when I was 6 years old when my Aunt Toni took me to see it. The very first comic book I ever got was Star Wars issue 17.

That's cool!

[The Whovian]

Right here:



Not long afterwards, I began getting the toys and knicknacks for birthdays and Christmas, but my first STAR WARS movie was THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. I didn't see A NEW HOPE properly until it appeared on home video a few years later.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Without seeing New Hope first, did you like ESB a lot or did it take seeing New Hope to fully appreciate ESB?

[hulahulk]

I recall driving by with my folks seeing the long lines at the movie theater. I was 6 when SW came out. I had never before seen such fanfare for anything, let alone a movie. That summer, I saw it in both a theater and a drive in. Coincidentally, that's how my first 2 viewings of ESB went as well.

[The Whovian]

I recall driving by with my folks seeing the long lines at the movie theater. I was 6 when SW came out. I had never before seen such fanfare for anything, let alone a movie. That summer, I saw it in both a theater and a drive in. Coincidentally, that's how my first 2 viewings of ESB went as well.

Drive Ins. Those were the good old days

[sakuyamons]

Is it bad that the force awakens was what made me interested in SW?

Everyone was talking about it, and I had never seen it before, so I asked a friend for the correct order to watch em and I really liked them!

[The Whovian]

Is it bad that the force awakens was what made me interested in SW?

Everyone was talking about it, and I had never seen it before, so I asked a friend for the correct order to watch em and I really liked them!

That's cool. You got to watch them all at once without having to wait

[Buried Alien]

Without seeing New Hope first, did you like ESB a lot or did it take seeing New Hope to fully appreciate ESB?

I was ASTONISHED by EMPIRE, even though I had not seen A NEW HOPE in the theaters first. I knew the basic idea of the first STAR WARS based on the comics, toys, and playground discussions with the other kids at school...enough to know who Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Ben Kenobi, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Artoo and Threepio, the Rebels, the Imperials, etc., were. I knew about lightsabers and the Force (though I did not know specifically about Jedi until I saw EMPIRE), so I wasn't completely lost going in. What I did notice when I finally saw A NEW HOPE around 1982 or so was that special effects had improved notably in just a few years' time. Everything looked so much more polished in EMPIRE (and later JEDI) compared to in A NEW HOPE.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Immortal Weapon]

The video games. Playing Republic Commando on the Xbox is my first exposure to Star Wars. To this day Republic Commando ranks among my favorite Star Wars games. From there I moved on to the Battlefront games, Rouge Squadron on Gamecube and the Force Unleashed games. I didn't gain an interest in the movies until I played the Lego games.