Star Wars was released 35 years ago today. It was over budget and over schedule when it was released. 20th Century Fox simply hoped to make their investment in the film back and many within the studio thought that may be a reach. Most didn't get the film, they didn't understand who the audience would be for it, and they thought the director was crazy. But here we are 35 years later and Star Wars still is prominently in the cultural landscape.
There is the Clone Wars animated show on Cartoon Network, the merchandising, in the form of action figures, books, games, and clothing, that is still being sold in stores, the films themselves that saw release on Blu Ray this year, and the entire saga is being re-released in theaters in 3-D. Star Wars is still everywhere and you can't find anyone in the world who does not know of it.
Now I am 34 years old this year, so I never lived in a world before Star Wars. I never knew of a time when movies and merchandising weren't linked at the hip, with each feeding the other's success and lining the pockets of both filmmaker and studio. It really can't be argued that the modern landscape of the entertainment industry is a result of Star Wars. George Lucas re-wrote the playbook when it came to films and the way they are marketed and the avenues available for merchandising and additional revenue streams. Like him or hate him for what he has done since 1977, you cannot deny he was a key figure in changing the way the industry worked.
Are we better for it? That is an argument for a different blog post. But as a lifelong fan of Star Wars, I would never desire a world without it. Star Wars is something that I will always love; good, bad, or otherwise. I plan to share the original trilogy with both my boys when they are old enough. And yes I will show them the prequels (the order I have planned is IV,V, III, VI, I, II). For now, I will continue to enjoy them with my wife (which is torture for her I assure you) and my friends.
35 years, pretty incredible huh?
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