On this date in 1977, Star Wars opened in theaters.  I never got to see it in the theater until the Special Edition came out.

I have a very vivid memory of the first time I saw Star Wars, that I assume most men have.  I don’t remember exactly how old I was, but I was pretty young.  I was with my parents and we were visiting my father’s colleague’s country house.  They had a new fangled contraption called a VCR which allowed you to watch a movie on a VHS tape, and my father told me to give Star Wars a chance.  He sat me down in front of the TV and I never realized that he left the room.

I was totally lost by the story (I was pretty young), but I loved the Stormtroopers and Darth Vader.  To this day, I can still recall the room, TV, and bed I was in at the time, and see the opening of the movie when the Stormtroopers break down the door of the Tantive IV.

Whenever I interview prospective employees these days, I always ask the question, “Star Wars or Star Trek?”

Here’s a photo from a convention (I’ve never been to one), and I’m almost ashamed to say that I find it totally hot: