It's not easy being Han

wookiee_cookiee

wookiee_cookiee

Moderator
Staff member
From my local paper:

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

It's not easy being Han

A column by CHUCK SCHADING
Times News Editor

I’ll never forget the panic and horror. The sense that all was lost.

Not only had Han Solo been frozen in carbonite at the end of the “Empire Strikes Back,” but I had also dropped one of my favorite action figures into the toilet.

I, in my Darth Vader Underoos on a warm summer’s night, had set about brushing my teeth and foolishly stood the 31/2-inch swashbuckler on the edge of the sink rather than return him to the toy chest where he belonged. His legs wobbly from years of overuse, the galactic gambler began his fateful fall as I reached for my R2-D2 electric toothbrush, throwing his fragile stance asunder with no more than a whisper.

I did my best to catch him, but even my quickest reflexes were not quite quick enough. For I was not a Jedi yet.

Alas, Han’s head hit the rim with a horrifying clunk, and the splash did surely follow. As I stood there, watching him slowly slide toward oblivion, I was met with a horrible choice.

Reach in and grab him. Or let him go.

There was but one choice, of course. For as I would soon learn in “Return of the Jedi,” friends don’t let friends stay frozen in carbonite for long. *

I tell you of this episode not because I think it’s mildly humorous (although I do) or because it marks a dramatic and memorable moment of my childhood (which it does). My intent is to illustrate the extent to which the original Star Wars trilogy permeated the lives of kids across the galaxy.

You see, I keep telling people how excited I am to see “Revenge of the Sith,” the sixth and final installment in Star Wars saga, and a great many of you keep looking at me like I’ve got a Tusken Raider hanging off my nose. What you don’t understand is this: For millions of people — most of them now in their late 20s to early 40s, myself included*— Star Wars was much more than a popular movie series.

The movies, in fact, were just the beginning.

We played Star Wars. We wore Star Wars. We ate Star Wars. We named our pets after Star Wars. (I’ve often wondered how many dogs ended up being named Chewbacca between the years of 1976 and 1984. My father — who I now realize did not want to walk up and down the street yelling, “Chewie Chewie! Wookie Wookie! — denied us that pleasure.) We even sized up kids on the playground based on what characters they chose to be. (Lukes were generally patsies. Hans were usually the cool kids. Darths, of course, many of whom now call the state penal system home, were to be avoided at all costs.)

So, yes, geeky as it may seem to some of you, I’m beside myself with excitement about the final episode, in which Anakin Skywalker will finally be seduced by the dark side of the force. But my excitement is not so much about the movie itself — for the first two prequels were so bad I refuse to dedicate any further space to them — but as to how the actual story will mesh with the fantasy I’ve had roiling in my head since I was 5.

I’m also sure there are hundreds of other folks in the Finger Lakes just as eager to see it. In fact, we’re planning a local story for the week of the big event, so if you know of any huge Star Wars fans, or if you’re one yourself, we’d love to hear from you.

Reporter Craig Fox will be writing the piece and can be reached at 789-3333 ext. 258 or by e-mail at cfox@ fltimes.com. (By the way, I originally asked Sujata Gupta to write the story, but after she told me she’d not — GASP! — seen even one of the movies, I looked for a more kindred spirit to bestow the privilege on. And, in case you Star Wars fans are wondering, my request to have her fired for the offense was denied.)

* OK, so I screamed for my father and made him rescue Han Solo from the evil Darth Porcelain. But hey, at least we saved him, right?


Schading is news editor at the Times. He can be reached at cschading@fltimes.com.
Click to expand...

I'll post the bigger article when it is published. And no, I didn't offer myself up for this story.

 
A

AdmiralSnackbar

New Recruit
Funny, that sounds exactly like MY childhood. Wait! It is my childhood!

So do I win a prize? If so, I'd like my winnings all in nickles, please.

Chuck Schading
 
Darth Aussie

Darth Aussie

Australian Sith Lord
Yes nice to see we are not alone about our childhood years.....lol

Welcome Admiral.....deploy the fleet!
 
CreepyBunny

CreepyBunny

Infiltrator
Dogs named Chewbacca you say? My parents had a cat named R2D2. They called him tootsie deetsie. I wasn't really around until Return of the Jedi and I really remember from my childhood is being horrified by Luke's mechanical hand.

Yes, welcome AdmiralSnackbar! (hehehe... snackbar, that's funny.)
 
wookiee_cookiee

wookiee_cookiee

Moderator
Staff member
AdmiralSnackbar said:
Funny, that sounds exactly like MY childhood. Wait! It is my childhood!

So do I win a prize? If so, I'd like my winnings all in nickles, please.

Chuck Schading
Click to expand...


How about nickels instead? :p

Welcome to the site. I met you a few years back when I had an interview at The Finger Lakes Times. Please don't arrest me for posting your story. :D

Erica
 
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