May The 4th Be With You

The opening score still gives me goosebumps

So, yesterday was the unofficial, fan-created Star Wars Day. I admit, I only found out about it in the past week or so, via the Star Wars Facebook page here. In true geek style, this post will be dedicated to my (past) obsession with everything Star Wars. Non-fans, you might want to stay away from this.

I discovered Star Wars way back when I was in Primary school, around the impressionable ages of 10-12. If you back-calculate, that was around the time The Phantom Menace was released (1998-1999). Caught up in the hype, my mum came back from work one day brandishing 3 VCDs (of dubious origins) and passed them to me. Mind you, those was the times when such discs were everywhere, and you had these awesome shops selling PC games with the goods displayed openly hanging by hooks on the walls. /ifyouknowwhatImean

As you might have guessed, those 3 VCDs were titled - Star Wars Episode IV, V and VI (Special Editions). My parents had probably watched them way back in the 70s, so it was a form of catching up to them before Phantom Menace was screened.

That was my first brush with the science fiction genre, and before I knew it I became a Star Wars fanboy - all at the tender age of 12. Maybe it was the Light vs Dark theme, maybe it was the cool star ships shooting funky lights at each other, maybe it was the awesome lightsaber battles, maybe it was the mystical Force, or even the hair buns of Princess Leia that sucked me into the Star Wars universe. I watched and re-watched those 3 movies, and when Phantom Menace came out on VCD, I bought it and re-watched that too.

My favourite lightsaber duel of all time - do you agree?

Not satisfied with just movies, the book-loving me discovered that the library held a treasure trove of Star Wars novels - the X-Wing series, the Thrawn trilogy, the New Jedi order and so many others - these accompanied me throughout my teens. When I had finished what the library had to offer, I turned to rental bookstores, always looking forward to the latest releases. I followed Han and Leia through their courtship, saw their children Jacen and Jaina grow into young Jedi Knights, survived the hellish Yuuzhan Vong invasion, watched Luke rebuild the Jedi Academy, and felt their anguish when Jacen turned into Darth Caedus.

First book of the Thrawn Trilogy

Books weren't enough to satisfy my cravings for more Star Wars though - I began to dive into Star Wars video games like Racer, Jedi Knight II (one of the best!), Rebellion, Force Commander, Empire At War, Republic Commando etc. Needless to say, they took up a huge chunk of my time in Secondary school, decapitating Stormtroopers, piloting podracers and entangling AT-ATs. I also started playing and collecting the Star Wars Trading Card Game with a good friend in class who also happened to stay above me.

Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

When I was young I loved to play with LEGO, building fantasy worlds out of bright coloured bricks and yellow-faced people. Naturally, I was the happiest kid alive when they decided to release LEGO Star Wars sets. During that fanatical period of childhood, every Christmas present, every birthday present, heck, every gift for every possible occasion was LEGO Star Wars. The pride of my collection still sits high above a display cabinet full of LEGO - the Millennium Falcon.

My humble collection. I've always wanted an AT-AT

Today is already the 5th of May. Star Wars Day may be over, but there's always time and space for Revenge of the 5ith XD

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Star Wars fans, how did you spend 4/5/2012? Well, I decided to join in the fun and did this: 

"You have failed me for the last time"