Star Wars characters strike a pose during the Hannaford Kidz Expo at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany NY on Saturday, March 7, 2020 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
James Franco
Star Wars Day is celebrated on May 4 each year, honoring the sci-fi franchise created by filmmaker George Lucas nearly 50 years ago.
Why that particular day? It turns out that a long time ago, in this very galaxy, someone realized that “May the fourth” sounds a lot like “May the Force” and, well… the franchise’s fandom took it from there.
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Although the Star Wars franchise dates back a pretty long time — by Hollywood standards, at least — the Times Union has been around quite a bit longer. That means that the Times Union has chronicled the rise of “Star Wars” from a surprising hit at the box office to the massive, multimedia, globe-spanning brand that it is today.
And it all began with a very confused reaction to the film by Times Union columnist Fred LeBrun.
First reaction to “Star Wars”
In 1977, LeBrun attended the press junket for the original “Star Wars” (now known as “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope”). He described his first encounter with the film in a 2005 column, and acknowledged that his first thoughts on “Star Wars” involved him wondering aloud, “What is this (expletive)?”
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“While nearly 30 years later it seems absurd not to have gotten it right away, now that we take for granted the stratospheric success of George Lucas’ ‘Star Wars’ films, let me suggest that at the time there wasn’t huge optimism by the studio, or the main players, that America would be bowled over by this film. Quite the opposite,” wrote LeBrun.
“Star Wars” across generations
In 2015, just before the premiere of “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens,” former Times Union features writer Amy Biancolli wrote about the family bonds the Star Wars franchise has forged across generations.
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“If you’ve ever watched a single ‘Star Wars’ movie, you remember who was with you: Your mom and dad and siblings. Your nerdy uncle. Your sweet, accommodating and somewhat confused grandmother. Or maybe you were already the oldster back then, and you brought your daughter, son, great nephew, grandkid,” wrote Biancolli.
“Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” premiere
The premiere of “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” was a big deal everywhere, including the Capital Region. In 2015, senior writer Steve Barnes ventured out to various malls and multiplexes around the region to check in with fans eagerly anticipating the first “Star Wars” film in more than a decade.
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“Star Wars fans were a force of their own Thursday, storming into Capital Region theaters to soak up the latest incarnation of the series the way only they could,” wrote Barnes.
“Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi” review
The second installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy is one of the franchise’s most polarizing films, but critic Mick LaSalle had plenty of praise for it in his December 2017 review of “The Last Jedi” — particularly Mark Hamill’s performance.
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“Here’s an actor who has spent a long time living with Luke Skywalker, being the guy who was in those movies, getting older, getting used to it, rebelling against it, carving out a place inside his head where he can have his own identity. And all of those 40 years of coming to terms with being Luke find their way into this performance,” wrote LaSalle.
Star Wars fatigue
Just three years ago, amid the flood of Star Wars television series and myriad iterations of the franchise — particularly Grogu (aka “Baby Yoda”) — on the screen, page, clothing and everywhere else you look, Times Union editor Casey Seiler wrestled with his own nostalgic sentiment regarding the Star Wars universe.
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“Even to many diehard fans, there was a certain attraction-repulsion quality to seeing this much ‘Star Wars’ content slathered all over social media, especially in the absence of any new films in the series following the so-so trilogy that ended with ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ released just a few weeks before the COVID pandemic did to theatrical distribution what the Death Star did to Alderaan,” wrote Seiler.
More Star Wars coverage over the years:
Photo gallery: Star Wars Night at Joe Bruno Stadium — July 18, 2015
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Amy Biancolli: A Force-ful break from reality — Dec. 24, 2015
Faith plays essential part in ‘Star wars’ saga — Jan. 10, 2020
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