Thanks for the memories, George. I'm out.

posted by RICK : 1:23 AM

This afternoon before going into work, I stopped by Circuit City to purchase Star Wars 3, which was just released on DVD. I'm assuming the DVD sales, as expected, will be astronomical as I had to wait in line for about 15 minutes behind several people with similar plans of attack. I might have given up had there not been an xBox 360 display across the aisle that helped pass the time. But I'm standing in this line and looking at my fellow Star-Wars-Nerd peers and I'm thinking to myself, "How many of these people are actually happy to be here?" Of all the guys (yes, GUYS) waiting in this line, how many of them are legitimately thrilled to FINALLY, after 5 months of waiting, getting their hands on this coveted DVD? My guess was few. Maybe the guy standing in front of me who seemed to be staring into the packaging as his watching the movie right there in line.

My point is this: I'm a Star Wars fan. I think the series, for all of its problems, is still pretty great. And, if I were between the ages of 8 and 14 over these past 6 years, I'd probably think that the prequels were the absolute bees knees. Granted, as a jaded movie fan I now know that what I'm watching isn't high art, but I am able to sit in a crowded movie theatre once every three years and check my pretentions at the door. That isn't the problem, the problem is the retail-pact I foolishly signed myself up for around the age of 14 or 15. Since 1995 I've bought every incarnation of these films on home video-- some lasted, other didn't (I'm looking in your general direction Episode 1 on VHS), but I've been there in line at the video store every time they graced the shelves.

I shouldn't even get started on the merchandising. There is still an enormous tub in my parents basement filled with the entire "Power of the Force" action figure series, as well as some random vehicles and playsets. Luckily, I gave up that trend right around the same time I started getting copious amounts of speeding tickets in high school. So I guess it wasn't really by choice, but by giving Douglas county a good portion of my paycheck every 3 or 4 months, it inadvertently kept me from dropping a C-Note at Target on non-collectibles.

But with the release of Ep 3 this morning, I'm officially DONE with Star Wars. From this point forward I will not be buying any more SW related products or rereleases*. That's right. Even if the mythical "Theatrical Release" of eps 4, 5 and 6 hit store shelves I'd have to say thanks, but no thanks. I'm no longer a Star Wars obsessive-- I'm just a regular guy who enjoys a little sci-fi every now and then.

Really, Star Wars just doesn't offer me what I need anymore. I mean, I've tasted "Firefly" and "Serenity"-- how can they really expect me to go back. It's like switching from broadband back to dial-up, or Apple back to PC.

I don't blame George Lucas. Amazingly. I mean, sure, its his fault. He sucked the life out of the series and then still managed to get me to buy it TWICE (two times), but he's a businessman, and I'm not in the game of keeping people from making a buck. He does what he does exceptionally well, and sometimes with great feeling, and while he is technically the hero and enemy to all Star Wars fans the war should not be aimed at his general direction. This is a war with ourselves. A war about realizing that we aren't the same people we were 15 years prior and that there will indeed come a day many, many years from now when we're going to say to ourselves, "Goddammit, these Star Wars DVDs are eating up all of my shelf space. Its time to chuck 'em. And why the hell was I so obsessed with that show 'The Arrested Development.' I mean, my god, it totally started to suck after its 12th season."

*Now that I'm thinking about it, I probably WILL end up buying Clone Wars Vol 2 when it comes out next month... but its SO good I almost don't count it as being part of the Lucas-Machine. Well, except for all the Wookies...

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