What Star Wars Means to Me

Today may be the start of December making us into the home stretch for Christmas, but for me, December marks another home stretch, the run up to Star Wars Episode VII, The Force Awakens. For me, this is the most anticipated movie of the year. I will be watching the previous 6 movies before I go see it. I have watched and analysised the trailer. I have seen and read cast interviews, but I doubt I’ll ever be ready for what I’m going to see in the cinema. It’s going to be The Return of the King all over again.

Star Wars has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad is a huge fan. He went to see the very first movie on the day it opened 1977, 11 years before I was even born. Although my dad had two daughters, as far as big movies were concerned, he worked hard to ensure my sister and I enjoyed them as much as he did. I’m sure I watched them for the first time, on videos recorded from the TV when I was no older than Little Miss. The Empire Strikes Back was always my favourite, and Return of the Jedi was my sisters. We grew up with them, never missing a chance to sit down with my dad and watch them through. We could quote them, we knew the world and the histories and we went to watch them when they were re-released in cinema. Then of course we watched the prequels (which lets face it, sucked. But Natalie Portman’s wardrobe is the stuff of dreams!)

My dad and I have never had a great relationship. My mum says in many respects we’re alike, and in other ways we’re completely different. My dad also struggles with the fact i’m smarter than him and I’m great at arguing. But if one thing has kept us going through the years, it’s been our mutual love of Star Wars. And now we have our common goal of getting LM into it (we’re getting there!) So, on the 20th December my dad and I will be sitting down in the cinema together to watch The Force Awakens. Just the two of us. And then we’ll go have lunch and disect every part of the movie, and make predictions for episode VIII, because that’s what we do. Both of my parents have lost their fathers over the past year, in fact when we go to the cinema, it’ll be a year and 3 days since my dad lost his, I feel so lucky that I’m going to go watch the next installment of a movie that has meant so much to both of us and our relationship with him. Star Wars has been that bond between us, and I hope in the near future, Little Miss will be part of that bond too.

Asda were kind enough to send me a selection of Star Wars lego, to coincide with the release of The Force Awakens. My dad is a big kid at heart and I’m actually saving the sets as a surprise for him for Christmas. The Lego the kids play with at my parent’s house actually belonged to my dad, and he does still get pleasure playing with the kids when they have it out. It’ll be nice to add some Star Wars sets to it, and who knows, it may help introduce LM to the saga. Asda has a great range of lego available. My nephew is actually getting some superhero sets, and my daughter the Disney princess range. I cannot get over the kind of sets you can get these days, when I was a kid it was just the basic blocks, and random people, nothing branded, these days you can get pretty much anything so it appeals to anyone!