The 80s Club

The year: 1980
The place: A galaxy far far away
The issue: The rebels are gaining momentum and The Empire must stop them at all costs.

The Star Wars saga continues. Anyone who doesn’t know by this point in time (2006) that Darth Vader is Luke’s father can only have been raised by wolves. For movie goers in 1980 however, the news came as a shock. Our hero, the hope of the Galaxy, is related to that guy who chokes his minions to death when they fail in their duties. Perhaps even more trauma-inducing for those of us who preferred macho Han Solo over whiny Luke Skywalker, Han Solo is frozen in carbonite after being betrayed by his friend Lando. The movie leaves us hanging as to Han’s fate, and it won’t be until 1983 and Return of the Jedi that we discover if he lives or dies.

Most people seem to either love or hate the Star Wars saga, and if you’re one of the latter, just don’t tell me about it. (unless it is to mock the Ewoks and the ghastly Ewok movies) ;) For many of us, the assorted merchandize which was produced in tandem with the movies became much desired and much hoarded treasure. I believe somewhere in my belongings I still have the original Han, Luke, Leia, Vader, and Yoda action figures (and most of their tiny accessories). Lego produced a series of ‘Space Legos’ which were not Star Wars specific, but included awesome boosters and antennae and wing pieces, cockpits, and control panels and little guys with space helmets. Lego may have produced Lego Play Themes IP Star Wars Classic B-Wing Fighter (6208)“>Star Wars legos in the 80s, but my parents wisely did not let us see any catalogues. Some kids had the large toys such as the At-At, and were very envied.

Thanks to the popularity of the Star Wars saga, and the newer movie releases, there are many merchandise options on the market from Pez dispensers to video and computer games, to action figures and clothing. Authors have been writing books set in the Star Wars Universe for many years. Random House has a page on their site showing where each book falls within the StarWars Universe timeline.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 8th, 2006 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Gnarly Films, Gnarly Toys. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.