"Star Wars" Fans Celebrate, Buy Things

Yes, I've been there for the opening day of each and every "Star Wars" movie starting with the first (OK, OK, "Episode IV") back when I was seven (you do the math), so how could I let today go by without a nod to that biggest and baddest of science-fiction franchises, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week?

Thousands of fans have converged on Los Angeles for "Star Wars Celebration IV," and besides the 17-hour movie marathon, the dozens of exhibits (including various versions of Darth Vader's costume and Luke's severed head from "Empire"—cool) and hundreds of fellow geeks dressed up as stormtroopers, there's also a mammoth 24-hour megastore with all things "Star Wars" on sale. The L.A. Times actually sent a reporter to poke through the various wares, and while she didn't happen upon any working lightsabers (sorry, no hands-on review), she did find, among other collectables:

• a Darth Vader hoodie—perfect for snuggling on chilly nights as you ponder the Dark Side of the Force;
• 200 limited-edition posters by legendary illustrator Ralph McQuarrie of Cloud City (OK, I'd buy one of those);
• plenty of R2D2 and C3PO actions figures (only five per customers, please);
• and a "Star Wars" silver pen that shines a laser beam. Hmmm, OK…

Among the luminaries expected to attend were Carrie Fisher (alas, no steel bikini) and Anthony Daniels ("Wait a minute, I'm backwards!"), along with an elite squad of Lucasfilm special-effects masters. Sorry, folks—no sign of Lando.

Can't make it down to L.A. this weekend? Then head on over to StarWars.com, where you can create your own Star Wars mashup using more than 250 sights and sounds from the original films. Personally, I'm amazed that the famously stubborn George Lucas consented to letting fans tinker with his precious movies. As Darth might say, "Impressive…most impressive."

As for me, I'll be celebrating by putting my favorite Star Wars movies onto my new 80GB iPod. Oh wait—actually, I am not doing that. Wouldn't dream of it. (This might be a good time for the old Jedi mind trick.)

Related:
Fans mark 'Star Wars' 30th anniversary [AFP, via Yahoo! News]
Inside the 'Star Wars' supermarket [LATimes.com]
Lucasfilm To Launch Star Wars Mashup Tools [TechWeb via Yahoo! News]