me.
why does star wars produce some nerdy following?
never got the space concept thing. never seen star wars. a few years back i got dragged into the cinema to watcha remake of follow up and soon left the cinema.
i can understand that the special effects at the time were spectacular, but beyond that, is it really that great?
why do grown men (my old workmate included - he even teaches his three boys star wars phrases) go around quoting it years after?
You're like the bloke in the Mail On Sunday ranting about grown men watching Dr Who and reading Science Fiction. If you don't 'get' it, then it's impossible to explain just what the appeal is. I like the first three Star Wars films, but then I rather like action films as well as SF films anyway. The later Star Wars films are much more style over substance; Lucas can't write good dialogue to save his life.
never seen it either.
The following is fairly simple tho. All blokes are geeks.
never got the space concept thing
There's no space concept really. Stories are stories, space is just a place they are set.
What's nice about Star Wars is that it's set inside a much larger universe, like fantasy novels often are, but it's quick and snappy in a cinematic way. The characters are good (mostly) because they have their own lives beyond the story, which we understand through various stereotypes, that come from different literary traditions. I think it's this context that makes it persuasive and compelling.
It's certainly not the acting (in most cases), script or directing!
Oh and it's not Science Fiction, let's get that clear from the start. And I am not a Star Wars geek, but I did enjoy the films.
+1 Molegrips.
I love to read sci-fi, and Star Wars is in the right ball park for the sort of sci-fi I like to read. Then some years ago I started to read a chap called J.T.Edison - he wrote westerns. Amazingly similar.
Just need a frontier where the general rules that we live by are stretched a bit, add some dodgy locals and a hero in some form of struggle to achieve something, and you're away. For me anyway, the likes of Star Wars represents a bit of escapism. That and Empire Strikes Back is the best one of the set by far.
As Ja Ja would say...
"da biiig empire strikes back movie is da most bombad "
I wouldn't expect you to "get" star wars from watching one of the new films. They don't come close to the original trio.
As has often been said about the new trilogy, George Lucas raped my childhood.
I've never sat through an entire Star Wars movie. Seen bits and bobs of many of them though.
"this is not the movie you are looking for"
I've never sat through an entire Star Wars movie. Seen bits and bobs of many of them though.
Same here.
Even when I was a kid I knew they were a heap of nerdy shite. I do love hearing the over intellectualising of them though (yes Molly, I'm looking at you).
It's certainly not the acting (in most cases), script or directing!
Part of the appeal also?
nope, no interest in seeing any of them. bit like that with bond too. saw my first bond film the other day only because it was on and i had nowt better to do 
why do bikes produce some nerdy following?never got the bike thing. never seen a race. a few years back i got dragged into a trail centre to watcha a race and soon left the trail centre.
i can understand that the technology at the time were spectacular, but beyond that, is it really that great?
why do grown men (my old workmate included - he rides with his 3 kids) go around riding bikes?
Watched and liked them as a kid but soon grew out of them. Wouldn't want to watch any of them now (nor star trek or anything like that). Think those who quote it often or put Jedi on the census are quite sad really
Also can't stand any Harry Potter or Lord Of The Rings (fell asleep during the 2nd movie that i got dragged to)
Never seen any of them.
Starwars was a huge event when it came out, similar to Harry Potter I suppose. The 1st two are great films anyway but I'm sure there's a nostalgic element to my fondness too; wish I still had all the bubble gum cards I collected all those years ago. Kinda enjoyed the prequels too and thought the 3rd one pretty good. I'm not into anything else sci-fi really, just like good films.
Never seen it PLUS never seen these either:
Star Wars - any
Star Trek
The Alien's
Teminators
The Matrix
Any Indiana Jones'
mary poppins/Sound of music/bedknobs - the ones most kids have seen
Docotor Who's
Any Harry Pottors
I was always out playing outside as a kid, climbing trees etc. My wife thinks I'm a weirdo.
I like Star Wars, not keen on the 3 later ones. Then again I saw the three original ones as a kid and it was big part of my childhood.
People who have never seen Star Wars are far more sophisticated and culturally superior to those that have, this is a fact.
Any grown man that would choose to sit through two hours of nonsense is obviously retarded.
or......
.
.
.
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Far more sophisticated and culturally superior to those that have never seen star wars are, fact, this is.
Choose to sit through two hours of nonsense, retarded that any grown man would. Yes, hmmm.
Drac - nice
carbon337 - I've seen all of them (expect popppins / music / broomknobs) and went climbing trees and exploring caves and playing doctors and nurses and stuff. proper ****** my childhood that, why did I always have to be the nurse?
why did I always have to be the nurse?
'cause you had the uniform....
i've seen em many many times, and will continue to watch them. i have the blu-ray box set (of the first 3 only; there weren't any more star wars films made!) on pre-order, it's due out in september after years of waiting.
the thing is, i'm not arsed if other people don't like them/have never seen them. what is sad is the fact that some of you lot are looking down on other people for enjoying something that you don't- why care? it doesn't do you any harm.
Not seen the recent ones, and only really watched the first one start to finish, that one really caught my imagination, I remember doing the transfers on the shreddies box.
Then James Bond took over.
BTW - great post, great idea for a TV programme 
Seen parts 4,5,6. Many times. Apart from watching it in cinema aged about 9, every time has been after channel hopping with nothing else on.
Sort of saw part 1 (must have been nodding off for much of it, cos I don't remember anything of the plot)
Had a jolly good sleep thru part 2.
Never seen part 3.
Dunno if it's worth the effort to watch 1,2,3? Still got a handful of unwatched DVD's to watch first (eg most of LOTR).
SW nerdiness is nothing compared to Trekky nerdiness (except for those people going to conventions in their own stormtrooper kit).
I think it comes down to the timing of when you first saw them. I was 9 and my older brother had already seen it and was raving about it. That all helps.
Then as you grow older, you realise that the first part of epIV is actually quite unique in that it takes it's time to set the scene really well. So many films fall down on this - even George doesn't seem to be able to replicate it!
I really don't like other sci-fi things - but that could just be because Star Wars got to me first.
The only other sci-fi thing that got under my skin was the 2000AD Judge Dredd - again very easy to use your imagination within the created world.
What's a 'Star Wars' ?
Star Wars is just a good story set in space. It could equally have been set in the Wild West with cowboys and injuns or in Cold War Russia with Spies and Agents.
I like it lots (I have even sat through the entire film dubbed into German although I don't speak a word of it). I would never say it is the bestest film everer but it is a great yarn.
I do love hearing the over intellectualising of them though (yes Molly, I'm looking at you)
Lol.. but over-intellectualising things is so much fun Although to be fair, such a cultural phenomenon does warrant a bit of thought imo. The movies themselves are very derivative, but from things that were not in common use in films at the time. The Force, for example, is analogous to Qi in Chinese martial arts films I would guess and the Jedi are Kung Fu masters. There are loads of parallels and it's clear Lucas was inspired by/ripped off a lot of stuff.
Then as you grow older, you realise that the first part of epIV is actually quite unique in that it takes it's time to set the scene really well
This is spot on. It starts off in the middle of something massive, and you've really got no idea what's going on and you have to basically watch three films to learn about it and even then you haven't got all the info. That's one of the good points about I, II and III (yes, I think there are a few) it explains a lot of the back story. I loved seeing Palpatine turn into the Emperor for example over a period of time. Well, perhaps not I - that was dross.
But still, how many films or series have this kind of huge story arc? I don't think any do, do they? It's got to be unique. I think this is a big big part of it. And the fact they started with IV was a bold decision. The mystery and magic of it all is very powerful and significant. Studios don't often like making movies that don't explain everything. Take Highlander II as an example of studios wanting prosaic explanations of things to the detriment of the experience. It's a kind of magic, after all
"I've not seen it, but I think people who have are blah blah blah..."
The thing with Star Wars is, it was made in 1977. It's easy to be jaded now when sci-fi films are ten a penny, but at the time there was nothing really like it. The fact that it still stands up today (even the theatrical editions) is is pretty much unique for a genre film.
Star Wars came out in the UK just before my sixth birthday; I'd have been eight when I saw Empire and would have watched Jedi when I was eleven. If you cut me in half, it'd read "Star Wars' target audience" through me like Blackpool rock. If you've never seen it before then even if you were to watch it for the first time now, you're aged 30-something and probably know most of the plot developments; you probably still won't get it.
For me, in adulthood, meh, it's just a decent series of movies. They probably wouldn't feature in my top x all time favourite films list, I don't have a cardboard cut-out of slave-girl Leia, and I've never owned any Star Wars figures (unless you count LEGO minifigs). I'm not a "fanboy," but I'd respectfully suggest that it's somewhat short-sighted to deny that it was anything other than a milestone movie.
point proven I think. 
Ps. if anyone has managed to reach 40 and not seen it they're clearly not interested.
And the fact they started with IV was a bold decision.
Just like the Dark Knight films.
molly you might want to check into lucas's relationship with joseph cambell and his following of a certain book written by mister cambell.... it explains a lot about where lucas got his story from and what The Force, and most of the stuff, is analogous to.
I was 12 when Part IV came out. The effects were so different than that had gone before, so the impact was huge. The story is not that special and some of the acting is woeful - but the impact was enormous. It changed the way films were made.
Not only do I love the films, I have a lot of the books (even though a lot of them are borderline pretty badly written fanfiction...) and I used to have a dangly Imperial Star Destroyer hanging in my car. I've still got my Boba Fett doll collectible figure on my desk at work.
SO THERE!
I saw return of the Jedi first, must have been about 9, and the final attack on the death star was by far one of the most exciting things I'd seen. Still like them now. The standard STW 'ooh look at me and how superior and non-mainstream I am' thing is getting pretty tedious tbh.
It changed the way films were made.
Ruined cinema according to some, see Easy Riders and Raging Bulls.
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