Editor?s Note: In order to capture a taste of the ?Star Wars? experience for our readers, we as a staff wanted to sample fans from across the United States. Below are quotes from Jedi enthusiasts, as reported to newspapers around the country.
“Basically,” said Elliot Evans, 21, while standing in line at Grauman?s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., “what it comes down to is we are ‘Star Wars’ fans. And we are in line to see ‘Star Wars,’ and that’s what this is all about. We’re here because of tradition. And because ‘Star Wars’ is cool.”
? Los Angeles Times
“I’ve kind of waited a lifetime for it, it seems like,” fan Bill Maynard said.
– Casper Star Tribune, Wyoming
“It makes me feel old, and I’ll probably cry,? she said. ?It’s just a movie, but you have milestones in your life. Some people remember when Kennedy was shot. I remember Star Wars.” ? USA TODAY
?I was 6 years old and we lived in London and I saw Star Wars,” said Ona Brazwell, who says she saw the first film 22 times in the theater.
?There?s no question that I?m a nerd,? said Chris Taylor of Santa Clara, Calif., adjusting the staple that holds his glasses together where a screw fell loose. ?I?m proud to say it. The real question is, will there be honor among the rest of the nerds here when the time comes to fight for our seats??
? San Fransisco Chronicle
?I related to Princess Leia since I was a kid because we both had long brown hair,” said Renee Link while seated in a folding chair outside Century Theaters in Sacramento, Calif. Wednesday afternoon, her hair twisted into the princess’ signature buns. Link, 30, requested time off five years ago for future “Star Wars” premieres when she interviewed for her job at a Sacramento printing company. ? The Sacramento Bee
“Ninety-nine percent of the audience knows what’s going to happen,” said Eric Masker, 21, of Seattle. “It’s just kind of the anticipation. I’m kind of stoked about the light-saber fights, too.”
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Daniel Lynch, 17, of Lake of the Pines, Calif., said he spent two months making his Darth Vader costume out of cardboard for a breastplate, small black jewelry boxes attached to his belt and a black school binder for a codpiece.
–Auburn Journal
“I think it should be considered a holiday,” said Ross Beatie, 18, of Meadow Vista, Calif.
? Auburn Journal
For University of Denver junior Vanessa Brenen, 19, becoming a “Star Wars” geek was almost forced upon her by her father, a longtime “Star Wars” junkie who started showing the films to Brenen and her sister when they were barely ready for kindergarten. “He showed us one movie every weekend to tease us so we’d want more,” Brenen said, a tattoo of Yoda on her ankle. “Now, I can’t get enough of it.” ? Denver Post
“Some people would say it’s an obsession, but everyone has something they’re obsessed about,” 18-year-old Kevin Mackenzie said, dressed in a black cape and shirt as Anakin Skywalker. ? Palm Beach Post
”Regardless of knowing what’s going to happen, you still get that excitement, and it’s closure for you,” he said early Thursday after emerging from, appropriately enough, the AMC Empire 25 Theatre in Times Square.
-New York Times
