Ten Things To Remember About Star Wars 1977

The purchase of Lucasfilm is one of the smartest, most logical moves Disney's ever made. It's perfect for both parties; George Lucas has found a stable home for his creations and Disney doesn't have to remake the Black Hole in another attempt to break into the sci-fi/fantasy genre.

George Lucas is one of the few artists fortunate enough to watch multiple generations enjoy his work. His younger fans never knew a world without home video and the internet, while his older audience remembers drive-in movies and double features.

For those too young to have seen Star Wars hit pop culture with a meteor-like smash of imagination, special effects and fun-for-the-sake-of-fun exuberance, there may be a few details about its impact they’re not aware of…moments many of us older fans might have forgotten. Here are just ten points I can remember. If you were there, does any of this bring back memories?

Time Machine Day: Space Mountain 1977

Space Mountain opened at Disneyland on May 27, 1977. I got to the park a few weeks later to take my initial trip into "superspace." I'd heard opinions of the ride from friends who'd gotten there first. One fellow actually swore the tracks were invisible because they were made of transparent fiberglass. Another claimed the ride ended by circling a small planet and then crashing into it.

Remember, there was no interenet. All you had for new-attraction reference were rumors, commercials, and a few paragraphs of PR in the latest issue of Disney News. I'd read everything I could find about Florida's Space Mountain (there sure wasn't much to be found in those days), and I could not wait to finally ride Disney's dark indoor coaster.

I finally arrived on a June afternoon to find a two-hour wait, with the line starting back on Main Street. Star Wars (before it was known as "Episode IV") had also opened that May, so Darth Vader t-shirts were everywhere. We inched forward past Adventure Thru Inner Space and the People Mover entry, up the speed ramp, through the upper-level switchbacks, and into the mountain itself. Immediately, things got more exciting as the air around us echoed with rumbles and distant screams.