HONOLULU — This year marks an eye-opening 40 years since the premiere of the third and last film in the Star Wars trilogy, “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.” Consolidated Theatres celebrates the occasion with a week of screenings made for loyal fans and a new generation of fans-to-be.
Showtimes are available online at Consolidated Theatres Ward with Titan Luxe starting April 28, culminating on “May the 4th Be With You” Day.
Audiences are brought back into the fold as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) embark on a daring mission to rescue Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from Jabba the Hutt where Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) is being treated somewhat less than a princess. The Rebels are also on a mission to destroy the second Death Star from the forest moon of Endor, and Luke attempts to bring Darth Vader back from the dark side.
During the two-hours and seven-minute-long movie, filmgoers will be able to see the film on the big screen, some for the first time.
Originally opening across the U.S. in just 43 theaters on May 25, 1977, “Star Wars: A New Hope” became a cultural phenomenon.
The first of the movie trilogy simultaneously made its Hawaii premiere at Hawaii Cinerama Theatre (closed in 1999) on South King St. and Kapiolani Theatre (closed Sept. 1996) on Kapiolani Blvd. on June 8, 1977.
The original “Star Wars” soundtrack composed by John Williams stirred audiences as the iconic words, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away …” invited viewers into the story of young Luke Skywalker who yearned for something beyond his uncle’s farm on Tatooine.
And so the promise and adventure of “Star Wars” was ignited in many a youth that summer, a long, long time ago.
The release of each film in the original trilogy begins with “Star Wars: A New Hope” in 1977, “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980, and “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” in 1983.
Our Spectrum team shared their memories and thoughts of the trilogy, even those who were born after the movie’s initial premiere in 1977.
La‘a Wigen, senior manager of Broadcast Engineering at Spectrum Networks, assists the Spectrum News team with all the tech stuff. “Negative,” he said. “I was still T-minus six years and 10 months. Approximately.” Second response: “Cine-what?”
Ryan Cooper, Spectrum News Western Region managing director, said, “I was barely on Earth when ‘Star Wars’ first premiered, so I was too young to see it in theaters. But as an 80s kid, ‘Star Wars’ was huge in my age group. At a friend’s kindergarten birthday party, I remember we all got him something ‘Star Wars’-themed — every single kid.”
Cooper adds that as a child he built “Star Wars” LEGO sets and collected toy models of the Millenium Falcon and the TIE-Fighter, and has seen every movie and every Disney+ show. He was also privy to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” before the general public had the chance to see it.
“In 2015, I covered the red carpet and movie premiere of ‘The Force Awakens’ in Hollywood, allowing me to see the film before it was released worldwide.” At the premiere, Cooper was the onsite producer. “We interviewed several cast members, including actress Gwendoline Christie, who is also famous for her roles in ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Wednesday.’ She is very tall — 6 feet 3 inches! Needless to say, friends in my age group were a bit jealous of that assignment.”
Nuy Cho is Spectrum News’ digital executive producer. Though she may not have seen the premiere in 1977, she responded, “I don’t remember where I first saw it, but for sure many times on TV.”
Digital Producer for Spectrum News Hawaii Lianne Thompson said, “I’m not sure if I saw it then. I was 4. I do remember standing in line at the Cinerama, but that may have been for another ‘Star Wars’ movie, or most likely, ‘E.T.’ I’m pretty sure my parents would only take us to a drive-in back then. I was too much of a child terror for the theater.”
Spectrum News’ Political Digital Journalist Michael Tsai said he saw the movie at Cinerama. “I turned 9 that summer, thereafter, my childhood was divided into Before SW and After SW. I saw it for the first time at Cinerama with my uncle and cousins. I think I saw it one or two more times after, once at the Waikiki 3.” Note: Waikiki had three movie theaters back in the day.
Both Spectrum News’ Digital Journalist Michelle Broder Van Dyke, and Brian McInnis, sports digital journalist, as well as Cambri Guest, Spectrum’s western region digital producer based in Los Angeles, like Wigen, weren’t born when the original movie rolled out.
However, McInnis said, “I watched the Special Edition in the 1990s in the theater several times.” Guest said, “I first watched ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ in my Oklahoma living room with my brother and my dad!” She adds, “I never got the chance to see it in theaters, but I’ve watched them all multiple times.”
“I stood in one really long line,” said Tsai. “The movie was so popular that the attendants actually made people leave between showings.” He proudly adds, “I bought a ‘Star Wars’ photo book, which retold the story with stills from the movie, and reenacted all the fight scenes with my friends. I spent hundreds of afternoons racing down Kaimuki Avenue on my bike, turning sharply into my driveway to recreate Luke Skywalker blowing up the Death Star.” (Well done)
“When my mom said, ‘Let’s go see this movie,’ I was taken aback,” said Sarah Yamanaka, digital journalist. “Coming from Japan, I think mom thought the movie was about Hollywood stars, but I wasn’t going to argue because I wanted to see the movie. We ended up in the very last row at Cinerama next to the door. People were going in and out, but I didn’t care; I was enthralled with the adventure and thrill that is ‘Star Wars.’ Mom fell asleep and didn’t wake up until the theater lights came on.
"That summer, mom would drop off my friend and I at the theater in the morning several days a week as she drove to work, and we would stay until she picked us up after work. We brought our own snacks and once, my friend snuck in a huge audio recorder, and we taped the entire movie. We memorized the lines (I was Luke and Obi-Wan; she was Leia and Han). Man, it was a great summer. I saw the movie maybe a little less than 25 times,” she added.
“Luke Skywalker,” responded Wigen. “He’s just that guy. He’s like the Neo or yore,” said as he covertly looks over his shoulder expecting to be impaled by the lightsaber of a true “Star Wars” fan. Movie? “’Return of the Jedi’ for the speeder bike chase scene through the forest of Endor.”
“Princess Leia, of course,” said Thompson. “She was a princess who cared for her people and fought for them. I think ‘New Hope’ was my favorite, just because I got to meet these awesome new characters.” She adds, “I didn’t have any problems with the Ewoks or Jar Jar Binks. Fans take these imaginary worlds too seriously.”
Broder Van Dyke said, “Chewbacca. He’s a badass with a big heart. I also love the sounds he makes. My first dog was named Chewy after Chewbacca. (And) ’Return of the Jedi’ because I love the Ewoks.”
Guest said her favorite character is between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo, and fave movie is “Empire Strikes Back” — “I love the opening battle, and of course, the epic, ‘I am your father’ moment.”
Cho said her favorite character is Han Solo, “He’s funny. I’m just going with what I liked as a kid.” And favorite movie, “The one where Luke and Leia realize they are sibs.” That would be in “Return of the Jedi.”
Tsai agreed with Broder Van Dyke, “Chewbacca is badass” and is adamant about his fave movie, “’Empire’! I think I was in intermediate school when it came out (seemed like a lifetime since the first one) and my friends and I saw it at least a half dozen times. Middle films in trilogies are tricky, but this was perfectly done with secrets unveiled, great cliffhangers and, of course, Bikini Leia!” Tsai silently bashed “Jedi” by commenting, “Friggin’ muppets.”
McInnis openly admits to being a Super “Star Wars” Geek. “A pretty obscure pick, but my favorite character growing up was the Rebel fighter pilot Wedge Antilles. He was the main character in some of the first ‘Star Wars’ expanded universe books I read (yeah, I know). He explains his favorite “Empire Strikes Back” selection by saying, “(It’s) the best movie of the trilogy because of its blend of drama, heart, action and, of course, its notable plot twist. From the ice planet of Hoth to the swamps of Dagobah to surreal Cloud City, the settings are indelible.”
He backs up his Super Geek status by adding, “I’ve watched every subsequent ‘Star Wars’ film and TV show. The films have gotten progressively worse from the Prequel Trilogy to the more recently released Sequel Trilogy. ‘The Force Awakens’ was a promising start to the Sequel Trilogy, but there was clearly no vision for where to go next, culminating with the disaster that was ‘The Rise of Skywalker.’ However, ‘Rogue One’ was great as a stand-alone. ‘Andor’ and ‘The Mandalorian’ have been great shows as a whole.”
“You know all those feelings you get during the first 20 minutes of the 2022 ‘Top Gun’ movie?” asks Wigen. “That. Sheer joy laced with shame and disgust.”
Thompson shared, “I have not kept up with everything, but I like that these new films delve into new characters. I like Finn in ‘The Force Awakens.’ It was the first time (even though I was an adult) that it occurred to me that those were individual beings wearing the storm trooper armor, who may have doubts about what they were fighting for. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve seen of ‘The Mandalorian.’”
“I didn’t like the prequel,” responded Cho. “I liked some of the later ones. But I like the originals the best.”
Broder Van Dyke agrees, “I’ve seen them all. Nothing compares to the original films. If we’re including TV spinoffs, I thought ‘Andor’ was good.”
Add Guest to the “original is the best” list: “I’ve watched a few of them, including ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story” and ‘Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker.’ I thought the production quality and graphics were great, but all follow-ups have paled in comparison to the original trilogy.”
“I saw the next three and they were terrible,” said Tsai in all honesty. “I was so traumatized by all the bad acting and lousy dialogue that I never watched the last set, which I understand was pretty good.”
Wigen: “Team Mediocre all the way! Love the movies, bought the t-shirt, but not cool enough to sit at the ‘Super Geeks’ table. Though I did ‘force push’ a significant number of my friends off of catwalks in the ‘Star Wars: Jedi Knight’ games of the early 2000.”
Thompson: “I would say I’m a non-geek because I’m nowhere near as knowledgeable as other ‘Star Wars’ fans. But I am certainly a fan.”
Cho: “Just a basic fan.”
Broder Van Dyke: “Is there a category for geek-by-association? My husband is a super geek and I have to listen to lots of rants about the characters, spinoffs, toys, etc.”
Guest: “I would say I’m comfortably a mediocre geek.”
Tsai: “I love the first two (movies) because they were a big part of my childhood and adolescence, but not a geek about them.”
Super “Star Wars” Geek, McInnis: “I used to start ‘Return of the Jedi Special Edition’ on New Year’s Eve timed out so that when the movie is ending the Rebels’ celebration fireworks in Endor, everyone in the neighborhood would be popping firecrackers right at midnight.” McInnis wins.
He also issued an ultimatum: “I’ve won multiple ‘Star Wars’ bar trivia competitions and am willing to lay down my ‘Star Wars’ knowledge against just about anyone.”
Sarah Yamanaka covers events, environmental and community news for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.