Editorial: The Thirty Years’ War
Thirty years ago, millions of people watched a film that was unlike anything they had seen before. Star Wars changed the course of cinema and TV history in many ways. It popularised surround sound, which is now a staple of cinemas throughout the world and many homes as well, while a new TV series of Star Trek was cancelled in favour of a big-budget movie to tap into the new-found passion for big-screen space adventures laden with special effects.
Ironically, it was actually a very old-fashioned story, complete with a princess in distress, mystical forces and noble knights wielding fiery swords, and the film was deliberately modelled on the Saturday morning cinema serials of the 1930s and ’40s – but this was largely eclipsed by the exotic aliens and screaming spaceships. Amid all the excitement, few people noticed that they were actually watching Episode Four…
The movie franchise would enjoy a spectacular sequel and a less-than-spectacular third instalment (actually the sixth and final episode), before a long hiatus, fuelling endless debate along the lines of ‘will he or won’t he’, until George Lucas finally brought us Episodes One, Two and Three.
Constant companions to the evolving movie series have been a string of comics, poster books, novels, graphic novels and, of course, toys. I am no doubt in the company of many, many thousands in still having a couple of original action figures, snapped up as soon as they hit the shops in my home town. Darth Vader and an Imperial Stormtrooper have now been passed on to my son, who is still too young to watch the films themselves but knows a good toy when he sees one.
This year we are seeing many new Star Wars toys to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of one of the most enduring movie and toy franchises. We’ve already reported on an R2-D2 video projector from Nikko, a new range of action figures from Hasbro and new LEGO sets – and there’s more to come throughout the year.
No doubt many of these items will be snapped up by collectors and kept in pristine condition, like Stinky Pete in Toy Story 2, but we have to say we hope that most of them are played with by children. My twenty-something Darth Vader and Stormtrooper lost their packaging within minutes of being bought and were already getting some serious play on the bus ride home, yet they can still bring delight to a four-year-old (who seems to instinctively know that Darth is a baddy – there must be something about that black helmet).
Toys should be played with, get bits broken off them, get lost, found again and handed on to new owners, and I hope that’s what happens to the new Star Wars toys coming out this year.
Which reminds me. I used to have a C-3PO as well. Now whatever happened to him…?
David Smith
