A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

...I saw Star Wars for the first time.

Actually it was not in a galaxy far far away, but at the Showcase Cinema Multiplex in Springdale, Ohio, just off I-275. And it doesn't seem all that long ago either. But that's just me refusing to believe that nearly three decades have passed since my 21st birthday on June 24, 1977.

My boyfriend Rick and I had anticipated this film keenly and were shocked at the lines snaking out the door. Needless to say, we did not get into the 9:00 show and we had to wait until the midnight show. (This was before the multiplexes figured out that they could devote more than one screen to a film if it was really popular).

I was so tired by the time we took our seats in the theater that I was sure I'd fall asleep before the credits ran. But the opening scene just blew me away. And who could sleep through that rousing John Williams score?

I believe Rick and I saw it a couple more times that summer and I've watched it on television. I also went to see the other two installments of the trilogy (without Rick as we'd broken up by then) I was sorry when the series ended, despite the cheesy Ewoks-dancing-in-the-woods ending of "Return of The Jedi."

I never got into the whole Annikin Skywalker prequel thing. The reviews were bad and I felt I no longer had the proper mindset to watch another Star Wars film. Ewan McGregor is cute, but he's no Harrison Ford. Or Alec Guinness, even though that's who he's supposed to be eventually.

But this summer, my daughter and I will go see Revenge of the Sith. She watched Episode II on television last night and wants to see more. I just want to see how adorable little Hayden Christensen morphs into that ominous hooded figure with the voice of James Earl Jones. And that breathing. How could the sound of someone breathing in and out be so scary?

This is supposed to be the end of Star Wars, there will be no more. At least that's what George Lucas is saying now. Somehow, I believe it will rise again. We'll see an Episode VII and Episode VIII, or maybe they'll start at Episode XXI and work backwards from there. Everything comes back sooner or later. Like "The Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy" and "The Longest Yard." Even Dr. Who is coming back to television.

As Yoda would put it "Back you will be, George of Lucas."