Saber Forum

I created this thread so everyone, and anyone can tell others how they came to US.  

Just as the population of this forum is very diverse, so must be all of the reasons why Star Wars has remained a major part of any given person’s life.

I saw “A New Hope” in theatre when I was six years old, (I was part of the initial “target audience”) and was instantly hooked.

My youth, like just about everyone else’s at the time, was filled with images of lightsabers and x-wings.
During my mid years I was a bit too busy getting a career, family, house, and car, to consider it to be more than just “a movie”, but it was always "the best movie ever".

One day that all stopped, and I found myself with pretty much nothing but free time, and after numerous hours, I found SWTOR.  I've spent countless hours playing that for the past two years.  
The thirst for more drove me to eventually find this amazing site, and inside were all of you awesome people.

I can’t imagine ever not having this now.

I’d be very interested to read anybody else’s reason for ending up here.

I saw the original trilogy as a child with my parents at home in free tv; I did find them cool but not cool enough to be a fan. Other things like "LOTR" hooked me up more than SciFi and the like. I playe "Rogue Squadron" on Nintendo 64 with my brother and liked it very much, but that's it.

Nevertheless I have gone to cinemas when the prequels came out, saw every one of them in the cinema and wasn't quite fond of them, although I loved Pod-Racing.

After many years, I was hooked up again after seing Star Wars 7 in cinemas. I was there with my best friend and his mates, total fanboys and nerds, with the idea of "Yeah, maybe I can watch it, we'll see" - ending as a total fan girl, rewatched it three times with my bff, my mother and again with my husband. Because Rey and Kylo Ren and "new" old Leia totally kicked ass. I bought the visual dictionary, read through the script and then I just could not pass the US sabers. There I am, already ordered 1 stunt, 2 single handed with sound, 2 single handed with sound Emerald and 1 crossguard with sound Emerald ;D

The Star Wars bug bit me hard, because of SW7. SW7 was everything I wanted to have: diversity, a female kick ass heroine, a hot dark brooding villain and the old Star Wars feeling again.

I fell in love with Star Wars because of the vast universe it presented. Anyone could be anything, the possibilities were nearly limitless.

As for finding US, in 2007, during my senior year of high school, my friend and I were in Art class surfing the net for lightsabers after failing spectacularly at making our own with plumbing supplies.  :D

While "The Other Guys" made beautiful looking hilts and sabers with more functionality that Ultra Sabers had at the time, they were ultimately WAY too expensive.

It was only after seeing several videos online in which the durability of Ultra Saber's hilts were tested that I was convinced US was the company for me.

Unfortunately, graduation happened and real life became my priority, so I didn't wind up purchasing a saber until three years later and missed out on their classic hilts; specifically the Wraith V2, which I had my heart set on getting: http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/phophjoph15/media/Wraithv2.jpg.html

In December of 2010 I purchased my very first Ultra Saber, a Liberator V2 in Fire Orange. I had never had anything like it, the level of personalization made it mine alone. My collection now pushing 20 sabers I could have made better decision.

I was around 6 when I first saw TPM, and that's when the flame was lit. AoTC was the one that really cemented my fandom, and I couldn't get enough of the SW universe after that. Then came the 2003 Clone Wars series and RoTS, and those are what really made me spend 4+ hours a day on Wookiepedia  :D. The gaps inbetween the releases of the films lulled my fandom though, and I've kind of had a love/hate relationship with SW for the past couple of years. With the release of TFA though (Rey!), I'm back to loving it again.

As for getting into sabers, I've really been wanting one of the other guy's models since 2012. Alas, it was too expensive, and I've spent the time since then lurking their site and others (like US), but never buying anything. Then of course TFA came and I finally pulled the trigger and got one.

I did not grow up with Star Wars.  I was born in 83' so by the time I was old enough to develop interests Star Wars was not a "hot" item so to speak (meaning it wasn't bombarding me on tv).  Growing up I knew about Star Wars but never saw it.  Until TPM came out when I was 16.  While looking back on it the film was of course not as good as the OT, but it lit the fire.  I began absorbing EVERYTHING Star Wars.  Between the release of Episode I and Episode II I became damn near an expert in Star Wars.  Even landed me my first girlfriend.  But here is the rub.  I am not that into Sci-Fi.  Sure I appreciate it and do like it, but it isn't something I am really into.  I prefer Fantasy.. I read Lord of the Rings when I was 10 to make the point :P.    I would not be as into Star Wars if it wasn't for the mystical side of it represented by the Force and its Users.  As well I am a Sword Enthusiast.  I have loved swords since the first time I heard "By the Power of Greyskull!"   So, the Lightsaber was the biggest draw of all.  The Ultimate Sword.  I found Ultrasabers from a fan film I saw sometime ago.  By this time I can not remember for the life of me what the film was called... but I asked the creator how he made the hilts and he pointed me to US.  It was a few years but I made my first purchase.  The Overlord in Guardian Blue.  Sadly I only had it for a month before life reared it's ugly head and I was forced to sell it and other things.  But that was 5 years ago and here I am with 4 Ultrasabers and desperately wanting the 5th to be the Flamberge.

I watched the original three movies as a child; I was born in 1981 so I was too young to be a part of the big hype but my dad always loved those movies and watched them frequently.  I never fell in love with them as a kid, I was too busy trying to figure out ways to make the New Kids On The Block notice me (because of course they'd fall madly in love with me as soon as they did), but I did always like them more than "well enough."

When the prequels came out I had no interest in watching them.  I thought they looked silly and I didn't need to know the backstory because the originals were awesome movies but my boyfriend has the set and encouraged me to watch them.  I've now seen the prequels a few times and still don't love them but I like them a lot better now that I've paid attention and listened to the story. 

I'll be honest, when I was invited to watch this latest movie I said yes but really I couldn't care less about it... until I actually watched it.  I want to go back - I would have gone back the same day if I could!  I love this new movie.  I like that Star Wars allows you to draw parallels to real life but also affords you the opportunity to suspend reality and be immersed in these new worlds. 

My excitement for Star Wars started building when my boyfriend got his first saber and the quality is awesome - I think it is so cool (a Manticore) - and I started getting more excited.  Then I decided to dress up with him and be a Star Wars character and go to cons, so of course I needed a saber too.  I've ordered one and am patiently waiting for it to arrive.  As I've found pieces to my costume I've decided to become a Sith Inquisitor (sorceress) and ended up ordering a second, identical, saber to create a staff and now my love for this whole universe is growing by the day.  All the research, questions, and now this forum and its wealth of information is fueling my fire!

'85 here, but more or less the same story, just that I was the first in my relationship to fuel the Star Wars fire, so my husband now gets a saber for himself because of me :D

I am a child of 1977.  Star Wars has been part of my life for my whole life.  They say you can't mark the baby.  They are wrong.

My parents saw it in a drive in theater because they has spend the summer preparing the house for me.  I was born two days after they saw the move...about two weeks earlier than expected.

There are certain parts of the movie I can feel more than just hear.

Nice ithekro. :)

I was raised into it. Being the youngest of two sisters, 27-30 and an older brother 35, I was practically raised on it. I am 22 right now.

 My brother had so many star wars micromachines and very well built models (that I incidentally destroyed after years of playing with them). Besides that my best friends growing up loved it, so it was all Hasbro lightsabers and star wars themed B day parties.

I saw Episode I, II and III in theaters, opening night. I even missed school to see AOTC.

I guess I've been spoiled lol. We were the second group in line opening day for VII. I ordered my first saber right around then.

For me, after growing up and understanding more than just lasers in space. I became fascinated with the concept of The Force.

Now I am adding a VA saber to my collection.

STAR WARS $%&#$@@&%& RULES!!!!!

For me, it is a blissful escape.  The stress and drama of life leads me to not want to watch the same stress and drama on TV or in the movies.  But Star Wars takes me to a place so far from reality that I don't want to come back.  That and the cool lightsabers . . . .

I like the story best. This is something that a lot of other sci-fi movies don't make it as near as good with their complicated twists and convoluted plots. And the whole SW industry around it is awesome - sabers being one of them!  ;D

I was a casual fan before The Force Awakens--but truthfully, too overwhelmed with the size of the EU to consider getting into Star Wars that seriously.

And then TFA happened and I was HOOKED.  Now the fandom is truly approachable for me (not to say I don't appreciate some Legends stuff once in a while, but it's no longer obligatory), and as you know, I ended up getting really drawn in by the story.

Well, it all started a loooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggg time ago. My dad had bootlegs of ANH and ESB recorded off of HBO. And my first theatre experience was ROTJ at the age of 2. I honestly cannot remember life before SW. Cognitive memory hadn't developed yet. ;D

As I got older the sheer scale of the engineering just blew my mind. It is probably one of the single greatest contributors of my fascination with engineering, and why I became one.

That's excellent.  Envious. :)

I like to think so.

Also, a degree in engineering is quite impressive. 

That's no small feat.  My brother has an ring made of Fe as well. ;)

I'd have prefer Stainless if not tungsten carbide. Iron rusts. As far as my engineering degree, math and science have always come pretty easy to me. Unfortunately that damn logic upgrade makes it difficult for me to suspend disbelief when watching movies, especially sci-fi. So if I can believe the fictitious tech, you did a good job.

Personally, I choose to ignore things like...oh...say - no sound in space...or fire, but whatever.

I have a math/science background as well (Chem Tech), but it was a three year diploma...not a degree.

I usually don't pay too much attention to the sound thing, but the little uber-nerd in my brain started spanking it the first time I saw Jayne fire Vera in the vacuum. _{No sound}

HAHAHA!

*MENTAL PIC* Delete, delete, delete. :)

I remember when my parents took me to see Empire Strikes Back in the theaters when it came out. That's when I first liked SW. From millennium falcon, the X-wing fighters, the droids, and the amazing power of the force and lightsabers. I had never seen anything else like this! It has a storyline and fight scenes and amazing planets in other galaxies that causes you to wonder is there places like this out in space. Lol! When I was little I believed in the force and lightsabers and cool spaceships. But when I got older, I knew it was all visual effects, but there's still that small kid part of me that loves to imagine that it's real Lol! I love that it's a generational story about a special family long time ago from a far far far away galaxy. But it's always close to my heart growing up with Star Wars throughout the years.


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I love reading these.

midichlorians told me to do it.

Good answer.

+1

Midichlorians are a myth. And a bad myth at that.

Elaboration required.

It was a weak plot device used so they could quantify how strong in the Force Anakin was. Ever notice how it never comes up again?

I just always applied the same logic behind Magic vs. Muggle in HP. You're either born with it, or not. And you just are strong or weak in it.

Comes up in the Clone Wars a few times.  Not even dealing with Anakin.

It doesn't come up after the Jedi are gone as such things are outlawed, suppressed, and perhaps even forgotten under the Empire (the Jedi and Force became almost a Myth in under a generation).  Such knowledge was not imparted on Luke.  At least to our knowledge.

Actually, that's kind of always the way I looked at it as well...until TPM...I don't remember ever hearing about it again in the movies, and haven't watched anything beyond that.

They are never mentioned in SWTOR.

http://www.gamesradar.com/star-wars-old-republic-contains-zero-mentions-midi-chlorians/

Seems as though they're a fairly recent discovery.

I must be the odd one out that was not at all fazed by the midichlorian thing.  I can't get into all of my reasons why that is because some of it hits philosophical territory that is not allowed for discussion here, but one reason I CAN say is that seeing as I came into Star Wars from Star TREK, I tend to look for explanations a lot.  It did not seem so odd to me to see midichlorians as something similar in concept to real mitochondria.

(Oh and now, a group of organisms found in nature thought to be related to human mitochondria have been scientifically named "midichlorians"!  Life imitating art!)

I like how it brings SW more into reality. It does take away from some of the mysticism of the Force, but modern scientific advancements have done the same thing with many mythological beliefs today.

If you were interested in taking that first part to PM, I would not be averse to discussing it further there. :)

What I can definitely say I agree on is that it made it feel a little more like with just a small tweak, that we could (metaphorically) make our universe into that one.  For me, that was not a bad thing.

I edited it, I had a feeling that was pushing close to the edge of the rules  :D

Adjusted my own post as well.

got to the thread late & am wishing I had caught the unedited posts.

I dig SW mostly for the wretched hive of scum and villainy.

#MyKindOfScum

Also: Lando Calrissian!

#HanShotFirst

#ExceptThatOneTime

<-- What did you expect?

too soon? LOL

I wasn't bothered by it, either.  In fact, I liked the concept.   The midichlorian is the powerhouse of the Jedi?  I'm fine with it. 

As for why I like Star Wars?  I grew up with it.  My parents loved it.  They introduced me to it and at a very young age, I was taken with it.   I can't really get into the reasoning here because it borders on rule-breaking discussion, but let's just say the philosophies and such are important to me. 

Why do I like Star Wars? Here's a list of five reasons:

1) Explosions
2) Lasers
3) Big explosions
4) The Force
5) REALLY BIG EXPLOSIONS

6. Lightsabers?  ;)

Oh yeah, and those too. So that's 6 reasons.

That's my sole argument for why SW is better than ST. Nuff said

Is that possible I have my silver saber because the first SW movie I saw as a kid (Ep4 back in the very early 1980s) was on our black and white television?
I remember how sweet that moment was when Luke fired up that Graflex first time in Obi-Wan's hut - I was having 5 Oreo-sort of cookies (called "Pilot" in my country) on a little plate: it became a kind of a "prototype meal" I went on having later on for years when a good movie was on the plate, so I stopped eating in that moment and just watched that amazing, vibrant silver blade humming around in Luke's hand... (and of course I had no more cookies left for the duel on the Deathstar.)
I'm not sure I was disappointed when I learned it was blue later on but this subconscious imprinting appears to be pretty strong: whenever I think about a lightsaber, that picture comes up first still, the silver saber on the black and white television... :)

Have you seen Ralph McQuarrie's concept for the lightsabers? If not I think you'd like them a lot.

(http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2012/03/05/1226289/059351-ralph-mcquarrie.jpg)

(http://cdn.arstechnica.net/2012/03/04/ralph-stormtrooper-4f53a59-intro.jpg)

RUN! It's the Futurama cops.

Oh, yes, I forgot it completely :) Thanks for the heads up!

I wanted to thank Lord Rapine for starting this thread and I wanted to thank everyone else who posted here.  I always enjoy hearing how Star Wars has influenced others lives. 

Star Wars has played a major role in my life over the years and I have enjoyed every part of it.  Star Wars and I were conceived together and grew up together.  I have seen every Star Wars movie repeatedly in Theaters and on TV.  I had always dreamed about having a lightsaber and would always "Force Choke" my brother when he made me mad.  When I was in high school I dressed up as Luke Skywalker and made my first lightsaber out of an old flashlight and wrapped it in aluminum foil.  I eventually had to grow up and go to college, get a job and live life.  The first lightsaber I bought  was the ones from Disney World that you build yourself.  My kids and I had fought with them for years.  I played Jedi Academy, KOTOR and KOTOR II, The Force Unleashed, and Force Unleashed II.  I finally started looking into saber companies and found how the price range varied so much.  Then I found US and stalked the Forum until I decided to buy my first saber.  My first became five and that increased even more.  I have enjoyed being here and meeting all of the great forum members. I enjoy spending time with all of you and hearing about your life experiences. 

MTFBWY

KDP

When I was kid/early teens my uncle let me watch the whole original trilogy on dvd and that got me started on a path to wanting a lightsaber eventually I went to see the prequel movies(I was a let down by them a little bit) thats how I started my Star Wars addiction but it wasnt until last year that I got more into the series.I never regretted and happy that Star Wars is now ever so popular now.

May The Force Be With You

I was born in 1973, so I was pretty much born at the right time to become properly hooked on the star wars universe. Star Wars was always around.  Empire Strikes Back was the first movie I saw in a theater. I actually saw A New Hope at the theaters after that, but before Jedi came out. I also had a ridiculous number of  the toys, mostly imperial. I absolutely  love sci-fi ships and vehicles, and Star Wars is packed with so many varieties and so many of the best designs. Also the fact that many of them aren't pristine, as you see so often, makes them feel more real and just amazing. Of course the lightsaber was the best idea ever. A sword with an energy blade that cuts everything, how can that not be amazing. I think Empire being my first exposure was kind of cool because it's one those few movies where the good guys come away pretty beat up and shaken and that makes for a big difference versus what most movies give you. I'm also a big sucker for redemption stories and the OT is one of the best for that.

I used to build pvc saber hilts, but they never quite get that look and feel of metal. Also, I should never be allowed to wire anything. So that where Ultrasabers came in. I looked at ( drooled over) the sabers for a couple of years and finally this last December I was in a place where I could finally indulge one of my longest fantasies. And the sabers are everything I ever wished they would be!

ESB was the best of any of them IMO.

Agreed

For me, my experience with Star Wars is similar with my experience with Transformers. Big fan when I watched the movies (cartoon serial for TF), had my excitement died down for quite a while due to the lack of available media in my country (the TV company stopped broadcasting cartoon from the USA and switched to Japanese anime), then I got my excitement grown bigger exponentially due to the recent movies (Ep VII TFA) in the theater!

After I watched TFA, I decided to rekindle my 'old flame' of SW and started rewatching Ep I to VI, The Clone Wars animated series, and read the novels...

Then I thought to myself...What is a SW fan if he/she doesn't have his own lightsaber? Along came US to my life...

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I have always loved the movie originally named just "Star Wars". It was the first movie I saw in my life. I still remember to this day the feeling I had walking out of that theater. When asked what I thought about it, I turned and told my mom " I want to be a Jedi when I grow up ". I was 3 years old. I had seen every movie, even the TV specials. It really wasn't until I was much older and could understand what it was the story, characters, and the entire universe of it truly meant or represented. So when my son was born, I knew that he would love those movies, "like his father before him". I still remember the excitement that he and I shared when I showed him the first trailer for episode 7. It was electric. As we patiently waited for it to come out in theaters, I had hoped that he would get the same experience that I had soo many years ago. This was his first Star Wars trilogy that he would get to experience. He had already watched the first two trilogies, the clone wars and rebels animated series. He was truly a fan. I'll never forget the experience and deja vu that he instilled in me with his excitement of seeing the Millennium Falcon, but nothing more so than when he actually cried when Han died. It damn near made me cry as I consoled him. We have both watched it 2 more times in the theaters, and 9 more times at home. Each time I get to relive that first theatrical experience with him over and over again (he still gets emotional every time that scene comes on). Thank you Star Wars, without you this memory would not be as significant.

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Watching episode 7 felt very much like watching ANH to me, and I had a major lump in my throat when Solo fell.  I idolized him since I was six. :(

Thanks for sharing. :)

Although I hate 7 more than any other (including the mistakes of Jar-Jar and the dialogue of ATC) it did have its moments of true emotional upheaval.

Yes, when Han gets killed, there is an insta-black hole in my chest. I saw it 4 time in the theatre, same effect all 4 times. (At least I think. The first viewing I kinda blacked out from rage.)

Another good moment was when Rey pulled the saber to her over Ren. I just got this sense of "this is my destiny, and I will oppose you." Although that whole thing with the saber kinda smacks a little too much of the HP notion that "the wand chooses the wizard."

I instantly hated Kylo Ren when he killed Han, and wished Chewie shot him in the face.

Great analogy with HP. I got the same vibe. :)

I was about 6 or 7 when we got a subscription to one of those mail in movie clubs.  We got the last VHS release of the OT and I was hooked when I watched it.  It was sort of one of those SW resurgences that happens every so often.  They made tons of new toys to go with the VHS release and I had to have them all.  I really wish I had all that stuff.  I had like the awesome exploding TIE fighter and electronic X-wing, all kinds of micro machines.

Eventually I'd get a PC and get my hands on the Dark Forces and Jedi Knight games and get introduced to Kyle Katarn (my favorite Star Wars character, rip EU).  I was part of the modding community making all sorts of stuff.  TIE Fighter and X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter were also amazing games that made me wish I could be a pilot in Star Wars.  I miss those days on the Microsoft Gaming Zone.

As much hate as they get the prequels really sparked my imagination for what Jedi could do and really made me way more interested in the lightsaber side of things vs flying ships and wishing I could be a storm trooper lol.

As an adult it's been a lot of fun introducing Star Wars to my wife, who had never seen any of it before.  Unfortunately my love for it had waned as I became an adult.  It was almost like rediscovering it over again myself.

So, this is why Star Wars is so important to me:

I saw A New Hope when I was a little over 3 years old. Who can remember stuff when they're that age, I hear you ask. Well, me.
It was the first movie I ever saw at the theatre. My dad took me, and we went opening day over here in England. Bear in mind that there was NO hype at all for the movie over here at the time, but we arrived early, and sat on the steps of the theatre, waiting for it to open (my dad had seen a feature in a magazine about Star Wars, and being a sci fi nut, decided we had to go).

When the movie started, with that opening shot of the Star Destroyer blotting out everything, I stood up and walked over to the balcony (we had sat in the second tier to get a better view), eyes unblinking and fixed on the screen. I remember every single frame of the movie, and as my dad is fond of recounting, only tore my gaze from the screen once, to ask him how C3P0 goes to the bathroom in that suit.

Fun fact. I still have the original companion booklets that the theatres gave out for ANH and ESB in my possession.

AMAZING!

Right on FathomFlier!  Great story. :)

Yes, what an unforgettable movie.  Introduced to all sorts of new things - in '77 no less!  :P  And here we are, over 40 years later, buying lightsabers. :D

Awesome about those booklets.  That's got to feel really special.

Thanks for sharing. :)

+1

Thanks, LR  ;D

And now, with the new movies coming out, I get to continue the tradition. Only this time, I take my dad instead of the other way around.

I know that he will want an US saber when he finally sees the one I ordered.

I think that was what was so amazing about SW; it was initially just another low budget sci-fi movie dominated by a bunch of no-name actors. But when all was said and done and on screen..............O.............M...................G. It was one of the greatest things ever witnessed by human eyes.

Does anyone else appreciate the irony that the movies got progressively worse as the budgets got bigger? (ESB is excused.)

Interesting suggestion, Darth Logos. I take your point, although I do love the new movies.

On a related note, I love how the first line of TFA is "This will begin to make things right." - It's like JJ knew how disliked the prequels are, and wanted to nod to the fans that he gets it, and he wants to take it back in the direction of the originals. I smiled so much when I first heard that line.

It probably won't surprise anyone that I've always loved swords.  You could probably go so far as to call it an "obsession" which began when I was very little, and watched anything and everything which involved swordsmen.  Naturally, Star Wars was one of these things.  This all led to me starting fencing around 2001, when I was in 8th grade or so.

Oddly enough, though, I didn't have much of a fixation on Star Wars in particular at that point (as compared to other interests).  My fanaticism with Star Wars would come later, when my buddy Artorius and I found Ultrasabers and realized there was a way for us to ACTUALLY FIGHT WITH LIGHTSABERS!  They were PVC at that point, but it was still a life changing acquisition.  We each got one, his being a blue Omen and mine being a green Dominix, and finally had a common ground for our swordsmanship.  Ever since then, I've been absolutely hooked on Star Wars and lightsabers.

So you can see why I've stuck around here so long... as silly as it sounds, Ultrasabers is responsible for contributing to my adult life in a huge way, and ultimately giving a new dimension to my friendship with Artorius.

<gritting teeth and uncomfortably smiling politely>


I think you've already read the story of my obsession with lightsabers. So when I finally held an Ultrasaber, it was the culmination of my being.

HAHA!  I was curious as to what your response would be Logos.

FathomFlier, Darth Logos is not a fan of TFA or J.J. Abrams whatsoever. :)

---

Awesome story Master Nero.  Good to read that. :)

Until now, I've only seen pics, and heard the tale. ;)

Thanks for sharing.

Star Wars has always been a part of my life, even though I didn't watch the movies until I was like 7 or 8. We had plastic lightsabers, knew who Luke and Han and Obi-Wan and Vader and Princess Leia all were. We knew that Vader was Luke's dad, yet we still hadn't watched the movies. One Christmas we got the original trilogy, and as soon as us kids opened it we all cheered. We watched them that night and the night after, and then a few weeks later my brother and I went and bought the prequel trilogy. We then watched all six of them in order again. That was the beginning of my obsession.

My brother got a Force FX Anakin saber (Anakin was our favorite character back then) for Christmas a few years later, and ever since I have wanted a real saber. Somehow my sister knew or knew of a guy who made custom sabers, so we all drew up saber designs (mine had an orange blade) and I'm pretty sure my two brothers both sent an email to the guy trying to get a price. Nothing ever came about from that, but I still wanted a saber. Eventually we found US where I saw they had Orange blades. About two years after I decided that I was going to get one I had enough money to buy one. I still spent about another year trying to decide on which one though. Eventually I decided and bought it (in FO). TFA came out a year later, and I slowly started getting my friends to buy sabers. Now I have four and am still collecting. Though strangely, even though I know more about SW than LOTR, I am still a bigger LOTR fan. :-\

One for Taegin then:
(https://i.imgur.com/372qish.jpg)

Awesome story man.  Cripes you're patient...lol

Thanks for sharing.  I really like hearing about these. :)

That's right. The best of both worlds. ;D

Being able to wait is actually kind of nice. You don't get quite so anxious waiting for you hilt to come in. :D

Horses for courses. I hate the prequels, but love the new ones, and was raised on the OT.

Sorry, Logos. ;)

Time for Lady K’s novella on how she fell in love with SW
Logos, you already know most of this  ;D

My first time seeing SW was accidental. I was 6 years old and it was Christmas evening. We had just gotten home from the relatives and I decided to watch tv. I started flipping through and nothing good was on, then I caught sight of those kriffing teddy bears. I had seen The Ewok Adventure before and thought it was meh, but nothing else was on so why not. Boy was I wrong. All of a sudden there were lasers and fighting and speeder bikes and hell yeah this I can stand. The scene cut to a giant half built space station… then to those red indicator lights on the turbo lift… Then it happened. Darth Vader appeared into my life. As soon as I heard that iconic breath my soul knelt to the Dark Side, even before I had any idea of what it was. Darth Vader has been my hero ever since.

I grew up in a non nerd household, so I had to get my SW fix by getting lucky and finding it on tv. When I was 8 I finally got the Trilogy box set on VHS for my birthday… I watched it continuously. When no one was home I would crank the sound system up till the windows would rattle. If you can’t feel a Star Destroyer flying past you, it’s not loud enough. :P

When the bastardized versions were released in theaters I saw them all. I was a little disappointed that the only thing they did was add some pointless scenes, but who cares? I got to see SW on the big screen!!! I was so cheesed off with that kriffing “NOOOOOOOOO” they dubbed in when Vader took out the Emperor. How dare you make my Lord Vader into such a weakling? *growls*

When the prequels came out, I saw all of those in the theatre as well. I cannot describe the excitement I felt waiting for TPM to start on opening night… Oh the disappointment. I was happy to be getting Vader’s backstory, Pod racing was cool to watch and the duel between Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Maul made it worth it… But the bar was not met, not even close. ATC was… an even bigger disappointment. But hey, massive Jedi battle! ROTS… finally we are getting somewhere. Not. Mediocre acting, mediocre writing, mediocre CGI and mediocre choreography all culminate into a meh movie. Hey Ani finally falls Woot! When he was put in the suit, I thought that the meh movie would be made worth it. I was wrong. Another kriffing “NOOOOOOOO” broke my heart. I only saw each prequel once, until recently. Those movies nearly killed SW for me. I would watch SW if it came on tv, but I didn’t seek it out.

When TFA came out, it hardly registered with me. Why should I waste my time and money on something that will probably be a bitter disappointment? I didn’t watch TFA until Rogue One came out. It was alright. The characters intrigued me, and I really wanted to love Kylo Ren. I couldn’t quite get past the pissy uncontrolled man-child they made him, a pity, such potential. The story was weak. I figured it was growing pains from the Mouse taking over and trying to get everything figured out. Han Solo. Nuff said.

When Rogue One came out I saw it in theaters twice. That movie served no real purpose to the overall story of the Skywalker line but who kriffing cares! Finally a real SW movie, with the look and tone of the originals. Oh my Force such a beautiful movie… Death Star destruction <3 When that red lightsaber lit the darkness and Darth Vader started cutting down Rebel scum… I cried. There was my Lord Vader. And my love was born anew. I started catching up on all the things I had missed since I gave up.

In January of 2017 I was watching YT vids of Kendo matches because Kendo rocks. A random video of a lightsaber duel came up in the suggestions bar… My mind was blown. I didn’t think lightsabers were anything more than a plastic toy you pay too much for at Wal-Mart. Started digging around and discovered US. Bought an Emerald Manticore in May and haven’t looked back.

I'm trying.

So proud of you! You get a -1 gold star.

BRILLIANT!!!

Awesome story LK!!!  Thanks so much for sharing.  GREAT mental pic while I have my first coffee.  :D

-1 for that right there.

I didn't care for the prequels much either, but was kind of glad that the story was being told at least.  Yes, ROTS is my favourite one out them as well.  Anakin falling is pretty cool.  

Oh!  The Vader scene in R1?!  NERDGASM!!  I "SQUEEED" like a little girl. :P
(https://i.imgur.com/xxmsOYy.jpg)

Hey! Emerald Manticore!  That was my first saber too!  Another -1 for that. :)


-1 to Logos for teeth impressions on your inner cheek.  Good on ya. ;)

Glad I could entertain. And thanks  ;D


Every Darksider squeed and had a nerdgasm. I just took it to the next level by tearing up.
And that is great


Such a fantastic saber! What was your first color on it? I had it set to PO tho it's now a proper red.

Still proud of you Logos! Have another -1 Gold star

I ordered it in BR, but set the slider to around 80% when I got it.  Makes a nice dark red.

I also played around with flicker, so that looks about right now too.  Oh, and I got RGBW as well, so a nice, white FoC. :)

Swapped out for a Renegade SE small pommel, and a Dark Manitcore emitter.  Blackstar font. BOOM!  Dark Manticore. ;)

LAK, my opinions echo yours, almost movie-for-movie.  Absolutely awesome anecdote!  Wonderful read and I could empathize with SO much  :)

LOL I LOVE that meme  :D  Thanks LR  :)

Not just Darksiders!  That was--bar none--my favorite part of Rogue 1 (and I liked that movie more than any other SW movie since the OT)  ;D

Hey just sharing the love. :)  Pay it forward, and all that, and like I mentioned, this is a great way to enjoy my (second now) coffee this morning. 

I was up late, and slept WAY late. :P

+1 to you, Dutch. :)

Lady Agana Kath - I'm Lightside through and through, and I don't mind admitting that I nearly leapt out of my seat at *that* Vader scene.

That was the Vader I had been waiting basically my whole life to see. It was glorious.

Yes, it was.  ;D

I saw part of ROTJ on TV I don’t even remember how long ago and shortly after I went on a weird no sci-fi stint (I don’t know what I was thinking! Sci-Fi is Life!). Then we went on a trip to a relative’s house when I was 8. I got SO bored; I started poking around the house and found one of the Corellian Trilogy books. Sucked me right in. It took me a long time to find another copy so I could finish it. I’m sure that if you asked my classmates what they remember about me from 7th to 12th grade they’d say something along the lines of a short brunette twig with a Star Wars book for face. I also “borrowed” my brother-in-law’s OT VHS box set until I got my own copy on DVD. I had it so long that he forgot it was his.

HA! Right on Lady Mineva. :)

Yeah, I gave up on sci-fi there for a bit as well.  Through my twenties, real life reigned.  :P

I haven't gotten into too many books...I keep being distracted by shiny things...lol

I am about half way through Darth Plagueis right now though.  I have been for months. :P

Thanks so much for sharing that.  It really is neat to picture all of you guys being young, geeky SW fans - like I was.  :D

+1

1985, i am 8 ... for a reason i do not remember, a little theater played "La Guerre des Etoiles", Star Wars : A new hope in French ;) . My teacher did not make class an afternoon and we went to watch it ...

... and it was like a dream ... and then, there were questions ... many many questions!!! What after? And Before? Who is this princess? Clone wars? Republic? an emperor? .......

I asked my parents and they bought the trilogy ... I do not know how many times i watched the three movies ... all what i love regarding to entertainment was in this three movies ...
 
But i needed more ... By the time, i had many books and comics, i played "Star Wars D6" table top RPG and our first campaign was our own version of Rogue One :P

An then, there was TPM ... and, sorry to say that, i was in a dream again ... I LOVED THAT ... Ok, many many bad technical problems and Jar Jar ... but we saw Planets ... we saw a Jedi Order ... we saw, at last, the universe we imagined ... and the fight Maul/Kenobi/Jin with the sanscrit music ...  

Honestly, i really really love Ep. 1 - 3 ...

And Lucasfilm was sold to Disney with the promise of more movies ... Happy i was!!!

But they communicate about the reboot of the EU ... and all what i read (The twins, the red hear woman with the violet saber ....) was sent to the void ...

Unfortunately, TFA came and i was more than disappointed as this "movie" was (put the bad word you want here)  ... but Rogue One was a blast to me ... the Vader scene ... WOW .... And i spend a good time with TLJ ... so i want to be optimistic ...


Since 1985, Star Wars is part of me ;)

Most excellent Seb. :D

HA! "La Guerre des Etoiles"!  I had that soundtrack. :P

Very cool. You totally took me there.  

Yes, for all the dissing the prequels take, you gotta like that Maul fight scene, and you're right, Jedi Council was cool.  The Falcon scene with Finn and Rey in TFA was good.   "WOO!"   That whole Finn and Poe steal a TIE fighter part is good too.  "Wow! This thing really moves!"  HA!


Thanks for sharing man.

+1

Thanks ;)

And about "La Guerre des Etoiles" ... fun fact: I think that nobody believed in this movie here in 1977 and, as a consequence, the dubbed version of the movie was (and remain) catastrophic ... a shame ...  ;D

Yeah - anytime original cast member voices get dubbed is a travesty.

I agree ... but when it is seriously done it is acceptable ...

The top is actor like Christopher Lee of actress like Jodie Foster, Diane Kruger or Emma Thompson who can dub themselves in several languages ;)

Don't forget Monica Bellucci  ;)

SHAME ON ME  ::)

Monica Bellucci is UNFORGATABLE!!!!!!!!

Point to the fine French gentleman master!  ;D

Points to everyone on this page for making it a joyful stop. :D

Point back my lords ;)

I think 'merde' works just fine. ;D

Wait........what are we talking about? I heard "Monica Bellucci" and forgot what was going on.

Ohhhh yesss ... have a foreign language point ;)

Here, we also say « une purge » ;)


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

My French is very limited.

Seems that the literal translation of "une purge" is "a purge" ... it will not help i think ;)

No. Another purge would totally help. >:D

 ;D

Hokay, sorry for late joining this thread but seriously, it’s a good topic, and this is something I actually think it worth stating and going over.

It’s probably not your standard answer, but I like Star Wars because it helped me understand war. Like, to go further, it helped me understand that it was not what it was originally sold as. That conflict is not a good guy beating a bad guy, but a complex relationship that is tragic and unwanted, but at the same time, heroic.
To try and explain that a bit I have to go to my favorite star wars games, X-Wing, and Tie-Fighter. I actually picked up X-Wing after my father saw I was very interested in the X-Wing book series by Michael Stackpole, and assumed it was a game about the book. What I got hooked on though was that first person deal. As a little girl, I was right there. I felt like that game was the most realistic simulation available. I even had the microwave fish sticks like Luke had in ep5. You know, total immersion (lol). Well, my single digit brain started off like most going “I’m flying the X wings, shooting the tie fighters, saving the world” but then the next game came out, TIE Fighter.

As I got that for my birthday, everything kinda changed for me. I first was like, “Wow I don’t want to play the empire.” But as I tried it, and as I saw first off how nice the staff officer was who guided me through the missions, cared about if we lost a wingman on the way back, and was just generally supportive. I was like “Oh he’s nice.” Then expanded that understanding when I got to the arc about the Ripoblus and Dimok forces fighting each other in bloody civil war, and you as the Empire show up and go “Yeah we don’t need to be fighting.” And well, they’re right. It was pointless. I kind of realized that the role of me as a TIE Fighter wasn’t really this oppressor, more as it was a police officer on the wrong side of the law, who takes those good moments of getting to do something right, like save those kids on the shuttles, and it got me thinking. And kept me thinking.

It’s probably why I liked Gundam in my teens and so on, I found I wanted to get to know the Empire, Zeon, the Zentradi, and so on. Star Wars made me realize that no one is really perfect, and that’s also ok. And if we’re really willing to understand that, the story is much more beautiful, and tragic, where it’s two groups of brave heroes fighting for what they believe in, during an unreconcilable conflict, and that kind of helped me be the person I am.

So, Star Wars is awesome. I hope that future generations get to keep a Star Wars that cool.

Extremely cool EmmyV!

I'm happy to know that it touched you so deeply.  Been a part of your life since you found it, and such.  That's excellent.

Thank you for sharing. :D

+1

I've so many points to award for this. 1 for "Hokay", 1 for the insight into "the bad guys", and at least 3 for the Gundam love. ;D As I got older, I too began to enjoy the dichotomy of war/conflict. The idea that someone is just pure evil and gets off being a universal dick was just "too easy". Having bad guys with feelings?....that's a bit more interesting. It's why I eventually turned fully to the Sith. Because every great hero needs a great villain to fight, but also that every "hero" is someone else's villain. ;)

SW was the first movie I ever saw. I was 4 at the time, and seeing ANH just imprinted something on me. I was hooked and drawn into this world, and I never left. I played with SW toys, most of my childhood is steeped in SW, movies, books, comics, toys. As I got older I realized how much Han Solo and his personality had really shaped me, though now I think more in terms of Jedi and Sith characters.

Its such a rich universe, full of great stories and characters, sacrifice, wisdom, power grabbing, conflict, the search for peace, questions of when its appropriate to act, lessons for the real world. Everyone has a character they identify with.

Then of course Knights of the Old Republic came along for the Xbox, and was just about the best game ever made, so much awesomeness. I love that I can share this world and its stories with my son, it was so much fun for me to take him to the premiere of TFA and RO and TLJ, something we can share and talk about and bond over.

When the prequels came out I was excited, and I actually enjoyed them. Yes, TPM has some issues, and yes Jar Jar is an obnoxious character but I still enjoyed the movie and Clone Wars and ROTS were just awesome. Then TFA was good and I really enjoyed RO a lot.

And I don't do much PC gaming anymore, but if they ever make TOR into an MMO on console, I wont be able to throw my money at them fast enough.

I hated TLJ, for many many reasons, but in no way am I done with SW. One bad movie hopefully is just that, one bad movie. I am looking forward to Solo. I just have spent so much time in this fantasy galaxy, video games, books, toys, fan fiction, etc. I know its a movie, but its part of me and shaped my childhood and teen years and is just part of who I am. I have no shame being a middle aged Star Wars nerd, my wife is not a fan, but like I said its something I can share with my son.

While I was first introduced to SW by watchign the movies on TV a long time ago, what really drew me in was the part Disney put to the torch.
I am Talkign abotu the old EU, mosty the rise of the Empire to early new Republic eras.
I don't know how often I read through both the Thrawn triologie and the X-Wing bookseries.
Both the Clone wars and Rebels I followed as closely as possible, the first one I hve rewatched in its entirety at least twice.
Also ever since SWTOR came out, I have something of a fonness for the old republic era, although I only play on and off since EA made the switch to a pay to win modell.

You can sit with me. ;D

I have been quietly enjoying this thread for a while now. I figured it was finally time I shared my story. I apologize for the length, but as you may be able to tell about me, I am an “all in” type person when I do something.
I get very emotional when I ponder this topic.  Star Wars has been with me, always.  I was born in 1974 and literally my very first memory is seeing Star Wars on the big screen.  Nothing detailed, simply the giant scale of everything and the images- the enormity of the star destroyer, the twin suns, endless sand and grit of Tatooine, shimmering droids, anti-sceptic clean of the death star and of course light sabers.  It truly was my first step into a larger world.  I’m sure these vague images were enhanced in my memory by my cool Aunt often retelling the story of taking 3-year-old me to the movie when everyone thought I was too young.  She liked to take credit for sparking what has become this lifelong passion. 
As a kid of the 80s, I think of how immersive and real the Star Wars universe felt.  The movies were like a watching a documentary of actual events. I was certainly the target demo for Kenner, and for sure hooked on the toys. But for me it wasn’t just about collecting and owning these pieces of plastic- it was about being able to play in this sandbox universe.  Imagination coming alive. Telling my own stories.
In the early 90s as a young man, I discovered a new connection to the films.  It spoke to me in a whole different, existential way.  Here I was trying to figure out my place in the world and I rediscover my old friend and hero Luke.  He is full of the same angst and yearning, looking out over sand at the setting twin Suns (chills writing this with the force theme in my head). Like so many of us, I was inspired once again- to go out and find my own Quest, my own self-rescuing princess, my own Death Star to blow up.  I also reconnected to the toys and found myself into collecting.  The 90s was a great time to acquire (at the time not so “vintage”) Star Wars Toys cheap- everyone I knew in college had a tub full sitting in their parent’s basement and could use a few bucks.  I soon found myself with a huge surplus and started to resell the extras for a bit of a profit out of a Flea Market booth. Believe it or not, before eBay, internet forums, massive comic cons and such, the Flea Market was THE place for people to come together and talk Star Wars/Fantasy/Sci-Fi.  I made many friends and passed the long hours discussing Star Wars with customers and my business partner just like scenes out of “Clerks”. 
Then I remember the excitement of the Prequels, camping out for tickets, midnight toy releases/movie screenings.  Reconnecting with old friends and getting into whole new philosophical debates given the new material. The onslaught of toys, Video games, books and comics to consume- and I did all the above as much as possible. 
Of course, Star Wars was not done with me as I embarked on more grownup journeys.  Career, marriage, house, child.  I must say, some of my fondest Star Wars memories are as a father connecting with my daughter.  Going to opening movie nights (TFA, R1, TLJ), a pilgrimage together to Rancho Obi-won, comic cons, waiting for the new Rebels episodes, afternoons building Legos, discussing theories on the nature of the force. Watching her connect and identify with all these incredible and strong female characters.  It has been amazing.
Now for just over two years, I have been training and studying light saber combat- and in case you haven’t noticed- having a total blast doing it!!! There is a Japanese saying from Kendo that translates, “learning love/friendship through the crossing of swords” that certainly applies to what we do. 
Through it all, to answer the question that started this tread, what do I like Star Wars? It has to be the connection to people.  “It surrounds us and penetrates us- it binds the galaxy together”. Memories of those that have been a part of my journey- for a small part long ago or still with me today.  Those that have aided my quest or covered my back on trench runs.  And those that have become one with the force, like my cool Aunt that started it all when she took me to see Star Wars in 1977. 

*Applauds* Excellent story Musashi!

Sani and Lord V, also great stories! You guys rock for the Legends love  ;D

Points all around!

Amazing. :D 

Thank you all for sharing - these are fantastic!

Points for all. :)

My story begins with my radfather taking me to the moves when I was 6 or 7 years old, in 1977. Never had I seen anything like this- it impacted me. In 19080, when ESB came out, and 83with ROTJ- my love for this story only grew.

Wait until 1998-1999, I’m abroad, things aren't going great- and Episode 1 is there to ground me. And the rest iis history. A story I love, and a ommunity of like minded folks to share these stories with, in a million different ways... cosplay, RPG, tabletop games, VG...it is awesome no matter what.

"My legend begins in the twelfth century...."

(https://static.zerochan.net/Excalibur.%28SOUL.EATER%29.full.702846.jpg)


Thanks for the ADD laughs. ;D -1

Lolol. Only you, Logos

What can I say? I love the little annoying freak.

Just wait until the final showdown  ;D

my friend showed me ANH when I was 4 and I have been hooked ever since. I'm just sad I didn't find ultrasabers sooner.

I was actually shown US back in college. (At least I think it was them) But when I saw this 4 years ago, I knew I had found them again.

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oI844hXAVAo/Tdiyn7GvDTI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/twKkDodOI7o/s1600/bladecollage12511.jpg)

Haha, this picture is actually what made a big enough impression on me about 6-8 years ago that I actually remembered about US when I started looking for a Saber.

That's actually the picture that led me to US! before that, I found a couple of the other guys and I was like "Why are they so expensive?!?!?!?" then I found US and was like "YAY! I can actually afford these!"

When my dad first showed me the first film A New Hope when I was probably 5 or 6. The whole lightsaber aspect alone sold me. Back then I didn't even care about anything else,.not even the story it self lolll. I just knew right then and there that I wanted to become a jedi when I grew up. And im a man of my word..so today im 29 and I'm one with the force and the force is with me.

I have a lot of hobbies that I'm really into of which I have friends that I connect with: 

I'm a Marine: I served 10 years in the Marines and all through training, we were taught to work as a unit, work as one, so when one person fail, we all failed.  Once we learned that, we became a family and had this connection like no other.  In fact, til this day, the connection with my brothers and sisters not only in the Marine Corps but the entire US military, there isn't a connection that I've come across like it except for my wife. But the following fills a bit of that void, I'm going to say that it comes close but it does help.

Body Building: I have been working out since high school, entering the military, and present, it's a really addictive "hobby" and I'm trying to get into the amatuer competition.  With that said, I have a lot of friends, competitors, and trainers a like that I connect to and discuss ways to improve or gain with on a daily basis.

Comic Books/Comic Book movies: I've collected comic books and cards since the 3rd grade and have longed for a Marvel movie since the Blade trilogies.   I go to lots of Comic cons and the likes to see new comics, movies, shows, and cosplay.  I'm currently working on a cosplay for the next convention.  I can spend hours upon hours talking to people alike who read the comics and watch the movies on future movies or storylines for the comics. 

Cars: I'm not only an enthusuast with cars, I'm also a gearhead and love to buy, sell, trade, build, and race cars (Not on the streest).  I love looking at a car as an empty canvas and picturing my goals and mods for it.  With that said, I meet up at car meets not because I need to be around people (I have a thing about crowds believe it or not), but because I love car culture.  I love being able to share the love of cars, the engines, the modifications, the racing aspect, etc.  I love the following that cars from 20 years ago have which is similar in a sense, to what Star Wars is.

Star Wars: Last but not least, my whole point of this all is that I enjoy the comraderie of these interests and hobbies since it brings people who similar and different interests together because of this one thing.  From each of my hobbies, I've made at least one friend for life and I don't call everyone my friend either. 

Now, the first time I watched Star Wars, I was 7 years old (back in 1992), I remember it vividly because I was on Christmas break from school and we were planning on going to Church since there was a night special but load and behold, I woke up the day before sick...  Figures.  So I was stuck at home all weekend but Sunday night, my mom wanted to bring me to church so they can pray for me, I remember that there was the original trilogy playing so I was watching it while laying down waiting for my mom to get home and fell in love when Luke first activated Anakin's lightsaber.   Since then, I would use flashlights as a lightsaber and fight my brother.  When I got into middle school, I started reading the books and watched the prequels when they came out.  My school had an elective class (we had 7 classes) which students can choose whatever elective classes they wanted and I chose the "Star Wars and more" class.  Took that from 6th to 8th grade and was able to share our theories, knowledge, and love for the movies and the books.  I found lots of friends because of it, and I just love the comraderie of it.

Hey sweet. :)

Thanks for sharing guys.

+1

My grandma took me to see the original trilogy movies in the 90's when they were re-released, got hooked ever since. Then I randomly found Ultra Sabers in like 2005 first time I think, I think my first actual purchase was in like 2008 maybe? Then I got hooked on the prequels, now the new movies with a crossguard saber and I think that's the sickest saber design next to Maul's lightsabers =] If some of you might remember I had a Bellicose with older sound but then it broke on me a few years ago so x.x The speaker kept shorting on me I think and didn't really know how to fix it at the time. Wish I would've kept that one to turn it into a stunt at least x.x I had a big collection of regular character sabers but stupidly got rid of most of them. My top favorite was my Windu ROTS lightsaber. First purchase though was a Liberator V2 in Consular Green, really liked how that saber looked, then a Blazing Red Dominix V2 LE, then a Grab Bag scored the same saber just in Sun Rider's Destiny, really miss those 3 sabers. Then a Liberator V3 was released, got a Dark in Emerald Green, had a much tighter blade fit if that makes sense than the older ones did :P Then finally the V4 line of sabers came out and first one out of those was the Dominix V4 LE in Guardian Blue because I've always been a Dominix saber fan so, then lost those 2 sabers as well x.x I plan to re-build some of my collection back again by October so. But I myself just ignore all the Star Wars hatred as of recently, wanted to go see the Solo movie but ran out of time plus was hesitant about it too for all the confusion and beginning hate

Cool Zren.  You've had quite the collection.  :)

Zren, I'm amazed by your incredible collection!  Every time you post pictures, I look at them in awe and it also gives me the itch to buy more.

^^^Addiction^^^ :P

So true, haha. And I wouldn’t have it any other way

I first saw A New Hope when I was around 6 years old. My father showed it to me, and I thought it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, just because of the conception of technology as extraordinary as the Death Star - it opened up an entire new realm of thinking in me. Suddenly, anything could be possible if you could engineer it correctly, even a planet-destroying space station. From there I was instantly obsessed, and I made my Dad go out and rent every other Star Wars movie from the video store (yes, they still had those around back then). And with each movie I saw, I just became more and more enthralled with the technology and the vast universe of the story. This was another aspect that I'd just never seen anything like. Star Wars got me interested in space travel, and from there, I studied other aspects of the natural universe until I found my calling as an evolutionary biology major.

 And in each movie, the lightsaber duels just got better and better. I saw Revenge of the Sith in the Theater around 2 years later, and I was completely gobsmacked with how it looked, and all the epic battles. From there my father purchased me my first toy lightsaber at 8 years old, and immediately, since I barely had any friends as a kid, I'd go out into the back yard and do nothing but practice lightsaber combat all day. Pretty soon I was the Jedi Master of the block. None of the neighbor kids, or my sister wanted to fight me anymore because they knew I'd win, or they'd get whacked somewhere REALLY hard - I really loved what I now know is called the Djem So Falling Avalanche move as a kid. After that, I gained a lot of friends, but I kept practicing solo every now and then, until this year, when my marching band did a show that was nothing but the sountrack for the Force Awakens. I brought some of those cheap toy lightsabers, and at band camp during the breaks, I had a blast lopping people's limbs off (not really). I've always loved the art of the sword, and Star Wars is what sparked that interest.

In short, Star Wars has been my third parent, and for a long while, the characters in Star Wars were some of my closest friends.

But, more than just getting me interested in science and combat, the philosophies present in the movies have been battling themselves out over the course of my life - I believe strongly in fairness and justice, like a Jedi, but because of this I love to take revenge on those who have wronged me, and this has gotten me into a lot of trouble, so my parents always used to say, "Don't take revenge. That's what Sith do." But then I'd say, "what about justice?" And since then I'm always conflicted right before I do it, because I know the Sith are technically the bad guys in the Star Wars universe, but in recent years, I've embraced the Dark Side.

And found a... larger view of the Force.

Every other Star Wars fan I've met (many of whom are my friends because of our mutual fandom) has called me a Fallen Jedi, or a Jedi-turned Sith Lord, upon our discussion of the stories.

This past year, a particularly good friend of mine gave me the name Darth Trivius.

Recently, I discovered US while watching a Star Wars Theory video on Youtube, and an ad for the company popped up. Normally, I immediately x-out of those, but this one looked interesting.

Now here I am, sporting a red Aeon v4.

SWEET! 

Great story Darth Trivius.  Thanks for sharing. :)

-1

Great story, Trivius!  Welcome to the forum, I love the Aeon.  Thinking about picking one up for dueling since from what I've read, they can take a real beating and not hesitate one bit.  I like how you stuck with your love for Star Wars and continued to do so

Thanks you guys!

And for the Dark Side Points!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I was but a young lad when I met my best friend and subsequently introduced me slowly to the trilogy. I thought they were different movies all together till his brother said, "It's a series." While I'm beginning, and there's no prequel I must know that from old vhs tapes they included extras like the scene with Wedge and look in SkyHoppers driving down the canyons and dunes of Tatooine in episode IV. I went and bought the trilogies only to find that Wedge and the sky hoppers disappears, but I've got to listen to the stupidest extended version of that horrendous song alien 'singing' in it! I wanted it to end so badly. Eventually they took that out, but Wedge and Luke's sky hopper were missing. I sold  that series quickly.

My papillon who was with me agreed before he went to Disney heaven. R.I.P. Gizmo.
some 15 years later, here I am at Walmart pondering over the original film and of course the aforementioned former course of events happened, at least in my mind. So I go online and find the prequel episodes I,II,and III. I left like it's a part of my education as far as any school( old school) did . . . .
Now I'm in IT. . . .

YOU CAN SEE A POST OF THE LIGHTING OF MY ARCHON V3.1 ON MY FURNITURE THE VERY SAME WEAPON THAT LUKE USED IN RETURN OF THE JEDI. THEIR WERE 4 LIGHTS ON FAN WITH ALL LIGHTS ON, HEAVY BLADE AND FOIL STUFF INSIDE; look how bright it is with TRI lads:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/145393807@N05/40205998933/in/dateposted-ff/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/145393807@N05/40205998933/in/dateposted-ff/)

Here I am 31 years old with my life revolving around Star Wars. Let's not forget my mother buying me every action figure possible.
O Marie, consu sans peche prei pour nu qui avon recou avou.

Hey just seeing this!

Thanks for sharing guys. :)

Points.

I was about 4 when I convinced my Grandmother to take me to see it. It was probably my third movie to see in the theater. From then I was hooked  on anything Sci-Fi. For a time I was really big into Star Trek because it was always there in some form either be it in movies or T.V. decent place holder while waiting for the next Star Wars film to come out. But my one true love has always been Star Wars. Favorite characters of course have always been Chewie and Obi Wan. What drove me to US was the ongoing search for a decent looking lightsaber that didn't break the bank. US was of course that answer. I've bought several of the blade builder lightsabers for my son and was never really happy with the bulkyness of the plastic hilt or the telesopic blade. Which by the way will not hold up to even a 4 yr old beating the crap out of it. But, in short it has been my love of all things Star Wars that fueled my search for the perfect lightsaber and I think I have found that hear with US. Thank you guys and gals for keeping this old kid's fantasy alive. 

My dad had me watch the movie when I was 4, I fell in love with these goofy characters, this fascinating world, the awesome lightsaber combat and these people who inhabited a universe of possibilities. As I have gotten older I love that star wars has something for everyone, from the knight orders of the Jedi, to the dark mysticism of the dark adept, to the people just looking to make a credit, like the mandalorians, or smugglers. The galaxy is so large and expansive that if you get bored of one thing you can take a break and enjoy some shoot bangs stories from the outer rim, or from the lower levels of Coruscant if you don't want to go out that far. It's big, it doesn't always make sense, and it's beautiful and that to me is what Star Wars is all about, making your own story in this craze verse

AWESOME guys. :)

Thanks for sharing.

Points. :)

The Rebel Alliance.

I love the fight for freedom against a tyrannical empire.
I love high-speed, single-seat, stick-and-throttle, attack fighters dogfighting.
Wedge Antilles is my favorite character. Badass fighter pilot who survives the entire revolution...? Oh, yeah.

To be perfectly honest, not super-interested in the Skywalker Family Spat. I like it...but, really, I like the Alliance better.
Jedi vs Sith is okay...but, really, not the kind of good-guys-vs-bad-guys I want.

I love me good science fantasy.

High fantasy like LOTR or TES never spoke to me. The magic is always used as a plot mcguffin but never in a meaningful way, dragons are overused, and many of the themes just dont speak to me. Dont get me wrong Tolkien was nothing short of a visionary, its just not a vision i was very interested in.

But Star Wars adds in this philosophy amongst this scifi backdrop and then goes for western and samurai influences? Its so bizarre but I love good stories that play with the nature of good/evil. Another franchise that really hit the same not for me is weirdly enough the Destiny games. The magic of those universes is so seamless and feels like a part of things where high fantasy always seems disjointed to me for whatever reason. My favorite debates in these are about the dynamic light/dark shenigans. Are Sith *evil* or just more susceptible to temptation? Are the Guardians doing the right thing or are they just murderous zealots? Idk it hits a chord with me.

I'm probably not the biggest Star Wars fan.  I didn't grow up with access to movie theaters or VHS.  My first movie was Star Trek 3.  I'd read the Star Wars novelizations before I'd seen the movies on TV.

But I've seen all the movies. Empire is my favorite.

Now, many years later, I've got a lightsaber, and have to figure out what to do with it.

The Sith are misunderstood and just need a hug.

Never exercise and eat a lot of high-carb and high-fat food.

You'll get there.

O
M
G

I just LITERALLY laughed out loud at this... while in the phone... for a work meeting.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My work here is done. ;)

You win the internet for the day. :D :D :D

I think I was possibly the same age when I saw A New Hope with my grandma but back in the 90's, she got me hooked instantly. I always started out with toy lightsabers back in the day, then discovered the higher end stuff, then Ultra Sabers a few years later :P But that's one of the many reasons I like Star Wars for me is the cool lightsaber moments =] Never hurt anything to have the few actual military moments Star Wars always has though too

I watched the originals with my Dad. I was born in '82 so it either had to be on VHS or they were on T.V. I loved them all.

Same story for Star Trek.

"Star Track"...?

Never heard of it.  ;D

The whole reason I've had to order a saber was because my wife wanted one, and mostly, she was gonna wave it around for five minutes then put it on a shelf.   I told her we're a Star Trek family, and don't need one.

 Then, I bought a haori for my steampunk outfit and figured a saber would look good with it at Comicpalooza.  And now we're waiting for her Azure Savior to arrive today....

I actually like Star Trek, I really do...I just vastly prefer Star Wars, is all.

But I had this one time when I told a guy, "I don't watch a lot of Star Track, but I do love that Wesley Crasher kid!" and the look on his face of horror, revulsion, and omigawd-you-can't-be-serious warring for dominance was soooooo beautiful. **mimes reeling in a fishie**

So I trot it out every now and then, just to see if I can get someone else to succumb to geek-rage. :D

I did buy my saber while wearing a red-shirt outfit.  A wise investment.  I made it back to the ship.

When my saber arrives, I'm gonna go to my first dueling-club meeting wearing my hoodie from "The Orville". ;)

Which saber did you opt for BionicDance?

Thanks for all of the great stories BTW everyone.  Very cool. :)

I'm a huge TNG nerd myself.  Watched religiously. ;)  "There are FOUR LIGHTS!"  ::)

Points for all.

I have that shirt!

I also have a Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra '91 concert shirt

As I said before, we're a Star Trek family.... :)

Excellent!  Tanagra!  That'd be an awesome shirt. :D

I gave you a DS point before, Janx.  I'll throw you another, but perhaps you'd prefer LS ones. 

Let me know. :)

I've seen every episode of TNG so many times I can give you the name of the episode, the season, and the episode number in the season within five seconds of dialog or a non-silent space scene opening shot.  A lot of times I can do it by just seeing the opening shot.  My wife hates it when I do that.  If it is already on and I walk by the screen, I can do the same even quicker than that.  She REALLY hates it when I do that.  To be fair, she can do the same thing with Clone Wars, Rebels, and Friends.

Graflex SE with a Diamond board.

That I would be getting a Graflex was never in doubt; it's Luke's saber from ANH and ESB, and so that was just a given.
But if I get a second saber, I'm looking at the Electrum Wind, maybe; that one looks really cool.

I feel my grasp on neutrality slipping, noooooooooo......

Maybe I'll say something funny later and somebody will help bring balance to the force :)

"Oh yeah, that one."

Yup, done that many times. :)  Probably one of the few shows I could do that with nowadays.

From one Texan to another, I'll give you +1.

Holy guacamole where do I begin??  Birth I guess? :D

I am of the age where I saw ANH in theatres, but too young to have cohesive memory of the whole experience.  Two moments in particular stand out: 1) When the SW logo burst onto the screen, the volume in the cinema was so loud that all the dads stood up and yelled at the projection booth "TURN IT DOWN!!!"  It was like this simultaneous protest of dads in a massive "GET OFF MY LAWN" moment :D :D

And 2) My sister got sick and we had to leave half way through :( >:( :D  BLAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Fast forward to ESB & ROTJ and I hit my stride as a rabid fan...with best friends who were rabid fans!  It was Star Wars 24-7.  Thinking about why I love the SW universe so much, I would have to say first and foremost that it's a combination of all the MIND BLOWING vehicles and the look and feel of the world itself - all thanks to Ralph McQuarrie and the entire ILM team.  Granted, I was drawn to the amazing characters - we were all Luke Skywalker but wanted to BE Han Solo, but it was the grimy, worn out, used look of the Rebellion in stark contrast to the sleek, shiny, alluring aesthetic of the Empire that mesmerized me!  And I always wanted to play the bad guys! :D

Today I ride motorcyles CUZ SPEEDERBIKES!!  Fly airplanes CUZ LAMBDA SHUTTLES AND X-WINGS!!!  I still can't get enough, and I've spent my whole life weaving Star Wars into daily life - in one way or another.  Of course there were ebbs and flows as I grew up, but SW was ever present nonetheless!  And it clearly shows no signs of stopping!!  I have all kinds of thoughts and opinions on the canon films, but that's for another discussion.  What I can say with confidence is that I fill in the occasional disappointing elements of the overall story with the aspects that I enjoy the most - as though it was a real place that I once visited, and kept fresh in my mind the BEST parts of the trip. 

I never had the opportunity to see the originals in the theatre, I was in and out of hospitals alot and there was no money for anything other than essentials. I was able to see the re-releases before TPM came out and was hooked. I also played all of the PC games LucasArts released, from X-Wing all the way thru to SWTOR and BFII, with EA's next game on pre-order, Jedi: Fallen Order. SWTOR really got me into lightsabers, but since it came into my life late, I guess i'm over-compensating by buying them now. I've also read just about everything I could get my hands on concerning Star Wars, from Kevin J. Anderson thru to Timothy Zahn.

Okay showing my age here but Star Wars (aka A New Hope) was one of the first movies I have memories of seeing in theaters.  That and Superman the following year. That era was actually a pretty neat time to be a kid and growing up on comicbooks, cartoons and movies like Star Wars just instilled in me an appreciation for heroes and fantasy.  Characters with fantastic abilities or in fantastic realms who thought beyond themselves even when it made their own lives more difficult. Star Wars was an interesting mix that could be funny one moment, spiritual the next, then dramatic, then action packed, sci-fi yet also fantasy yet also comicbook.

For me the original trilogy is what I think of as THE Star Wars. Everything else is kind of like, expensive fan-fiction? ..and I don't mean that to be insulting so much as it's just a way of expressing that my feelings about Star Wars media outside the original trilogy is much more mixed. Neither all good nor all bad.

There's stuff I like in the prequels, sequels, Legends, etc. but it just doesn't quite all come together for me the way those original movies did. Some of that may be nostalgia but I think that's only one component of it. Also those are just the characters I enjoy following the most. Luke, Han, Leia, Obi-Wan, Chewy, Threepio, R2, Lando, Vader, etc. Also those movies were just fun and not in a dumbed down "popcorn movie" way but in a way where if you're 8 years old or 80 there's something there to enjoy, you know? It was for everybody.

Hey thanks for sharing everyone. :)

Yeah - the OT had me, and everything else almost feels like a step down - exactly like "expensive fan-fics".  Good one.

Also, SW used to be kind of cliquey thing.  Now it's just enormous - EVERYONE'S a fan.  Diluted, main-stream stuff, and Disneyfied.

I digress though...

Points. :)

For me Star Wars will be forever loved. Started for me by seeing the originals IV, V & VI with my parents at the drive in theater, sitting in my dads 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner at the time of Episode IV A New Hope the car was 8 years old but still bad ass lol

oh memories  ;D

Sweet. :)

Hey Rapine, thanks for the points. Yeah, I see where you're coming from with that but then again it's been main stream since the day the first movie premiered in '77.  Though I guess it was a bit of a niche thing during the period between ROTJ and Phantom Menace. I think the OT hit a really good equilibrium where everyone was invited to the party yet it was still something special.

Agreed. 

It could have ended there.  There were cool parts to the rest of the story, but it got carried away, IMO.

More points for everyone...

When I was 3 years old my dad brought home the VHS copy of Star Wars. My mom was mad because she considered it too violent. It was kept out of reach on top of our piano, so my brother and I could only gaze at the box from afar. When I finally watched it, I knew it was the best movie I'd ever seen: It combined all the action and fantasy I loved about cartoons, but it was real people, and real places, and real things. Not long after, I received a Dewback, Stormtrooper, and Pilot Luke action figures, and I was hooked for life.
During the "Dark Times" (84-99) I consumed all of the Expanded Universe content I could find. The Prequel Era pushed me even further into the EU.
When the Disney buyout was announced I began seriously collecting action figures, posters, soundtracks, concept art, and.... prop replicas.  :o
I found US because of the wider online saber community and the release of the Archon v3. In the past two years I've owned my beloved Archon, a Menace, a Consular, and two Graflex's, and I plan on continuing to collect near-movie accurate sabers.

Right on. :)

Good on ya for finally watching it man. :P

Yeah - I had all kinds of toys...

Well I joined the forum because my mother thought it would be fun for me to share my passion in a Star Wars oriented crowd XD. My parents let me watch The Phantom Menace when I was a very lil kid, and I watched the Prequels as they came out. I'd beg to watch them over and over but one day Dad told me there were MORE Star Wars movies! I was about six and I still remember going to Wal-Mart and watching as Dad grabbed A New Hope from the movie shelf and let me see the cover. Not ashamed to say I developed  a crush on Luke Skywalker as well as a potent love for his character as I watched the Original Trilogy with such an enthusiasm. Star Wars was a perfect fairytale that got me happy, excited, nervous, sad and satisfied. And then I was introduced to The Clone Wars movie and tv show! I've loved everything up til Disney took over, but I still love Star Wars, it was my childhood, and it is my escape which allows me to be myself.

You can sit with me. >:D

I’m not sure when it all began to be exact I was around 6-8 and remember watching the movies on TV over the weekends. Then I remember all the hype about episode 1 coming out.(I unfortunately never got to see it in theaters till that 3d rerelease). But man I remember having pod racer and that might be the game I’ve put more time into then any other game ever. I remember the movie came out and I rented it like every weekend for a month. Then I moved that summer of episode 2 to a totally new place, that luckily had a local rental place and being in a place with no friends I think I rented that the whole first school year. Later on episode 3 came out I still remember going to the midnight with friends from school, getting kicked out of the Walmart before hand for having lightsaber fights through the whole building. I guess I am about the perfect age group to have followed the movies before prequels and through all the great stuff that followed. I now get to share my passion with my own kids and maybe that’s just why it’s always stuck with me. It’s just always been there the cog in my life that keeps entertained anytime I need it and sometimes when I don’t realize I do. It’s like a security blanket for baby to me.

OMG you too? I can measure time spent playing in the weeks. Did you ever get the debug code and tweak opponent racers to have the same stats you would be racing with if you were playing that character?

No I did not but that’s sounds really cool. I just kept racing regular style but could never get enough of it, it’s like it had a hidden message in the racing.

Jedi Power Battles was the first Star Wars game I played... Greatest day was when I unlocked Darth Maul.  TFU was the next one and then SWTOR...which I still play from time to time.  Fallen Order has piqued my interest a bit though.

Honestly, my first love is Marvel comics which brought me into different worlds and characters with stories that I lived in for years.  Star Wars did the same thing for me, brought me into a universe that I'm quite fond of and can live in.

Yeah.....I had played so much, I got bored. At first I simply increased the AI level for more of a challenge (except for Grabvine Gateway and Abyss. Just....hell no). Then I tapped into 'Edit Vehicle Stats', and found out what every pod's stats were for every upgrade. It took a while, but was worth it for the ultimate racing experience, and also helped separate the real winners from the duds.

If you ever want to get your retro-game on again: go to the code entry area and punch in RRTANGENTABACUS, then when you start a race hit pause then UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT (or up, left, down, right; it's been a while and more muscle memory than anything else). Also unlocks invincibility. ;D Drive like a madman with no ill side affects.

YES! My first as well! I....

I never beat mission 3  :-X

BUT I REPLAYED THE HELL OUTTA MISSIONS 1-2.

I should go back and beat that game sometime...

Retro gaming is the best. I had a score of games that I was no good at on the Genesis, but as I grew and played more advanced games on newer systems I got better. Going back, what was once impossible is now child's play.