March 29, 2024

Star Wars Fever Engulfs

Oct. 9, 2015

Star Wars returns to the big screen Dec. 18 and promises to generate excitement at movie theaters worldwide as Episode VII: The Force Awakens brings viewers back to the present.

George Lucas’ epic space opera captivated the world with episodes IV–VI (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Lucas released a prequel trilogy, episodes I–III, between 1999 and 2005. The Force Awakens is set approximately 30 years after Return of the Jedi and will kick off the third Star Wars trilogy, the first since the Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm three years ago.

Beau Warren, owner of local custom T- shirt design company Tee See Tee, was born a few days after A New Hope was released in 1977 and feels he’s been tied to Star Wars his entire life. Now, almost 40 years later, his son Brody is mesmerized by the same incredible characters, planets and spaceships that rocketed Warren’s own childhood into the far reaches of the galaxy.

“Naturally, I fully embrace my kid’s obsession with the new movie by passing down the thousands of old action figures and ships to him,” said Warren. “Our driveway looks like the battle from Return of the Jedi!” Tee See Tee will unveil a Michigan and Star Wars–themed T-shirt in December to coincide with The Force Awakens.

Warren plans to camp outside the theater for tickets in mid-December.

“Not because we need to see it first, but because this has been a tradition for me since I first fell in love with that galaxy, far away. Now I get to pass on that excitement and inspiration, down to the next generation. I won’t lie; I cried the first time my son watched A New Hope and I could see that he was falling in love with it the way I did.”

Not all self-proclaimed Star Wars geeks will camp for tickets.

Karl Bielman, manager of Nawbin Beads, is “over the hill” at 40 years old. His 9-yearold daughter and 7-year-old son are near the age he was when Lucas released episodes V and VI in the early ’80s.

“I’m a little too old to be camping outside in the middle of December,” said Bielman, “but if my kids were older, we might.”

Bielman has made Star Wars jewelry, LED metal lightsabers and a full-sized Tuscan Raider costume. He is currently working on a Stormtrooper costume.

At the Cherry Capital Comic Con expo, held Memorial Day weekend, Bielman saw life-sized droids that were built by a Star Wars fan who lives downstate. The droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, are remote-controlled and greeted guests at the expo. While tempted to build his own droids, Bielman joked that he’d never be able to hide them from his wife, who is already on his case for the boxes of Star Wars materials that linger in their basement.

Star Wars Around Town

Businesses in Traverse City are joining the action, too. White Tiger Martial Arts on Garfield will offer a lightsaber training course for both kids and adults on the Thursday before Halloween. Black Belt Master Jim Adkins has invited his students who are Star Wars aficionados to learn the movies’ famous fight scenes, recreate them and tell the history of the lightsaber for those in attendance (more details below).

“We’ll talk about the Jedi way of life and the creed they live by,” said student Dakota Bannigan, 23, who’s working to secure aircraft aluminum lightsabers for White Tiger Martial Arts. “Jedi training is similar to reallife training for martial arts. So the seminar is relevant beyond Star Wars hype.”

Web development company Byte Productions’ office is literally Star Warsthemed. Co-owner Tom Barrons camped outside the cinema with his brother Tim to get tickets for Episode I when it was released in 1999. He remembers lines of Star Wars fans stretching through the Grand Traverse Mall.

“It’s possible that we’ll wait overnight again,” said Barrons, who is as excited for this December’s release as he was in ’99. “We may close our office during the day to go watch it.”

Brilliant Books on Front Street held a Star Wars Reads Day on Oct. 10 that highlighted books, movies and novels inspired by the films, as well as Lego action figures.

“Star Wars isn’t just a movie,” said Owner Peter Makin. “The toys get kids interested in books as a source of pleasure and fun. It feeds their habit for reading.”

Bijou by the Bay hopes to bring Star Wars to its theater if the studio grants permission. Deb Lake, executive director of the Traverse City Film Festival, fell in love with the series when her late father, James Steffen, took her to see an early episode. She’ll watch The Force Awakens with her 8-year-old son Lars.

Star Wars aficionados like Tom Barrons who were disappointed by the prequel trilogy 16 years ago anticipate Disney will do a better job with The Force Awakens, as it did with the 2012 film The Avengers.

“Now that the franchise is owned by Disney, there is new hope that Episode VII will not be the letdown that Episode I was,” said Barrons. “Many Marvel Comics fans will tell you Disney has done a great job since they’ve purchased the Marvel movie franchise and expect similar treatment for Star Wars.”

Feel The Force (In IMAX)

Breaking news! The all-new Cherry Blossom 14, a 14-screen multiplex located at the former Horizon Outlet mall in Traverse City, will open in time for the Dec. 18 Episode VII: The Force Awakens premiere! Property developer Joe Sarafa confirms that Carmike Cinemas plans to open the theater on Dec. 4. The IMAX theater will seat 500, with a screen 36-feet high and 65-feet wide, making it the largest movie screen north of Grand Rapids. The new Star Wars film will show on every IMAX screen in North America for at least a month. Get ready to get in line!

Gamers Rejoice

The video game Star Wars Battlefront will get in on the action, too, available Nov. 17 exclusively through GameStop, which has locations in the Grand Traverse Mall and Cherryland Center. According to Jackie Smith, GameStop national director of public relations, many GameStop locations will feature life-sized Darth Vader and Imperial Stormtrooper costumes.

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