A long time ago (1977) in a city far, far away (Detroit)...

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Star Wars DVD trilogy is now available. I can still remember the first time I saw Episode IV (just plain Star Wars then). I didn't know a movie could be so much fun.

Though I saw the Star Wars films numerous times in theatres, and own the videos, I expect I'll soon be picking up the latest. (As Kay notes about new alien technology in Men In Black, "guess I'll have to buy the White Album again.") Having a clean, widescreen version, not to mention all the extras, should more than make up for Greedo shooting first.

In Entertainment Weekly, Star Wars creator George Lucas makes a good point. In the past, everyone saw the middle trilogy first. Now, millions of kids will see episodes I through III first. This will greatly change how they view A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. They'll know who Obi-Wan is, they'll know who Yoda is, they'll know who's brother and sister, they'll know who's father and son. I can't help but wonder if this will lessen the impact of these films.

Lucas swears he's done with Star Wars. I'd like to start a meme, if I may. George, you've done a fine job, and no one expects you to personally write and direct the final trilogy. But why don't you get together with three top directors, say, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and a wild card like Martin Scorsese or Steven Soderbergh, and bring in a few top-notch writers as well? You can get together, let the creative juices flow, and plan the final trilogy. George, you can supervise while they do the heavy lifting. If the final trilogy isn't as great as you'd hoped, we won't blame you. But I bet it'll be great. And give everyone years more of Star Wars to look forward to.