Harvard's Star Wars

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away--or at least in a movie theater in 1977--Star Wars was released without much fanfare.

But just as Luke on Tatooine, the film was destined for greater things.

Twenty years later, millions nation-wide are excited about Luke and Leia's return to the big screen.

Three Cabot House sophomores are, perhaps, a little more excited than most.

Tobias Nanda '99, Samuel B. Shaw '99 and Mitchell B. Weiss '99 began the night by hosting a party with a Star Wars theme, the three roommates said.

"We'll have various Star Wars artifacts, a big group of friends and the movie," Nanda said. "We even have a big cardboard thing of Darth Vader.... It's life-size."

"Our room is just a thing to behold," Shaw added.

And if you were wondering why tickets to the show were sold out so far in advance, people like Nanda, Shaw and Weiss might have the answer.

"We biked to Fresh Pond Theater and bought their last forty tickets on Wednesday," Nanda said.

"I had this nightmare that when we got there, we would only be allowed to purchase four tickets each," Shaw said, "but the guy let us have all forty."

However, the roommates said they did have some problems buying the tickets.

"We paid $300 cash for forty tickets, and they wouldn't take a credit card," Weiss said. "We bought twenty tickets, ran to the cash machine and bought twenty more."

Shaw said the three were so excited after purchasing their tickets that they invited the ticket-seller to see the movie with them.

Alisha M. Quintana '99 said she would attend the Star Wars party and purchase one of the 40 tickets.

"I really don't know the people I'm going with," she said, "but I love the movie, and I can't wait to see what Lucas has done with it."

Although Quintana has seen the trilogy "many, many times," she said she felt that the audience of fans will enhance her experience.

"I'm sure there will be people in costume...it'll be an exciting group thing," she said.

In fact, Nanda said he might dress up for the movie.

"I've got a nuclear power plant suit that I might wear," he said. "It's not from Star Wars but it's still kind of from the future."

"Maybe it's what a storm trooper would wear on his day off," Shaw suggested.

The Harvard Radcliffe Science Fiction Association (HRSA) did not make any specific plans for the movie's premiere, said Chris R. Hall '99, the group's treasurer.

However, Hall said that approximately six members of the group attended an 8:15 a.m. showing yesterday at the General Cinema in Burlington Mall.

"The new scenes are stunning," said HRSA President Kyle W. Niedzwiecki '98, who also attended the early showing. "I was really impressed by the computer graphics."

He said the digitally improved scenes depicting dogfights between X-Wings and Tie Fighters impressed him.

"Those [dogfight] scenes were almost completely redone so they're just amazing," he said.

But it's no surprise that Niedzwiecki enjoyed Lucas' production so much.

"I have seen it maybe 20 or 30 times on tape," he said. "I'm obsessed with Star Wars."

May the Force be with you

He said the digitally improved scenes depicting dogfights between X-Wings and Tie Fighters impressed him.

"Those [dogfight] scenes were almost completely redone so they're just amazing," he said.

But it's no surprise that Niedzwiecki enjoyed Lucas' production so much.

"I have seen it maybe 20 or 30 times on tape," he said. "I'm obsessed with Star Wars."

May the Force be with you