Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Star Wars universe. A colleague in the French department is hosting a Star Wars theme two-day party (or “conference”). Sadly, I’ll have to miss out on the second day (when they’ll watch/discuss episodes IV, V, VI) because I’m driving to Pitt to visit some friends & browse their library’s Eduardo Lozano Collection (probably the largest Bolivia-specific collection in the US). But I’m trying to scramble to put together an appropriately themed snack and/or drink to bring to the festivities (for some reason I thought this would be on Saturday). I will make one small contribution: my favorite Star Wars fan film is Troops (1997). Enjoy!
For some commentary on the impact of Star Wars on American—and world—pop culture, here’s a few selected links:
Star Wars Widows (Salon)
Star Wars (Salon)
Do-it-Yourself Star Wars
Pop Technology: How Star Wars Changed the World (Slate)
May the Force be With You, and You, and You … (Slate)
Star Wars, Nothing but Star Wars (Reason)
Back to the Future (Reason)
Where George Lucas’s Career Went Wrong (The New Republic)
The Last Guy in the World to See Star Wars (Wired)
The Month-Long Party Begins: Happy Birthday, Star Wars (Wired)
