Earlier this year at Star Wars Celebration Japan it was hard to digest that Revenge of the Sith was 20 years old. I remember thinking back in 2015, “How is this film ten 10 years old?” Well, flashforward a few months and I’m thinking back a decade to 2015 and the hype towards Episode VII and I’m left wondering – “How is The Force Awakens 10 years old?”
These thoughts have really been prevalent the past week or so as we approach the anniversary. Ten years ago the hype machine for The Force Awakens began on 4th September – the launch of all the new toys and merchandise. Gone were the days of ‘Midnight Madness’ – now we had Force Friday.
The last time we had anything like this was back in 2008 for the launch of all the new collectibles related to The Clone Wars theatrical movie and the subsequent TV series. My local Toys ‘R’ Us was advertised to be holding the event, so shortly after 7.00pm I went along and took my spot in the queue. I was first there. Well, sort of. Unbeknown to me, a fellow who lived just down the road had been sat in his car for a while and was unsure if you could go and wait outside the store. He ambled along towards me. His name was Chris Cooke.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this man was to become one of my closest friends in this life.
We chatted about Star Wars, we speculated about the new film and talked, of course, about toys and collecting. Next up, along came another chap. A fellow Star Wars UPF and collector. That was James Woodcock.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this man was to become one of my closest friends in this life.
It then suddenly dawned on me. This second man who arrived, I already knew him. I remembered him from…2005? It couldn’t be. It most certainly was. When I was a prepubescent in April of 2005 I went along to the Midnight Madness event for Episode III, with my Mum (of course) as I needed help carrying things and (most importantly) I needed a driver. I’d talked to James in the same queue at the same Toys ‘R’ Us ten years before, and now the Force had brought us together once again.
It was mostly the three of us for a long time. Then the queue began to pick up and out came the costume groups and the excitement really began to build. It was becoming a real event. We all had cash to burn and couldn’t wait until midnight. Shortly before the clock struck twelve, the press arrived. A writer and reporter for the Express and Star was coming to cover the story. The man approached. He was Paul Naylor.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this man was to become one of my closest friends in this life.
He took our pictures and wrote cover stories. It was nearly time. Boy, how we had missed events like this. Star Wars truly felt like it was everywhere, and the hype machine was in overdrive.
The doors opened and in we went. The main wall of the Toys ‘R’ Us was plastered with new goodies. There were board games, plush toys, Micro Machines, Black Series, vehicles, colouring books and, of course, action figures. Now, at our store in Oldbury, and as we later found out, across the UK, there were shortages of action figures. Folks at the back were left with the drabs. The basic offering of Rey, Kylo and Finn were in short supply but if everyone was good and not a scalper then most people got what they wanted.
It was wonderful to be back in the community in this way again. I was now a fully grown adult (well, in body, not so sure about mind) and all around the world the Force was felt on Friday 4th September 2015.
A decade on. It’s 5th September 2025. Ten years and one day after the big event. James Woodcock, Paul Naylor, Chris Cooke and I are together again. We’re at a meal to celebrate our tenth anniversary of friendship.
So, what does Force Friday mean to me? Sure, it means I picked up some new toys and merchandise and spent more than I meant too. It holds some fantastic memories. The excitement for a new film that Christmas was giving me palpations.
But what does Force Friday really mean to me? Well, it means friendship, and in that regard, it truly means everything.
