It’s that time of the year when many of the most important Star Wars celebrations arrive. Yesterday we celebrated the 19th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, the 13th of Revenge of the Sith, last Wednesday was the 16th anniversary of Attack of the Clones and this coming Friday sees the 41st anniversary of A New Hope, the 35th of Return of the Jedi and the birth of Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, today marks the 38th anniversary of the arrival of The Empire Strikes Back.
Sitting in a golden era of the saga, when Star Wars announcements practically arrive on a daily basis, the release and success of The Empire Strikes Back was far from a sure thing. Thankfully for the GFFA, Empire smashed records and brought us a sequel that was vastly different from its progenitor but couldn’t be more Star Wars.
It was different, more grown up, brave and in doing so tore up the rule book. It brought the finale action sequence to the start of the film and threw our characters into perilous situations which they barely escaped from. As a sequel continuing the path of its predecessor and paving the way for a finale, it’s unparalleled, the benchmark all other sequels are measured against.
Empire hit a sweet spot for many Star Wars fans of a certain age. I was 7 when Star Wars hit the UK and 9 when Empire arrived. As a kid of that age, with no internet or monthly magazine to prime me, I wasn’t ready for the magnitude of Empire‘s arrival and while it was Jedi that sealed the deal for me as a young fan three years and many Palitoy action figures and Marvel weekly’s later, Empire was and comfortably remains my favourite chapter.
The 40th anniversary in 2020 is going to be one amazing celebration.
