My dad still remembers the first time he saw the trailer for Star Wars.

He was sitting at his grandmother’s kitchen table eating breakfast with his two brothers when the Millennium Falcon flashed across the minute screen perched on the table.

The boys stopped mid bite and gazed up at their father, who immediately said, “Yes we are going to see that.”

Star Wars was the beginning of an era defined by intense music, battles with gigantic glow sticks, muffled voices proclaiming fathership, hands hashed from arms, and brown buns circling ears of all fans. An era that has taken a special place in many hearts.

The trilogy redefined science fiction. The director, George Lucas, introduced new aspects of how to address fantasy worlds in his films, utilizing the tools of puppetry under the hands of Jim Henson (the creator of The Muppets and Sesame Street characters) and creating massive spaceships inside aircraft hangers to produce a realistic feel sci-fi movies lacked prior to 1977.

Over the years, however, the franchise has become more dormant, due to the outdated effects and poor dialogue. This generation is used to seeing computer-generated imagery (CGI) in most, if not every, film that hits the box office. Children today watch Star Wars and either fall in love with the story and characters or fight against the old and grainy scenes with unrealistic settings compared to what is considered realistic in films today.

Now this empire gets a chance to strike back.

December 18th. The date to remember. The date the franchise gets another go with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

With the original trilogy used to introduce topics and the prequels used to further explain these, the new film is thought to be able to harness the qualities of the two in order to bring forth a new plot paired with old characters and themes.

“[Star Wars: The Force Awakens] is almost like a rebirth, a Renaissance, of the series, bringing it back and bringing it home,” Luke Carrington (12) said.

The film has been craved by fans ever since the prequels premiered in the early 2000’s, all widely regarded as disappointing. With new CGI technology and a seemingly unlimited budget after the 2012 Disney buyout, The Force Awakens is held in high expectations.

“The bar was set a long time ago, and it is time for people to deliver,” Luis Herrera said.  

Yet, the film is also expected to be a disappointment. Critics and fans are afraid of Disney’s input on the film, wondering if some aspects will be more kid-friendly or if JJ Abrams will be unable to totally grasp the concept properly.

“I refuse to let myself get too excited,” Herrera said.

Excitement is expected amongst all fans, however, both old and new. This generation has the ability to experience the joy of seeing R2-D2 scream profanity (since every word he says is bleeped out) and Chewbacca squeal on a large screen. It is time to experience the joy that the older generation of fans have been able to experience.

So, get your lightsabers ready and strap on your Darth Vader helmets. We are about to hit lightspeed, and by the looks of it, we are more ready than ever.