"Chewie, We're Home"

Like many classic film fans, I have a deep and abiding love for the three original STAR WARS films. I've seen them all many times, including multiple theatrical screenings, and in particular I consider THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980) one of the all-time great films, which perfectly exemplifies the magic of the movies.

How much do I love STAR WARS? John Williams' "The Throne Room" was our wedding recessional, and we named one of our dogs Luke.

I shared additional STAR WARS memories back in 2007, on the 30th anniversary of the first film's release.

The 1999 and 2002 "prequels" left me with bad feelings; I saw them only one time apiece, and I never even bothered to see REVENGE OF THE SITH (2005). I prefer to forget they exist.

I've not been paying much attention to the new Disney STAR WARS film, especially given family members' discontent with the new movie undoing the literary world created by Timothy Zahn and others.

It's been nearly 40 years, after all, and it hasn't seemed likely THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015) could recapture the magic of the originals. And besides, it's impossible to imagine a STAR WARS movie opening without the 20th Century-Fox fanfare and especially Alfred Newman's "CinemaScope Extension" theme which follows.

And then, like so many STAR WARS fans, partway through this new trailer I burst into tears of happiness -- because it has been nearly 40 years, and it's all there: The iconic score, the play on lines from RETURN OF THE JEDI (1983), the amazing shot of ancient wreckage of a star destroyer and X-wing, and finally...



Maybe, just maybe, you can go home again?!

We shall see.