Friday is a day of milestones. It was, for instance, 30 years ago Friday that Star Wars opened in movie theaters. And it was, in another instance, 30 years ago Friday that Eddie Wong didn't go see it.
The first anniversary needs little explanation to the 20,000-30,000 faithful expected to convene in Los Angeles for a four-day fan blowout known as Star Wars Celebration IV.
As for the second anniversary, it also needs little explanation. Wong says he didn't go see Star Wars on May 25, 1977, because he was only two.
Simple, no?
But here's where it gets interesting. During the intervening years, from 1977 to 2007, Wong claims to have seen Star Wars approximately zero times. Bits and pieces, here and there, sure. But 121 straight minutes with George Lucas' gang, from opening scroll to closing credits? Nope.
Star Wars.
Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Darth Vader, 'droids, light sabers, "May the Force be with you," etc.
That Star Wars.
Eddie Wong says he's never seen it.
"We certainly have seen, and heard of them [people who have never seen Star Wars]," said Lucasfilm spokesman John Singh. "Personally, I have never."
Met someone like Eddie Wong, that is.
Per Singh's best, but admittedly rough guesstimate, 1 billion earthlings have seen Star Wars in a theater since 1977. That leaves, using current world population stats, perhaps as many as 5.6 billion people who haven't. These things are tough to gauge. Lucasfilm doesn't keep track of who hasn't seen Star Wars, and frankly we didn't check in with the entire world, just Wong, who made it easy on us by recently copping to a Star Wars-free life on his Website, Eddiewong.net.
We asked Wong to explain himself, to give us an insight into the world of those untouched by the Force, and he obliged.
"I like movies," Wong said in an email interview this week. "But I don't really watch everything."
Clearly.
Okay, so here's the deal: Wong says he's a 32-year-old British-born graphic designer who currently calls Tokyo home. He's seen Titanic three times, and all three Spider-Man movies at least once. He knows Rosebud is a "child's sled from a classic movie," which we will accept as being close enough to the correct answer of Citizen Kane.
The bottom line: Wong doesn't live under a rock, on Gilligan's Island, or in a remote, movie-free village where, assuming there's an Internet connection, and they're reading this dispatch, we've just ruined the ending to Orson Welles' 1941 masterpiece. (Sorry about that.)
It just so happens Eddie Wong has managed to come of age in the post-Star Wars world without thinking too much about the Star Wars world.
"I do remember seeing the movie rather early on—either on TV or my brothers rented the video—but I was never hooked on it because by that time I already had exposure to some Japanese TV characters/cartoons," Wong said, citing the likes of Ultraman.
Maybe it's his graphic-designer's eye, or maybe it was his TV set, but to Wong, the Star Wars crew couldn't compare costume-wise to, say, the red-and-silver rubbery garb of a certain outerspace alien.
"Just look at Luke Skywalker's outfit: just a piece of white cloth wrapped around him...I liked characters in superhero/robo-ish outfits," Wong said. "Overall, Star Wars was pretty dark compared with the more [colorful] and bright Japanese shows."
But really, can you dismiss and ignore an entire movie, an entire franchise, because of some earth-toned fashion choices?
"I guess I've seen at least 10 minutes of footage from each movie," Wong allowed.
As such, Wong knows basic Star Wars universe things: Darth Vader is Luke's father; Yoda is "totally awesome"; Jar Jar Binks is a "babbling creature which looks like a horse-gone-wrong," etc.
But aren't you curious to see more, to see how all the pieces fit?
"Nope," Wong said. "Maybe because the scenes I have seen were not the best scenes in the movie, therefore I wasn't lusting for more?"
The question mark was Wong's, so perhaps he's breaking.
If he is, he picked the right weekend to get caught up.
In the cable universe, Cinemax is airing all six Star Wars movies—the 1977 original, its two sequels and three prequels—on Friday. In U.S. post offices, the 30th anniversary Star Wars stamps are going on sale. And in L.A., Star Wars Celebration IV is bringing together fans, Carrie Fisher (Leia, to the uninitiated), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Irvin Kershner (director of Empire Strikes Back), among others.
Mark Hamill (Luke) is in New York, and unavailable to attend the Friday-Monday fest, Singh said. Lucas and Solo artist Harrison Ford are in London, currently engaged in the shoot for Indiana Jones 4, another franchise that Wong may or may have not seen (we didn't ask).
In the end, Star Wars has done all right for itself, even if everybody in the world hasn't bought a ticket to it.
The movie that opened in 32 theaters in 1977—compare that to the 4,300-plus screen largesse to be enjoyed by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End this weekend—went onto spawn a film series that has combined to gross $4.3 billion worldwide, according to Lucasfilm.
Would Eddie Wong consider celebrating its 30th anniversary by watching the movie? Just once? All the way through?
"Hmmm," Wong mused. "Maybe I should."