I've been a Trekkie for as long as I can remember, and I got razzed a lot for it during grade school. One time, members of our class were asked to make crafts for the graduating seniors which would be presented at their banquet/roast. Our art teacher read through the descriptions of the projects, asking for volunteers for each. When she came to the girl who was a Star Wars fanatic, everyone pointed to me. I protested that I knew nothing about Star Wars, but the response I received was "Oh, Star Wars, Star Trek, same difference." I could not convince the teacher that I was unqualified for the task, and I wound up making a Star Trek poster simply because my knowledge of Star Wars was so limited. I did so grudgingly, however, figuring that the recipient probably was no more a Star Trek fan than I was a Star Wars fan.

Well, I finally saw Star Wars when our family purchased the trilogy from a video club. I had never been too terribly interested in seeing it because it struck me as being much darker in nature than Star Trek, but once I had seen it I was perfectly happy to call myself a fan. I still don't believe that Star Trek and Star Wars have much in common, though. For one thing, Star Trek takes place in the future, and many of its key characters are from Earth. Star Wars is supposed to hail from the distant past and occur in an entirely unknown part of the universe. Star Trek is not so much focused on good guy/bad guy. It's deals more with everyday situations which might occur on a starship and people which its crew might encounter, and the enemies encounter rarely pose a serious threat to the entire galaxy.
Anyway, let's just say they're different.

Star Wars: A New Hope introduces the focal characters in the Star Wars saga. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hammill), the ambitious 17-year-old stuck on "the planet [the bright center of the universe] is farthest from." His provincial life is turned on its head when his home is destroyed and he joins Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness) to learn the ways of the Force and fight the evil Empire. He is joined by the prissy protocol droid C-3PO,who looks slightly like a gold version of the Tin Man, and the mischievous R2-D2, a dome-shaped droid who rolls rather than walks and communicates with a series of mechanical sounds.

Han Solo (Harrison Ford), the rough-around-the-edges pilot of the Millenium Falcon, which he claims to be the fastest ship in the galaxy. He's in desperate need of cash and agrees to pilot Luke and Obi in order to save his skin. His egotism and sarcasm rub Luke the wrong way initially, but he's really the only guy they've got. With Han comes Chewbacca, a wookie. Chewy, a huge, furry Bigfoot-type creature who generally has more bark than bite, speaks using growl-like vocalizations.

Throw into the mix Leia (Carrie Fisher), the lovely princess who is being held captive by Dark Lord Darth Vader (Darth Vader), and you've got the core group of characters who will all play important roles throughout the trilogy. Although Leia is rather obnoxious to begin with, both Han and Luke find themselves falling for her, creating a love triangle that is at the heart of many of the trilogy's best scenes and resolved brilliantly in The Return of the Jedi.

The Star Wars trilogy combines fantastic creatures, romance, the battle of good and evil, action, and comedy to produce a tale of true epic proportions. It contains many memorable scenes and quotable lines, and its soundtrack is some of the most recognizable in music history. This first volume is a promising beginning, and it ends with A New Hope that the best is yet to come.

Star Wars reviews:
Star Wars (A New Hope)
The Empire Strikes Back
The Return of the Jedi

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12