It was a magical moment, sitting in the movie theater next to my seven year old brother as we watched the opening scroll for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," when I realized that I was just about the same age as him when I had my first real brush with the "Star Wars" universe. Of course, we both had the benefit of growing up in a post-Lucas world. Elements of the "Star Wars" franchise are virtually inescapable. He’s slept on TIE fighter sheets for years now and we’ve had lightsaber fights for who knows how long. I was 8-years-old when I started playing "Lego Star Wars" at a friend’s house and we watched "Attack of the Clones." I was mildly unimpressed by the movie and the universe in general. I simply didn’t see all of the hype that the series seemed to generate. I saw the rest of the movies in the next few years, but I never really seemed to gather the true meaning of the story: Luke and Obi-wan, Darth Vader, Anakin’s fall and rise. I never really warmed up to the prequels at all in my young age, so I set aside the movies and got into other series like "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings."

Later, when I learned of the wonders of online movies and torrenting (may the Internet gods please forgive me for my sins) I rediscovered the six movies and went on a watching spree. I tried watching the movies prequel-first, original-first, and then in the reverse order, trying to gather information about the story. Whose story was it, really? I grew more and more attached to C3PO and R2D2. The more that I watched it, the more that I realized that it seemed like a story from their perspective: just two slaves watching the fall of Rome, yet so much more than that at the same time. I was constantly back-and-forth on if Han and Leia really made sense and I was always wondering how Padme really felt about Anakin. Obi-wan and Qui-gon Ginn’s relationship seemed so true and understandable. The prequels seemed to fit in much better now that I understood Luke’s story and how his fate tied in with his father’s. I thought that I understood.

Now I am in the present. I’m sitting in the theater with my brother, who is the same age as I was when this all started. There are new characters, a new Jedi, a new pilot, a new stormtrooper, a new droid, a new larger and more nebulous enemy, and much more to learn. The dynamics have changed, the story has evolved, and I can’t wait to see how to tie everything else in. Now it’s back to the drawing board. Everything has changed and I now have an excuse to be an avid watcher, rewatcher, and critiquer.