Fan Celebrates Nearly 30 Years of ‘Star Wars’ Love

By: Joe Guy Collier
Posted In: Entertainment

WESTLAND, Mich.- If Obi-Wan Kenobi and his green friend Yoda could visit the home of John Muse, they would come away with just one conclusion.

“The Force is strong in this one.”

Muse, a 35-year-old business consultant, has seen the “Star Wars” movies too many times to count. In 1998, he co founded a Michigan club for “Star Wars” enthusiasts.

And in a room not that far, far away, he has hundreds of pieces of “Star Wars” memorabilia- everything from a Boba Fett bobble head to a giant Darth Vader Pez dispenser that plays the ominous Imperial March when the head is tilted open.

Thursday through Sunday, Muse and thousands of other “Star Wars” fans were in Indianapolis for “Star Wars” Celebration III. The convention was a prelude to the May 19 release of “Revenge of the Sith,” the sixth and final installment of the “Star Wars” series.

Muse wouldn’t miss the movie or convention for the universe.

“It’s the last hurrah,” says Muse, standing in the midst of his “Star Wars” shrine. “It’s the last one. It answers all the questions.”

Twenty-eight years after the original “Star Wars” movie hit theaters, the franchise continues to draw allegiance unmatched in the entertainment world.

The first five “Star Wars” movies are among the top 25 U.S. box office draws of all time, earning a combined $1.8 billion domestically and $3.4 billion worldwide, according to industry tracker Box Office Mojo. The sixth movie is expected to be a blockbuster as well.

But “Star Wars” goes beyond the theater. It has spawned clubs, conventions and an endless stream of toys.

Last weekend in Indianapolis, grown-ups, many with kids of their own, donned Storm Trooper suits and Jedi outfits, parading around as though they were members of an intergalactic community.

“It’s not just something they do on weekends,” says Matthew Kapell, 35, a Wayne State University anthropologist and historian who studies popular culture. “It’s almost a religion.”

The “Star Wars” franchise has been successful because creator George Lucas stuck to a simple, universal story about good vs. evil and a hero’s attempt to save the day, says Kapell, co-author of a book titled “Finding the Force in ‘Star Wars'” expected to be released later this year.

“Ordinarily, seeing a film is something that’s very passive,” Kapell says. “With the ‘Star Wars’ films, it’s something where people can participate.”

The love of “Star Wars” started at an early age for Muse. His parents took him to see the original “Star Wars” when he was 8 years old. Before the summer was out, Muse had seen the movie six or seven times. (Among “Star Wars” fans, the original is known as “Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope,” marking its place in the series.)

“At the time, it was such a different movie,” he says. “It had everything you needed. It had the villains and the good guys you could identify with. … It had the effects that hadn’t been seen before.”

A year after the movie hit theaters, “Star Wars” action figures filled toy stores. Muse received a few figures for Christmas. When he could scrounge together a couple of bucks, he would buy another at the nearby Kmart.

As he hit his teens, he put most of his “Star Wars” stuff away. But about 10 years ago, he noticed a renewed interest in “Star Wars.” Interest soared when word spread that Lucas was making three prequels to the original “Star Wars” trilogy.

In 1998, a year before “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” was released, Muse and four others formed the Michigan “Star Wars” Collectors Club. It has grown to about 80 members.

They have their own Web site, www.mswcc.com, meet six or seven times a year to talk about the movies and collectibles, and frequently attend conventions together.

Members of the club aren’t too concerned about being called sci-fi geeks. They aren’t, after all, known as “trekkies”- a label given to followers of that other sci-fi franchise.

The meetings and conventions are simply a way to reconnect with a major event of their youth, says Scott Chapman, a 34-year-old graphic artist from Utica.

“It’s a sense of community,” he says. “You can walk up to anyone in the room and start talking and you’re on the same page.”

Muse attended the past two conventions building up to “Star Wars” Episodes I and II. The first was in Denver and the second in Indianapolis. He also has a tribute to “Star Wars” at home.

“I don’t usually clean in here,” says wife Tracy, standing at the entrance of what has become John’s “Star Wars” Room.

Tracy had never seen “Star Wars” before she met John, but she likes the movies and supports his hobby. She didn’t, however, plan to attend the convention in Indianapolis. A four-day adult pass cost $110. One-day passes were $40.

“Eventually, I would probably get bored,” she says. “I want him to go and have fun.”

Muse never seems to tire of “Star Wars.” In his “Star Wars” room, a series of shelves and bookcases wind around the walls with displays of collectibles. The top shelf is lined with a series of plastic character heads- Yoda, Luke, Darth Vader and Chewbacca. It creates something akin to a “Star Wars” Mt. Rushmore.

On the lower shelves, Muse has used the 4-inch action figures to recreate famous scenes from the movies. On one shelf, he has set up the cantina scene from the original “Star Wars.” Han Solo and Chewbacca sit at a side table in a bar filled with dozens of strange-looking characters.

In the corner of the room, on a large shelf, Muse is still piecing together what likely will be the most magnificent display: the Emperor’s landing from “The Empire Strikes Back.” The scene will require hundreds of Storm Troopers lined up in formation.

Fortunately, Muse has hundreds of Storm Troopers. He buys them by the box. He has more than 1,000 figures in all.

The room displays only a fraction of his collection. His collection of the original 130 figures isn’t even in his house.

“They’re in an undisclosed location guarded by dogs,” he says, only half-joking.

Muse won’t cough up the location of his vintage collection. It includes a Boba Fett figure still in its case that’s valued at more than $1,000. He estimates the entire collection would sell for $15,000 to $20,000.

On eBay last week, more than 50,000 “Star Wars” items were up for auction, including several vintage collections that already had received bids of more than $3,500.

“We want to keep them safe,” Muse says about his most prized action figures.

Muse isn’t sure how long he’ll continue to collect the figures and be so active in the “Star Wars” community. He has a 3-year-old son, Joshua, who is more interested in Hot Wheels than the Force. Joshua’s not old enough to appreciate “Star Wars,” Muse says.

The Muses also hope to have more children, which could push the figures out of their “Star Wars” room. “They might move down to the basement,” Tracy says.

For at least the next month, though, Muse will bask in “Star Wars” glory. He’ll likely be in line at midnight for one of the first showings of “Revenge of the Sith.”

The movie will end almost 30 years of “Star Wars” immersion for fans like Muse. “Revenge of the Sith” brings the story full circle, tying the newest three movies to the old movies.

“This will fill in all the gaps and all the holes,” Muse says. “Then you can move on. You can close the book on it at that point.”

Well, sort of. More action figures are on the way. There’s also speculation about a TV series.

“If they start making a TV show, I don’t know that I’ll buy into that,” Muse says.

He has to draw the line somewhere.

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c 2005, Detroit Free Press.

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