‘Star Wars’ reaches its bittersweet end

Kirk Baird

Thursday, May 19, 2005 | 8:12 a.m.

It's over.

After nearly 30 years of waiting, I have seen the final "Star Wars" film, "Revenge of the Sith."

After decades of wondering and speculating about how everything in the "Star Wars" universe came to be, I now have the answers -- most of them, anyway.

There's only one problem, I don't want it to be over.

That was the conclusion I reached shortly before going to a 12:20 a.m. showing of "Revenge of the Sith" early this morning as the film opened worldwide.

All week my wife, friends, family and even co-workers have asked me if I was excited about the new "Star Wars." The truth is, I wasn't.

It wasn't out of fear that writer-director George Lucas had managed to bungle arguably the most important film of his franchise. I'd read enough reviews to know that Lucas had risen to the occasion, and I concluded that his saga ends on a high note.

Rather, I was bothered by the fact that this was the end of the line for me and all the other fans of the franchise. As Lucas has repeatedly stated, after "Revenge of the Sith," there will be no more "Star Wars" movies. Ever.

The saga has finally come to an end.

So I resolved to savor every moment of the final film.

And I did. From the opening of the familiar 20th Century Fox logo and fanfare to the final credits, I sat tight in my seat, eyes as large as popcorn balls and absorbed it all:

The devious political maneuverings of Chancellor Palpatine.

The moral conflict of Anakin Skywalker moments before he makes his fateful decision to give in to the dark side.

The hurt of Anakin's mentor and friend, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, over the betrayal.

And finally, the climatic battle between them with the future of the galaxy at stake.

I watched all of this unfold with a bit of wonderment at what I was seeing and sadness knowing this was the conclusion.

But what a finale Lucas has mustered.

For anyone who thought the 61-year-old filmmaker had lost his way years ago, Lucas manages to put on quite a thrilling and emotional show.

It's no secret that most everyone in this movie either dies, turns evil or goes into hiding, as made evident by the sad state of affairs at the beginning of the original "Star Wars" film, "Episode IV -- A New Hope."

Still, I found myself watching Anakin's fall from grace hoping that he would come to his senses, and his transformation into Darth Vader could be avoided.

I was surprised by the emotion I felt toward Anakin as he took his first mechanized breath under the heavy black helmet.

Lucas has maintained for years now the "Star Wars" saga is really about Anakin/Darth Vader and not his son, Luke.

Having seen the last of the prequels, I better understand what he means. Regardless of what you think of "Episodes I," "II" and now "III," the impact they have on the original trilogy is enormous.

Darth Vader is no longer the mysterious evil Dark Lord of the Sith who is ultimately redeemed by his son. Vader is the boy slave Anakin with powers he doesn't understand, who grows into an all-powerful Jedi Knight who wants to do right, but fails to make the right decisions.

In that respect, "Revenge of the Sith," which happens to be the darkest of the films, is also the most emotional.

But for me, the biggest reaction came at the end, as the film credits rolled up the screen and John Williams' familiar score blasted through the theater speakers.

I sat defiantly in my seat, even as the crowd walked past me to the exit, taking everything in, reflecting one last time on what I'd just seen.

After nearly three decades of anticipation, my wait was over.

Only recently did I realize, I never really wanted it to end.