Galactic passport in hand I arrived at the Empire Leicester Square at 6.30am, small crowds had already gathered and a throng of assorted news media had already descended on the square to catch the UK Garrison of the 501st's dawn patrol. Then the realisation hit me that I was about to spend the next 15 hours or so watching Star Wars movies, and that it was going to be a long day and I was a bit daunted - would I be able to make it?


Once at the square the scale of the Episode III Celebration Day became apparent - with all four cinemas dedicating themselves to the event by removing any trace of the films they would normallybe showing and decorating their fronts with Star Wars billboards. Most impressive of all was the Odeon, whose black facing - still slick from the rain that fell during the night - had been adorned with several huge Revenge of the Sith signs. Sadly the front of this cinema was completely blocked from view by 20 foot tall screens, behind which the preparations for the gala premiere were being conducted.

Outside the Empire was Lucasfilm's Director of Fan Relations and Über Collector, Steve Sansweet, who was conducting interviews and talking to the fans, and even at 6.50am on a dreary Monday the atmosphere was palpable. Once we made it into the Empire we were presented with complimentary "survival kits" which contained a selection of Star Wars items, snacks and personal hygiene products, all in Revenge Of The Sith branded zip-lock bag.


Throughout the day Leicester Square was thronged with thousands of people, and at times it seemd like half the population of London had turned out to share in the spectacle. With huge light signs scattered around the square there was no doubt in the importance of the event - though there was some confusion amongst the tourists. One of the most popular attractions was the (nearly) life-size X-wing that was parked directly opposite the Empire theatre.

There were also dozens of fans walking around in costume, as well as the UK Garroson of the 501st Legion who were there in their official capacity, but most pleasing of all was seeing the numerous children dressed up. Darth Vader was the most popular but other characters were represented.


At the centre of Leicester Square is a small park where a small tent was being used for Star Wars character face painting, and a large outdoor stage was erected. Here the Royal Philharmonic played a number of compositions from the Star Wars soundtracks, and later on in the day it was used for a number of live interviews.


There were three interviews in total, which started at 3pm. TV presenter Richard Bacon came onto stage to introduce Jeremy Bulloch as his first guest, though the questions were mundane and uninspiring Bulloch did his best to give a good interview.


The second guest was the highlight of the day and the audience applauded loudly as soon as they saw Christopher Lee, looking typically British in a Macintosh coat. His first comment was “even Jedi have to wear Macintoshes sometimes, although were supposed to be impervious to anything else”. The rain was thankfully not too bad, but nobody really seemed to notice it at all.


The final interview was with Anthony Daniels, who did a C-3PO waddle whilst walking on stage and played up to the audience. You could tell that Anthony had been a stage actor before and attended lots of fan conventions. He was constantly addressing the crowd and making jokes, and was clearly very proud of being the only actor to be in all six films.


There was a brief introduction, and welcome ceremony and then the lights dimmed. I looked behind me and saw a sea of lightsabres being waved, then the familiar music started and the crowd went wild with applause and cheers. The hairs on the back of my neck went up and stayed up for the rest of the day! I won't go into details about the individual movies, but I can say that they flew by and fifteen hours of Star Wars is pure bliss. The editions of Episodes IV, V and VI screened were the Special Editions and not the recent DVD editions. There were short 15 minute breaks between films and a 45 minute lunch break after Episode VI. The running order was: 7:00 am - 9:05am Star Wars, 9:25am - 11:32am The Empire Strikes Back, 11:50am - 14:00pm Return of The Jedi, 14:45pm - 16:58pm The Phantom Menace, 17:15pm - 19:32 Attack Of The Clones, 20:30pm - 22:40pm Revenge Of The Sith (this started 30 minutes later than planned)

The atmosphere inside the cinema was amazing, every character was greeted with cheers when they first appeared on screen. The crowd as ever reserved the biggest cheers for The Empire Strikes Back but key moments and appearances by baddies were all cheered and booed with great purpose. Jar Jar took a roasting - though one brave soul shouted out "We love you Jar Jar" which was met with thunderous laughter - and there was general hilarity at the now infamous Anakin dream sequence in Attack of the Clones. Leia's bikini in Return of the Jedi got a special crowd response all its own! I can’t tell you how good the crowd was though, I’ve never seen or heard anything like it, not at Premieres, midnight screenings or with US audiences has there been such a crowd for me.


One thing that I cannot stress enough is how much fun it is to watch all the movies like this in a marathon with a whole bunch of like-minded fans. The audience participation and the camaraderie made this the most enjoyable viewing of the Star Wars movies that I have ever had (except perhaps back in 1977 as a wide eyed five year old).

Episode III did get underway a little late but this was due to George and the other celebrities taking an extended period on the red carpet signing and talking to fans on the other side of the Square at the UK premiere which was being held half an hour ahead at the Odeon. The applause that erupted from the Empire crowd when George Lucas, Rick McCallum and his gang of stars finally made it on stage to introduce Revenge Of The Sith was incredible, people clapped and cheered for at least five minutes. George commented that the British fans were some of the most ardent and definitely the loudest, while Rick simply said that the film they were about to see was "f*cking awesome!"


The credits then rolled and we all finally got to see how the saga would end, and what an ending - though I won’t spoil it for you!

As George and Rick began to leave the audience began to chant "Three more films!" over and over again, to which he stated clearly that this was definately the end for Star Wars movies and re-confirmed that his next project would be Indiana Jones IV which ushered in yet more applause. In the lobby of the cinema George, Rick and Hayden made a brief appearance before they returned to the audience - they were instantly mobbed but I think the reply was positive though there was too much noise to tell. Just before they were whisked away again George joked that we are all mad but they will be running the films again tomorrow, but this time in the correct order. Many of those that overheard him took this to be true and let out loud groans, while those that spotted the joke just chuckled.

Top marks to the UK Garrison of the 501st, they did an amazing job throughout the day - often standing out in the rain for long periods. I think it is important to remember that UK Garrison members receive no payment for these events and do it soley for the love of Star Wars. Thanks should also go to 20th Century Fox and Lucasfilm, whose planning and commitment to the event stirred up a great deal of national pride from the crowd, and propted George Lucas to declare that "London is the home of Star Wars!"

Euro.Rebelscum.com would like to extend a special pat on the back to Barry, Phil and Peter, as well as James from Crashlander.com