COLUMN: There will only be one trilogy

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Those of you who have read my columns can probably put the paper down and walk away knowing one thing about me: I am a “Star Wars” fan. Big time.

I have been a fan of the adventures of Luke and company for as long as I can remember.

I have seen every one of the six “Star Wars” films a minimum of 10 times. No joke: 10 times.

“Star Wars” is one of those pop culture phenomenons that unites generations.

My dad was 18 when “Star Wars: A New Hope” was released in 1977. He then exposed me to the Holy Trilogy when I was a mere lad, perhaps at four or five. This past summer I did the same thing with my four-year-old brother, who thinks “Darth Vader is mean, but really good on the inside,” and loved the movies as much as I did.

It is not often that a piece of pop culture links generation to generation. The Beatles are one of the few examples.

But “Star Wars” is nearly universal. Even though someone may not have seen any of them — if so, get on that — they know what “Star Wars” is. Ask any six-year-old kid or 50-year-old man or woman and they will surely say they are aware of its existence.

But then George Lucas, creator of “Star Wars,” had to go and mess it all up.

In 1999, Lucas gave the world his much anticipated prequel trilogy, this one is not so holy, and though the films were box office hits, they lacked the punch that the original three had.

Journalist Chuck Klosterman wrote in “Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs” that “‘The Empire Strikes Back” might be the only example of a movie that set the social aesthetic for a generation coming in the future.” He goes on to explain that the message of “Empire” is that “reality bites.” And I think everyone here can agree this is so.

It’s not that reality is bad, but that it’s real and we are constantly dealing with it, just like Luke at the end of the film.

None of the films in the second trilogy have any solid cultural statements or ramifications. “Attack of the Clones” will not change anyone’s life. Or at least I hope not. No one will walk out of the theater after seeing “The Phantom Menace” with any profound realizations other than, “Who the hell is Jar Jar Binks? And why do I hate him so much?”

My younger brother and sister will not have the same experience I had with “Star Wars,” because their trilogy is not my trilogy.

To them, Anakin is the hero (spoiler alert: he becomes Darth Vader!), not Luke. I made an effort to expose them to the films in the correct order — the originals first, then the prequels -— but I am no match for the powers of pop culture.

To them there was always six. To me, there will only be the Holy Trilogy.