Six movies, 30 years - Star Wars saga ends

IN the original 1977 film Star Wars, a brash young boy named Luke Skywalker parts with his prized speeder to pay for a ride on the spaceship Millennium Falcon.

Almost three decades later, fans parted with $500 (almost €400) to attend a premiere of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Given the ticket costs at the premieres last night in San Francisco and nine other cities - the proceeds go to charity - crowds included well-heeled moviegoers as well as die-hard fans. The film opens to the public with midnight showings on May 19.

A red carpet lined the side of the Sony Metreon theatre in San Francisco and volunteers dressed as stormtroopers, X-wing pilots and bounty hunter Boba Fett. Fans gathered for a glimpse of director George Lucas.

Chris James, 36, of Montara, California, dressed like an X-Wing fighter pilot and was hoping to score a ticket.

“I think he’s (Lucas) going to please the fans and I’m happy that he’s going to complete the saga,” said James, a software engineer.

Lucas, who says he plans to return to experimental films now that the last Star Wars is completed, planned to enter each theatre at the Metreon to thank patrons and introduce the film.

Asked how he felt to see the saga end, Lucas said: “I’m relieved and I’m glad that I get to go on and do other things. It’s been 30 years of my life, so it’s a lot of time.”

Celebrities at the New York event included Episode I stars Samuel L Jackson and Liam Neeson.

Jake Lloyd, 16, who played the young Anakin Skywalker, says he’s transitioned into a normal life.

When Star Wars icon Mark Hamill arrived in Los Angeles, fans burst into cheers. Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the original episodes, ran across the street to shake hands and sign autographs.

The premiere also drew Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, who told reporters he auditioned for the role of Han Solo in the first Star Wars film but didn’t get it.

Carrie Fisher - Princess Leia in the original trilogy - attended the Washington DC premiere. And in Miami, premiere organisers planned to re-create the cantina scene from the original Star Wars.

Revenge of the Sith - the last instalment in the Star Wars series - chronicles Anakin Skywalker’s transformation from hero to villain Darth Vader. The film may be the darkest chapter in the Star Wars story, featuring more violence and the story of a democratic government’s descent into a despotic regime.