The Mighty Chewbacca

San Jose, Costa Rica, Christmas 1986. There was only one department store close to where we lived, but it was packed with toys.

My brother asked for a Super Powers Green Lantern, but he got a Secret Wars Doctor Doom - because both characters had green outfits.

I don't recall what I asked for, but it may have been "anything Star Wars".

I got a single 3.75" figure; my first Star Wars figure, nonetheless. It was Chewbacca. Chewie was my first figure.

Although Luke remains my favorite character, Chewbacca will always have a special place in my heart. He's funny yet capable of having serious moments, cute-looking - like a big dog, or a walking carpet - yet also powerful and strong. He's also smart - even if he thinks with his stomach -, Han Solo's best friend, and the Millenium Falcon's co-pilot.

During playtime, being my only Star Wars figure, Chewie went on solo adventures more often than not, but he also joined forces with Galaxy Warriors, Gobots, Playmobil, and other non-Star Wars toys.

His crossbow got lost in a matter of days, probably. I lost the "collector's coin" that came with him in the early 2000s. The figure's limbs are now quite loose, and the blue in his eyes is beginning to fade. He's kept in a plastic bag inside a Star Wars tin lunch box. He's precious to me. Wait, did I just sound like Gollum?

I bought the POTF2 Classic Edition 4-Pack a couple years ago. That vintage-looking Chewie is my display Chewie now, in order to protect my vintage figure. Thus, now I have three Chewbacca figures: my vintage childhood Chewie, the 1995 Classic Edition repro, and a mint-in-card 2017 Chewbacca that I got from my sister. I would have four Chewbacca figures, but I gave the one that came with my Millenium Falcon to my niece. She's too young to play with it, but perhaps she will once she gets her first dose of Original Star Wars (She's only 3).

Not counting Storm Trooper army-building, for some odd subconscious reason that I cannot put into words, Chewbacca is the only character I have more than one same-version figure of. Sure, I do have farmboy, Bespin, and Jedi Luke, but those are different versions of the same character.

Speaking of character development, Chewbacca didn't change much as a character in the movies. He remained a loyal friend to Han Solo, and the same fearsome warrior he was since the beginning. Or maybe he opened up to making new friends, like Luke, Leia, the droids, and the Ewoks. Maybe he developed a more compassionate side of himself while taking care of dismembered 3PO. Maybe he learned forgiveness teaming up with Lando after having wanted to choke him to death. I like to think that he grew and learned things, just like his human friends.

It's been almost 42 years since people saw Chewbacca on screen for the first time. Peter Mayhew has passed away. We have yet again been grimly reminded that the original cast will not last forever. WE will not last forever, and the plastic in our collections might outlive us all.

It is a dark time to be a Star Wars fan. All chances of reuniting the original cast have been wasted. The Expanded Universe grew uncontrollably just to be decanonized by the new brand owners. All movies made after 1983 are full of plot inconsistencies and insulting character twists. Criticism of the brand is being censored, dismissed, or slandered. Toy assortment and distribution seem random and chaotic. Sometimes I wonder if I would've become a Star Wars fan had I been born in this era.

Nevertheless, as long as there are people who own copies of the Original Unaltered Trilogy, the legacy can be protected and the torch can be passed on. In addition, our childhood vintage figures - and to a lesser extent some of the modern toys - will remain as physical evidence of how millions of lives were positively touched by the power of good story-telling. Before the Dark Times, before the Empire.

May the Force be with you.

Why I Collect...

The year was 1982. The place was Mexico City. I had just gone through open-heart surgery at the tender age of three. That was the setting of my very first Star Wars-related memory. I had yet to see any of the movies. I was too young to recall every single detail of my first contact with a galaxy far, far away. Nevertheless, the few brief flashbacks I do get are as powerfully vivid as my most recent memories.

Cold December weather. Busy, crowded streets packed with stores, museums, and fast-moving people. Taco stands and fruit vendors, the scent of fresh apples and grapes being sold everywhere, and the smell of the back-then not-so-old Federal District subway stations.

After I was released from the hospital, my parents decided to stay in the country a little longer, just in time for Christmas shopping. We went to malls and department stores, but I only recall one of those, the one where I saw what would become one of my life passions.

That was my first contact with a Kenner Star Wars toy aisle. I was mesmerized by the action figures and the ships, especially the Millenium Falcon.

My parents bought two 12-inch Storm Troopers, one for my older brother, and another one for me. Both Storm Troopers no loger exist, or their pieces are strewn around several places in Guatemala. My parents also bought a 3.75-inch Darth Vader for my brother. If you are a conoisseur, you know which Vader figure I'm talking about. The vintage version. Years later, that figure ended up having a sad fate, unworthy of its awesome history and current auction value.

I wouldn't get my first figure until 1986. I'll save that story for my next post.

I saw a Star Wars film for the first time in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, in 1985. Global premieres did not exist back then. The movie was Return of the Jedi.

The movie left an indelible impression in my mind. Not only did it light an ever-lasting imagination spark, but it also introduced me to abstract philosophical concepts such as adventure, evil, friendship, heroism, love, and rebellion. Coincidence or not, since the age of 16, these things have been recurring themes in both my writing and my personal life. 

Although I neither spoke English nor understood subtitles in Spanish back then, I was able to understand the basic outline of the story: The Emperor and his troops were evil and cruel, the rebels were opposing them, and Luke Skywalker turned Darth Vader away from evil by refusing to be violent.

The city of San Pedro didn't have a lot of toy stores, but the ones it did have were packed with Star Wars stuff that my parents could not afford back then. Having enjoyed the excitement of the movie and actually understanding it made my lack of Star Wars action figures and vehicles almost unbearable.

However, with or without figures, I can confidently say that the mere existence of Star Wars was one of the greatest joys of my childhood.

Now, more than thirty years later, I work hard to pay rent and bills and buy groceries, just like any responsible mature adult person my age. But each month I also budget a few dollars for something else. Said handful of cash is invested - or wasted, according to some people's point of view - in adding items to a collection that mixes vintage, 90s-era, and new versions of action figures and vehicles. To me, having these things is better than a million childhood pictures. Each figure or vehicle in my collection has a story to tell, and is connected to my memory of the movies that sparked my interest in art, philosophy, and story-telling in general. Walking into my room and seeing my collectibles makes me smile, and reminds me that all work and no play is a bad deal, because a human being is more than a money-making, bill-paying machine. 

Luminous beings we are, not just crude matter.

Every single adult on the planet should be able to relate to their inner child, that little person who rode a bike and played with toys and dreamed of things that have yet to come true or only exist within one's imagination.

In my case, the kid was fascinated by adventure and awesome space ships, and a hero wielding a green laser sword while rescuing his friends from a disgusting evil monster.