Back in the early 1990s there was so little new Star Wars stuff coming out, so when Timothy Zahn's first book of a trilogy hit the bookshelves it was huge deal for fans. We would've taken any new "stuff", but this was the trilogy sequel we had all wanted and it didn't disappoint.
But new Star Wars material was few and far between, so I even turned to buying role play game pieces (I posted about these a few years ago). Whilst shopping in my local role play shop I spotted a Star Wars sourcebook, and right next to it was one for "Heir to the Empire", so I bought these books just to know more about the Star Wars universe. I added the "Dark Force Rising" sourcebook when it came out the following year, but for some reason never got the one for "The Last Command."
These go for decent money if they are in very good condition. I think the Heir to the Empire is the most sought after, fetching (at the time of writing) approx. £40+, and the other two books £20-40. As I say, this is for books in VGC, and sometimes motivated or naïve sellers sell for less. If you're selling, have a look at the price and condition of other listings.
The day was 13th November 1994. It was a time of not much happening Star Wars wise, the prequels were still a few years away. Brave Star Wars fans immersed themselves in whatever Lucasfilm saw fit to merchandise at the time. I really wish I'd written this bit in Jedi text....
My dad drove me all the way down to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, London to attend The Elstree Studios Star Wars Day! With a few hours travel to get there for a 9am start it was a long but worthwhile day.
The stars present to meet and greet and share their stories were Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Mike Edmonds (Logray, the Ewok and the operator of Jabba's tail in Jedi - note, his surname is spelt incorrectly in the programme), David Prowse (Darth Vader) and Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett). Special Effects Artist Brian Johnson was also there but sadly I didn't get to meet him.
I really wish I'd bought a camera with me. Yes, it was in the days before selfies but it would've cool to get a few snaps with the stars. I'd like to also have taken a few pictures of Elstree Studios too. This was a place of cinema history right in front of me, so some photos to remember the day by would've been nice.
I remember my dad having a long chat with Jeremy Bulloch who regaled us with details of his appearance alongside Cliff Richard in Summer Holiday (toodling around in a big red bus singing "we're all going on a summer holiday, no more work for a week or two...."). Of course, all I was thinking is, "He's Boba Fett! Wow!"
All the cast were really friendly. It was great to chat to them all. Kenny Baker had lovely handwriting - you can tell from his signature, below.
Warwick Davis was originally intending to attend too but couldn't due to work commitments. However, Warwick sent a message along with a copy of Return of the Ewok, which was great fun to watch! At the time the existence of this short film was unheard of and to this day has not been seen by many Star Wars fans, so, whilst missing out on meeting Warwick was disappointing, watch his film was a treat.
It would seem that this was the first ever public showing of Return of the Ewok in the UK, so, it's an "I was there moment". You can see the film mentioned on the events programme below.
I recall there being references to Revenge of the Jediin the movie, which was neat, and it was amusing to see Wicket running around different set from ROTJ, as being chased by a Bristolian Darth Vader (voiced by the man behind the mask, David Prowse).
As an interesting aside, I saw Warwick in passing a few times whilst on holiday at Disneyworld Florida in 2013. He was holidaying with his family so I decided not to bother him for a picture or autograph (I know how stressful family holidays are so, yeah, I'm sure having a geeky fan bugging you in a busy theme park would not have been appreciated.) 😊
My Star Wars Day convention ID
The programme for the day. I've circled the Return of the Ewok cinema presentation
Brochure for the day, included signatures from attending cast including Jeremy Bulloch.
The Elstree Star Wars Day Special Menu - Yak Face Pizza anyone?
The Elstree Star Wars Day - The Video - You are being filmed!
Star Wars Telephone Collector Cards - leaflet included in pack of info at Elstree SW Day
I got David Prowse to sign this early copy of Star Wars. He signed it "David Prowse IS Darth Vader", which was pretty cool!
I picked up a copy of Dark Times too.
In the paraphrased words of the dark lord, "Elstree Star Wars Day will be a day long remembered." The rebellion survived, and Star Wars convention days have grown considerably bigger since November 1994.
Note I have added rudimentary watermarks to a few images for this article as I've not seen much information about the Elstree Star Wars Day on the internet, especially images of the programme, menu or ID pass. I don't normally watermark my stuff, but I felt it necessary for these.
Here's a bunch of Star Wars annuals. The first two of course date back to the 1970s when Star Wars was just referred to as Star Wars. No mention of "A New Hope" on here! There are also a couple of The Empire Strikes Back annuals followed by three Return of the Jedi annuals. All of them are from the UK with varying publishers (incuding St Michael, which is Marks & Spencers)
One of my most treasured Star Wars possessions from when I was a kid is a book at aimed young reader's published in 1979 by Armada / Random House.
"The Mystery of the Rebellious Robot" was one of three Star Wars children's storybooks released that year. The other books were "The Wookie Storybook" and "The Maverick Moon" - sadly I had neither of these books and apart from pictures on the Internet, I've never seen them either.
In this story R2-D2 malfunctions, and nearly destroys the Millennium Falcon and then other rebel droids start malfunctioning too.
I like to think that my copy is in pretty decent condition - surprising really as I often scribbled on my books! I guess as it was a Star Wars book it was saved that fate.
Prices do vary on the book. Anything from a few pound for a poor condition to £100+ for a near new condition copy. I'll make sure I keep mine in good nick!
I updated this article in light of the latest mischievous droid, BB-8. I was thinking that a BB-8 adventure book would be a good idea. Of course, not ones to miss out on a marketing opportunity, Disney already have lots of BB-8 related merchandise, including many books already. Here's a few for you.
