So, here's the pitch--

Director: "The movie is about a society that is super advanced -- they travel around in spaceships and fire lasers at each other."

Studio Exec: "Lasers? Cool. I like that."

Director: "Well, not everyone uses lasers. The good guys actually do all their fighting with swords made out of light."

Exec: "Swords versus lasers? Hmmm, I'm not so sure about that. Continue.

Dir: "Well, to be really honest, the good guys used to use the light sworrds. All the good guys are pretty much dead now."

Exec: "The good guys are dead?"

Dir: "Yeah, well... except for one of them. He's old but wise. (pause) He gets killed off in about the middle of the movie by the second-in-command of all the bad guys."

Exec: "Oh... the second-in-command? What about the leader of the bad guys?"

Dir: "We don't meet him in this movie."

Exec: "Uhhhh. So the second-in-command is a real bad !#^@#!^, right?"

Dir: "Yeah, totally! He has to use a machine to help him breathe and he lost most of his limbs in a volcano accident years ago, but he's scary."

Exec: "O, so the amputee bad guy kills the old good guy. What happens next?"

Dir: "Well, the bad guys have a giant spaceship, as big as a planet, or at least as big as a decent-sized moon, and they are going to kill all the good guys. But this one kid who has never flown a spaceship in combat in his life destorys the moon-spaceship by firing one shot in just the right place causing a chain reaction that blows the bad guys up."

Exec: "Riiiight. Anything else?"

Dir: "Well, he's only able to do it because he trusts this invisible thing that controls the universe called The Force."

Exec: "Yeah... uhhh, don't call us, we'll call you."

Dir: "Wait, I havn't told you about the robot that talks in beeps and clicks or the huge bear that only grunts. The audience is gonna love both of these guys!!"

30 years ago today!!! May 25, 1977, Star Wars hit theaters.

Hollywood would never be the same.

--Jason "which was more influential, Star Wars or the blockbuster of the summer of 1976, Jaws? Nevermind, no question it is Star Wars" Evans