A Visit to the Ranch

I... have a dream...

That I, and several close friends, might one day travel out to the Holy Grail of cinema magic, Skywalker Ranch.

There resides the Lucasfilm screening room. In use there is probably the most advanced THX system in the world. It's where it all begins. When George Lucas or any of his minions need to experience what the final product will be, they watch it in the Lucasfilm screening room. The audio, video, seating, and construction of this theater are all top notch, to say the least. When you have as much clout and endless resources as Lucasfilm, you can afford the best.

My dream is this: to watch the entire Star Wars saga in that room. Sure, my dream is pointless compared to dreams of world peace and food for all the peoples of this planet, but at least my dream is not all together impossible.

So far, my cinematic Star Wars experience has been so-so. By far, the best sound I heard was at the now infamous Galaxy 10 theater in Garland, Texas. Odd thing is, it only happened once, during the first run of Episode 1, The Phantom Menace. It was as if they had just installed a massive THX system the day before. I had never experienced such a powerfully visceral presentation, nor have I since. The best video presentations have been all the screenings at the Cinemark Legacy theater in Plano, Texas. I have Texas Instruments' DLP to thank for that. Just seeing Yoda spin like a top and brandish his lightsaber like a bolt of lightning was so awesome on that huge screen! No "film" projector has come close. But before you go into a rant on the inarguable superiority of celluloid to digital, just remember that I am talking about local cinemas that could care less about perfect presentation quality, nor would spend the money to make it possible. The only exception to this had been the Northpark General Cinema 1 in Dallas, but sadly, that's a distant memory.

But to see these great films in the absolute best possible environment is the only true way to do them justice. With George Lucas' pioneering effort to promote the use of High Definition digital cameras as opposed to old-fashioned film cameras, and his creation and utilization of the THX audio program, a screening of the full 6 part epic at Skywalker Ranch is every Star Wars fan's dream come true.

And with that, I'm off to slumberland, anxiously awaiting the hopeful transition from dream to reality.

"Remember, the Force will be with you. Always."