I was four months shy of my seventh birthday when "Star Wars" was released on May 25, 1977. I don't remember how or when I first heard of it, but I do remember that I HAD to see it.

And I did. My father took me to the Loews Astor Place in Times Square -- don't bother looking for it, it's long gone. It was the best movie I had ever seen, and sometimes I think it may be the best movie I ever will see. We liked it so much that after the audience cleared out, we stayed in our seats and saw it again. My dad not only loved it, he loved getting his money's worth by sitting through a movie two times. Remember, this was 1977 and it was years before they had assigned seats in movie theaters.

If you ask me, 7 was the perfect age to see "Star Wars." I wasn't a toddler, but I was still a little kid. And at the same time, I was old enough to get the jokes and understand the bigger message, but not too old to think it silly.

And of course there were the toys. I remember getting knockoff lightsabers, basically red flashlights with a tube attached, for Hanukkah. I remember forcing my mom the following year to take me to Alexander's (also gone) to buy action figures. I read the Star Wars comic books from Marvel. My friends and I played Star Wars. We even made our own Star Wars movie at school.

Star Wars had a lasting effect on my life, and on the adult I was to become. It got me interested in movies and helped point me toward a career in Hollywood. All those toys and comic books? Well, now I have a large collection of original Star Wars movie props, production art and a set of mint toys in their original packaging. And last year, I even co-authored a book on the art of Ralph McQuarrie, one of the key Star Wars conceptualists. Like I said, 7 was a perfect age.

A few million years later in 2002, I was invited to a press screening of "Attack of the Clones." In honor of Star Wars and George Lucas who created it, I will simply say that I didn't enjoy the film. I was 32 years old, and it just wasn't for me. However, as I left the theater, I was walking behind two kids who looked like they were about 7 years old. They thought it was the greatest movie they'd ever seen. Did I love Star Wars because it was great or because I was 7? Or both. I choose both.