2008 - 25 = 1983

1983 was 25 years ago and by that I mean 2008 represents the 25th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. I find this rather frightening since it feels like just yesterday that my dad and I waited on a line wound round the block to finally see the infamous Jabba the Hutt. It seems like just yesterday I traded Return of the Jedi cards with my friends at Rolling Hills Day Camp (I remember my favorite card was the one featuring Max Rebo aka the blue elephant-like dude who played the piano in Jabba's bar band). It seems like just yesterday that George Lucas foreshadowed the abomination known as Jar Jar Binks by introducing the kid-centric ewoks and changing the original title from the ultra-cool Revenge to the more innocuous Return.

Now, to put this in perspective, back in '83 people were marveling over the 25th anniversary of Vertigo, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Old Yeller. That's right...the same amount of time has passed since Boba Fett, everyone's favorite bounty hunter, was beaten by a blind Han Solo that had passed since a boy heard his beloved dog take a slug in the skull. This is how fast time is going. Before you know it, Titanic will be 10 years old. Wait...Titanic IS 10 years old! Make it stop!

Other things celebrating their 25th anniversaries in 2008:

The final episode of M*A*S*H airs
The Cabbage Patch Kids cause mass murders amongst desperate parents
People begin to "Just Say No" to drugs (though they won't realize their drug-addled brains are equivalent to frying eggs until 4 years later)
Sally Ride becomes the first woman in space
The Police ironically advocate stalking in "Every Breath You Take"
The Baltimore Orioles win their last WS