Thousands of fans, huddled together to ward off the cold and forget about the pouring rain, waited patiently for the doors of the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum to swing open. Inside the main area (the very large Hangar number 2) exhibitors and staff members were making final adjustments to the various booths and structures put up for the weekend. An eerie silence hung in the air, and the energy of the fans waiting outside could be felt through the thick walls of the hangar. Soon, everything was set: everyone drew in a deep, collective breath, and the doors were opened.
Few things are as amazing as seeing an empty location being filled to capacity in a heartbeat. It looked and felt, quite simply, like an invasion -- but a welcome one. Vibrating with freed tension like that of a bow string suddenly released, the long line of fans quickly made its way inside the building, away from the bleak weather, and a little closer to the Star Wars universe. All around, booths suddenly became alive, and excited laughter rang out everywhere, as visitors discovered the surprises that were awaiting them inside: original props borrowed from the Lucasfilm archives, a vast videogaming area set up by LucasArts, two large Star Wars timelines, licensee booths everywhere, and generally more Star Wars than you can shake a stick (or even two) at.
When the fans were seated again, Lucasfilm Director of Marketing Jim Ward walked on stage to present a unique greeting recorded in Tokyo a few weeks earlier. Over there, fans attending a big convention had insisted on sending a videotaped "hello" to their North American brothers and sisters. And so, on the cinema screen of Stage A appeared five thousand Japanese fans who waved and cheered at their Denver counterparts. The American crowd automatically cheered back at the screen, and there, for an instant, was the perfect illustration of a passion shared around the globe, melting frontiers on its path. But the piece de resistance was still to come. Jim Ward introduced the world premiere of the Episode I music video produced by Lucasfilm and Sony Classical, entitled "The Duel of the Fates". Four minutes and fifteen seconds later, the room exploded into ecstatic cheering, whistling, and applause, an exciting conclusion to the official opening of the Star Wars Fan Event. Then, with Anthony Daniels back at the helm, the enthusiastic crowd jumped right into the festivities.
Walking away from Stage A, one could distinctly hear the delighted sounds of the fans still inside, seemingly taking their first step into a larger world. From the darkened, auditorium-like area came the sunlight of one big, happy family, shining bright through clouds and rain, and joining the warm halo that emerged from Hangar number 2.
