"The oldest surviving piece of my wardrobe is a long-sleeved Bantha Tracks t-shirt that I got when my dad and I joined the original Star Wars Fan Club!" Lindelof says. "It was so big on me that I'd wear it to sleep...but now, somehow, it fits perfectly. I just happened to be wearing that shirt (and yes, there is a bantha on it) the first day that I met with J.J. Apparently, this turned out to be a great way to make a first impression."
They soon found themselves comparing fandom notes and waxing nostalgic about their childhood memories of Jedi, Sith and the creatures that inhabited a galaxy far, far away. "My first Star Wars memory was seeing the words 'Star Wars' in Starlog Magazine and thinking it was a weird title," Abrams recalls. "I remember seeing an early concept poster by Ralph McQuarrie for the movie. It stuck in my head even though I didn't know what it was -- but it looked important. My second memory is actually seeing it in the theater on opening day in Westwood at Avco Theater and never being the same again."
"It was absolutely the first film that struck a cord and that resonates to this day," Abrams continues. "I think it's because everyone relates to being stuck in your life and feeling like something extraordinary is just around the corner. To have something scary and tragic happen, like what happens to Luke's aunt and uncle, is such an engaging story that could take place on a farm in the middle of the U.S. and be just as compelling. And the fact that he ends up being the key to preventing this galactic takeover is kind of an amazing wish fulfillment. I think this taps into a universal desire that we all have to find meaning and purpose that is larger than what we ever could have imagined."
While the saga had Abrams contemplating the hero's journey from the moisture farm to the Rebel Alliance, Lindelof's early Star Wars memories affected him in more hygienic way. "I remember seeing A New Hope when I was four and being afraid to take a bath because of the trash compactor scene," Lindelof laughs. "From that point on, NO MORE BUBBLES! I needed to SEE what was in the water with me!"
Being wary of the unknown served its purpose more than just in bathing rituals; avid viewers of their show "Lost" know that both Lindelof and Abrams like to play around with unseen forces and bizarre life-threatening incidents that even Darth Vader would be impressed with, complete with black smoke monsters, a group of kidnappers known as "The Others" and misplaced polar bears.
As one of the most expensive pilots in TV history (costing approximately $10 million), the show soon became an unexpected hit for ABC. In its first season, "Lost" won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, while Abrams was awarded an Emmy in 2005 for his directorial work on the pilot. In 2006, the show won the critically-acclaimed Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama.
