I decided to leave a little after 10:00pm Monday night, thinking that it’d give me plenty of time to secure a decent place in line. Bad decision.

I arrived at the Westwood Best Buy to find Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Boba Fett, Rebels, Jedi, and a long line of fans that stretched around the corner. Most impressive was the R2-D2 that was moving around and making the noises that R2 usually makes. This was a really well done replica that impressed everyone. The Sandtroopers were also impressive, with accurate-looking armor and gear. Most of the costumed folk were from the 501st Legion, one of the biggest (if not the biggest) Star Wars costume groups in the country. Eventually I found my way to the end of the line and settled in for the wait. Sandtroopers helped pass out pamphlets and an entry form for a raffle. You could win an Xbox system, the Trilogy DVD and the new Battlefront video game. They were also going through the line and holding impromptu trivia sessions where you could win lesser prizes like Battlefront posters and Xbox demo discs.

Other than those distractions, there was little else to do. I immediately started wishing some of my friends could have made it. Thankfully my wonderful girlfriend kept me company on the phone, but had to go to sleep around midnight. Luckily, a little before midnight, the line started to move.

Finally we were moving! But my excitement quickly waned as the minutes passed. It was 12:15 and I had moved ten feet. Soon 12:30 rolled around. People around me were starting to get agitated. I was agitated. "Is this really worth it?" I began to ponder. A man dressed up as Tigger (yes, Tigger from Winnie the Pooh) tried to get the line pumped up, but did little to raise my spirits. At 12:45 I was getting closer to the front of the line. By now I had convinced myself that I would never do this again and was in a bad mood. It seemed as if even all the Stormtroopers had called it quits. I was about twenty people away from the front of the line when the lead Sandtrooper informed everyone that about half of the line had gone in.

"I'm glad I'm not one of the people way in the back" I thought to myself. At 1:08AM I walked through the doors of the Westwood Best Buy and bought my copy of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD. I was also able to pick up the limited edition Star Wars Insider. Tired, I went home and watched a featurette on the birth of the lightsaber, and then tried to watch A New Hope, but soon called it quits and fell asleep, exhausted.

All in all it was an interesting night, but next time, I'm bringing friends.

--Photos and review by Garett Yoshimura
garett@carrotnetwork.com