My Starwars Autograph Collection

Featuring Graphs and Pictures from About Me

Starwars Autograph Collecting at graphs.let-the-wookie-win.com by Dave Louis Oldbury

My name is

As a Forty two year old Grown man and a father of two I still cling to the magic of the first instance that I glimpsed Star Wars. I was totally awe struck and proceeded to make my poor mothers life an absolute misery for a good three months prior to that fateful day that she took me to see A NEW HOPE !

I remember wanting so much for the characters,new worlds, strange aliens and space craft to be real. I knew nothing of actors, there was no Mark Hamill, just Luke Skywalker, no Carrie Fisher or Alec Guinness, just Princess Leia and Obi Wan. These Characters to me were my Heroes. I lived every blaster shot, every Tie Fighter that exploded, every time Han Chased those Storm troopers I laughed and every time the death star exploded, I was there with Luke, taking that shot.

As I got older my life changed and I discovered that not everything was as cut and dried as it should be, and that the good guys didn't always win, people didn't live forever and that sometimes the world could be a pretty crap place to be. For a while I lost Star wars from my life, all the important stuff just seemed to take over. I truly believe that for a while I forgot how to have fun and just escape to somewhere cool, as I had when I was a child.

A friend asked me if I fancied going to a Sci-Fi Show one day. I remember asking why I would want to do that, as if I didn't have enough to be going on with in my life already. My Friend laughed and said I thought it would be right up your alley as Biggs Darklighter is going to be there. I remember having a massive smile and not really knowing why, all I could think of was bulls-eyeing womp rats in my T16 back home in Beggars Canyon. I turned up to that show full of myself, I was going to meet Biggs and get his autograph, hopefully.

However, Biggs wasn't there, instead it was a Guy called Garrick Hagon, who didn't really look like Biggs and never even had Biggs’s moustache, never mind an X-wing suit. Still in for a penny and all that. I felt daft but I said "Man, you don't know what Star Wars meant to me as A kid!” Garrick gave me one of those "you still are a kid by the amount of enthusiasm you're showing looks" and proceeded to reel me back into the Star wars universe all over again. He told me about working with Mark Hamill and how big the fan movement was and I listened captivated, like I had when i'd seen Star wars for the first time in that cinema all those years ago.

I still remember, he wrote "To Dave Keep Flying High" on my autograph. That was it, I was back in as if i had never been away. I met other collectors, rediscovered my Passion and basically fell in love all over again. I hunted for new people high and low, and the thrill was so sweet finding a new name, not just because they were a trophy, but because they were interesting and they could expand my knowledge and let me be closer to the thing that had got me through so much as a kid. It was almost as if every time I was told a new story or an incident that happened on set, a little bit of me became part of the whole concept and I dearly loved it.

There were villains, great guys, funny people and characters that in real life rivalled anything that came from the mind of George Lucas. The one thing that united them all, no matter how diverse they were was that they had all, in some little way, gone into making something so special and totally life changing for a whole generation. I have been lucky and very blessed to meet some of the most interesting people in pursuit of my hobby. Both fans and Actors/supporting artists/extras, whatever label you want to plant your flag under, it really makes no odds to the average Joe like myself. When I look back over the last ten or so years, I smile. I have made some of the nicest and best friends, from every single avenue of the Star wars world. You all know who you are and what it means to me that you have all been kind and gracious enough to share your lives, tales and friendship with me. Whether you are humble, funny, larger than life, struggling, living the dream or just plain mad !!!!!! - I REALLY DON'T CARE. YOU ARE ALL MY HEROES AND YOU MAY NEVER TRULY KNOW WHAT YOU GAVE THE WORLD OR HOW YOU INFLUENCED MY GENERATION, BUT THANK GOD YOU DID. IT WOULD BE A BLOODY BORING WORLD WITHOUT STAR WARS !!

1/1/2011 Published by Dave Louis Oldbury